Stockwinners Market Radar for January 13, 2021 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

21:00 EST Poshmark 6.6M share IPO priced at $42 - Poshmark announced the pricing of the initial public offering of 6,600,000 shares of its Class A common stock at a price to the public of $42.00 per share. All of the shares are being offered by Poshmark. The shares are expected to begin trading on the Nasdaq Global Select Market on Jan. 14, 2021 under the symbol "POSH." In addition, the underwriters have a 30-day option to buy up to an additional 990,000 shares of Class A common stock from the company at the IPO price, less underwriting discounts and commissions. The closing of the offering is expected to occur on Jan. 19, 2021, subject to satisfaction of customary closing conditions. Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, and Barclays Capital Inc. are acting as lead book-running managers for the offering. Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated, William Blair & Company, L.L.C, Raymond James & Associates, Inc., Cowen and Company, LLC, and JMP Securities LLC are acting as book-running managers.

20:35 EST KKR closes first Asia real estate Fund at $1.7B - KKR announced the final close of KKR Asia Real Estate Partners, a $1.7B fund focused on opportunistic real estate investments in Asia Pacific. "AREP's close marks the next chapter of growth for KKR in Asia Pacific as we continue to expand our position as a proven alternative capital provider across asset classes," said Ming Lu, Head of KKR Asia Pacific. "Asia Pacific's real estate sector needs sophisticated investment and innovative operational solutions to meet the high demand for modernized properties and developments that are required to stay ahead of the region's rapid growth. Our experienced team is well-positioned to capture compelling opportunities and add value to our portfolio to generate attractive, yield-adjusted returns for our investors."

18:32 EST T-Mobile announces five-year agreements with Ericsson, Nokia - T-Mobile (TMUS) announced five-year, multi-billion-dollar agreements with both Ericsson (ERIC) and Nokia (NOK) to continue advancing and expanding the nation's largest 5G network. Part of the network investment following last year's merger with Sprint, these deals enable T-Mobile to add even more 5G coverage, capacity, speed and advanced technical capabilities across all of its spectrum bands.

18:27 EST Lion Electric CEO: We are not an overnight success - In an interview on CNBC's Mad Money, Marc Bedard said Lion Electric is 12 years in the making, working mostly under the radar and investing in the product. "Our relationship with Amazon is awesome," he added, noting the MPA provides for the purchase of up to 2,500 trucks. Lion plans to open a factory in the U.S. within two years. Bedard said the company has decided to focus on urban only trucks and will work on long-haul versions in seven to eight years.

18:04 EST NantKwest, ImmunityBio announce early results of PD-L1 t-haNK protocols - NantKwest and ImmunityBio announced early interim results of its PD-L1 t-haNK protocols showing median survival rates more than doubled that of the historic rate in patients with advanced metastatic pancreatic cancer for which no other FDA-approved treatment exists. These trials, which were based on the original Cancer Moonshot hypothesis and exploratory QUILT trials initiated in 2017, appear to validate the theory that by orchestrating natural killer and T-cell therapy, survival rates could be improved without high-dose chemotherapy.

17:39 EST Johnson & Johnson says COVID vaccine data shows 'stable neutralizing antibodies' - Johnson & Johnson said in a statement, "Interim Phase 1/2a data were published in the New England Journal of Medicine demonstrating that the company's single-dose investigational COVID-19 vaccine candidate, JNJ-78436735 - being developed by the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson - provided an immune response that lasted for at least 71 days, the duration of time measured in this study in participants aged 18-55 years. A preview of part of these interim data was posted on medRxiv in September 2020. The Phase 1/2a interim analysis showed that the company's COVID-19 vaccine candidate induced an immune response and was generally well-tolerated across all study participants. Data demonstrated that, after a single vaccination, neutralizing antibodies against COVID-19 were detected in over 90% of study participants at Day 29 and 100% of participants aged 18-55 years at Day 57. These neutralizing antibodies remained stable through Day 71, currently the latest timepoint available in this ongoing study, in all participants aged 18-55 years. Data on durability of immune responses in trial participants aged over 65 years will be available in late January and longer-term follow-up to one year is planned. The company anticipates announcing topline Phase 3 data for its single-dose Janssen COVID-19 vaccine candidate in late January 2021; however, as this trial is dependent on disease events, the timing is approximate. If the single-dose vaccine is shown to be safe and effective, the company expects to submit an application for Emergency Use Authorization with the FDA shortly afterwards, with other regulatory applications around the world to be made subsequently." Reference Link

17:31 EST GE Aviation awarded $101.47M government contract modification - General Electric Aviation is awarded a $101,470,782 firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to previously awarded contract N00019-18-C-1007. This modification procures 21 T408-GE-400 turboshaft engines and associated engine, programmatic and logistics services in support of CH-53K Lot Five low rate initial production aircraft. Work will be performed in Lynn, Massachusetts, and is expected to be completed in December 2024. Fiscal 2021 aircraft procurement funds in the amount $101,470,782 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.

17:23 EST MoneyGram to elminate approximately 90 positions - On January 11, MoneyGram committed to an operational plan to reduce overall operating expenses, including the elimination of approximately 90 positions across the company and certain actions to reduce other ongoing operating expenses, including real estate-related expenses. The actions are designed to streamline operations and structure the company in a way that will be more agile and aligned around its plan to execute market-specific strategies. The total expected cost of the 2021 Organizational Realignment is approximately $9.7M, which includes approximately $6.2M in one-time cash severance expenditures and $3.5M in real estate-related and other cash expenditures. The company expects the 2021 Organizational Realignment to reduce operating expenses by approximately $18M on an annualized basis. The company anticipates the workforce reduction portion of the 2021 Organizational Realignment to be substantially completed in the first quarter of 2021 and related cash expenditures to be substantially paid out in 2021. The company's estimates are based on a number of assumptions. Actual results may differ materially, and additional charges not currently expected may be incurred in connection with, or as a result of, the 2021 Organizational Realignment.

17:05 EST Aqua Pennsylvania to acquire East Whiteland wastewater assets for $55M - Essential Utilities announced that its Pennsylvania wastewater subsidiary has signed an asset purchase agreement with East Whiteland Township, Chester County to acquire the municipality's wastewater assets for approximately $55M. The pending transaction is subject to Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission approval. East Whiteland Township's wastewater system serves approximately 8,200 customer-equivalents including residential and commercial connections. The system is comprised of 57 miles of collection mains and 13 pump stations. The collection system accepts waste from the neighboring municipalities of Malvern Borough and Charlestown Township. Its waste passes through Aqua's Valley Creek Trunk Sewer line where it is treated at the Valley Forge Sewer Authority. Essential's unregulated subsidiary, Aqua Resources, purchased the 9-mile Valley Creek trunk line in December 2018, which consists of gravity sewers, force mains and two pump stations, from the Tredyffrin Municipal Township Authority. Aqua Pennsylvania Wastewater President Marc Lucca said the company anticipates the need for $19M in infrastructure improvements over the next decade including two major sewer extensions. "I would like to welcome the residents and businesses of East Whiteland and neighboring communities to the Aqua wastewater family, many of whom already receive our drinking water. Upon closing we are committed to work on the Planebrook and Bacton Hill roads' sewer extensions, which will enable us to expand public sewer service to several residents within the township who are currently on septic systems," said Lucca.

17:02 EST Citi unifies wealth management teams to create Citi Global Wealth - Citi announced that it has created a single wealth management organization, Citi Global Wealth, unifying wealth management teams in Global Consumer Banking and the Institutional Clients Group. Citi Global Wealth is a single, integrated platform serving clients across the wealth continuum, from the affluent segment to ultra-high net worth clients. This new organization will be led by Jim O'Donnell and will include the Citi Private Bank and Citi Personal Wealth Management. Jim will report to Anand Selva, CEO of Global Consumer Banking, and Paco Ybarra, CEO of the Institutional Clients Group. In an internal memo announcing the formation of the new business, Citi CEO Michael Corbat and Citi President and incoming CEO Jane Fraser said, "Making wealth management a key differentiator and source of enhanced returns for Citi will be a key element of our strategy going forward, and putting the full force of our firm behind an offering in this way is indicative of the approach we're taking to transforming our bank." Prior to his appointment to this new role, Mr. O'Donnell was Global Head of Investor Sales and Relationship Management, responsible for the distribution of global Markets products to Citi's Equities, Fixed Income, Currencies and Commodities clients. He joined Citi in July 1999.

16:51 EST Siga Technologies: Meridian Medical to purchase up to $33M of oral TPOXX - SIGA Technologies (SIGA) announced that the Public Health Agency of Canada has awarded a contract to Meridian Medical Technologies, a Pfizer (PFE) company, for the purchase up to approximately $33M of oral TPOXX within five years. The contract specifies firm commitments for the purchase of approximately $3.4M of oral TPOXX by March 31, 2021 and a cumulative purchase of approximately $17.2M of oral TPOXX by March 31, 2023; the remaining courses under the Contract are scheduled to be purchased after March 31, 2023 and are subject to option exercise by PHAC. The Contract award follows, but is separate and incremental to, the issuance in April, 2020 of a contract by the Canadian Department of National Defence for the delivery of up to approximately $14M of oral TPOXX. As with all international sales of TPOXX, Meridian is the counterparty to the contract and SIGA will be responsible for the manufacture and delivery of product. SIGA anticipates Canadian regulatory approval in late 2021 or early 2022.

16:39 EST Alexion further pauses global Phase 3 study of Ultomiris - Alexion Pharmaceuticals announced the decision to pause further enrollment in the global Phase 3 study of ULTOMIRIS, avulizumab-cwvz,in adults with severe COVID-19 requiring mechanical ventilation. This decision is based on the recommendation of an independent data monitoring committee (IDMC), following their review of data from a pre-specified interim analysis. The IDMC recommended that additional enrollment be paused, pending further analysis of the data, due to lack of efficacy when ULTOMIRIS was added to best supportive care, compared to best supportive care alone. There were no new safety findings observed. The study will continue for patients already enrolled, including completion of all study visits and planned ULTOMIRIS dosing according to the study protocol. "We would like to thank the patients and their families, as well as investigators and healthcare professionals, who were essential to this study. We greatly value their contributions to help investigate potential ways to address this devastating pandemic," said John Orloff, M.D., Executive Vice President and Head of Research & Development at Alexion. "While initial anecdotal reports from compassionate use cases were promising, these results demonstrate the importance of conducting controlled clinical trials to fully evaluate the potential of new treatment approaches and generate the necessary evidence to make informed decisions. We are disappointed in this initial outcome, but plan to further analyze the data to identify potential subgroups who may benefit and to determine next steps. In addition, we remain fully committed to our efforts to serve the rare disease community and to continuing to provide ULTOMIRIS to the patients who currently rely on it." The IDMC's recommendation was based on a pre-planned interim analysis of the primary endpoint - survival at Day 29 - once 122 patients completed the 29-day primary evaluation period. No secondary endpoints were analyzed as part of the interim analysis. In the UK, the TACTIC-R platform study led by Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which includes an ULTOMIRIS cohort, is evaluating the potential of earlier immune modulatory treatment (hospitalized patients not requiring mechanical ventilation) in preventing progression of the virus, including reducing the need for ICU admission and ventilation. This independent study remains ongoing.

16:32 EST Codorus Valley Bancorp raises dividend to 11c, declares special dividend of 2c - On January 12, the Board of Directors of Codorus Valley Bancorp declared a regular quarterly cash dividend of 11c per common share, payable on February 9 to shareholders of record at the close of business on January 26, which represents a 10% increase over the prior quarter's dividend of 10c per common share. In addition, the Board declared a special cash dividend of 2c per common share, payable on February 9 to shareholders of record at the close of business on January 26.

