Stockwinners Market Radar for February 03, 2021 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

19:39 EST Zynga CEO sells 500K shares of common stock - In a regulatory filing, Zynga disclosed that its CEO Frank Gibeau sold 500K shares of common stock on February 1st in a total transaction size of $5.06M, reducing his stake by about 23%.

18:35 EST e.l.f. Beauty CEO: We're really pleased with the quarter - In an interview on CNBC's Mad Money, Tarang Amin said e.l.f. Beauty (ELF) continues to invest in the business for the long term, and as a result, it's picking up market share. The company has great momentum at Target (TGT) and Ulta Beauty (ULTA) where it continues to get shelf space. Amin said the launch of the Keys Soulcare brand is "off to a great start." According to Amin, e.l.f. has executed extremely well during the pandemic and will come out strong once it passes.

18:05 EST Silicon Motion jumps 5% to $55 after Q4 earnings beat, above-consensus guidance

17:50 EST Google adds "Green Room' feature to check video quality before Meet call - In a Google Workspace blog update, the company said: "We're making it possible to quickly preview how you'll appear to others before entering a Google Meet video call. You can use this new functionality to confirm that peripheral devices are properly configured and corrected, to check that your network connectivity is good, and to understand the impact of noise cancellation on your audio (if it's available to your account). When a problem is detected, you'll see a warning and tips for troubleshooting common issues, like granting your browser permission to use the microphone or camera." Reference Link

17:16 EST PayPal jumps 5% to $264.50 after Q4 results, FY21 guidance, comments on crypto

17:07 EST HubSpot confirms deal to acquire The Hustle, terms not disclosed - HubSpot announced it has signed an agreement to acquire The Hustle, a media company that produces a newsletter, podcast, and premium research content. The move will give HubSpot more ways to offer its community of scaling companies valuable content across a broader range of topics and a more diverse set of media. "For many customers, their first introduction to HubSpot is through our educational blog, Academy, and YouTube content, not our software. More recently, our customers have started to seek out news and trends-based content across new forms of media like podcasts, newsletters, and research," said Kieran Flanagan, SVP of marketing at HubSpot. "By acquiring The Hustle, we'll be able to better meet the needs of these scaling companies by delivering educational, business, and tech trend content in their preferred formats. Sam and his team have a proven ability to create content that entrepreneurs, startups, and scaling companies are deeply passionate about, and I'm excited to bring them on board to take that work to the next level."

17:05 EST Corteva affirms mid-term targets, including operating EBITDA growth of 12%-16% - Corteva affirmed its mid-term targets as previously guided in 2019, including targeted compounded annual growth for Operating EBITDA of 12-16% from 2019 through 2022.

16:59 EST Commerzbank to cut 10,000 jobs, lower costs by EUR1.4B - Commerzbank signed an agreement with the Group Works Council of Commerzbank AG. The agreement enables the Bank to expedite the negotiations on human resources aspects of the transformation process swiftly and with the appropriate fairness and transparency. The agreement defines fundamental principles for shaping the transformation process at Commerzbank AG Germany. The objective is to provide clarity and transparency as early as possible about positions affected, timeframes and perspectives. The objective is to conclude the necessary framework arrangements - framework settlement of interests and a framework social plan - with the Group Works Council already for the Annual General Meeting being held on 5 May 2021. As a result of the restructuring, Commerzbank targets a return on equity (RoTE) of approximately 7 per cent for the financial year 2024. Compared to the figures expected for 2020, costs will be reduced by EUR1.4B or around 20% by 2024. At the same time, revenues are expected to remain largely stable - excluding the further growth of mBank. Commerzbank anticipates restructuring expenses totalling EUR1.8B, which will be fully financed with existing funds. The restructuring expenses will be fully booked in the current financial year. A provision of EUR0.8B was already set aside in the financial year 2020 to cover a substantial proportion of the restructuring expenses that will be incurred. In addition, there are further EUR0.1B in provisions from 2019. By 2024, Commerzbank will reduce approximately 10,000 full-time equivalents in gross terms. Despite the significant restructuring, the Bank targets a common equity tier 1 ratio which is at least 200 to 250 basis points above the minimum regulatory requirements. This will enable Commerzbank to remain robust and resilient while efficiently managing its capital. As part of the Group, mBank will continue pursuing its growth strategy. Commerzbank will reduce the number of branches from the current level of 790 to 450 locations across Germany. This is where customers will have access to advice on topics such as accounts, cards, and consumer loans and receive support on the Bank's digital offering. At 220 of these locations, wealth management and small-business customers with a greater need for advisory services will receive comprehensive, personal advisory support, and individual solutions on all issues relating to wealth management and finance. Commerzbank intends to significantly expand its business with wealthy customers and small-business customers in its Private Banking and Wealth Management segment.

16:52 EST Intevac sees 1H21 TFE revenues 'soft' due to light 2H20 bookings

16:50 EST Intevac: 1H21 will be 'challenging' - Comments taken from Q4 earnings conference call.

16:40 EST Charter COO John Bickham to retire at end of 2022 - Charter COO John Bickham plans to retire at the end of 2022. During this period, and in preparation for the future, both Rich DiGeronimo, Chief Product and Technology Officer, and Chris Winfrey, CFO, will take on additional responsibilities. DiGeronimo will add oversight of Spectrum Reach - Charter's advertising sales business led by Executive VP David Kline - to his current responsibilities of leading of the Product and Technology organization. In addition to continuing as CFO, Winfrey will assume operational leadership for Sales and Marketing, and Spectrum Community Solutions overseen by Jon Hargis, Executive VP, Chief Marketing Officer, and Adam Ray, Executive Vice President, Spectrum Community Solutions, respectively.

16:35 EST Grinrod becomes a signatory of the Neptune Declaration on Seafarer Wellbeing - Grindrod Shipping announced it has signed the Neptune Declaration on Seafarer Wellbeing and Crew Change . The Neptune Declaration focuses on addressing the crew change crisis the shipping industry is facing due to the pandemic and prioritize high-quality health protocols. "We are committed to the well-being and safety of our seafarers and are pleased to join a global coalition of over 400 companies and organizations striving to achieve the same ambitions. During the pandemic, shipping reaffirmed its vital function as the artery of global trade, keeping the global supply chain open for the benefit of societies around the world. This could not have happened without the endurance and sacrifices of our seafarers who have been facing unprecedented challenges. We look forward to working with our peers to address and resolve the challenges of crew changes and to ensure a safer and more resilient global maritime supply chain."

16:33 EST Aeglea BioTherapeutics CFO Charles York II to leave for another opportunity - Aeglea BioTherapeutics announced that the company's CFO, Charles N. York II, will be leaving the company effective February 12, 2021 to serve in an expanded chief operating officer and chief financial officer role at an emerging oncology company. The company has initiated a search process to identify a new chief financial officer. Steven Weber, vice president and corporate controller, has been appointed to serve as principal accounting officer and will assume certain key financial responsibilities for Aeglea.

16:33 EST Yum China reports Q4 restaurant margin 15.1% vs. 12.4% a year ago

16:31 EST Yum China reports Q4 sames store sales down 4%, total system sales up 5% - In Q4: Total system sales increased 5% year over year, with an increase of 3% at KFC and a decline of 3% at Pizza Hut, excluding F/X. Same-store sales declined 4% year over year, with declines of 4% at KFC and 5% at Pizza Hut, excluding F/X. Opened 505 new stores during the quarter.

16:28 EST Costco reports January SSS rose 15.9% - Costco reported net sales of $13.64B for the retail month of January, the four weeks ended January 31, an increase of 17.9% from $11.57B last year. For the twenty-two weeks ended January 31, 2021, the Company reported net sales of $79.11 billion, an increase of 15.4 percent from $68.56 billion during the similar period last year.

16:27 EST GrubHub reports Q4 active diners 31.4M, up 39% - Q4 highlights: Active Diners: 31.4M, a 39% year-over-year increase from 22.6M Active Diners in the fourth quarter of 2019. Daily Average Grubs: 658,100 a 31% year-over-year increase from 502,600 DAGs in the fourth quarter of 2019. Gross Food Sales: $2.4B, a 52% year-over-year increase from $1.6B in the fourth quarter of 2019.

16:23 EST Chubb raises share repurchase program by $1B - Chubb announced that its Board of Directors has authorized an increase of $1B to the company's share repurchase program previously announced on November 19, 2020. When added to the November 2020 authorization, the company's total repurchase program allows for up to $2.5B in repurchases between January 1 and December 31 of 2021.

16:20 EST PolarityTE receives allowance for another U.S. patent - PolarityTE reported the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has issued a Notice of Allowance for U.S. Application No. 16/165,169 filed on October 19, 2018. This is the company's second patent allowance in the United States. The newly allowed claims provide additional protection for methods of making skin-regenerative compositions with the company's minimally polarized functional unit technology as well as methods of treatment utilizing the compositions. Additionally, a decision to grant Patent Application No. PI 2017701990 was recently issued in Malaysia. The allowed claims in Malaysia cover the same minimally polarized functional unit compositions as those patented in the United Kingdom. This news brings the company's total number of allowed patent applications and granted patents worldwide to nine. The company continues to pursue additional patent applications in the United States and abroad related to its regenerative technologies, including SkinTE.

16:19 EST IAC reports nearly 300,000 subscriptions for Vimeo in 2020 - The company said, "Vimeo revenue increased 54% to $83.8 million on the strength of accelerating Self-Serve and Enterprise growth with subscribers increasing 24% to over 1.5 million (nearly 300,000 net subscriber additions in 2020). Operating loss narrowed for the third consecutive quarter to $0.8 million and Adjusted EBITDA was positive in Q4 for the second consecutive quarter at $1.5 million."

16:15 EST Rayonier sees FY21 net income $44M-$56M, adjusted EBITDA $285M-$315M - The company states: "The projected year-over-year increase in Adjusted EBITDA is driven by our expectation that the contribution from each of our key timber segments will increase in 2021. However, we believe this will be partially offset by a lower contribution from our Real Estate segment following an exceptionally strong 2020. Overall, we remain very encouraged by the stability of our business and the strength of our end markets. In our Southern Timber segment, we expect to achieve full-year harvest volumes of 6.2 to 6.4 million tons. We expect a modest improvement in weighted average pricing relative to full-year 2020 driven by strong sawtimber demand and a higher mix of sawtimber, partially offset by an increased proportion of planned harvest volume from relatively lower-priced markets. We expect the largest year-over-year improvement in our Pacific Northwest Timber segment, bolstered by a full-year contribution from the Pope Resources acquisition. We expect to achieve harvest volumes of 1.7 to 1.8 million tons in the region. We also anticipate higher average sawtimber prices as compared to full-year 2020 given strong domestic demand trends and favorable lumber pricing. In our New Zealand Timber segment, we expect to achieve harvest volumes of 2.6 to 2.8 million tons, up modestly year-over-year following the operational disruptions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. We further expect that strong demand from China coupled with strong local markets will lead to improved export and domestic pricing."

16:10 EST Allegiant Travel sees Q1 system ASMs up 0.5%-5.5% year-over-year - Sees Q1 scheduled Service ASMs up 0.5%-5.5% year-over-year.

16:09 EST Allison Transmission awarded $3.6M contract from U.S. Army - The U.S. Army selected Allison Transmission, the largest global manufacturer of medium- and heavy-duty fully automatic transmissions for commercial and military vehicles, to undertake an engineering program that builds upon previous analysis and evaluates the X1100-3B1 transmission and final drive changes necessary to expand the Abrams' performance edge in speed, cruising range and durability. The Abrams tank, introduced in the early 1980s, has been the subject of continuous capability improvements throughout its service life. This effort represents a deliberate plan by U.S. Army program managers and engineers to maintain the superior performance necessary to succeed in combat. "Our support for the Army's armored formations spans over five decades," said Dana Pittard, Vice President for Defense Programs at Allison Transmission. "This contract demonstrates that Allison's long-term strategic relationship with the Army is built on trust, partnership and a mutual commitment to the Abrams fleet. Enhancements and upgrades to this battle-tested design will support the Army's needs for decades to come."

16:06 EST eBay reports Q4 GMV $26.6B - Annual active buyers grew by 7%, for a total of 185 million global active buyers. "I am proud eBay was able to be there for our buyers, sellers and community, especially in the face of a global pandemic," said Jamie Iannone, Chief Executive Officer at eBay. "We finished the year with strong financial results, but what inspires me most is the support we've been able to extend to small businesses -- providing them with tools, resources and access to millions of buyers globally. We will continue to invest in product and technology in order to deliver the best marketplace in the world for our customers."

16:06 EST Qualcomm down 7% to $151.01 after Q1 earnings, Q2 outlook

14:47 EST Scotts Miracle-Gro CEO says 'getting close' to raising EPS guidance - Jim Hagedorn, chairman and CEO of Scotts Miracle-Gro, said while being interviewed on CNBC that the company previously put out "pretty safe" guidance for 2021. The company this morning raised its fiscal 2021 sales growth guidance and reaffirmed guidance for non-GAAP adjusted EPS of $8.00 to $8.40, but Hagedorn said during his interview that the company is "getting pretty close" to raising its EPS guidance as well.

14:21 EST CEO says Kodak partnering with Microsoft on all-in-one business software - Kodak (KODK) CEO Jim Continenza said via Twitter that, "We are partnering with @Microsoft (MSFT), #Vpress and @PrintVis1 on the print industry's first all-in-one business software portfolio." Reference Link

14:14 EST Kodak trading halted, volatility trading pause

13:56 EST Larimar Therapeutics trading halted, volatility trading pause

13:50 EST Kentucky First Federal initiates stock repurchase program up to 150,000 shares - Kentucky First Federal Bancorp announced that the Company has substantially completed the stock repurchase program which was initiated December 19, 2018, and that the Board of Directors has authorized the purchase of up to 150,000 shares in a new stock repurchase program. The shares repurchased through the new program will be held as treasury stock. Repurchases will be effected through open market purchases or unsolicited privately negotiated transactions. The stock repurchase program will be dependent on market conditions and there is no guarantee as to the exact number of shares that the Company will repurchase.

13:26 EST North American rail traffic rose 0.7% in the week ended January 30 - The Association of American Railroads, AAR, reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending January 30, as well as volumes for January. U.S. railroads originated 930,303 carloads in January 2021, down 2.1%, or 19,799 carloads, from January 2020. U.S. railroads also originated 1,173,220 containers and trailers in January 2021, up 12.1%, or 126,548 units, from the same month last year. Combined U.S. carload and intermodal originations in January 2021 were 2,103,523, up 5.3%, or 106,749 carloads and intermodal units from January 2020.Total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 520,693 carloads and intermodal units, up 2.1% compared with the same week last year. Total carloads for the week ending January 30 were 231,370 carloads, down 4.1% compared with the same week in 2020, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 289,323 containers and trailers, up 7.6% compared to 2020. North American rail volume for the week ending January 30, 2021, on 12 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 333,887 carloads, down 3.4% compared with the same week last year, and 377,263 intermodal units, up 4.7% compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 711,150 carloads and intermodal units, up 0.7%. North American rail volume for the first four weeks of 2021 was 2,870,421 carloads and intermodal units, up 4.9% compared with 2020. Publicly traded companies in the space include CSX (CSX), Canadian National (CNI), Canadian Pacific (CP), Genesee & Wyoming (GWR), Kansas City Southern (KSU), Norfolk Southern (NSC) and Union Pacific (UNP). Reference Link

13:13 EST Overstock.com CEO says government contract 'going slow' - Overstock.com CEO Jonathan Johnson, while speaking on CNBC, said the company's contract with the U.S. government is continuing but "going slow." Johnson said more details will be disclosed when Overstock.com reports earnings on February 24. Overstock.com last June was awarded a U.S. government contract with the General Services Administration as one of three online retailers providing business-to-business e-commerce capabilities for federal agencies.

12:05 EST GM reports chip shortage, will affect production in 2021 - General Motors said that, though its semiconductor supply for the global auto industry remains "very fluid," its supply chain organization is working closely with its supply base to find solutions for suppliers' semiconductor requirements and to mitigate impacts on GM. "Despite our mitigation efforts, the semiconductor shortage will impact GM production in 2021," the car maker said. "We are currently assessing the overall impact, but our focus is to keep producing our most in-demand products - including full-size trucks and SUVs and Corvettes - for our customers. However, we can confirm that the following GM assembly plants will take downtime on all shifts the week of Monday, Feb. 8: Fairfax (Kansas); CAMI (Ingersoll, Ontario); San Luis Potosi (Mexico)." In addition, the company said it will take downtime at the Bupyeong 2 assembly plant in Korea and operate at half capacity beginning the week of Feb. 8. Due to the fluidity around the availability of parts, the company's current plan is to update the plants each week. "Our intent is to make up as much production lost at these plants as possible," GM added. "Importantly, this issue will not impact our commitment to an all-electric future. We will provide further details on this matter when we report our 2020 earnings on Feb. 10." Reference Link

12:05 EST Bayer announes $2B agreement to resolve future Roundup cases - Bayer announced a formal agreement with plaintiffs' class counsel on a class plan designed to manage and resolve future Roundup cases. Plaintiffs' class counsel are filing today a motion for preliminary approval of the class agreement with Judge Vince Chhabria of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, who presides over the Monsanto Roundup multidistrict litigation, the company said in a statement. As part of the agreement, Bayer would be committed to pay up to $2B, provision for which was made and disclosed last year, to support the claims and programs covered by the class plan. The class plan is "intended to be one part of a holistic solution designed to provide further closure to the Monsanto Roundup litigation," Bayer said. The filing of a motion for preliminary approval today begins the review process by the court. Elements of the revised plan include the establishment of a fund to compensate qualified claimants during an initial four year program, an advisory science panel whose findings would not be preclusive but can be used as evidence in potential future litigation involving class members, and a robust notice program. The plan also includes research and diagnostic programs that were part of the original class agreement.

12:00 EST Churchill Capital Corp IV falls -7.7% - Churchill Capital Corp IV is down -7.7%, or -$2.46 to $29.68.

12:00 EST Sasol rises 14.0% - Sasol is up 14.0%, or $1.58 to $12.85.

12:00 EST Meritor rises 17.3% - Meritor is up 17.3%, or $4.67 to $31.59.

11:45 EST Corning boosts quarterly dividend to 24c from 22c - Corning said its board declared a quarterly dividend of 24c per common share, a 9% increase versus the company's previous quarterly common stock dividend of 22c The Q1 dividend will be payable on March 30, to shareholders of record on Feb. 26. Tony Tripeny, CEO, noted, "Our fundamental approach to capital allocation remains the same. We continue to focus our portfolio and utilize our financial strength. We generate strong operating cash flow, and we expect that to continue going forward. We will continue to use our cash to grow, extend our leadership, and reward shareholders. This dividend reflects Corning's confidence in our future."

11:09 EST Churchill Capital Corp IV trading resumes

11:04 EST Churchill Capital Corp IV trading halted, volatility trading pause

10:38 EST Anavex trading resumes

10:33 EST SolarWinds sees 'other additional attack vectors' continuing to come to light - In a blog post updating with findings from the company's ongoing investigations, SolarWinds' Sudhakar Ramakrishna stated in part: "SolarWinds was one of a growing number of targets of a highly sophisticated, broad, and coordinated nation-state cyber operation that compromised multiple software and hardware companies. Along with our partners in industry and government, we believe other additional attack vectors unrelated to SolarWinds will continue to come to light over the coming weeks. This nation-state operation was a broad-based attack on the IT infrastructure on which we all rely. According to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, other companies were compromised before the impacted versions of the Orion Platform were deployed to customers last year. Given its breadth, CISA's acting director, Brandon Wales, told the Wall Street Journal recently that 'this campaign should not be thought of as the SolarWinds campaign.' We've committed to sharing what we learn from this experience and continuing to fortify our systems as we work closely with our customers to protect their systems... As SolarWinds continues collaborating with private experts, law enforcement, and government agencies to investigate the attacks, we're exploring several potential theories about how the threat actors were able to enter and access our environment, and what actions the threat actors took once inside. Together with our third-party forensic investigators, we're pursuing numerous theories but currently believe the most likely attack vectors came through a compromise of credentials and/or access through a third-party application via an at the time zero-day vulnerability. Investigations are still ongoing and given the sophistication of these attacks and the actions taken by the threat actors to manipulate our environment and remove evidence of their activities, combined with the large volumes of log and other data to analyze, our investigations will be ongoing for at least several more weeks, and possibly months." Reference Link

10:26 EST Daimler: Both companies to have 'strong' net liquidity, pursue ambitious targets

10:23 EST Daimler AG plans majority listing of Daimler Truck

10:18 EST Capri Holdings sees lower Q4 revenue than previously expected - Cites increased store closures and restrictions related to the resurgence in Covid cases. Consensus is $1.13B. Comments taken from Q3 earnings conference call.