16:29 EST FleetCor and TravelCenters of America renew Comdata payment acceptance agreement - FleetCor (FLT) announced it has renewed an agreement under which TravelCenters of America (TA) will continue acceptingFleetCor 's Comdata fleet card at its TA, TA Express and Petro branded travel centers. Under the terms of the extension, TA, TA Express and Petro travel centers also will begin accepting FLEETCOR's Fuelman and FleetWide fuel cards. "We are delighted to have agreed to an early renewal of our Comdata trucking card acceptance agreement with TA," said FLEETCOR CEO Ron Clarke. "This extension dramatically improves our relationship and positions us to grow volume together over the midterm." "Adding Fuelman and FleetWide card acceptance at TA, TA Express and Petro branded travel centers nationwide enhances the convenience of those programs," said Alexey Gavrilenya, Group President of North America Fuel at FLEETCOR. Fuelman and FleetWide cards will be accepted at TA, TA Express and Petro travel centers beginning later this quarter. TA is the largest publicly traded full-service truck stop and travel center company in the US with more than 270 travel centers in the US and Canada.

16:21 EST Alexion to pause further enrollment in Phase 3 study of ULTOMIRIS - Alexion Pharmaceuticals announced the decision to pause further enrollment in the global Phase 3 study of ULTOMIRIS in adults with severe COVID-19 requiring mechanical ventilation. This decision is based on the recommendation of an independent data monitoring committee, following their review of data from a pre-specified interim analysis. The IDMC recommended that additional enrollment be paused, pending further analysis of the data, due to lack of efficacy when ULTOMIRIS was added to best supportive care, compared to best supportive care alone. There were no new safety findings observed. The study will continue for patients already enrolled, including completion of all study visits and planned ULTOMIRIS dosing according to the study protocol. "We would like to thank the patients and their families, as well as investigators and healthcare professionals, who were essential to this study. We greatly value their contributions to help investigate potential ways to address this devastating pandemic," said John Orloff, M.D., Executive Vice President and Head of Research & Development at Alexion. "While initial anecdotal reports from compassionate use cases were promising, these results demonstrate the importance of conducting controlled clinical trials to fully evaluate the potential of new treatment approaches and generate the necessary evidence to make informed decisions. We are disappointed in this initial outcome, but plan to further analyze the data to identify potential subgroups who may benefit and to determine next steps. In addition, we remain fully committed to our efforts to serve the rare disease community and to continuing to provide ULTOMIRIS to the patients who currently rely on it."

16:17 EST RenaissanceRe sees net negative impact of roughly $170M on Q4 from catastrophes - RenaissanceRe Holdings announced it estimates that losses from weather-related catastrophe events and certain losses related to the COVID-19 pandemic will have a net negative impact on the company's fourth quarter 2020 results of operations. For the fourth quarter of 2020, the company expects to report net income available to common shareholders; however, it expects to report an operating loss attributable to common shareholders. The company currently estimates that losses from weather-related catastrophe events which occurred in both the third and fourth quarters of 2020 will have an estimated net negative impact of approximately $170M on its fourth quarter 2020 results of operations. This net negative impact estimate includes Hurricanes Delta, Zeta and Eta, as well as aggregate losses associated with these and other events, and changes in estimated losses from third quarter 2020 weather-related catastrophe events. In addition, the company currently estimates that losses related to the COVID-19 pandemic will have an estimated net negative impact of approximately $175M on its fourth quarter 2020 results of operations. This estimated net negative impact is primarily driven by approximately $165M of losses in the Property segment, principally representing the cost of claims incurred but not yet reported, with respect to exposures such as business interruption coverage, and with the balance pertaining to the Casualty and Specialty segment.

16:16 EST Victory Capital reports AUM of $147.2B on December 31, 2020 - Victory Capital reported assets under management of $147.2B on December 31, 2020.

16:13 EST FleetCor, TravelCenters renew Comdata payment acceptance agreement - FLEETCOR Technologies (FLT) announced it has renewed an agreement under which TravelCenters of America (TA) will continue accepting FLEETCOR's Comdata fleet card at its TA, TA Express and Petro branded travel centers. Under the terms of the extension, TA, TA Express and Petro travel centers also will begin accepting FLEETCOR's Fuelman and FleetWide fuel cards.

16:10 EST Manning & Napier reports preliminary AUM $20.1B as of December 31 - Which included approximately $14.6B in separately managed accounts and approximately $5.5B in mutual funds and collective investment trusts.

16:08 EST Veeva shareholders vote to convert to public benefit corporation - Veeva Systems announced that in an overwhelming majority vote today, 99% of voting shareholders support the company's proposal to become a public benefit corporation, including the vast majority of Veeva's largest shareholders. With today's shareholder approval, Veeva will become a public benefit corporation on Feb. 1, 2021, making it the first publicly traded company and largest-ever to convert to a PBC. As a PBC, Veeva will remain a for-profit corporation but will be legally responsible to balance the interests of multiple stakeholders, including customers, employees, partners, and shareholders. It will also broaden its certificate of incorporation to include a public benefit purpose, 'to help make the industries it serves more productive and create high-quality employment opportunities.' A key technology partner to the life sciences industry, Veeva is dedicated to customers' mission to advance human health and wellbeing. This move aligns Veeva's legal charter with this broader mission and the company's core values, including do the right thing, customer success, and employee success.

16:06 EST Nordstrom reports Holiday sales down approximately 22% -

15:49 EST Opko Health introduces in-home diagnostic services platform Scarlet Health - BioReference Laboratories, an OPKO Health company, introduced Scarlet Health, an in-home, fully integrated digital platform providing access to on-demand diagnostic services. Scarlet has been designed similarly to tools consumers use daily, in order to provide ease-of-use and ubiquitous conveniences. Backed by BioReference's national presence and infrastructure, with laboratory facilities and professionals across the country, Scarlet delivers an innovative, flexible, mobile alternative to traditional patient service centers or other draw locations when phlebotomy and other specimen collection services are needed. Patients will no longer need to travel for laboratory services. Healthcare providers will secure vital diagnostic information about patients reliably, quickly and easily to enable a faster diagnosis.

15:18 EST Tesla Model Y achieves 5-Star overall safety rating from NHTSA - Tesla said in a blog post that, "Model Y, Tesla's mid-size Sport Utility Vehicle, is the latest Tesla vehicle to earn a 5-star safety rating in every category from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. As part of their 2020 New Car Assessment Program, NHTSA tested Model Y Long Range All-Wheel Drive. We expect similar results for all Model Y variants, including our Performance AWD and single motor, rear-wheel drive variants in the future."Reference Link

14:01 EST Rio Tinto reaches agreement with Meridian Energy to extend NZAS operations - Rio Tinto has reached an agreement on a new electricity agreement with Meridian Energy that allows New Zealand's Aluminium Smelter, or NZAS, to continue operating the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter until December 31, 2024. The extension provides certainty to employees, the local community and customers while providing more time for all stakeholders to plan for the future, Rio Tinto said in a statement. Rio Tinto Aluminium chief executive Alf Barrios said "We are pleased to have reached an agreement with Meridian Energy that will enable the Tiwai Point smelter to continue producing some of the lowest carbon aluminium in the world. This agreement improves Tiwai Point's competitive position and secures the extension of operation to December 2024. It also provides Rio Tinto, the New Zealand government, Meridian, and the Southland community more time to plan for the future and importantly gives our hard-working team at Tiwai and our customers the certainty they deserve."

12:50 EST Fiserv, KKR called out as best ideas by Oakmark's Bill Nygren - Bill Nygren, Partner and CIO-U.S. Equities at Oakmark Funds, is being interviewed on CNBC.

12:15 EST Prescience Point takes activist stake in MiMedx, sees 'chronic undervaluing' - Prescience Point Capital Management disclosed a 7.9% stake in MiMedx Group, which represents over 8.7M shares. The filing with the SEC allows for activism. Prescience believes that the company's management and board "have ineffectively communicated the value" of the Amniofix injectable product to the investment community. The firm believes this has resulted in the "chronic undervaluing" of MiMedx equity by the public markets. Prescience believes the value of the company's pipeline of clinical trials for Amniofix "far exceeds" that of its advanced wound care business. Prescience Point intends to engage in discussions with management and the board "to bring about positive changes in the Issuer's messaging to the investment community." Shares of MiMedx are up 4% to $9.43 in midday trading.

12:03 EST Jumia rallies after Citron reiterates call for $100 share price - Shares of Jumia Technologies are moving higher after Andrew Left's Citron Research reiterated its bullish call on the shares. Via twitter, the firm best known for short selling said, "$JMIA on its way to $100. Largest opportunity in E-Commerce Validated by Blowout Black Friday. New filing from Thursday shows Baillie Gifford just doubled their position and now owns greater than 20% of shares outstanding. If this was SPAC would be $100 TODAY." Shares of Jumia are up 11% to $44.80 in midday trading.

12:01 EST SM Energy falls -9.3% - SM Energy is down -9.3%, or -96c to $9.41.

12:00 EST Party City falls -13.0% - Party City is down -13.0%, or -$1.05 to $7.02.

12:00 EST GSX Techedu rises 27.1% - GSX Techedu is up 27.1%, or $12.51 to $58.72.

11:54 EST Ubisoft confirms collaboration with Lucasfilm on open-world 'Star Wars' game - Ubisoft (UBSFY) confirmed that it is collaborating with Disney's (DIS) Lucasfilm Games on a new story-driven open-world video game set in the "Star Wars" universe. Headed by Massive Entertainment, Ubisoft's critically-acclaimed AAA studio based in Malmo, Sweden, the project gathers "some of the most experienced, innovative talent in the video games industry" and will make the most of Massive's cutting-edge technologies, including the Snowdrop engine, to deliver a groundbreaking "Star Wars" adventure. "The vast Star Wars lore is an incredible source of inspiration for our teams," said Yves Guillemot, co-founder and CEO of Ubisoft. "This is the beginning of a long-term collaboration with Disney and Lucasfilm Games, and we are pleased to be working hand-in-hand to build upon the incredible legacy of Lucasfilm to create a game that we know Star Wars fans will love."

11:37 EST Raytheon team awarded Royal Navy contract - Raytheon UK, a unit of Raytheon Technologies, alongside strategic partner Capita, received a contract award to provide the Royal Navy with "transformative technology, training and learning solutions over the next 12 years," the company announced. The contract, which will be led by Capita, has an initial contract value of GBP 200M to Raytheon UK and will "ensure the Royal Navy offers best-in-class training to all its service personnel," the company stated.

10:58 EST Dropbox reduces global workforce by 315 employees - In a letter, CEO Drew Houston said, "This is a hard message for me to send, and I wish I were writing with better news. We've made the difficult decision to reduce the size of our global workforce by 315 people, or approximately 11% of the company. This reduction, while painful, is necessary to implement the new strategies we've shared over the last few months...Last spring I made a commitment to all of you to preserve job security through 2020, and it was important to me that we honored that promise. But looking ahead at 2021 and beyond, it's clear that we need to make changes in order to create a healthy and thriving business for the future. Over the past year, we've talked a lot about the importance of running a tight ship and getting the company ready for the next stage of growth. This will require relentless focus on initiatives that align tightly with our strategic priorities, and having the discipline to pull back from those that don't. Unfortunately, this means that we're reducing the size of some of our teams. I realize this is incredibly hard on the Dropboxers and their families who are impacted, and I take full responsibility for this decision. This is one of the toughest decisions I've had to make in my 14 years as CEO...These changes will lead to a more efficient and nimble Dropbox and help us focus on our top priorities for 2021: 1) evolving the core Dropbox experience that hundreds of millions of customers around the world rely on; 2) investing in new products built for distributed work; and 3) driving operational excellence. We have a huge opportunity in front of us as long as we move quickly and deliver for our customers."