10:00 EST Spotify falls -7.1% - Spotify is down -7.1%, or -$24.41 to $320.64.

10:00 EST Container Store rises 13.5% - Container Store is up 13.5%, or $2.00 to $16.82.

10:00 EST Meritor rises 17.6% - Meritor is up 17.6%, or $4.75 to $31.67.

09:47 EST SOS Limited falls -5.9% - SOS Limited is down -5.9%, or -19c to $3.03.

09:47 EST Spotify falls -8.6% - Spotify is down -8.6%, or -$29.62 to $315.43.

09:47 EST Dragoneer Growth Opportunities rises 12.7% - Dragoneer Growth Opportunities is up 12.7%, or $1.76 to $15.61.

09:39 EST Vaxart trading resumes

09:35 EST CarParts.com named Official Auto Parts Retailer of Professional Fighters League - The Professional Fighters League announced that CarParts.com is now the Official Auto Parts Retailer of the PFL. As part of the partnership, CarParts.com will be an integrated partner throughout the PFL season kicking off as the presenting partner of PFL 1 on April 23 via ESPN. The retailer will also be a part of a new PFL branded content series, will conduct a nationwide sweepstakes promotion for fans around the country, and will also produce a co-branded national TV commercial featuring PFL fighters via PFL Studios, the league's fully integrated global media division.

09:33 EST Uber renews commitment to U.S. local merchants - Uber Technologies announced its Eat Local campaign, renewed efforts to support independent restaurant owners and operators in 2021 as the industry continues to face COVID-related challenges. "We're here for restaurants at Uber Eats-as we have been since the start of the health crisis," said Stephane Ficaja, head of Uber Eats and Delivery for the US & Canada. "Today we're committing $20 million through various initiatives at a critical time, renewing promises we've made on pricing, and will remain focused on our partners' success in the months ahead." Details of the support package include : $4.5 million in microgrants to be administered by LISC, pledged to support restaurants active on Uber's platforms in any U.S. city with financial challenges related to the pandemic Waived and reduced fees for restaurants who use Uber Eats services: 0% for Pickup, 0% for processing orders directly on their own websites, and $0 to receive daily payouts to help increase reliable daily cash flow through July 2021. Reduced delivery fees for consumers on all Uber Eats orders from independent U.S. restaurants, and dedicated marketing campaigns-both in-app and via email-to promote delivery from local restaurants Uber matching to all consumer contributions to restaurants made using the Restaurant Contribution feature in Uber Eats.

09:29 EST Singapore approves interim authorization of Moderna's mRNA vaccine against Covid - Moderna announced that the Singapore Health Sciences Authority, HSA, has approved the interim authorization of its mRNA vaccine against COVID-19, COVID-19 Vaccine Moderna, for use under the Pandemic Special Access Route, PSAR. "Today's authorization is another important step in the global fight against COVID-19," said Stephane Bancel, Chief Executive Officer of Moderna. "I want to thank the Singapore Ministry of Health and the HSA for their collaboration and for the confidence they have demonstrated in COVID-19 Vaccine Moderna with this decision." The Singapore Ministry of Health has secured access to COVID-19 Vaccine Moderna through a supply agreement announced on December 14, 2020. The authorization is based on the totality of scientific evidence shared by the Company, including a data analysis from the pivotal Phase 3 clinical study announced on November 30, 2020. Moderna has also received authorization for its COVID-19 vaccine from health agencies in the United States,

09:26 EST CleanSpark announces multi-unit switchgear order for commercial microgrids - CleanSpark announced that it has received a new purchase order from a Houston, Texas-based microgrid developer. CleanSpark has provided its ATS solutions to the developer and its customers for several years. The company's switchgear units will be deployed alongside energy generation assets to provide resilient power and cost savings. The end-use customer is the world's largest retail chain, operating more than 11,500 locations worldwide. CleanSpark's ATS paired with other microgrid assets will help keep stores operational during utility outages. This purchase order is expected to result in more than $1.5M of additional revenue for the company.

09:22 EST AbbVie: Allergan integration continues to go 'very well'

09:18 EST Telos awarded $13.5M FBI contract for enterprise risk management - Telos Corporation announced that it was awarded a contract valued at approximately $13.5M, including options, by the Federal Bureau of Investigation to deploy its Xacta solution and establish an interactive, real-time risk assessment capability across its risk management framework workloads.

09:16 EST Emergent intranasal influenza vaccine shows 'strong response' in Phase 1 study - An experimental single-dose, intranasal influenza vaccine was safe and produced a durable immune response when tested in a Phase 1 study published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, according to a press release issued by the National Institutes of Health, or NIH. The investigational vaccine, called Ad4-H5-VTN, is a recombinant, replicating adenovirus vaccine designed to spur antibodies to hemagglutinin, a protein found on the surface of influenza viruses that attaches to human cells, developed by Emergent Biosolutions. "The participants who received the vaccine intranasally or via tonsillar swab showed significantly higher H5-specific neutralizing antibody levels compared to the group receiving the vaccine capsule orally. The participants who received the intranasal vaccine shed viral DNA for two-to-four weeks, but virus could be cultured for a median of only one day. Participants had evidence of H5-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell responses. Additionally, volunteers who received the intranasal vaccine had high levels of serum neutralizing antibodies at 26 weeks after vaccination, and this level was unchanged at three to five years after a single intranasal dose of the vaccine," according to the NIH's summary of the study findings. "The vaccine platform could be highly adaptable for use against other viruses including HIV and SARS-CoV-2, according to the authors," the NIH said. Reference Link

09:15 EST Reed's announces distribution partnership with Unique Foods - Reed's announces a distribution partnership with Unique Foods Inc. to expand the company's retail footprint throughout Canada. The new master agreement between Reed's Inc. and Unique Foods will establish a larger presence for the company's Reed's Ginger Beer and Virgil's, their line of handcrafted, all-natural sodas. The strategic partnerships will provide increased availability for Reed's Ginger Beer in both Extra and Original varieties, and Virgil's handcrafted sodas, in Root Beer, Vanilla Cream, Black Cherry and Orange Cream flavors, across all channels of business in Canada.

09:14 EST Longevity Acquisition Corporation provides update on MRx0518 oncology program - Longevity Acquisition Corporation announced that 4D pharma has announced progress on activities in its development program for lead immuno-oncology single strain Live Biotherapeutic candidate MRx0518. MRx0518 is single strain product in development for the treatment of cancer. It is currently being evaluated in three clinical trials in cancer patients. MRx0518 is in an ongoing Phase I/II clinical trial in combination with immune checkpoint inhibitor Keytruda, MSD's anti-PD-1 therapy, in patients with advanced malignancies who have previously progressed on ICI therapy. The safety review following the first Part B cohort of 10 renal cell carcinoma patients indicated no dose limiting toxicities. Target tumor reductions in Part B patients have been observed at nnine weeks. These include the first signals of anti-tumor activity for the combination in bladder cancer. Three Part A patients with RCC and NSCLC that were previously reported to have experienced clinical benefit continue on the study. Efficacy of the combination continues to be evaluated on an ongoing basis. Enrolment for the trial is expected to complete in Q4. As for MRx0518 with radiation in pancreatic cancer, five patients are now enrolled in this Phase I trial. The study is designed to evaluate safety and efficacy in 15 patients receiving treatment with MRx0518 and hypofractionated radiation prior to surgery for pancreatic cancer. Study treatment is well tolerated to date. Enrolment continues and the companies anticipate receiving initial data from this clinical trial in 2021. Regarding MRx0518 in neoadjuvant setting monotherapy, the previously reported 17 patients in the completed Part A of this Phase I study continue in the follow up phase for survival outcomes. Additional biomarker analyses are underway to further investigate the immune response induced by MRx0518. These additional results may inform an optimization of Part B of this study.

09:13 EST Insperity announces strategic collaboration with Salesforce - Insperity (NSP) announced it is partnering with Salesforce ( CRM) to digitally transform its business. "This is a very important step in taking our best-of-class platform to the next level and will continue our legacy of being the industry leader," said A. Steve Arizpe, Insperity president and chief operating officer. "Establishing a 360-degree view of client data through analytic insights advances Insperity's client-for-life strategy." The benefits from this strategic collaboration include maximizing marketing campaigns, optimizing customer acquisition and retention, and enhancing productivity. "It is more important than ever to have a single view of customers in today's work-from-anywhere world," said Andy Kofoid, President, North America Sales, Salesforce. "We are proud to partner with Insperity as they continue to grow and deliver enhanced experiences to their customers."

09:12 EST Zoom Video announces availability of Zoom Rooms innovations - Zoom Video Communications announced the general availability of Zoom Rooms innovations that will help organizations safely re-enter the office and sustain an 'everywhere workforce'. The traditional workplace has evolved and adapted with employees and organizations embracing more places as workspaces. Whether it's in an office, co-located space, remote location, or at home, Zoom's platform enables organizations to put employee health and safety at the center of their strategy.

09:11 EST Marrone Bio names Kevin Hammill as chief manufacturing, supply chain officer - Marrone Bio Innovations released a letter to shareholders from CEO Kevin Helash. The letter read, in part, "With these kinds of changes, the needs of the organization grow and shift as well. We've asked several members of our leadership team to take on new roles and responsibilities to accelerate our growth plans. First, Kevin Hammill will take on a new role as Chief Manufacturing and Supply Chain Officer. Kevin was critical in revamping and growing the commercial organization in short order, and his leadership as Chief Commercial Officer has played a major role in our success. His strengths and experience are the right fit as we invest more than $1 million in an upgrade of the MMM manufacturing facility with a projected two-year payback. Second, we've streamlined the commercial organization and have eliminated the Chief Commercial Officer role. As result, Matti Tiainen is being promoted to Senior Vice President of International Sales reporting to me, with responsibilities for our commercial activities in EMEA/CIS, South America and Asia Pacific. Matti joined us in 2019 with the acquisition of Pro Farm, which he co-founded, and we look forward to applying his global view to all aspects of our commercial offerings. Tim Knight will be sharing commercial responsibilities with Matti as Senior Director of Sales, North and Central America, also reporting to me. While relatively new to Marrone Bio, Tim has more than 30 years of experience in agriculture with excellent skills in sales, marketing, product development and channel management. Third, but not least, we recently announced that Sue Cheung will join Marrone Bio as our new CFO, effective Feb. 18. Sue comes to us with extensive expertise in finance, accounting, cost management and strategic development, and we look forward to having her on board shortly."

09:09 EST Marrone Bio sees Q4 financial results in line with expectations outlined in Q3 - Marrone Bio Innovations released a letter to shareholders from CEO, Kevin Helash. The letter read, in part, "We are now in a cycle of storms that has brought heavy rains, snow and winds, and the benefit of much needed additional snowpack in the Sierra Nevada. As the leading supplier of biological ag solutions, our commercial activities follow this same seasonal pattern. When we reported our FY 2020 third-quarter earnings, we forecast that the second half of the year would be smaller than the first half, with our fourth quarters generally being the smallest in terms of revenue given seasonality. We also anticipated that we would finish the year with revenue growth in line with our four-year CAGR of 25%+, gross margins in our target mid-50s range, and continued progress on reducing operating expenses. We will report FY 2020 earnings in March, but subject to our quarter-end closing procedures and review process, all indicators are that our financial results will be in line with the expectations we outlined in the third quarter. In FY 2020, we saw Pro Farm make significant strides and contributions to our success. Partnerships - like those with Vive and Rizobacter - were struck to open new doors for us. The R&D pipeline was thoroughly vetted, and we have a clear path to creating additional value from new products over the next 5-to-10 years. Our MMM manufacturing facility is preparing for an expansion that will allow us to bring additional production in-house, improve gross margins and reduce working capital. Long-term, our success is tightly linked to the diversification of our portfolio, whether it be the products we sell, the crops we serve or the geographies we reach. We made gains in all three areas in FY 2020. I would highlight that we made a step change in our geographic mix in FY 2020 that will serve as a solid platform from which to expand internationally in FY 2021 and beyond."

09:08 EST OP Bancorp to acquire SBA loan portfolio for approximately $102M - OP Bancorp announced the signing of an asset purchase agreement to acquire the SBA portfolio of Hana Small Business Lending, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hana Financial. As of January 28, the balance of loans outstanding to be acquired was approximately $105 million, comprised primarily of SBA 7(a) loans with a small balance of SBA PPP loans. The Bank will also acquire a servicing portfolio consisting of guaranteed SBA 7(a) loans sold in the secondary market with a balance of approximately $295 million. The purchase price is based on a formula that will be calculated at closing, including certain price adjustments, but it is estimated at approximately $102M.

09:07 EST Alteryx and HCL Technologies partner for data analytics solutions - Alteryx and HCL Technologies, a global technology company, announced a global strategic alliance to help companies in their analytics automation and digital transformation. HCL has also been named an Alteryx Elite Alliance Partner. The alliance will also accelerate Alteryx usage in Amazon AWS and Microsoft Azure to meet customers' hybrid cloud modernization needs. HCL and Alteryx's collaboration includes joint go-to-market activities globally. Some initial areas of joint solution focus include citizen-led advanced analytics, data science, machine learning and AI. Both HCL and Alteryx will focus on data-driven process automation and orchestration across distributed hybrid and multi-cloud environments.

09:05 EST Tetra Tech acquires Coanda Research & Development, terms undisclosed - Tetra Tech announced that it has further expanded its advanced analytics business with the addition of Coanda Research & Development Corporation, based in Burnaby, British Columbia. Coanda brings a suite of industry-leading capabilities to solve complex engineering science problems for commercial customers, across a broad range of industries. Coanda's research scientists and engineers provide world-class expertise in computational fluid dynamics, physical and predictive modeling, data analytics, process engineering, analytical chemistry, and instrument development. Coanda's state-of-the-art in-house research facilities-coupled with advanced scale-up expertise-enable their technical teams to combine analytical simulation with sophisticated lab-scale experiments to facilitate future operational deployment. The terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. Coanda is joining Tetra Tech's Commercial/International Services Group.

09:03 EST QTS Realty Trust increases common stock dividend 6.4% to 50c per share - QTS Realty Trust authorized a cash dividend of 50c per share on its common stock for Q1 payable on April 6 to common stockholders of record at the close of business on March 19. The 50c per share dividend rate represents an increase of 6.4% over the 2020 quarterly per share dividend rate of 47c per share.

09:02 EST GameStop appoints Matt Francis as CTO - GameStop Corp. (GME) announced that it has appointed Matt Francis to the newly-created role of chief technology officer. Mr. Francis has a start date of February 15, 2021. Most recently, he was an Engineering Leader at Amazon Web Services (AMZN). He previously held senior-level technology roles at companies such as QVC and Zulily. At GameStop, Mr. Francis will be responsible for overseeing e-commerce and technology functions. Additionally, the Company had made two other executive hires: Kelli Durkin, SVP of Customer Care - Ms. Durkin, who previously served as Chewy's (CHWY) VP of Customer Service, has a start date of March 1, 2021. In her new role, Ms. Durkin will oversee all customer service and engagement initiatives at GameStop. Josh Krueger, VP of Fulfillment - Mr. Krueger, who previously held senior fulfillment roles at Amazon, Walmart, and QVC, has a start date of March 1, 2021. In his new role, Mr. Krueger will oversee the management of e-commerce fulfillment centers.

08:55 EST Eros Now announces marketing partnerships in the Middle East - Eros Now, the over-the-top, or OTT, South Asian entertainment platform owned by Eros STX Global, announced multiple marketing partnerships with consumer brands in the Middle East to enhance audiences' online video streaming experience. The new partnerships include: Emirates NBD and National Bank of Fujairah; Fazaa, a social initiative that aims to develop social interdependence and maintain bonds of solidarity within the UAE community; 6thStreet, a retailer of High Street fashion brands for women, men and kids; and Emax, one of the largest electronics retailers in the UAE. Customers of these brands will be entitled to limited time discounts on annual Eros Now subscriptions. These collaborations are designed to help encourage Eros Now engagement and loyalty, and deepen Eros Now's presence in the region.

08:50 EST InspireMD secures partner for intended distribution of CGuard EPS in China - InspireMD announced a transaction intended to achieve distribution of CGuard EPS in mainland China. InspireMD's agreement with three China-based investment partners, including Shanghai Micro Medical and QIDI Asia Medical, stipulates that the Chinese partners will be responsible for conducting all necessary registration trials for commercial approval, followed by an eight-year exclusive distribution right in China. In addition, QIDI has agreed to make a $900,000 investment in InspireMD's common stock at the closing price on the day immediately prior to entering into the transaction in a private placement. The transactions are expected to close this month. Following announcement of the transaction the Chinese partners plan to initiate the process of securing registration with Chinese regulatory authorities to establish distribution.

08:48 EST Leaf Group reports Society6 GTV of $13.1M for January - Society6 announced Gross Transaction Value of $13.1M for January 2021, an increase of 125% year-over-year. This strong start to 2021 continues the momentum for Society6, building on the brand's record 2020 holiday season with strong new customer growth as well as strong repeat customer growth on the back of reinvestments in customer acquisition in Q4 2020. Top performing product categories included Wall Art, Home Decor and Bedding & Bath, with art prints and framed art prints, throw pillows, shower curtains, black out curtains and iPhone cases ranking as some of the top products for the month. Additionally, Society6 saw strong sales for designs created by BIPOC artists. The brand plans to expand its premium product offerings in 2021, with a focus on new products in the popular Home Decor and Bedding & Bath categories, including the launch of 100% cotton sheets in February.

08:47 EST Moderna announces additional 6M Covid vaccine doses to Switzerland - Moderna announced the Swiss Federal Government has increased its confirmed order commitment from 7.5M to 13.5M doses of the COVID-19 Vaccine Moderna in Switzerland. "We are grateful for the confidence and support shown by the Swiss Federal Government as they increase their supply agreement with us," said Stephane Bancel, Chief Executive Officer of Moderna. "Switzerland has played a key role in Moderna's history, and we are delighted with the support of so many stakeholders as we continue to build Moderna's first commercial organization outside of North America." The initial procurement by the Swiss Federal Government for 4.5 million doses was announced on August 7, 2020, and this was subsequently increased to 7.5 million doses on December 8, 2020. The additional 6 million doses announced today will be delivered beginning in the summer of 2021, with an option to receive doses in the first half of 2022 as Moderna explores potential vaccine boosters to address emerging variants. On January 12, Swissmedic authorized the COVID-19 Vaccine Moderna, according to the ordinary approvals procedure and based on a rolling submission of data and the totality of scientific evidence shared by the Company, including a data analysis from the pivotal Phase 3 clinical study announced on November 30, 2020.

08:45 EST PCSB Financial authorizes stock repurchase plan up to 5% of shares - PCSB Financial Corporation announced that it has authorized a program to repurchase up to 801,856 shares, or 5%, of its outstanding common stock. The timing and amount of any repurchases will depend on various factors, including but not limited to, market conditions, stock price, and alternative uses of capital. Repurchases may be transacted in the open-market or in negotiated private transactions and may be conducted pursuant to a trading plan adopted in accordance with Securities and Exchange Commission Rule 10b5-1.