10:39 EST Dollar General to offer pay to employees to get COVID-19 vaccine - The company said, "Understanding the vaccination of healthcare personnel and long-term care facility residents is underway and the CDC currently recommends the next phase of vaccinations be offered to frontline essential workers, we want to be on the forefront of facilitating our employees' ability to receive the COVID-19 vaccine if they so choose-and we encourage all of our team to receive the vaccine when it's available to them. For our frontline employees who wish to receive the vaccine, we are going to support them. We do not have an on-site pharmacy and currently do not have systems in place for employees to receive a vaccine at their work site. We do not want our employees to have to choose between receiving a vaccine or coming to work, so we are working to remove barriers by providing frontline hourly team members with a one-time payment equivalent of four ours of regular pay after receiving a completed COVID-19 vaccination and salaried team members with additional store labor hours to accommodate their time away from the store. We're also working with our distribution and transportation teams to make similar accommodations for those teams. We understand the decision to receive the COVID-19 vaccination is a personal choice, and although we are encouraging employees to take it, we are not requiring them to do so." Reference Link

10:25 EST NuCana PLC (ADS) trading halted, volatility trading pause

10:15 EST Choice Hotels announces loyalty program agreement with Penn National Gaming - Choice Hotels (CHH) announced it has entered into a strategic agreement with Penn National Gaming (PENN) that "signals an expansion in benefits for loyalty members of both companies." The agreement will allow members of Choice's loyalty program, Choice Privileges, to book Penn properties directly with Choice, while earning and redeeming Choice Privileges points for their stays once fully implemented, the company said. "Slated to roll out in phases this year, the alliance will offer reciprocal earning and redemption benefits for Choice Privileges members and members of Penn's mychoice loyalty program," the company added.

10:00 EST Big Lots falls -7.1% - Big Lots is down -7.1%, or -$3.46 to $45.35.

10:00 EST Romeo Power rises 10.1% - Romeo Power is up 10.1%, or $1.94 to $21.19.

10:00 EST Summit Midstream rises 24.6% - Summit Midstream is up 24.6%, or $3.37 to $17.09.

09:55 EST VMware names CFO Rowe interim CEO, board starts search - VMware announced that its board has initiated a search for a new chief executive officer following a decision by Pat Gelsinger to step down from the position, effective February 12, to lead Intel (INTC) as its new CEO. Zane Rowe, VMware's Chief Financial Officer, has been appointed Interim CEO. Gelsinger will continue to serve on the VMware board. The board is initiating a global executive search process to name a permanent CEO, led by Paul Sagan, Lead Independent VMware Board Member and Chair of the Compensation and Corporate Governance Committee. "VMware's business is in good hands with a proven, experienced management team, and the company's strategic priorities are aligned with what enterprise customers require in these unprecedented times," commented Sagan.

09:47 EST Party City falls -6.1% - Party City is down -6.1%, or -49c to $7.58.

09:47 EST KB Home rises 10.4% - KB Home is up 10.4%, or $3.55 to $37.70.

09:47 EST Summit Midstream rises 32.4% - Summit Midstream is up 32.4%, or $4.44 to $18.16.

09:33 EST Intel appoints VMware's Pat Gelsinger as new CEO, Swan to step down - Intel (INTC) announced that its board of directors has appointed "40-year technology industry leader" Pat Gelsinger as its new chief executive officer, effective Feb. 15, 2021. Gelsinger will also join the Intel board of directors upon assuming the role. He will succeed Bob Swan, who will remain CEO until Feb. 15. Gelsinger is "a highly respected CEO and industry veteran with more than four decades of technology and leadership experience, including 30 years at Intel where he began his career," the company said. Most recently, Gelsinger served as the CEO of VMware (VMW) since 2012. Reference Link

09:28 EST Valneva, Oxford Immunotec enter collaboration for T cell testing - Oxford Immunotec (OXFD) announce the start of a collaboration with Valneva (INRLF). The Company will perform T cell testing on participants receiving Valneva's inactivated whole-virus COVID-19 vaccine candidate with the research use only T-SPOT Discovery SARS-CoV-2 test. The VLA2001-201 study is a randomized Phase I/II clinical study designed to evaluate the safety, tolerability and immunogenicity of an inactivated SARS-CoV-2 virus vaccine candidate in healthy subjects, the first study of its kind performed in Europe. The Company's T-SPOT Discovery SARS-CoV-2 test will assess if the vaccination induces a T cell response in study subjects. T-SPOT Discovery SARS-CoV-2 builds on the Company's experience with their T-SPOT technology platform, used clinically for diagnosis of TB. and the assessment of the immune response to CMV in transplant patients. The T-SPOT technology platform is a commercialized and regulated ELISPOT platform, which allows for the standardized and reproducible measurement of T cells reactive to SARS-CoV-2. It also allows centralization of sample processing when used with the Company's T-Cell Xtend reagent, which extends the time from sample collection to the start of sample processing to up to 32 hours.

09:25 EST Genmab achieves $40M milestone in AbbVie collaboration - Genmab (GMAB) announced that it has reached the first milestone in its collaboration with AbbVie (ABBV). A $40 million milestone payment was triggered by the first patient dosed in the Phase 3 study of subcutaneous epcoritamab versus investigator's choice of chemotherapy in patients with relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. Epcoritamab is being co-developed by Genmab and AbbVie. The milestone will be reflected in Genmab's 2021 guidance, which will be published on February 23, 2021.

09:22 EST Alimentation Couche-Tard confirms offer for Carrefour at EUR20 per share - Alimentation Couche-Tard (ANCUF) confirms that it has recently submitted a non-binding offer letter to Carrefour SA (CRRFY) for a friendly combination at a price of EUR20.00 per Carrefour share. The terms of the transaction are under discussion and remain subject to diligence, but the consideration is currently expected to be in cash in large majority.

09:16 EST Draganfly begins process to list on NASDAQ - Draganfly announced that the Company has started the process of preparing for a listing of its common shares on the NASDAQ Capital Market. The Company has engaged a New York based investment bank to begin the NASDAQ listing process. The NASDAQ is a mark of achievement and stature for qualified companies. Listed companies must meet financial and liquidity requirements and satisfy corporate governance and disclosure requirements on both an initial and continuing basis. The listing of the Company's common shares on the NASDAQ is subject to the approval of the NASDAQ and the ability of the Company to satisfy all applicable listing and regulatory requirements. While the Company intends to satisfy all of the applicable listing criteria, there is no assurance that the NASDAQ will approve the Company's application or that the Company will complete the listing as proposed.

09:13 EST EnWave signs research, development license agreement with Fresh Business - EnWave Corporation announced that it has signed a Research and Development License Agreement with Consulting Fresh Business for research and development on products using EnWave's technology in Spain. Fresh Business has paid an initial deposit to purchase a 10kW Radiant Energy Vacuum dehydration machine for this purpose. This Agreement marks the further advancement of the commercial partnership between EnWave and Fresh Business. Fresh Business currently holds a royalty-bearing commercial license agreement for a broad portfolio of food products in Peru and the Company is in the process of commissioning a large-scale 100kW REV machine at its Peruvian facility. Commercial production in Peru is expected to start in the second calendar quarter of 2021. With this latest agreement, Fresh Business intends to forge close partnerships with Spain-based technology hubs and innovation centers to leverage EnWave's patented REV technology for the development of new product applications. This will provide an opportunity for innovators to expedite the commercialization of leading-edge, premium REV dried applications. This Agreement will allow Fresh Business to partner with selected technology centers, and to provide research and development services to operators to demonstrate the value proposition of REV technology. The installation of a pilot-scale REV machine at a technology innovation centre in Spain will increase the visibility of REV(TM) technology among potential new EnWave partners and will serve as a European hub for proof-of-concept trials on new product applications. Pursuant to the Agreement, Fresh Business must pay a second deposit to confirm the 10kW machine order before July 2021. In the near term, Fresh Business plans to select a technology center in Spain to install this 10kW machine for demonstration purposes. Additionally, Fresh Business has been granted option rights to exclusively evaluate commercially viable product applications in exchange for paying individual exclusivity fees to EnWave for each product.

09:11 EST Acorda Therapeutics sees Q4 Inbrija net revenue of $9M, Ampyra sales of $25M - Accorda said earlier that it forecasts INBRIJA Q4 2020 net revenue of approximately $9M and full year 2020 net revenue of approximately $24M. Accorda sees AMPYRA ER Tablets, 10 mg net revenue for Q4 2020 of approximately $25M and FY20 net revenue of approximately $98M. The company continues to expect full year non-GAAP 2020 operating expense of $170M-$180M and sees 2020 year-end cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash were approximately $102M. Acorda expects that combined savings from the sale, restructuring and other operating cost reductions will reduce annual operating expenses by approximately $40M. The company provided new operating expense guidance of $130M-$140M for the full year 2021.

09:10 EST Eos Energy Enterprises logged $16M of booked orders as of Dec. 31 - Eos Energy Enterprises announced strong sales momentum over the past 90 days towards meeting its 2021 growth objectives. As of December 31, 2020, Eos logged $16M of booked orders. Additionally, the company secured firm commitments supported by customer technical sections and letters of intent for an additional $550M with expected delivery over the next three years. Eos entered binding agreements with a variety of top energy companies, including utilities and microgrid developers, to provide long-duration energy storage for multiple customer use cases. Nearly 20% of these agreements are for extended partnerships, with the longest spanning up to 20 years. The Eos Znyth technology can be used for front-of-meter grid installations and behind-the-meter industrial applications, among other use cases. Over the summer, an Eos installation proved its effectiveness in extreme conditions when called upon to address grid stabilization issues during California's rolling blackouts. Earlier this month, Eos announced that it secured its largest customer order in company history, $20M, to supply EnerSmart with at least 90MWh of energy storage over the next two years beginning with a project site in El Cajon, CA. In addition to multiple locations across the U.S., Eos is installing systems at project sites around the world, including Greece in collaboration with Motor Oil and Nigeria with Nayo Tropical Technology.

09:07 EST Acorda Therapeutics announces corporate restructuring - Acorda Therapeutics announced a corporate restructuring to reduce costs and focus its resources on INBRIJA. In addition to the associates who will transition to Catalent, Acorda is reducing its combined Ardsley, Waltham and field headcount by approximately 16% through a reduction in force. "Today's announcements represent important steps in our ongoing efforts to strengthen our capital structure, enhance our operating efficiency and position Acorda to drive long-term value for our shareholders," said Ron Cohen, M.D., Acorda's President and CEO. "Through the sale of the Chelsea operations we are monetizing our excess manufacturing capacity and significantly reducing expenses. This will ensure that our patients have uninterrupted access to INBRIJA, while meaningfully improving both our balance sheet and P&L. The restructuring is necessary for Acorda to have an infrastructure and expenses that are right-sized for our products and revenue. This is a difficult step for us all, not least for those who will no longer be employed at the company. We thank them for their dedication and contributions in bringing INBRIJA and AMPYRA to the patient communities we serve. We will be providing these colleagues with severance and assistance in seeking new positions," he added.

09:06 EST Trivago acquires weekend.com, terms not disclosed - trivago announced that it has acquired weekengo GmbH and weekend.com, a startup focused on finding travelers inspirational weekend getaway packages. The company is based in Dusseldorf, Germany. Under the terms of the deal, trivago N.V. acquired 100% of the shares in weekengo GmbH. The acquisition supports trivago and weekend.com's shared mission to bring travelers inspirational content, helping turn travel intent into exciting getaways. The combination will allow trivago to apply its marketing and product expertise to the weekend.com brand while leveraging synergies with trivago's existing products. With inventory worldwide, weekend.com offers travel packages optimized for short-term travel and weekend getaways from its source markets in Europe and US. Its apps and websites allow travelers to browse relevant offers and destinations based on individual preferences.