08:42 EST Enzo Biochem announces issuance of U.S. patent for polyclonal antibodies - Enzo Biochem announced the recent issuance of U.S. Patent No. 10,899,827 entitled "Antibodies Specific for Sulfation Sites of Sclerostin". The new patent is a member of a broader U.S. and international patent family that also includes issued patents and pending patent applications for therapies including monoclonal antibodies and small synthetic peptides used to inhibit sclerostin in the treatment of bone disorders such as osteoporosis. Enzo's patent focuses on polyclonal antibodies that bind a specific region of human sclerostin, a protein that is a negative regulator of bone growth. Sclerostin is produced in osteocytes, a type of bone cell, and is known to inhibit bone formation. The maintenance of bone over time requires a balance between the formation of new bone tissue and the breakdown and removal (resorption) of old bone tissue.

08:40 EST Microchip announces SparX-5i family of Ethernet switches - To help eliminate reliance on such sole-sourced, expensive and proprietary solutions for deterministic communications, Microchip Technology announced its SparX-5i family of Ethernet switches - a single-chip, IEEE standards-based solution that offers the industry's most complete TSN feature set. The SparX-5i family supports the key TSN IEEE standards needed for a complete real-time communication solution. These include IEEE 1588v2 and IEEE 802.1AS-REV profile for Time Synchronization, IEEE 802.1Qbv for Traffic Shaping, IEEE 802.1Qbu/802.3br for Delay Reduction, IEEE 802.1Qci for Stream Policing and IEEE 802.1CB for Seamless Redundancy. Offering these standards in a single chip guarantees end-to-end transmission of high-priority traffic with extremely low latency. In addition, the family supports standard L2/L3 Ethernet with up to 200G of bandwidth, incorporating 100M, 1G, 2.5G, 5G, 10G and 25 GbE interfaces for the most flexible connectivity solution available in the market.

08:37 EST FluroTech in discussions with healthcare system to conduct clinical trials - FluroTech announced that it is actively working and achieving major milestones as the Company prepares its application for emergency use authorization with the FDA. FluroTest is in daily discussions with a major U.S. based healthcare system and finalizing plans to conduct clinical trials. FluroTest intends to complete a comprehensive and large-scale clinical trial to obtain the requisite data on its systems performance for EUA consideration. The company will update the market as appropriate. FluroTech has accelerated the financial, regulatory and legal due diligence to complete the transaction with FluroTest shareholders to obtain 95% of the interest in FluroTest. This amalgamation is subject to TSXV conditions and approvals. FluroTech is working to ensure this process is carried out in the most efficient manner possible and will update the market as appropriate. FluroTest has been informed by its biologics supplier that the reagent pair it utilizes has been shown to detect the variant strains first emerging in the U.K. and in South Africa. FluroTest targets the nucleocapsid protein on the SARS-Cov-2 coronavirus and a majority of the mutations appearing to date are of the spike protein.The Company continues to monitor the situation closely and does not anticipate efficacy concerns with the variants that have occurred thus far.

08:35 EST HMS Holdings expands work with World Trade Center Health Program - HMS has expanded its partnership with the World Trade Center Health Program for payment accuracy services. Having helped the WTC Health Program recover more than $31M by ensuring workers' compensation pays eligible medical claims first, HMS' proven success supporting the Program led the company to secure a new contract award to continue to support it through July 2026. As of July 2020, the expanded scope of work includes HMS' payment accuracy services to ensure all members impacted by the tragic 9/11 events continue getting the support they need.

08:33 EST GMS Inc. announces acquisition of D.L. Building Materials - GMS announced the acquisition of D.L. Building Materials as well as the establishment of five greenfield locations. "We are pleased to welcome the team from D.L. Building Materials, Inc. to the GMS family," said John C. Turner, Jr., President and Chief Executive Officer. "This acquisition, along with the establishment of five new locations, represents continued execution of our growth strategy through platform expansion, enabling us to extend our geographic presence to four new and strategically important markets."

08:30 EST FTAC Olympus Acquisition Corporation (Class A Stock) trading resumes

08:30 EST FTAC Olympus Acquisition Corporation (Units) trading resumes

08:21 EST Unity Biotechnology reports granting of employment inducement awards - UNITY Biotechnology announced that from January 19, 2021 through February 2, 2021, the Board of Directors granted 4 new employees stock-based awards covering an aggregate of 453,000 shares of UNITY common stock, including options to purchase an aggregate of 453,000 shares of UNITY common stock. The stock-based awards were granted pursuant to the UNITY 2020 Employment Inducement Incentive Plan, as amended, which was approved by the Board in March 2020 to provide for grants to newly hired employees as a material inducement for them to commence employment with UNITY in accordance with Nasdaq Stock Market Rule 5635(c)(4).

08:19 EST NanoVibronix regains Nasdaq compliance with the minimum bid price requirement - NanoVibronix announced that it received notice from the Nasdaq Listing Qualification Office of The Nasdaq Stock Market on February 2 that it has regained compliance with the minimum bid price requirement under Nasdaq "Min Bid Price Listing Rule". In addition, on January 4 the company received notice from Nasdaq that it has regained compliance with the equity requirement under Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550b1.

08:16 EST CCC to become public through $7B Dragoneer Growth Opportunities merger agreement - CCC Information Services, or CCC and Dragoneer Growth Opportunities, a special purpose acquisition company formed by an affiliate of Dragoneer Investment Group, announced a definitive merger agreement has been entered into between Dragoneer and CCC's parent holding company. Upon closing of the transaction, the combined company is expected to be renamed CCC Intelligent Solutions and is expected to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Under chairman and CEO Githesh Ramamurthy, who will continue to lead the company following the close of the transaction, CCC expects to report approximately $600M of revenue in 2020. The company is expected to receive net proceeds of approximately $968M at the closing of the transaction and will continue to operate under the CCC management team. All cash proceeds from the transaction will be put towards the company's balance sheet, with no existing CCC shareholders selling any shares in connection with the business combination. The boards of directors of both Dragoneer and CCC have approved the proposed transaction. Completion of the transaction, which is expected to occur in Q2, is subject to approval of Dragoneer's shareholders and the satisfaction or waiver of certain other customary closing conditions. In addition to the approximately $690M held in Dragoneer's trust account and the $175M forward purchase agreement commitment from Dragoneer funds and Michael Bloomberg's family office, a group of premier SaaS investors has committed to participate in the transaction through a common stock private investment in public equity, or PIPE, of approximately $150M at $10 per share. Proceeds of the business combination and PIPE will be used for general corporate purposes and to fuel additional innovation and growth. Current CCC shareholders and holders of equity awards are converting 100% of their equity interests into shares or equivalent awards of the company at a total enterprise value for the company of approximately $7B. Current shareholders of Dragoneer are converting their ordinary shares and warrants of Dragoneer into common stock and warrants of the Company on a one for one basis. Additionally, the current CCC shareholders and Dragoneer's sponsor each have an earnout tied to the trading price of the company shares after the closing of the business combination, providing an incentive for post-closing value creation. Assuming no redemptions are effected, the current shareholders of CCC are expected to own approximately 83.2% of the company after closing, with Advent remaining the largest shareholder in the company.

08:15 EST CHF Solutions submits patent application for Aquadex SmartFlow - CHF Solutions announced the submission of a patent application to increase monitoring capabilities with its Aquadex SmartFlow system. The new technology is intended to provide clinicians with additional patient output data to inform treatment approaches and improve patient outcomes. Aquadex SmartFlow currently provides critical patient information to assist clinicians in the precise delivery of ultrafiltration therapy. The new innovations included in this patent application will improve key diagnostic information to support hemodynamic stability in patients. The non-invasive technology provides accurate and more timely cardiovascular parameters for metrics such as systemic vascular resistance and hematocrit in an intuitive presentation.

08:14 EST CytomX Therapeutics announces full exercise of underwriters option - CytomX Therapeutics announced that it has issued and sold an additional 2,142,857 shares of common stock, pursuant to the exercise in full of the underwriters' option to purchase additional shares in connection with CytomX's previously announced underwritten public offering of common stock. A total of 16,428,571 shares of common stock at a price to the public of $7.00 have now been sold by CytomX in the offering, resulting in net proceeds to CytomX of approximately $107.7 million, after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses. All shares in the offering were sold by CytomX.

08:13 EST Enphase Energy, Momentum Solar expand partnership for battery storage - Enphase Energy announced that Momentum Solar will now promote and install Enphase Storage systems in addition to Enphase Solar systems as their all-in-one home energy management solution to homeowners. Momentum Solar currently serves customers throughout the US with operations in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Florida, Texas, California, and Nevada.

08:11 EST Aligos Therapeutics presents data for Chronic Hepatitis B drug candidates - Aligos Therapeutics announced that the company will deliver four poster presentations at the 30th Annual Conference of the Asian Pacific Association for the Study of the Liver, taking place virtually from February 4 through February 6, 2021. Three of the presentations highlight encouraging data from Aligos' two most advanced CHB candidates for development toward a combination therapy for chronic hepatitis B: STOPS, a proprietary oligonucleotide designed to inhibit hepatitis B virus S-antigen replication, and ALG-000184, a capsid assembly modulator, designed to inhibit HBV replication. The first presentation, titled "Preclinical Efficacy and Pharmacokinetics of ALG-010133, an S-Antigen Transport-inhibiting Oligonucleotide Polymers for the Treatment of Chronic Hepatitis B", demonstrated that Aligos' lead STOPS candidate inhibited S-antigen release from cells in several lines of human hepatocytes. In vivo, ALG-010133 demonstrated high, rapid and sustained exposure in the liver following single subcutaneous injections given to nonclinical species, predicting once-weekly dosing in humans. Further, a nonclinical multiple dosing study in which animals were given three weekly subcutaneous doses demonstrated sufficient concentrations in the liver sufficient for projected efficacy in human CHB patients. Together, the combination of excellent in vitro efficacy and a favorable pharmacokinetic profile in vivo has justified ALG-010133's progression to a Phase 1a/b trial for evaluation as a potential treatment for CHB. A second presentation, "Safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics of single ascending doses of ALG-000184, a Class II Capsid Assembly Modulator for the treatment of Chronic Hepatitis B, in healthy volunteers", outlined preliminary data supporting further evaluation of Aligos' small molecule candidate ALG-000184 in healthy volunteers and in CHB patients, as planned in the ongoing Phase 1a/b trial. At single oral doses of up to 500 mg, ALG-000184 was safe, well-tolerated and demonstrated a linear pharmacokinetic profile supporting once-daily oral dosing. Doses of 100 mg or higher resulted in plasma concentrations of active compound that are projected to result in antiviral activity in CHB patients. Two other poster presentations entitled "Excellent preclinical characteristics of ALG-000184, a prodrug of the HBV capsid assembly modulator ALG-001075" and "ALG-020572, a next generation hepatitis B virus antisense oligonucleotide with bridged nucleic acid chemistry, has a significantly improved preclinical profile" highlight the nonclinical characteristics of ALG-000184 and its parent compound, ALG-001075, and ALG-020572, Aligos' ASO candidate for chronic hepatitis B that significantly improves upon other ASOs in terms of nonclinical safety and efficacy.

08:09 EST Twist Bioscience announces promotions including Siyuan Chen as CTO - Twist Bioscience announced several senior management promotions and team expansion. Siyuan Chen has been promoted to Chief Technology Officer in recognition for his leadership of the chemistry and biochemistry R&D efforts and interdisciplinary projects, as well as his strategic vision and implementation of both the SynBio and NGS product lines and conceptualizing Twist's synthetic RNA controls for SARS-CoV-2. In this extension of his previous role, he will outline Twist's technological vision and effectively implement technology strategies that bring competitive advantages to Twist from a product and market opportunity perspective. Aaron Sato has been promoted to Chief Scientific Officer, CSO, of Twist Bioscience. In his new company-wide science leadership role, he will drive the creation of new custom protein and cell-based products stemming from Twist's DNA synthesis platform, including high throughput IgG. In addition, he will continue in his operational role as CSO of Twist Biopharma, where he manages teams to discover and develop novel first-in-class antibody therapeutics for Twist and our partners. Paula Green has been promoted to Senior Vice President, Human Resources to recognize her advancement of the HR function at Twist. In this role, she has developed strategy, implemented new programs to attract and retain employees worldwide, enhanced the employee healthcare benefits scheme, facilitated communication across internal teams, propagated and maintained Twist's differentiated culture during a time of high growth, initiated a diversity and inclusion program, in addition to many other accomplishments over her tenure at Twist. Angela Bitting has joined the company as Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs. This follows working for Twist for six years as a consultant leading external communications. In addition to these responsibilities, in her new role, she will lead investor relations and internal communications. Prior to Twist, she led her own strategic communications consultancy for almost 20 years, working with a broad range of executives in the healthcare field across therapeutic, diagnostic, and device companies.

08:07 EST Payoneer to become public through $3.3B FTAC Olympus Acquisition combination - Payoneer and FTAC Olympus Acquisition, a special purpose acquisition company, announced they have entered into a definitive agreement and plan of reorganization. Upon closing of the reorganization, the newly created holding company will be renamed Payoneer Global and the combined company will operate as Payoneer, a U.S. publicly listed entity. The company is expected to have an implied estimated enterprise value of approximately $3.3B at closing, based on current assumptions. Payoneer's management team will continue to lead the company. Payoneer has been backed by investments. The reorganization reflects an implied enterprise value at closing of approximately $3.3B, representing a 7.6x multiple of 2021 expected revenue of $432M. The cash component of the purchase price to be paid to the equity holders of Payoneer is expected to be funded by FTOC's cash in trust, as well as by a $300M private placement. The balance of the consideration payable to the existing Payoneer equity holders will consist of shares of common stock of the company. Following the reorganization, the company is expected to have up to $563M in cash. Existing Payoneer equity holders have the potential to receive an earnout of additional shares of common stock if certain stock price targets are met as set forth in the reorganization agreement, and they will remain the largest investors by rolling over equity into the company. The reorganization has been unanimously approved by the boards of both Payoneer and FTOC. The transaction is expected to close during the first half of 2021, subject to approval by the stockholders of FTOC, the effectiveness of a registration statement to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission in connection with the transaction, the completion of any required regulatory procedures, including any required approvals under applicable money transmitter laws, and other customary closing conditions.

08:04 EST Grainger not providing 2021 guidance at this time - Given the continued uncertainty surrounding the pandemic and subsequent path of economic recovery, the company will not be providing 2021 guidance at this time. Effective with reporting for periods beginning January 1, 2021, the company will change its reportable segments to High-Touch North America and Endless Assortment.

08:00 EST FTAC Olympus Acquisition Corporation (Class A Stock) trading halted, news dissemination

07:58 EST Enlivex Therapeutics reports topline results from Phase II trial of Allocetra - Enlivex Therapeutics reported top-line results from a multi-center, investigator-initiated Phase II clinical trial evaluating Allocetra in severe and critical COVID-19 patients. Based on the positive results and in consultation with the trial's principal investigator, the Company has completed the trial early and plans to submit a summary of the data for review by the relevant regulatory bodies. Submission of the data summary to regulators is expected later this month and will serve as the basis for a discussion with regulators on the next steps in Allocetra's regulatory pathway in COVID-19 patients with severe or critical illness. Sixteen COVID-19 patients were treated with Allocetra in the Phase II clinical trial, which originally was expected to enroll twenty-four patients. The clinical trial was completed early in support of anticipated accelerated regulatory filings of the trial's positive safety and efficacy data. Of the sixteen patients enrolled in the Phase II trial, nine were in severe condition and seven were in critical condition. Key results and conclusions from both the Phase II clinical trial, as well as a previously reported investigator-initiated Phase Ib study of Allocetra in severe and critical COVID-19 patients, include: Fourteen of sixteen Phase II trial patients had recovery from their respective severe/critical condition and were discharged from the hospital after an average of 5.3 days following Allocetra administration. Nineteen of twenty one Phase II and Phase Ib trial patients, in the aggregate, had recovery from their respective severe/critical condition and were discharged from the hospital after an average of 5.6 days following Allocetra administration. The mortality rate at 28 days for participants in the Phase II trial was 0%. The same 0% mortality rate was observed in an aggregate analysis of all patients treated in the Phase Ib and Phase II studies. Majority of the patients treated in the Phase Ib and Phase II studies had pre-existing risk factors such as male gender, obesity and hypertension .

07:51 EST FTI Consulting expands RelativityOne offering to Canada - FTI Consulting announced the Company's Technology segment has expanded its partnership with Relativity to provide its cloud-based e-discovery solution RelativityOne in Canada.

07:50 EST AbbVie CEO sees 'impressive growth again in 2021' - "We successfully completed the transformative Allergan acquisition and delivered another year of strong results in 2020, despite the challenges presented by the global pandemic," said Richard Gonzalez, chairman and CEO, AbbVie. "Based on our broad portfolio of diversified growth assets and the robust momentum of our business, we expect impressive growth again in 2021."

07:45 EST Aura Minerals approves devvelopment of Almas Gold Project - Aura Minerals is pleased to announce that, based on the conclusion of a completed feasibility study and detailed analysis by the management team, the Board of Directors of the Company has approved the development of the Almas Gold Project, an open pit gold mine located in the state of Tocantins, Brazil. The Almas Project is expected to be operational by the second half of 2022, with an after-tax total investment estimated at approximately $73M, yielding an after-tax net present value of $183M when using the weighted average consensus gold prices for the projected period of $1,558 per ounce. An upside scenario using a gold price of $1,800 per ounce yields an after-tax internal rate of return of 57% and after-tax NPV of $260M. Average annual gold production is estimated at 51,000 ounces during the first four years of the Project, with an estimated life of mine of 17 years, based on mineral reserves estimated in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 - Standards for Disclosure for Minerals Projects. The Almas Project is wholly-owned by Aura. Related to this announcement, the Company is also pleased to announce the completion of a technical report for Almas with the title "Updated Feasibility Study Technical Report for the Almas Gold Project, Almas Municipality, Tocantins, Brazil", prepared by various consultants based in Canada and Brazil. The Technical Report summarizes the results of the Study, in accordance with NI 43-101, and is expected to be published within 45 days from the date of this press release.

07:43 EST AbbVie reports Q4 adjusted gross margin 81.8%

07:42 EST AbbVie reports Q4 revenue from immunology portfolio $5.96B - In Q4: Global net revenues from the immunology portfolio were $5.958B, an increase of 15.3% on a reported basis, or 14.8% on an operational basis. Global Humira net revenues of $5.152B increased 4.8% on a reported basis, or 4.4% on an operational basis. U.S. Humira net revenues were $4.293B, an increase of 8.2%. Internationally, Humira net revenues were $859M, a decrease of 9.4% on a reported basis, or 11.4% on an operational basis, due to biosimilar competition. Global Skyrizi net revenues were $525M. Global Rinvoq net revenues were $281M.

07:42 EST GlaxoSmithKline sees 'meaningful' improvement in revenues, margins in 2022

07:40 EST GlaxoSmithKline: Progress against strategic goals 'firmly on track'

07:38 EST Lizhi CEO says 2021 core strategy is to create more connections between people - LIZHI released a letter to shareholders from the Company's Founder and CEO Jinnan Lai. The letter read in part, "Reflecting on 2020, one of the things that touched us the most was the importance of the emotional connection between individuals. Especially at the time when many people were not able to meet in person, the desire to communicate and connect through video or voice appeared to be particularly strong. We have felt the weight of responsibility in living our mission more than ever - 'Bring people closer together through voice.'..We believe that online social networking through audio will become a dominant method of social networking in the future. People enjoy meeting and chatting in cafes, bars, and restaurants which is probably one of the most genuine and engaging ways to socialize. Encouragingly, we are now able to mimic such forms of social networking through real-time online audio networking platforms, where people get together virtually, chat online and share their daily lives. We envision a future where real-time audio-based social networking can be realized anytime anywhere - either through the mirrors in restrooms, in self-driving smart cars, or through smart headsets that people carry around...We firmly believe that the upcoming 5G and IoT era will widen prospects and potential for audio products, and we will spare no effort to provide users with high-quality services. In addition to the continuous optimization of our existing product offerings, we launched a new mobile app, LIZHI Podcast, in January 2021, to provide our users with a more compelling podcast experience. We also are striving to broaden our product offerings for a variety of use cases, such as in-car audio and smart home. We are committed to providing users with a better audio experience and meeting their audio needs under different use scenarios. Looking ahead in 2021, our core strategy is to create more connections between people and provide them companionship through our online audio platforms, aiming to increase our brand recognition and attract a broader user base all over the world. Last but not least, we believe LIZHI has a bright future ahead. In 2021, I will lead our team to continue making efforts on our journey of success."