09:05 EST Eloxx says CF Foundation to provide increased funding for ELX-02 trial - Eloxx Pharmaceuticals announced an expansion of its agreement with the CF Foundation beyond the U.S. portion of the trial to include additional funding for the global clinical trial program which includes Europe and Israel. The company said, " Our Phase 2 program consists of two trials, one currently enrolling patients at sites in Europe and Israel and the second in the U.S. In the U.S., in addition to the partial funding being provided by the CF Foundation, our protocol has been sanctioned by the Cystic Fibrosis Therapeutics Development Network. In Europe, the European Cystic Fibrosis Society Clinical Trial Network has given our trial a "high priority" ranking. Dr. Ahmet Uluer, Director of the Adult Cystic Fibrosis Program at the Boston Children's Hospital/Brigham and Women's Hospital CF Center, is the lead study investigator in the U.S. We expect to report top line data from our proof of concept Phase 2 program in the first half of 2021, which is contingent on no further disruptions due to COVID-19. The Safety Review Committee has held several planned meetings and approved dose escalation up to the highest dose level. To date, we have had no reported serious adverse events in the clinical trial. We are participating in the European HIT-CF consortium to support the collection of cystic fibrosis patient-derived organoids and the initiative to conduct a prospective clinical trial to confirm the translational potential of the organoid model. The intent of the program is to use these positive results to enroll patients with responsive organoids in a prospective trial with ELX-02. We believe this program will continue to expand the application of organoid technology from drug discovery through drug approval, and also offers possible label expansion opportunities. "

09:03 EST QTS Realty Trust names Brent Bensten as Chief Technology Officer - QTS Realty Trust announced that it has named Brent Bensten as Chief Technology Officer and Jon Greaves as EVP of Quality Special Operations with leadership of federal service delivery and strategy. Brent Bensten, QTS' current EVP of Architecture and Development, will assume the role of Chief Technology Officer, effective February 1, and now report to the CEO. Bensten joined the company in 2015 and has more than 20 years of experience in technology and data center operations leadership roles.

09:02 EST Research Frontiers announces debut of SPD-SmartGlass technology - In conjunction with General Motors CEO Mary Barra's keynote address at CES, Cadillac announced the debut of its future flagship ultra-luxury fully electric CELESTIQ sedan. Automotive News noted that the CELESTIQ is expected to go on sale in 2023. CELESTIQ's full-glass roof is expected to be one of the first to feature a four-quadrant, suspended-particle-device smart glass. With this smart glass, each occupant of the vehicle can set their own level of roof transparency. The driver and front-seat passenger will enjoy a pillar-to-pillar freeform display with active privacy to help mitigate driver distraction while rear-seat passengers have personalized entertainment screens. Console screens between seats in the front and back will separate individualized comfort settings from entertainment displays to minimize distractions. SPD-Smart light control film, invented and patented by Research Frontiers, is a key component in SPD-SmartGlass products. This film allows users to instantly, precisely and uniformly control the shading of glass or plastic products, either manually or automatically at the touch of a button. Products using Research Frontiers' smart glass technology are being used in tens of thousands of cars, aircraft, yachts, trains, homes, offices, museums and other buildings.

09:01 EST eXp Realty opens in New Brunswick, Manitoba - eXp Realty announced it has expanded its Canadian footprint and is now open for business in New Brunswick and Manitoba. With the expansion, eXp Realty operates in nine Canadian provinces, including Alberta, British Columbia, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Quebec and Saskatchewan. As part of the expansion, eXp Realty has hired experienced leaders in each province responsible for brokerage operations, with Lou Yerxa heading up New Brunswick and Rena Prefontaine leading in Manitoba.

08:57 EST Rideshare Rental CEO increases common stock position by 5M shares - RideShare Rental announced that its CEO Ramy El-Batrawi, has increased his ownership position in YAYO common stock by five million shares. Mr. El-Batrawi received these shares through an exchange transaction with RSR's largest stockholder, the Gray Mars Venus Trust, Arizona 2015. The shares will be held as an asset of X, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, of which Mr. El-Batrawi is managing member and Mr. El-Batrawi will have sole voting and dispositive power over the shares received from the Trust.

08:55 EST UroGen, MD Anderson announce strategic research collaboration - UroGen Pharma and The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center announced a strategic three-year collaboration agreement to advance combinatorial intravesical immunotherapy, which is delivered directly into the bladder, for the treatment of high-grade non-muscle invasive bladder cancer . UoGen's approach involves the local delivery of potent immunomodulators (UGN-201, a TLR 7/8 agonist and UGN-301, an anti-CTLA-4 antibody). UGN-301, an immune checkpoint inhibitor, is delivered using UroGen's proprietary RTGel(TM) platform to increase dwell time, which has been shown to significantly improve the effectiveness of intravesical therapy. "We are pleased to enter into this collaboration with MD Anderson and its immunotherapy platform, which brings unique translational and clinical expertise in immuno-oncology," said Mark Schoenberg, M.D., Chief Medical Officer of UroGen Pharma. "This agreement will help UroGen potentially bring next-generation immunotherapy to bladder cancer patients with a significant unmet need and limited clinical options other than bladder removal." Under the agreement, MD Anderson and UroGen will collaborate on the design and conduct of non-clinical and clinical studies with oversight from a joint steering committee. UroGen will provide funding, developmental candidates, and other support.

08:54 EST Lexagene initiates program to identify UK, South African COVID sequences - LexaGene Holdings announced that it has initiated a program that uses the rapid configurability of the MiQLab system to investigate novel variants of SARS-CoV-2, the pathogen that causes COVID-19. LexaGene is pursuing FDA EUA for COVID-19 testing using assays that are predicted to detect greater than99.9% of the strains circulating today based on published sequences, including the UK and South African variants. Given the suspected higher rate of transmissibility of these variants, it is of clinical importance to be able to distinguish these new variants from the original strain. LexaGene's MiQLab can be easily configured to run tests for both coronavirus detection and strain identification as it is capable of screening for up to 27 genetic targets at once. To date, there is no FDA approved device that is designed for point-of-care usage and is open-access. LexaGene has designed and ordered components for tests to distinguish the UK and South African strains from the traditional coronavirus strain and will confirm these work as expected on the MiQLab system. At this time, LexaGene has no plans to incorporate these new tests into the FDA studies for Emergency Use Authorization for COVID-19 testing, which began late last month.

08:52 EST TiVo and Cox Communications extend IP agreement - TiVo (TIVO) and Cox enter agreement to renew multi-year license to TiVo's Media Patent Portfolios TiVo, and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Xperi Holding Corporation (XPER) announced that Cox Communications has entered into a multi-year extension of its intellectual property agreement for the company's media-related patent portfolios. As the largest private telecom company in the U.S., Cox is committed to creating meaningful moments of human connection through broadband applications and services. They proudly provide a variety of home and business services to customers across its national footprint, including Contour TV, high-speed internet, Homelife home automation and security, and home phone. "Our patent license renewal with Cox Communications further confirms the substantial relevance and value of TiVo's intellectual property portfolios, particularly in the U.S. pay-TV market," said Samir Armaly, president of intellectual property at Xperi.

08:52 EST TiVo and Cox Communications extend IP agreement - TiVo (TIVO) and Cox enter agreement to renew multi-year license to TiVo's Media Patent Portfolios TiVo, and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Xperi Holding Corporation (XPER) announced that Cox Communications has entered into a multi-year extension of its intellectual property agreement for the company's media-related patent portfolios. As the largest private telecom company in the U.S., Cox is committed to creating meaningful moments of human connection through broadband applications and services. They proudly provide a variety of home and business services to customers across its national footprint, including Contour TV, high-speed internet, Homelife home automation and security, and home phone. "Our patent license renewal with Cox Communications further confirms the substantial relevance and value of TiVo's intellectual property portfolios, particularly in the U.S. pay-TV market," said Samir Armaly, president of intellectual property at Xperi.

08:50 EST Evoke Pharma announces finding from GIMOTI market research study - Evoke Pharma announced positive findings from the first market research for GIMOTI following its launch during the fourth quarter of 2020. During December 2020, Evoke through its marketing partner, EVERSANA, conducted an ATU Study, a quantitative survey to measure physician awareness, trial, and product usage, for GIMOTI. Approximately 104 total physician responses were captured. Survey respondents were split into three groups drawn from the healthcare practitioner community; "target" gastroenterologists currently being called on by the field sales force, other "non-target" gastroenterologists, and primary care physicians who are not currently targeted for messaging. Areas of interest that were queried included initial and future potential prescribing trends, and how HCPs viewed the suitability of GIMOTI in certain gastroparesis patient populations. Key Findings: Indicated an intent to prescribe GIMOTI: 79% of target gastroenterologists. 89% of non-target gastroenterologists. 50% of PCPs. Out of those target gastroenterologists indicating an intent to prescribe GIMOTI, 94% indicated GIMOTI would be "appropriate" to use in moderate to severe patients. A majority of each of the target and non-target gastroenterologists noted they intend to prescribe GIMOTI for both new and existing gastroparesis patients. Nineteen of all participating HCPs indicated that they have already written a prescription for GIMOTI. HCPs indicated that the primary driver for prescribing GIMOTI was patients being switched to GIMOTI due to lack of efficacy of current treatments.

08:48 EST Molson Coors CBD JV with lHexo debut Veryvell sparkling CBD water in Colorado - Truss CBD USA, a joint venture majority owned by Molson Coors (TAP) and operated in partnership with HEXO (HEXO) announces the U.S. launch of Veryvella new line of non-alcoholic, sparkling CBD beverages, exclusively available in Colorado. Veryvell is a hemp-derived, adaptogenic, sparkling CBD water infused with a crisp taste, zero calories and zero sugar. Veryvell is now available to Colorado-based consumers both online and at select retailers in Colorado in three flavors: Focus and Unwind. "Last year, we redefined ourselves as Molson Coors Beverage Company and in doing so, laid out a clear vision of leveraging the competitive strengths of our storied foundation in beer to grow in new spaces beyond the beer aisle," said Pete Marino, president of the emerging growth division for Molson Coors. "Truss' entry into the CBD market in Colorado and the launch of Veryvell(TM), a brand we believe will resonate well with Colorado consumers, is another example of Molson Coors' expansion into new beverage categories."

08:47 EST Daxor announces distribution agreement with L1 Enterprises - Daxor Corporation announces that it has signed a new distribution agreement with L1 Enterprises. Daxor and L1 Enterprises will work together to provide Daxor's BVA-100 diagnostic blood test, driving the use of BVA to help guide precise, individualized volume management in a wide variety of medical conditions including heart failure and critical care.

08:43 EST Genasys opens international offices in Singapore, Dubai - Genasys announced it has opened offices in Singapore and Dubai as part of the Company's ongoing regional expansion. The offices are staffed with business development professionals with extensive regional sales experience in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Central Asia. Sean McKane is serving as Vice President of Business Development for Southeast Asia. Peter Ayre is serving as Vice President of Business Development for the Middle East, Africa and Central Asia.

08:42 EST Lakeland Financial raises quarterly dividend 13% to 34c per share - Lakeland Financial announced that the Board of Directors approved a quarterly cash dividend for the fourth quarter of 2020 of 34c per share, payable on February 5, 2021 to shareholders of record as of January 25, 2021. The quarterly dividend represents a 13% increase over the quarterly dividend rate paid in the first three quarters of 2020.

08:40 EST Ligand will get $1.5M milestone payment from Merck - Ligand reported that the company will receive a $1.5M milestone payment from Merck triggered by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's, FDA's),acceptance for review of a biologics license application for V114, an investigational 15-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine candidate for the prevention of pneumococcal disease in adults. "This collaboration with Merck is one of the core assets that catalyzed our acquisition of Pfenex last October," said John Higgins, Chief Executive Officer of Ligand. "If commercially launched, Ligand is entitled to a low-single-digit royalty on net sales of V114. The CRM197 carrier protein produced via our patent protected Protein Expression Technology platform is utilized in the V114 vaccine program." "This collaboration with Merck is one of the core assets that catalyzed our acquisition of Pfenex last October," said John Higgins, Chief Executive Officer of Ligand. "If commercially launched, Ligand is entitled to a low-single-digit royalty on net sales of V114. The CRM197 carrier protein produced via our patent protected Protein Expression Technology platform is utilized in the V114 vaccine program."

08:38 EST FOREWARN partners with Tri-County Suburban REALTORS - FOREWARN announced that the Tri-County Suburban REALTORS has contracted to make FOREWARN services available for the 8,500+ REALTOR members it serves in Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties to promote proactive real estate agent safety.

08:37 EST Pacific Ethanol completes name change to Alto Ingredients - Pacific Ethanol has changed its corporate name to Alto Ingredients, Inc., effective January 12, 2021. The company's name change will be reflected on The Nasdaq Stock Market on January 14, 2021, and the company's stock will begin trading under a new ticker symbol, ALTO, starting February 1, 2021.

08:36 EST Pacific Biosciences, Invitae to develop genome sequencing platform - Pacific Biosciences of California (PACB) announced a multi-year collaboration with Invitae Corporation (NVTA) to begin development of a production-scale high-throughput sequencing platform leveraging the power of PacBio's highly accurate HiFi sequencing to expand Invitae's whole genome testing capabilities. With the development of a new sequencing platform, Invitae and PacBio aim to enable a new class of cost-effective assays that could be used to accelerate the accessibility of a more comprehensive whole genome sequencing approach in areas including carrier screening, immune system response, and other heritable diseases. Through the collaboration, both companies will commit significant resources to support development of a production-scale sequencing platform designed with the capacity to process clinical whole genomes at scale. Those resources are expected to include talent, technology and collaborative oversight, and Invitae will also invest capital to support development throughout the multi-year effort.

08:33 EST Bionano Genomics announces presentations from Cytogenomics Symposium - Bionano Genomics announced that day two of its five-day Next-Generation Cytogenomics Symposium featured eight Saphyr users presenting their results and experiences using the Saphyr system for optical genome mapping to analyze the genomes of patients with heme malignancies. The presentations by scientists and clinicians from leading hospitals and medical research institutions in Europe, the US and China discussed results on a variety of blood cancers, including Myelodysplastic Syndromes and a number of acute and chronic leukemias, and all 8 studies showed that Saphyr-based analyses of hematological malignancies can identify actionable variants detected by several cytogenomic methods combined, find additional important variants missed by traditional methods with prognostic and therapeutic value, and can do so with a shorter turn-around time and at a lower cost.

08:33 EST NV5 Global awarded $15M in infrastructure improvement contracts - NV5 Global announced that it has been awarded approximately $15 million in civil program management and design contracts by California cities and counties to support transportation and water infrastructure improvements and municipal capital improvement programs.

08:31 EST Turtle Beach acquires Neat Microphones, terms not disclosed - Turtle Beach Cannounced the acquisition of Neat Microphones. Neat creates, manufactures, and sells high-quality digital USB and analog microphones that embrace cutting-edge technology and design. The acquisition also enables Turtle Beach's entry into the $2.3B global microphone market, which is experiencing rapid growth in the digital/USB accessories segment where Neat's product innovation is focused. this acquisition, Turtle Beach adds nearly 40 Neat patents and nearly 70 Neat trademark registrations to its overall portfolio.

08:30 EST Golar LNG, Stonepeak to sell 100% of Hygo Energy Transtion to New Fortress - Golar LNG Limited (GLNG) announced that it and Stonepeak Infrastructure Fund II Cayman Ltd., a fund managed by Stonepeak Infrastructure Partners have entered into a definitive agreement and plan of merger to sell 100% of Hygo Energy Transition to New Fortress Energy (NFE). Hygo, a gas to power and downstream LNG distribution company, is owned 50% by each of GLNG and by funds and other entities managed by Stonepeak. Under the terms of the merger agreement, NFE will acquire all of the outstanding shares of Hygo for 31.4 million shares of NFE Class A common stock and $580 million in cash. The transaction values Hygo at an enterprise value of $3.1 billion and an equity value of $2.18 billion. Pursuant to the transaction, GLNG will receive 18.6 million shares of NFE Class A common stock and $50 million in cash, and Stonepeak will receive 12.7 million shares of NFE Class A common stock and $530 million in cash, which includes a cash settlement of its preferred equity tranche of $180 million. As part of the transaction, GLNG and Stonepeak have entered into customary lock-up provisions in relation to the stock consideration they will receive. Completion of the transaction is subject to the receipt of certain approvals and third-party consents and the satisfaction of other customary closing conditions, and is expected to occur in the first half of 2021. In addition, NFE has today also announced that it will acquire 100% of the common units and general partner units of Golar LNG Partners (GMLP) at a price of $3.55 per unit. GLNG holds 30.8% of the issued and outstanding common units in GMLP. In connection with the acquisition, GMLP's incentive distribution rights will be cancelled. GMLP's 8.75% Series A Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Units will remain outstanding. The transaction is valued at a $1.9 billion enterprise value and $251 million equity value. GMLP's Board of Directors, acting upon the recommendation of the independent committee of GMLP, unanimously approved the proposed transaction with NFE. The closing of the transaction is subject to the approval by the holders of a majority of GMLP's outstanding common units, the receipt of certain regulatory approvals and third party consents and other customary closing conditions, and is expected to occur in the first half of 2021. GLNG has entered into a support agreement with NFE committing to vote its approximately 30.8% interest in GMLP's common units in favor of the transaction.

08:25 EST MarketAxess appoints Raj Paranandi as COO, EMEA & APAC - MarketAxess Holdings (MKTX) announced the appointment of Raj Paranandi as COO, EMEA & APAC. The appointment is effective March 1st, 2021. Based in London, Mr. Paranandi will have day-to-day operational oversight for EMEA & APAC, including technology and product development, client and account services, data operations, regulatory operations and controls, settlements and middle-office functions. He will play a lead role in setting the long-term goals for the international business and lead new strategic change management initiatives. He will report to Christophe Roupie and work closely with Chris Concannon, President and COO at MarketAxess. Mr. Paranandi joins MarketAxess from UBS (UBS), where he was most recently Global Co-Head of Digital Transformation for UBS Global Markets & Global Head of Change for UBS Investment Bank.

08:19 EST Protech Home Medical submits application to list on Nasdaq - Protech Home Medical is pleased to announced that it has applied to list its common shares on the NASDAQ Capital Market. In advance of a potential listing on the NASDAQ, Protech will file a Form 40-F Registration Statement with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. The listing of the Company's common shares on the NASDAQ remains subject to the approval of the NASDAQ and the satisfaction of all applicable listing and regulatory requirements. While the Company intends to satisfy all of the applicable listing criteria, no assurance can be given that its application will be approved. During the NASDAQ review process, and in the event of listing on NASDAQ, the Company's common shares will continue to trade in Canada on the TSX Venture Exchange under its symbol "PTQ".

08:14 EST Walgreens expands financial services in pact with Synchrony, Mastercard - Walgreens (WBA) is expanding its financial services offering in partnership with Synchrony (SYF) and Mastercard (MA), as part of its ongoing commitment to offer differentiated healthcare services and benefits to customers. In the coming months, Walgreens will launch credit cards, issued by Synchrony, as well as a prepaid debit card, both of which will be powered by the Mastercard network. The credit cards will closely connect with Walgreens new customer loyalty program, myWalgreens, which launched in November 2020, and cardholders will be able to receive myWalgreens cash rewards and other offers. Additionally, the flagship, co-branded credit card will offer a wider range of benefits provided through Synchrony and Mastercard when used at other retailers and service providers. The new cards will be the first in a range of new financial products and services planned by Walgreens, to continue its health and well-being focus and to enhance its loyalty program and customer personalization. Walgreens plans to explore a number of Mastercard solutions across the payments technology ecosystem, including services such as insight and analytics, customer engagement and loyalty, cybersecurity, and point-of-sale financing, including installments.

08:11 EST Hoth Therapeutics granted Pre-IND meeting for HT-001 by FDA - Hoth Therapeutics announced the Pre-IND meeting requested on 22 December 2020 for HT-001 with the U.S. FDA Division of Dermatology and Dental Products has been granted to receive written responses only from FDA that are targeted for delivery on February 22, 2021. The Pre-IND meeting topics include the acceptability of the overall proposed drug development program for HT-001 including requirements for nonclinical, clinical pharmacology, clinical, chemistry, and manufacturing controls. The proposed clinical trial designs for the first clinical studies in the HT-001 program are also included in the Pre-IND meeting topics to receive FDA feedback.

08:08 EST New Fortress Energy to buy Hygo ,Golar LNG Partners combined in $5B deal - New Fortress Energy (NFE) announced that it has entered into definitive agreements to acquire Hygo Energy Transition a 50-50 joint venture between Golar LNG Limited (GLNG) and Stonepeak Infrastructure Fund II Cayman. "With a strong presence in Brazil and a world-class LNG shipping business, Hygo and GMLP are excellent additions to our efforts to accelerate the world's energy transition," said Wes Edens, Chairman and CEO of NFE. "The addition of Hygo will quickly expand our footprint in South America with three gas-to-power projects in Brazil's large and fast-growing market. With GMLP, we gain LNG ships and world-class operators that are an ideal fit to support our existing terminals and robust pipeline." "We are impressed with what Wes Edens and the NFE team have created and their commitment to changing the energy industry," said Golar LNG Chairman Tor Olav Troim. "They share our vision to provide cheaper and cleaner energy to a growing population. The consolidation of two of the entrepreneurial LNG downstream players gives the company improved access to capital and creates a unique world-leading energy transition company which Golar shareholders will benefit from being a part of going forward." With the acquisition of Hygo, NFE will acquire an operating floating storage and regasification unit terminal and a 50% interest in a 1500MW power plant in Sergipe, Brazil as well as two other FSRU terminals with 1200MW of power in advanced stages in Brazil. Hygo's fleet consists of a newbuild FSRU and two operating LNG carriers. NFE will also acquire a leading owner of FSRUs and LNG carriers as well as a pioneer in floating liquefaction technologies with the GMLP transaction. The addition of GMLP's fleet of six FSRUs, four LNG carriers and a 50% interest in Trains 1 and 2 of the Hilli, a floating liquefaction vessel, is expected to support both NFE's , NFE will acquire all of the outstanding shares of Hygo for 31.4M shares of NFE Class A common stock and $580M in cash. The transaction is valued at a $3.1B enterprise value and a $2.18B equity value. Pursuant to the transaction, GLNG will receive 18.6 million shares of NFE Class A common stock and $50 million in cash and Stonepeak will receive 12.7 million shares of NFE Class A common stock and $530 million in cash. Hygo's Board of Directors, together with GLNG and Stonepeak, the shareholders of Hygo, have unanimously approved the proposed transaction with NFE. The closing of the transaction is subject to the receipt of certain regulatory approvals and third party consents and other customary closing conditions, and is expected to occur in the first half of 2021. Under NFE's agreement with GMLP , NFE has agreed to acquire all of the outstanding common units of GMLP for $3.55 per common unit in cash. NFE has also agreed to acquire GMLP's general partner for equivalent consideration based on the general partner's economic interest in GMLP. The preferred units of GMLP will remain outstanding. The transaction is valued at a $1.9B enterprise value and $251 million common equity value. GMLP's Board of Directors, acting upon the recommendation of a special committee of independent directors of GMLP, unanimously approved the proposed transaction with NFE. The closing of the transaction is subject to the approval by the holders of a majority of GMLP's outstanding common units, the receipt of certain regulatory approvals and third party consents and other customary closing conditions, and is expected to occur in the first half of 2021. GLNG has entered into a support agreement with NFE committing to vote its approximately 30.8% interest in GMLP's common units in favor of the transaction.

08:06 EST Heska to acquire Lacuna Diagnostics, terms not disclosed - Heska announced that the company has entered into an agreement to acquire 100% of Lacuna Diagnostics, "a pioneer and market leader in point-of-care diagnostics digital cytology technology and telemedicine services." The acquisition is expected to close in the first quarter, subject to the satisfaction or waiver of closing conditions set forth in the Agreement, including customary closing conditions.

08:05 EST Gracell granted approval for Phase 1/2 clinical trial for GC007g by China's NMPA - Gracell Biotechnologies has been granted approval for a pivotal seamless Phase 1/2 clinical trial for GC007g, an allogeneic donor-derived anti-CD19 chimeric antigen receptor-T cell therapy, for the treatment of B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, by China's National Medical Products Administration on December 24, 2020. The seamless Phase 1/2 pivotal clinical trial of GC007g will enable Gracell to potentially substantially accelerate the clinical development of GC007g in China.