07:35 EST Jazz, GW Pharmaceuticals combo expected to accretive in first full year - The combination is expected to provide accelerated double-digit top-line revenue growth and to be accretive in the first full year of combined operations and substantially accretive thereafter. Jazz's strong cash flow profile provides the capability to rapidly deleverage to a target net leverage of less than 3.5x by the end of 2022.

07:34 EST Stepstone Group announces 2021 Partner Class - StepStone Group has named 10 new partners and 10 new managing directors. 2021 Partner Class: Brian Borton joined StepStone in 2012 and is based in La Jolla. He is a member of the private equity team and focuses on venture capital and growth equity investments. Andrew Callahan joined StepStone in 2010 and is based in New York. He is a member of the private equity team and focuses on venture capital and growth equity investments, as well as small market buyouts. Giada De Mattia joined StepStone in 2013 and is based in Rome. She is a member of the business development team and manages client relationships in Italy. Ariel Goldblatt joined StepStone in 2019 and is based in New York. She is a member of the private debt team and focuses on co-investments. Jennifer Ishiguro joined StepStone in 2019 and is based in La Jolla. She is a member of the legal and compliance team, serving as the firm's Chief Legal Officer and Secretary. Varun Kapoor joined StepStone in 2016 and is based in Sydney. He is a member of the infrastructure and real assets team, serving as the team's Head of Investment Operations. Jan Kuhlmann joined StepStone in 2016 and is based in Zurich. He is a member of the private debt team and focuses on direct lending strategies in the US and Europe. Jeremy Matz joined StepStone in 2018 and is based in New York. He is a member of the finance and accounting team, serving as the firm's Head of Tax. David Park joined StepStone in 2019 and is based in La Jolla. He is a member of the finance and accounting team, serving as the firm's Chief Accounting Officer. Natalie Walker joined StepStone in 2010 and is based in La Jolla. She is a member of the private equity team and focuses on small market buyouts and secondaries. New Managing Directors: Christopher Bernadino, Information Technology, La Jolla; Song Won Chon, Business Development, New York; Alesia Dawidowicz, Private Debt, Zurich; Jennifer Dazzo, Investor Relations, La Jolla; Jee Young Kim, Business Development, Seoul; Sangeeta Kulkarni, Finance & Accounting, La Jolla; Lisa Larsson, Data Science & Engineering, New York; Orla Walsh, Private Debt, London; Randy Wang, Private Equity, Beijing; Kimberly Zeitvogel, Finance & Accounting, Charlotte.

07:32 EST Compass announces publication on therapist training program for psilocybin - COMPASS Pathways has shared details of its comprehensive and rigorous therapist training programme for psilocybin therapy, in a paper jointly written with a group of academic researchers, and published in Frontiers in Psychiatry today. The programme sets out a formal and scalable methodology for psychological support in psilocybin therapy. It is currently being used to train therapists taking part in COMPASS's phase IIb clinical trial of COMP360 psilocybin therapy for treatment-resistant depression, as approved by the US Food and Drug Administration, as part of COMPASS's Investigational New Drug application. In psilocybin therapy, patients are given a dose of psilocybin, a psychedelic substance, in conjunction with psychological support from specially trained therapists. COMPASS developed the therapist training programme alongside leading experts in mental health and psychedelic research, including William A Richards, Elizabeth Nielson, Riikka Ajantaival, Peter Gasser, Sara J Tai, Brian D Richards, and Frederick Reinholdt. The programme uses a new and manualised approach drawing from evidence-based psychotherapeutic approaches, and currently comprises four components: an online learning platform; in-person training; applied clinical training; and ongoing individual mentoring and professional development. In previous psilocybin studies, the approach to psychological support often varied between research sites, making it difficult to replicate and distinguish the specific effects of psilocybin from concurrent therapeutic interventions. Equally, training in the provision of psychological support had not been defined and evaluated. This manualised training programme begins to address this gap and is the start of a process that will continue to be refined and adapted as clinical trials of psilocybin therapy progress. Therapists who participated in the training reported that the combination of didactic and experiential learning helped them to build conceptual understanding and develop their skills in the therapeutic approach. From the programme feedback, the clinical training and engagement in participant care, under the guidance of experienced therapists, were considered to be the most beneficial and challenging aspects of the training.

07:30 EST Canacol Energy says gas sales averaged 177 MMscfpd for January - Canacol Energy is pleased to provide the following information concerning its January 2021 natural gas sales, drilling program, and credit rating. Gas sales averaged 177 MMscfpd for January 2021: Realized contractual natural gas sales were 177 million standard cubic feet per day for January 2021. Drilling Flauta 1 and Oboe 2: The Corporation spud the Flauta 1 exploration well and the Oboe 2 development well in January 2021. Both wells are targeting gas within the Cienega de Oro sandstone reservoir. Upon completion of the drilling and testing of the two wells, the Corporation will mobilize the rigs to drill the Canahuate 4 development well and Siku 1 exploration well, both targeting gas within the CDO sandstone reservoir. Rating Agency Update: On January 19, 2020, Fitch Ratings affirmed Canacol Energy Ltd.'s Long-Term Foreign and Local Currency Issuer Default Ratings at 'BB-', and the Corporations senior unsecured notes at 'BB-'/'RR4'. The Rating Outlook has been revised to Positive from Stable.

07:29 EST Yext and Carahsoft partner to develop search technology for public sector - Yext and Carahsoft Technology announced a collaboration to help government agencies provide better access to information as they prepare to distribute the COVID-19 vaccine to constituents. Carahsoft will serve as Yext's Master Government Aggregator and make the search company's Answers product available through Carahsoft's NASA Solutions for Enterprise-Wide Procurement V and National Association of State Procurement Officials ValuePoint contracts and through Carahsoft's reseller partners. Last year, Yext worked with entities to build custom information hubs so they could deliver up-to-date facts about the virus.

07:27 EST Kelly Services announces 'earn while you learn' certification program - Kelly Education is helping rebuild the nation's teaching workforce through a new "earn while you learn" certification program. In partnership with Teachers of Tomorrow, future educators can become certified teachers in just one year. Participants gain valuable classroom experience working as Kelly Education substitute teachers while completing their coursework online. Upon completion, Kelly Education will place the teachers in vacant positions at school districts across the country.

07:25 EST GW Pharmaceuticals trading halted, news pending

07:22 EST Steris CEO Walt Rosebrough to step down, Dan Carestio to succeed - STERIS announced that Walt Rosebrough, President and CEO, has announced his intention to step down on July 29, 2021, in conjunction with the company's Annual General Meeting. Mr. Rosebrough will remain as CEO Emeritus and Senior Advisor to STERIS's leadership and Board for the next two years. STERIS's Board of Directors has unanimously appointed Dan Carestio, currently COO, to the Board of Directors as of January 29, 2021 and Mr. Carestio will succeed Mr. Rosebrough as President and CEO, effective July 29, 2021. The board intends to include Mr. Carestio on the slate of Directors for election at the upcoming Annual General Meeting, and Mr. Rosebrough has advised the Board that he does not intend to stand for re-election.

07:22 EST Avid, Humanigen enter into cGMP manufacturing agreement for lenzilumab - Avid Bioservices (CDMO) and Humanigen (HGEN) announced that they have entered into a manufacturing services agreement to expand production capacity for lenzilumab, Humanigen's therapeutic candidate in development for COVID-19. Lenzilumab is an anti-human granulocyte macrophage-colony stimulating factor monoclonal antibody designed to prevent and treat an immune hyper-response called "cytokine storm" associated with COVID-19. Humanigen has completed enrollment of its 520 patient Phase 3 clinical trial of lenzilumab in hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Under the terms of this Current Good Manufacturing Practice agreement, Avid will initiate technical transfer and analytical validation activities for lenzilumab with the goal of delivering cGMP drug substance batches to support Humanigen's regulatory and potential commercial activities. This collaboration enhances commercial production efforts for lenzilumab in advance of potential filings for emergency use authorization and subsequent Biologics License Application later this year.

07:19 EST Veracyte to acquire Decipher Biosciences for $600M - Veracyte and Decipher Biosciences announced they have entered into a definitive agreement through which Veracyte will acquire Decipher, further solidifying Veracyte's global leadership in the genomic cancer diagnostics market while accelerating revenue growth. " Decipher Biosciences grew its 2020 total revenue by more than 130% to approximately $39M to $40M, compared to $16.5M in 2019. This included total revenue between $11.75 million and $12.25 million for the three months ended December 31, 2020. Decipher's genomic test volume for 2020 was between 15,500 and 16,500. The annualized total revenue for the combined company based on the midpoint of the total revenue that each company expects to report for the three months ended December 31, 2020 is approximately $186 million. Veracyte expects the acquisition of Decipher Biosciences to significantly accelerate its revenue growth in 2021 and to expand the near-term addressable market for Veracyte's current and pipeline genomic tests from approximately $10 billion to an estimated $12 billion. Veracyte estimates that the acquisition will further expand its long-term addressable market beyond approximately $50 billion. The transaction is also expected to be accretive to Veracyte's gross margins and accelerate its path to profitability. The foregoing revenue amounts are preliminary, have not been audited and are subject to change in connection with the completion of each company's financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2020. Under the terms of the definitive agreement, Decipher Biosciences will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Veracyte. At closing, Veracyte will pay $600 million in total consideration to Decipher security holders, consisting of $250 million in cash and up to $350 million in stock consideration, subject to customary purchase price adjustments. The number of Veracyte shares issued at the closing will be based on a fixed price of $54.30 per share, resulting in a maximum issuance of 6.4 million common shares. However, without changing the total consideration paid at closing, Veracyte has the option, at its sole discretion, until the earlier of March 15, 2021 and the fourth business day following the closing of any potential equity financing, to substitute cash in lieu of shares in any amount up to the entire stock consideration or $350 million. The transaction, which has been unanimously approved by Veracyte's board of directors and by an independent special committee appointed by the Decipher Biosciences board of directors, is expected to close by May 2021, subject to regulatory approval and the satisfaction of other customary conditions.