08:03 EST Qualcomm to acquire NUVIA for approximately $1.4B - Qualcomm announced that its subsidiary, Qualcomm Technologies, has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire NUVIA for approximately $1.4B before working capital and other adjustments. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approval under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, as amended. NUVIA comprises a proven world-class CPU and technology design team, with industry-leading expertise in high performance processors, Systems on a Chip and power management for compute-intensive devices and applications. As part of the transaction, NUVIA founders Gerard Williams III, Manu Gulati and John Bruno, and their employees will be joining Qualcomm.

07:48 EST Cardinal Resources directors accept Shandong Gold offer - Cardinal Resources advised that all the Directors of Cardinal have now accepted the Shandong Gold Mining offer. The Cardinal Board continues to recommend that Shareholders ACCEPT the Shandong Gold Offer.

07:47 EST Intrusion completes beta testing of Shield cybersecurity solution - The company said, "With recent cyberwarfare attacks being carried out against the United States, the general availability of the new cybersecurity solution from INTRUSION Shield, comes at a time when it's never been more important to expertly protect U.S. organizations - public and private, large to small. Shield is the first solution for the enterprise that uses artificial intelligence to not only identify malicious activity within a network but to kill the connection, thus stopping those threats in their tracks, protecting companies from debilitating cybercrime. Beta testing of INTRUSION Shield confirmed the solution's efficacy by stopping a total of 77,539,801 cyberthreats from 805,110 uniquely malicious entities attempting to breach 13 companies that participated in the 90-day beta program. Shield was able to continuously protect these companies from ransomware, denial of service attacks, malware, data theft, phishing and more. In fact, analysis by INTRUSION also concluded that Shield would have defended against the Sunburst malware that was at the heart of the recent cyberattacks involving SolarWinds and FireEye, which impacted many government agencies and 18,000 SolarWinds customers."

07:43 EST Red White & Bloom completes cash payments for Platinum Vape acquisition - Red White & Bloom Brands announces that it has made its final cash payment of $13M to the sellers in relation to its purchase last year of Platinum Vape. PV continues to see growth in sales of PV branded products. In the first full week of 2021, PV branded products had a record $2.8M in sales. The Company continues to work towards its launch of PV in Arizona and is looking at other states for potential expansion. In addition, the Company reports today that it has issued a $11,550,000 principal amount debenture to an arm's-length investor by way of a private placement netting the company approximately C$11M after fees and expenses. The Debenture is not convertible, unsecured and bears interest at the rate of 1% per month. The principal amount of the Debenture and accrued interest is payable on the date that is the earlier of: the date of completion by the Company of a minimum financing of $20,000,000 and120 days from the date of issuance of the Debenture, all as more particularly as set forth in the debenture certificate. The Company continues to work on its previously announced $60m financing, see the December 17, 2020 press release, additional details shall be provided on progress in due course. The Company intends to use the proceeds from the Private Placement for working capital purposes, including making the final payment under the PV acquisition agreement. All securities issued in connection with the Private Placement will be subject to a four-month hold period under securities laws.

07:36 EST Salarius receives second installment of $1.7M in payments from CPRIT - Salarius Pharmaceuticals announced the receipt of a $0.9M payment as the second installment of $1.7M in scheduled payments to Salarius under its contract with the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas. The payments, which include the previously announced receipt of an $0.8M disbursement announced on December 10, 2020, are part of an original non-dilutive grant awarded in 2016 to support Salarius' operations and development of its lead drug candidate, seclidemstat, for the treatment of Ewing sarcoma and other cancers. Seclidemstat is a reversible LSD1 inhibitor being studied in two clinical trials - one trial in relapsed/refractory Ewing sarcoma, a rare and deadly pediatric bone and soft tissue cancer, and a second trial in advanced solid tumors. Up to $4.8M in funding remains available to Salarius under the original 2016 CPRIT Award. With the full $1.7M disbursement of CPRIT funds, the $3.6M gross proceeds from the warrant inducement transaction announced in December 2020 and the $6.2M gross proceeds from a public offering completed in August 2020, Salarius believes it is well-capitalized to advance the seclidemstat clinical programs through several near-term, value-creating milestones. These milestones include establishing maximum tolerated dose in its Ewing sarcoma trial, releasing early safety and clinical data from both clinical trials, advancing into the dose-expansion phase of the Ewing sarcoma trial in early 2021, as well as expanding the same trial to include additional select sarcomas that share a similar biology to Ewing sarcoma, also known as Ewing-related sarcomas.

07:34 EST CKE Restaurants Holdings selects Par Technology's POS software - ParTech announced today CKE Restaurants Holdings, which operates Carl's Jr. and Hardee's brands, has selected PAR Brink POS software for their corporate-owned restaurants and select franchisee restaurants. "Innovative brands like Hardee's and Carl's Jr. understand that increasingly, exceptional guest experiences are being delivered digitally"

07:33 EST Lordstown accepts DoE invite to begin due diligence process toward ATVM Loan - Lordstown Motors has accepted an invitation from the United States Department of Energy to start the due diligence process toward securing an Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing Loan. The DOE's invitation is not an assurance that Lordstown Motors will secure an ATVM loan. The ATVM Loan Program was authorized by the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 to support the manufacturing of eligible light-duty vehicles and qualifying components in the United States. Since the start of the program, the Department of Energy has closed on more than $8B in loans.

07:29 EST Element Fleet appoints Frank Ruperto as CFO - Element Fleet Management Corp. (ELEEF) announced that it has appointed Frank Ruperto as CFO. Mr. Ruperto will join Element as EVP Finance and assume the role of CFO effective immediately upon Vito Culmone's departure in accordance with the Company's previously announced CFO succession plan. Ruperto served as CFO and SVP of Finance and Strategy at Rayonier Advanced Materials Inc. (RYAM), a producer of cellulose products, from 2014 to 2019. Ruperto will succeed Vito Culmone, who as previously announced, will depart in early 2021 after playing a pivotal leadership role in Element's transformation. Mr. Culmone will remain with Element through the finalization of the Company's 2020 financial results and a smooth transition. Ruperto will be based in Element's Toronto head office.

07:28 EST Take-Two announces lapse of offer to acquire Codemasters Group - Take-Two Interactive Software announced that following the December 14 announcement by the Board of Codemasters that it had withdrawn its recommendation of the Company's offer to acquire Codemasters Group Holdings , Take-Two has, with the consent of the Panel, lapsed its offer. As noted in the Scheme Document dated November 30. Take-Two was entitled to lapse the offer if the Court Meeting and General Meeting were not held on or before the 22nd day after the expected date of such Meetings set out in the Scheme Document. The expected date of such Codemasters' Shareholder Meetings set out in the Scheme Document was December 21, and the 22nd day after such date was January 12. Codemasters' Shareholder Meetings were not held on or before January 12, 2021 and Take-Two has not extended this date. As a result, the Co-operation Agreement has automatically terminated in accordance with its terms. Take-Two remains a highly disciplined organization and, with its strong balance sheet, will continue to pursue selectively organic and inorganic opportunities that are designed to enhance the Company's long-term growth and deliver results to its shareholders. Capitalized terms used and not defined in this announcement have the meanings given to them in the Scheme Document.

07:25 EST RealReal issues Luxury Consignment Report - The RealReal released its 2021 Luxury Consignment Report. The report charts the top 2020 trends and shifts impacting luxury resale value, which The RealReal determines based on advanced technology, its real-time pricing algorithm that factors up to 50 attributes per item across ~16 million items sold, and human expertise. Despite the unpredictable fluctuations of 2020, more people adopted consignment than ever before - especially Gen Z and Millennials, who represented 35% of new consignors. Consignors helped make fashion more sustainable by keeping pieces in circulation, with the average consignor saving the equivalent of 4,333 glasses of water.

07:28 EST Take-Two announces lapse of offer to acquire Codemasters Group - Take-Two Interactive Software announced that following the December 14 announcement by the Board of Codemasters that it had withdrawn its recommendation of the Company's offer to acquire Codemasters Group Holdings , Take-Two has, with the consent of the Panel, lapsed its offer. As noted in the Scheme Document dated November 30. Take-Two was entitled to lapse the offer if the Court Meeting and General Meeting were not held on or before the 22nd day after the expected date of such Meetings set out in the Scheme Document. The expected date of such Codemasters' Shareholder Meetings set out in the Scheme Document was December 21, and the 22nd day after such date was January 12. Codemasters' Shareholder Meetings were not held on or before January 12, 2021 and Take-Two has not extended this date. As a result, the Co-operation Agreement has automatically terminated in accordance with its terms. Take-Two remains a highly disciplined organization and, with its strong balance sheet, will continue to pursue selectively organic and inorganic opportunities that are designed to enhance the Company's long-term growth and deliver results to its shareholders. Capitalized terms used and not defined in this announcement have the meanings given to them in the Scheme Document.

07:24 EST Castle Biosciences delivered 5,157 gene expression profile test reports in Q4 - Castle Biosciences announced certain unaudited preliminary performance results for the fourth quarter and full-year 2020. "At Castle, we are committed to providing innovative, clinically actionable dermatologic tests to improve patient outcomes," said Derek Maetzold, president and chief executive officer of Castle Biosciences. "In 2020, despite the challenges presented to us all by the global pandemic, our team remained focused on this commitment and performed exceptionally. "We delivered year-over-year volume growth in 2020 in Decision -Melanoma reports, our current lead revenue driver, despite a significant reduction in melanoma diagnoses that we believe was due to COVID-19. We also expanded our skin cancer suite of products, adding two new proprietary gene expression profile tests and increasing the estimated U.S. total addressable market (TAM) of our commercially available tests to $2B. We expanded our body of evidence in 2020, with 11 supportive peer-reviewed articles published for our four proprietary gene expression profile tests during the year. Evidence development remains a key component of our growth strategy, supporting adoption of our tests by clinicians and reimbursement by commercial payers. "Even in the face of COVID-19, we more than doubled our employee headcount since the beginning of 2020 through December. Additionally, we completed two equity financings, further strengthening our balance sheet, as we look to accelerate future growth through expanded support for our currently marketed tests, including further commercial team expansion in the first half of 2021, and through our pipeline development." Fourth Quarter Ended December 31, 2020, Highlights Delivered 5,157 total gene expression profile test reports for all four marketed tests combined in the fourth quarter of 2020: DecisionDx-Melanoma test reports delivered in the quarter were 4,246. DecisionDx-SCC test reports delivered in the quarter were 428. DecisionDx DiffDx -Melanoma test orders received and reports delivered from Nov. 2 through Dec. 31, 2020, were 92 and 73, respectively. DecisionDx(R)-UM test reports delivered in the quarter were 410. Medicare Administrative Contractor, Palmetto GBA MolDx, issued a final expanded local coverage determination and an accompanying billing and coding article for the Company's DecisionDx-Melanoma test. Noridian, the MAC that oversees Castle's laboratory in Arizona, issued an identical LCD and billing and coding article, which became effective Dec. 6, 2020. Since the effective date of Dec. 6, 2020, more than 90% of Medicare beneficiaries whose clinicians order DecisionDx-Melanoma as part of their melanoma management plan were covered under the expanded LCD. Additionally, final 2021 Medicare rates for both DecisionDx-Melanoma and DecisionDx-UM were published on Dec. 28, 2020, on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services website. The Company launched its DecisionDx DiffDx-Melanoma test on Nov. 2, 2020. DecisionDx DiffDx-Melanoma is designed to aid dermatopathologists and dermatologists in characterizing difficult-to-diagnose melanocytic lesions. On Dec. 18, Castle completed its underwritten public offering of 4.6 million shares of its common stock at a public offering price of $58.00 per share. The gross proceeds to Castle from the offering before deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions and other offering expenses payable by Castle, were $266.8M.

07:20 EST Infosys to purchase assets, onboard employees of Carter Digital - Infosys announced a definitive agreement to purchase assets and onboard employees of Carter Digital, one of Australia's "leading and award-winning experience design agencies." This asset takeover strengthens Infosys' global design and experience offerings, demonstrates its continued commitment in bringing innovative thinking, talent and creativity to its clients, and provide effective global digital solutions. This is an asset purchase and the transaction is expected to close during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2021, subject to customary closing conditions.

07:19 EST Sonic Foundry names Steve McKee, Duane Glader as SVPs - Sonic Foundry announced the appointment of two new senior vice presidents. These new positions support the company's efforts to create new revenue streams, open new market share, and increase customer satisfaction and report directly to CEO Joe Mozden Jr. Steve McKee is SVP Product & Technology where he leads the company's product development efforts, ensuring the Mediasite solutions brought to the current and new markets continue to meet industry demands. His most recent role was Head of Product at Gloo, a SaaS company that uses technology to accelerate the growth of the digital church and transform personal growth in churches and other social service organizations. Duane Glader is SVP Sales & Marketing, leading the company's North American sales and global marketing efforts. He comes from DeVry University where he served as Senior Director Strategic Accounts for the past four years.

07:17 EST Corvus Gold receives initial core hole results from Lynda Strip - Corvus Gold announces it has received initial core hole results from its new Lynnda Strip discovery east and west of the previously announced reverse circulation drill results approximately 2km's north of the Mother Lode deposit. The new results include hole ML20-167CT with 111.05m @ 0.80 g/t gold & hole ML20-169CT with an upper zone intercept of 52.64m @ 1.39 g/t gold and a lower zone intercept of 80.07m @ 0.83 g/t gold. These results continue to display consistent, oxide, high-grade vein mineralization and broad zones of heap leach grade mineralization which supports a large target potential at Lynnda Strip. In addition, Corvus has received results from its initial hole drilled into the South Merlin target about a half a kilometre to the west of the initial Lynnda Strip discovery with a 12.2m intercept of 0.61 g/t gold before the hole ended due to poor drilling conditions. This far western intercept is believed to be connected to the overall Lynnda Strip system which would make it over 800 metres wide. Given the broad width of the system and Coeur Mining Inc's recently announced results to the south, Corvus believes the greater Lynnda Strip system has strong potential (Figure 2) for further growth.

07:14 EST Biodesix, HiberCell start pact for companion diagnostic commercialization - Biodesix announced an agreement with HiberCell, a biotechnology company developing novel therapeutics for cancer relapse and metastasis, to further the development of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) as a companion diagnostic in future registrational trials in breast cancer for Imprime PGG programs. Terms of the partnership were not disclosed. Biodesix leverages multiple technologies with its proprietary artificial intelligence platform to discover, develop and commercialize diagnostic solutions for unmet clinical needs. Through this agreement, Biodesix will continue its leadership in clinical proteomics by developing a companion diagnostic to select patients for enrollment in HiberCell's future registrational clinical trials. The ELISA test, which will be validated in Biodesix's NYS CLEP-approved and CLIA-accredited lab, will be designed to test for Anti-beta Glucan IgG Antibody (IgG ABA) expression in breast and melanoma serum samples to assess cancer patients' eligibility for Imprime PGG therapy.

07:12 EST Flexion promotes Adam Muzikant to CBO - CEO Michael Clayman said, "While ensuring the successful commercialization of ZILRETTA is our highest priority, we remain committed to building a pipeline of transformative medicines to fuel our future growth, and we are pleased to announce that Adam Muzikant, Ph.D. has been promoted to Chief Business Officer. Adam was instrumental in the transactions that led to the FX201 and FX301 programs and has been a driving force in the development of our pipeline. His extensive experience and vision make him the ideal person to assume this critical new role, and I look forward to his continued contributions in the years ahead."

07:11 EST Marinus gets response from FDA on sufficiency of one trial for NDA filing - Marinus Pharmaceuticals announced it has received a positive response from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, FDA that the efficacy and safety data resulting from the company's pivotal Phase 3 Marigold Study on the use of oral ganaxolone in children and young adults with CDKL5 deficiency disorder appear sufficient to support the filing of a New Drug Application, NDA Adequacy of these data to support an approval of ganaxolone for the proposed indication will be a matter of future FDA review. CDD is a rare, genetic epilepsy with refractory seizures. Marinus provided the data to the FDA in a briefing document meant to support a Type C meeting, and the FDA provided written preliminary comments in response. Based on this feedback, Marinus is targeting a pre-NDA meeting by the end of Q1 to support submission. "We are pleased with the FDA's assessment of the sufficiency of the efficacy and safety data from one Phase 3 clinical trial to support an NDA filing," said Scott Braunstein, M.D., Chief Executive Officer of Marinus. "We remain on track to submit the NDA for use of ganaxolone in CDD for FDA review by mid-2021 and look forward to continued advancement of ganaxolone as the first potential FDA approved treatment specifically indicated in patients diagnosed with CDD."

07:11 EST Marinus gets response from FDA on sufficiency of one trial for NDA filing - Marinus Pharmaceuticals announced it has received a positive response from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, FDA that the efficacy and safety data resulting from the company's pivotal Phase 3 Marigold Study on the use of oral ganaxolone in children and young adults with CDKL5 deficiency disorder appear sufficient to support the filing of a New Drug Application, NDA Adequacy of these data to support an approval of ganaxolone for the proposed indication will be a matter of future FDA review. CDD is a rare, genetic epilepsy with refractory seizures. Marinus provided the data to the FDA in a briefing document meant to support a Type C meeting, and the FDA provided written preliminary comments in response. Based on this feedback, Marinus is targeting a pre-NDA meeting by the end of Q1 to support submission. "We are pleased with the FDA's assessment of the sufficiency of the efficacy and safety data from one Phase 3 clinical trial to support an NDA filing," said Scott Braunstein, M.D., Chief Executive Officer of Marinus. "We remain on track to submit the NDA for use of ganaxolone in CDD for FDA review by mid-2021 and look forward to continued advancement of ganaxolone as the first potential FDA approved treatment specifically indicated in patients diagnosed with CDD."

07:08 EST Biodesix, HiberCell announce collaboration - HiberCell announced an agreement with Biodesix to further the development of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay as a companion diagnostic in future registrational trials in breast cancer for Imprime PGG programs. Terms of the partnership were not disclosed.

07:07 EST Palantir awarded contract from Army worth up to $250M - Palantir announced the Army down-selected it to deliver a prototype for the first phase of the Army's Ground Station modernization in support of the Army's Tactical Intelligence Targeting Access Node program. The contract value for this phase is $8.5M, with a potential contract value of approximately $250M over all 4 phases. Palantir was awarded a Phase 1 Project Agreement through an Other Transaction Agreement with Consortium Management Group on behalf of Consortium for Command, Control and Communications in Cyberspace. During the first phase of the effort, Palantir will collaborate with the Army to design and demonstrate the ground station prototype solution for the Army's TITAN program. The Palantir solution will leverage space, high altitude, aerial, terrestrial sensors and data sources for use in intelligence and military targeting operations. It will field a "turn key" solution for the Army that integrates data from a variety of sources including commercial and classified sources from space to ground sensors. The results of the first phase of this competitive contract will be used by the Army to inform awarding of future phases and eventual production of the ground station for the TITAN enterprise.

07:04 EST Fury Gold Mines provides update on Eau Claire Drill Program - Fury Gold Mines Limited is pleased to provide an update on the ongoing 50,000-metre drill program at the 100% owned Eau Claire project located in the Eeyou Istchee Territory in the James Bay region, Quebec. The drill program is focused on the one-kilometre down plunge extension at Eau Claire, as well as infill drilling the inferred portions of the resource for resource conversion. A total of 3,646m in six holes has been drilled to date and results from the first set of infill drill holes and the first 600m of the step-out hole, 20EC-006, are expected in the coming weeks. 2021 Exploration Highlights: Eau Claire, Quebec: expansion program of 50,000m+ well underway; Homestake Ridge, British Columbia: approximately 20,000m planned for summer 2021 in conversion and exploration drilling; Committee Bay, Nunavut: a minimum of 10,000m planned to expand the Three Bluffs deposit and drill test several exciting new targets for summer of 2021; and Eleonore South JV, Quebec: proposed surface exploration campaign followed by drill testing between 3,000m and 5,000m at two undrilled target areas in Q4 2021. The 50,000m+ drill program at Eau Claire aims to significantly expand the current resource base and realize the potential of the Eau Claire deposit. The infill program is focused on upgrading the easternmost area of the resource at depth, while the exploration drill program will focus on testing a 1km down plunge extension of the Eau Claire deposit as well as drilling untested targets within the 7km deposit trend with the aim of identifying new discoveries. At the ESJV, the Company is proposing a summer exploration program that will concentrate on advancing large scale gold-in-till anomalies to drill stage. Proposed exploration for the ESJV includes reprocessing and interpreting the existing airborne magnetic and electro-magnetic datasets to advance the structural and geologic framework, geochemical till surveying across the southern third of the property to complete property wide coverage and acquiring additional IP data over defined geochemical anomalies. A drill program will be proposed for Q4 2021 based upon the results of the summer exploration program. Recent consolidation activity in the sector continues to demonstrate that Nunavut is a world-class mining and exploration jurisdiction and one of the few remaining areas in the world where exploration continues to discover and grow large, high-grade gold deposits. In 2020, the technical team refined the targeting for Committee Bay, outlining targets to expand the Three Bluffs resource in addition to several mature regional targets, each with the potential to be a new major discovery. Homestake Ridge is a high-grade gold and silver resource located in the southern end of the Golden Triangle region in British Columbia, with excellent infrastructure and access to the property. Fury is planning a 20,000m drill program in the summer of 2021, focusing on: extending the known mineralization at both the Homestake Main and Homestake Silver zones; completing an infill drill program at Homestake Silver; and testing high priority geophysical and geochemical targets. In addition, surface exploration will be completed at several regional targets to advance to drill stage. The Company's fundamentals, which continue to strengthen as the portfolio is advanced, include: A growing million multi-ounce high-grade gold resource base positioned across three assets; Plans to drill 80,000m over the next 18 months; Aggressive exploration along the Eau Claire deposit trend and broader asset package to potentially support a long-term 150koz-200koz per year mining scenario in Quebec; Renewed exploration on the Eleonore South Joint Venture to demonstrate the potential of the James Bay Gold Camp; Aggressive exploration at the Homestake Ridge project to expand the resource and convert approximately 15% of the Homestake Silver resource from inferred to indicated category; A discovery focused drill program within the 300km long Committee Bay Gold Belt to advance toward the goal of a 5Moz+ resource base at Committee Bay; and A strong treasury to support 2021 activities. These fundamentals along with the Company's aggressive growth strategies will support Fury's vision to create a premier gold development company with the aim of pouring gold by 2025.

07:02 EST Essa Pharma announces clinical collaboration, supply agreement with Janssen - ESSA Pharma (EPIX) announced that the company has entered into a clinical collaboration and supply agreement with Janssen Research & Development (JNJ) to evaluate ESSA's first-in-class N-terminal domain androgen receptor inhibitor, EPI-7386, in combination with apalutamide as well as the combination of EPI-7386 with abiraterone acetate plus prednisone in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. Under the terms of the agreement, Janssen may sponsor and conduct up to two Phase 1/2 studies evaluating the safety, tolerability and preliminary efficacy of the combination of EPI-7386 and apalutamide as well as the combination of EPI-7386 with abiraterone acetate plus prednisone in patients with mCRPC who have failed a current second-generation antiandrogen therapy. Janssen will assume all costs associated with the studies, other than the manufacturing costs associated with the clinical drug supply of EPI-7386. The parties will form a joint oversight committee for the clinical studies, which are planned to start in 2021. ESSA will retain all rights to EPI-7386.

06:59 EST DPW Holdings' DPL to provide business loans collateralized by bitcoin, Ethereum - DPW Holdings announced that its fintech lender, Digital Power Lending, a California Finance Lender and wholly-owned subsidiary of Ault Alliance, is prepared to begin originating loans collateralized by both bitcoin and Ethereum cryptocurrencies. The company anticipates the new collateral program, https://digitalpowerlending.com/commercialapp/, to begin on or about March 10.

06:54 EST Congo Airways orders two Embraer E195-E2 - Just six months after their first E2 order, Congo Airways has placed a firm order for two E195-E2 jets. This is in addition to their existing two aircraft order for the smaller E190-E2. The four aircraft deal has a total value of $272M at current list prices. This new firm order will be included in Embraer's 2020 fourth quarter backlog.