07:16 EST Carvana launches home delivery to Alexandria area residents - Carvana now offers as-soon-as-next-day touchless home delivery to Alexandria area residents. Customers can shop more than 20,000 vehicles, finance, purchase, trade in, and schedule as-soon-as-next-day vehicle delivery in as little as five minutes. Customers can also sell their current vehicle to Carvana and receive a real offer in minutes, whether or not they are purchasing a vehicle.

07:12 EST BioCryst announces FDA approval of supplemental NDA for RAPIVAB - BioCryst Pharmaceuticals announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a supplemental new drug application for RAPIVAB expanding the patient population of RAPIVAB for the treatment of acute uncomplicated influenza to include patients six months and older who have been symptomatic for no more than two days. Prior to this approval, RAPIVAB had been indicated for patients two years and older.

07:11 EST Avid Bioservices, Humanigen enter lenzilumab manufacturing services agreement - Avid Bioservices (CDMO) and Humanigen (HGEN) announced that they have entered into a manufacturing services agreement to expand production capacity for lenzilumab, Humanigen's therapeutic candidate in development for COVID-19. Lenzilumab is an anti-human granulocyte macrophage-colony stimulating factor monoclonal antibody designed to prevent and treat an immune hyper-response called "cytokine storm" associated with COVID-19. Humanigen has completed enrollment of its 520 patient Phase 3 clinical trial of lenzilumab in hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Under the terms of this Current Good Manufacturing Practice, or cGMP, agreement, Avid will initiate technical transfer and analytical validation activities for lenzilumab with the goal of delivering cGMP drug substance batches to support Humanigen's regulatory and potential commercial activities. This collaboration enhances commercial production efforts for lenzilumab in advance of potential filings for emergency use authorization and subsequent biologics license application later this year.

07:08 EST REE Automotive to become public in $3.1B 10X Capital Venture Acquisition merger - REE Automotive and 10X Capital Venture Acquisition announced they have entered into a merger agreement for a business combination that would result in REE becoming a publicly listed company. Following the close, Nasdaq will list the combined company under the ticker (REE). The transaction values the combined company at a pro forma enterprise value of $3.1B. Pursuant to the merger and following the share exchanges, the combined company is expected to receive approximately $500M in gross cash proceeds from a combination of $201M in cash held in 10X SPAC's trust account, assuming no public shareholders exercise their redemption rights at closing, and $300M from a fully committed PIPE with participation from long-term strategic investors. As a result of outsized demand, the PIPE offering was oversubscribed and upsized. All existing shareholders and investors will continue to hold their equity ownership. Net cash from the transaction will be used to fund growth of the combined company. Current REE shareholders will remain the majority owners of the combined company at closing. The proposed transaction was unanimously approved by REE's board as well as 10X SPAC's board and is expected to be completed by the end of the first half of 2021. The proposed transaction will be subject to approval by REE's shareholders and satisfaction or the waiver of the closing conditions identified in the merger agreement.

07:03 EST Sherwin-Williams announces three-for-one stock split - Sherwin-Williams announced that its Board of Directors has approved and declared a three-for-one stock split in the form of a stock dividend to make the stock more accessible to employees and a broader base of investors. Each Sherwin-Williams shareholder of record at the close of business on March 23 will receive two additional common shares for each then-held common share, to be distributed after close of trading on March 31. Trading of Sherwin-Williams common shares will begin on a stock split-adjusted basis on April 1.

07:01 EST Meritor enters 14Xe supply agreements with two companies - Meritor announced it has entered into a three-year supply agreement with Volta Trucks, a London-based electric commercial vehicle startup. Meritor will supply Volta Trucks with its Blue Horizon 14Xe integrated ePowertrain. Meritor also announced it has entered into a five-year supply agreement with Autocar Trucks, an American specialty truck manufacturer, to supply its refuse vehicles with Blue Horizon 14Xe integrated ePowertrains. Production is scheduled to begin in 2022.

06:55 EST 10X Capital Venture Acquisition Corporation (Class A Stock) trading halted, news pending

06:52 EST Meritor awarded three-year supply agreement with Lion Electric - Meritor announced it has been awarded a three-year supply agreement with Lion Electric, a Canadian manufacturer of medium and heavy-duty zero-emission vehicles. Meritor will supply Lion Electric Class 8 tractors with its Blue Horizon 14Xe integrated ePowertrain. Production is scheduled for mid-2021.

06:48 EST Novo Nordisk chief scientific officer Thomsen to retire - The company states: "As per end of February 2021, Mads Krogsgaard Thomsen, executive vice president and chief scientific officer will retire from Novo Nordisk and be succeeded by Marcus Schindler, who is promoted to CSO and EVP for Research & Early Development and Martin Holst Lange, who is promoted to EVP for Development."

06:43 EST Humana CEO sees 'solid growth in 2021 and beyond' - "Despite the pandemic, Humana has continued to accelerate on all fronts, including our short-term operating and financial performance, our ability to advance our long-term strategic objectives, and our customer centricity efforts," said Bruce Broussard, Humana's President and CEO. "Our response to the pandemic highlighted the value of our Medicare Advantage program, most notably its focus on supporting underserved populations and on addressing health disparities, critical areas of importance for our company, and for our country. To that end, we had strong MA membership growth in 2020 of 11 percent, including Dual Special Needs Plan membership growth of 41 percent, and Medicaid footprint expansion from three states to six. We also continued to invest in our primary care and home assets to expand access to care, particularly for underserved populations. Given the strength of our underlying core business, combined with our continued strategic investments, we anticipate solid growth in 2021 and beyond."

06:36 EST Air Lease announces delivery of two new Boeing 737-8s to Sunwing Airlines - Air Lease (AL) announced the delivery of two new Boeing (BA) 737-8 aircraft on long-term lease to Sunwing Airlines. These aircraft, featuring CFM International LEAP-1B27 engines, are the third and fourth new Boeing 737-8 aircraft to deliver to Sunwing from ALC's order book with Boeing. Sunwing Airlines currently has two 737-800s and two other 737-8s on lease from ALC.

06:21 EST Shenandoah expects to issue special dividend of $18.75 per share from asset sale - Shenandoah announced the expected uses of the approximately $1.5B of after-tax proceeds to be received from the sale of Shentel's Wireless assets and operations to T-Mobile US. Shentel currently expects to use the proceeds to, among other things: repay approximately $702M of outstanding term loans and swap liabilities and terminate the respective agreements; issue a special dividend of $18.75 per share to Shentel's shareholders; provide liquidity for growth and potential strategic acquisitions; and provide liquidity for general corporate purposes. Shentel expects to pay the special dividend in Q2 after the close of the Shentel Wireless transaction, subject to the approval of Shentel's Board of Directors.

06:18 EST Spotify says 'well positioned for continued growth in 2021' - The company said, "We ended 2020 with strong Q4 performance as the business delivered substantial MAU growth, subscriber additions that exceeded our guidance, an improvement in ARPU trends, acceleration of users who engage with podcast content, better than expected Gross Margin, and Free Cash Flow of EUR 74 million. Headwinds included the negative effects from FX movements, which were more severe than forecast and impacted revenue growth by 690 bps. Given the strong Q4 performance, we believe we are well positioned for continued growth in 2021."

06:15 EST Enterprise Products sees 2021 growth CapEx $1.6B - Enterprise Products currently expects growth capital investments on sanctioned projects for 2021 and 2022 to be approximately $1.6B and $800M, respectively. These estimates do not include capital investments associated with the partnership's proposed deepwater Seaport Oil Terminal which remains subject to governmental approval. Enterprise currently expects sustaining capital expenditures for 2021 to be approximately $440M, which includes $115M of expenditures associated with the turnarounds of PDH and octane enhancement facilities.

06:12 EST Halliburton awarded contract from Kuwait Oil Company - Halliburton announced it was awarded a contract from Kuwait Oil Company to collaborate on their digital transformation journey through the maintenance and expansion of digital solutions for their North Kuwait asset. It will allow KOC to accelerate their data-to-decisions cycle by designing and operating digital twins of the field to automate work processes, supported by DecisionSpace 365, a cloud-based subscription service for E&P applications. Built on an open architecture, DecisionSpace 365 will help KOC engineers' model, optimize and deploy intelligent work processes to plan, forecast and optimize production and asset operations. The open architecture integrates Halliburton and third-party technologies to enhance operational performance and increase ultimate recovery.

05:57 EST CureVac, GSK in pact to jointly develop mRNA vaccines for COVID-19 - GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and CureVac (CVAC) announced a new EUR 150M collaboration to jointly develop next generation mRNA vaccines for COVID-19 "with the potential for a multi-valent approach to address multiple emerging variants in one vaccine." GSK will also support the manufacture of up to 100M doses of CureVac's first generation COVID-19 vaccine candidate CVnCoV in 2021. "Through this new exclusive co-development agreement, GSK and CureVac will contribute resources and expertise to research, develop, and manufacture a number of novel mRNA vaccine candidates, including multi-valent and monovalent approaches. The aim of this work is to offer broader protection against a variety of different SARS-CoV2 variants, and to enable a quick response to new variants potentially emerging in the future. The development programme will begin immediately, with the target of introducing the vaccine in 2022, subject to regulatory approval," the companies said in a statement.

05:19 EST Veon, MasterCard announce strategic financial services partnership - Veon (VEON) announced a strategic partnership with Mastercard (MA) to boost digital financial services in key markets. The partnership, covering core portions of Veon's footprint, will allow Veon to further scale its digital financial services business by offering consumers and merchants in these countries products. The partnership is an expansion of the relationship between the two companies that began in May 2020 when Mastercard partnered with Mobilink Microfinance Bank Limited, Veon's financial services provider in Pakistan.