06:52 EST Marathon Patent Group drops 19% to $21.10 after $250M registered direct offering

06:47 EST Lazard reports preliminary AUM approximately $258.6B as of December 31 - The month's AUM included market appreciation of $7.7B, foreign exchange appreciation of $2.9B and net inflows of $0.4B. Preliminary average assets under management for the quarter ended December 31, 2020 were $245.6B.

06:39 EST Linde to build, own, operate PEM electrolyzer plant for green hydrogen - Linde (LIN) announced it will build, own and operate the world's largest PEM electrolyzer plant at the Leuna Chemical Complex in Germany. The new 24-megawatt electrolyzer will produce green hydrogen to supply Linde's industrial customers through the company's existing pipeline network. In addition, Linde will distribute liquefied green hydrogen to refueling stations and other industrial customers in the region. The total green hydrogen being produced can fuel approximately six hundred fuel cell buses, driving 40 million kilometers and saving up to 40,000 tons of carbon dioxide tailpipe emissions per year. The electrolyzer will be built by ITM Linde Electrolysis GmbH, a joint venture between Linde and ITM Power (ITMPF), using high-efficiency PEM technology. The plant is due to start production in the second half of 2022.

06:36 EST U.S. Well Services, EQT finalize long-term electric fracturing contracts - U.S. Well Services (USWS) announced it has executed two contracts to expand its electric fracturing services for EQT Corporation (EQT). Under the terms of the agreements, U.S. Well Services extended its existing contract for one electric frac fleet and will also deploy a second electric frac fleet on a contracted basis. Both contracts represent multi-year fleet dedications if all optional extensions are exercised.

06:35 EST Hecla Mining sees Q4 gold production 208,962 ounces - Hecla Mining announced its preliminary silver and gold production for the fourth quarter. Highlights include: Silver production of 13.5M ounces, an increase of 7%, second highest production only to 2016. Gold production of 208,962 ounces, expected lower gold production from the Nevada operation decreased production 23% from 2019, which was Hecla's highest gold production. Zinc and lead production increased 7% and 41%, respectively, due to the ramp up of the Lucky Friday Mine. Silver equivalent production of 40.7M ounces and gold equivalent production of 471,413 ounces. Year-end cash position of $131M with the credit facility undrawn. Net debt reduction of approximately $75M, or 16%, from March 31, 2020. All injury frequency rate of 1.22 for 2020, lowest in the company's history and a reduction of 24% over 2019. "Despite the challenges of operating during the pandemic, 2020 marked a year of very strong operational performance with silver production significantly exceeding guidance," said Hecla's President and CEO, Phillips S. Baker, Jr. "Our U.S. silver production was 15% higher than the year before and more than 50% higher than 2018, strengthening our position as the United States largest silver producer. The strong performance allowed Hecla to reduce net debt, increase dividends, and double exploration expenditures while more than doubling last year's cash position. At current prices, we could repeat these results in 2021."

06:33 EST Target says growth was strongest in Home in November/December period - The company said, "The company continued to gain market share throughout the November/December time period in all five of its core merchandising categories. Growth was the strongest in Home, which saw a comparable sales increase in the low-20 percent range. Comparable sales in Hardlines also grew in the low 20 percent range, reflecting mid-20 percent growth in Electronics. In Food & Beverage, comparable sales growth was in line with the company average, while Beauty & Essentials saw growth in the low teens. Apparel delivered comparable sales growth in the high-single digit range."

06:32 EST Target says comparable digital sales growth driven by same-day fulfillment - The company said, "Comparable digital sales growth was driven primarily by the Company's same-day fulfillment services, which together grew 193 percent. Of the services, Drive Up grew the fastest at more than 500 percent, while Target's sales fulfilled by Shipt grew more than 300 percent. Between store-originated sales, same-day services and the Company's ship-from-store capability, approximately 95 percent of Target's sales in the November/December period were fulfilled by its stores."

06:31 EST Target reports comparable sales up 17.2% for November/December period - Target announced that comparable sales in the combined November/December period grew 17.2 percent, driven by a 4.3 percent increase in traffic and a 12.3 percent increase in average ticket. Store-originated comparable sales grew 4.2 percent, while comparable digital sales grew 102 percent. Brian Cornell, Chairman and CEO, Target Corporation, said, "The momentum in our business continued in the holiday season with notable market share gains across our entire product portfolio. We're very pleased with our results, and the strength of our performance is a reflection of the tireless work of our team to support our guests through a safe, convenient and inspirational experience. Throughout the holidays, we delivered joy for holiday shoppers while focusing on safety -- adjusting promotions to reduce crowding while delivering easy, contactless fulfillment options through Drive Up and Shipt. We've seen continued strong sales trends in the new year, and as we turn to our 2021 plans, our team is focused on continuing to build on the guest engagement and significant market share we gained throughout 2020."

06:27 EST Esperion sees Q4 U.S. net product revenue $8M-$8.5M

06:08 EST IHS Markit CFO: 'Some challenged markets continue to show signs of recovering' - "We were pleased to see continued stability in Q4, and 2020 demonstrated the resiliency of our business model given the economic challenges due to the pandemic," said Lance Uggla, chairman and CEO at IHS Markit. "We were pleased with the finish to our year, and some of our challenged end markets continue to show signs of recovering, which supports our plan as we head into FY21," said Jonathan Gear, CFO at IHS Markit.

06:06 EST Sian Capital urges OPKO Health to address apparently misleading Q4 guidance - "Sian Capital, a sizable stockholder of OPKO Health, announced that it sent a letter to the company's Board of Directors on December 18, 2020 regarding what we believe is the dubious 4Q'20 guidance provided by management on October 29, 2020. Sian wants all analysts and stockholders to be aware that we believe OPKO's previously issued guidance is misleading. We are calling on OPKO to confirm whether it still stands by its projections or agrees with our estimates."

06:04 EST Amdocs expands agreement with Capita - Amdocs (DOX) announced that it has expanded its agreement with Capita plc, a consulting, transformation and digital services business, to support the growth of Transport for London's Ultra Low Emission Zone, and its migration to the cloud on Microsoft (MSFT) Azure. TfL is planned to expand ULEZ, introduced in April 2019, out to the North/South Circular from October 2021, as a result of TfL's increasing commitment to help clean up the city's toxic air which, according to TfL, has been linked to thousands of premature deaths in London each year. As part of the agreement with Capita, Amdocs will provide charging and settlement implemented on Microsoft Azure cloud, as well as testing services to provide Capita with greater end-to-end quality assurance.

05:56 EST Allot Ltd. chosen to provide cybersecurity services to European mobile provider - Allot Ltd. announced that a tier-1 mobile service provider in Europe has selected Allot Secure solutions to deliver comprehensive cybersecurity services to its consumer, SOHO and small business customers. Subscribers to the service will pay a monthly fee that is shared between the service provider and Allot. Allot Secure is the first platform to provide mobile users with a unified user experience for on-net and off-net cybersecurity, including configuration, reporting and alarm management. The service provider will be implementing NetworkSecure and EndpointSecure, two solutions in the Allot Secure family.

05:51 EST WiMi Hologram Cloud obtains patent for 3D holographic pulse laser device - WiMi Hologram Cloud announced that it has obtained a patent for a three-dimensional holographic pulse laser processing device for optical holography use. The patent is a result of WiMi's independent research and development and will allow the company to further improve its intellectual property protection system. By unleashing the strengths of its proprietary intellectual property resources and enhancing its innovation mechanisms, WiMi continues to enhance its core competitive advantages to fortify its leadership in the development of new technologies. The patent is related to the technical field of holographic pulse laser processing devices and, in particular, pulse laser processing devices for 3D optical holography use.

05:34 EST Elbit Systems awarded contract to supply Seagull USVs - Elbit Systems announced that it was awarded a contract to supply Seagull USVs to the Navy of a country in Asia-Pacific. The contract, that is in an amount that is not material to Elbit Systems, will be performed over a 17-month period. Under the contract, Elbit Systems will provide Seagull USV systems that are specifically configured to perform Mine Counter Measures missions while facilitating the option to add technology modules needed for Anti-Submarine Warfare. The Seagull USVs to be supplied will integrate Side-Scan and Forward-Looking sonars, Mine Identification and Destruction Remotely Operated Vehicles. The USVs also will be equipped with the Company's autonomous suite, Combat Management System and Satellite Communication capability. The Seagull USVs will enable the customer's Navy to execute end-to-end MCM operations, handling bottom, moored and drifting sea mines. The Seagull USV offers endurance of four days, sea-keeping missions of up to Sea-State 5 and the flexibility to control several vessels from the same Mission Control System.

05:32 EST uCloudlink announces progress in U.S., China patent infringement disputes - uCloudlink announced the latest developments in its patent infringement disputes with SIMO Holdings and/or its subsidiaries in the U.S. and China. In 2018, SIMO sued Hong Kong uCloudlink Network Technology Limited and uCloudlink, Limited for infringing its U.S. Patent No. 9,736,689. The United States District Court for the Southern District of New York found for SIMO and ordered uCloudlink Entities to pay damages amounting to $8,230,654. Believing the trial judge erred in the construction of SIMO's patent claims, uCloudlink Entities appealed the SDNY decision to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. On January 5, 2021, the Federal Circuit reversed the SDNY decision and held that "uCloudlink Entities are entitled to summary judgment of noninfringement". In 2018, Shenzhen Simo Wireless Technology Co., Ltd., one of SIMO's affiliates in China, filed a lawsuit against Shenzhen uCloudlink Network Technology Co., Ltd. for infringing its PRC Patent No.200980103594.6. In response, uCloudlink Shenzhen applied to the China National Intellectual Property Administration for invalidating the 594.6 Patent. In July 2019, CNIPA entered its decision which invalidated the 594.6 Patent. Dissatisfied with the CNIPA decision, Shenzhen SIMO appealed to the Beijing Intellectual Property Court for judicial review. In December 2020, the IP Court entered its judgment which upheld CNIPA's invalidation decision. In 2019, Shenzhen uCloudlink Technology Limited sued Shenzhen Skyroam Technologies Co., Ltd., one of SIMO's affiliates in China, for infringing its PRC Patent No. ZL201410497366.4 which is owned and licensed by Hong Kong uCloudlink Network Technology Limited. In response, Shenzhen Skyroam applied to CNIPA for invalidating the 366.4 Patent. In September, 2020, CNIPA issued an order which invalidated the 366.4 Patent. Currently, Shenzhen uCloudlink Technology Limited is filing a lawsuit at the Beijing Intellectual Property Court to challenge CNIPA's invalidation decision. In April 2020, Shenzhen Skyroam Technologies Co., Ltd. applied to CNIPA for invalidating PRC patent No. 201610513352.6 of Shenzhen uCloudlink Technology Limited. In November 2020, CNIPA issued an order which invalidated the 352.6 Patent. Shenzhen uCloudlink Technology Limited is now preparing to file a lawsuit at the Beijing Intellectual Property Court to challenge CNIPA's invalidation decision.

04:54 EST American Tower enters pact with Telefonica to acquire Telxius Towers for $9.4B - American Tower (AMT) announced that it has entered into definitive agreements with Telefonica (TEF), under which it will acquire Telxius Towers, comprising approximately 31,000 existing communications sites in Germany, Spain, Brazil, Chile, Peru and Argentina. The total consideration for the transaction approximately $9.4B, subject to customary closing adjustments. In addition, American Tower expects to spend approximately $500M to construct a committed pipeline of approximately 3,300 new sites in Germany and Brazil through 2025. American Tower expects the assets to generate approximately $775M in property revenue, approximately $410M in gross margin, and approximately $390M in Adjusted EBITDA at current foreign exchange rates, in their first full year in its portfolio, pro forma for contributions from the committed future build-to-suits. This implies an Enterprise Value / Adjusted EBITDA multiple of less than 26x. The transaction is anticipated to be immediately accretive to Consolidated AFFO per Share and is expected to close in multiple tranches, beginning in the second quarter, subject to government and regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions.