Stockwinners Market Radar for April 08, 2021 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

19:38 EDT Juniper CEO sells 69.9K shares of common stock - In a regulatory filing, Juniper disclosed that its CEO Rami Rahim sold 69.9K shares of common stock on April 6th in a total transaction size of $1.78M, reducing his stake by about 8%.

19:33 EDT Facebook tweets today's technical glitch was 'quickly resolved' - In a tweet, Facebook states: "And we're back! Earlier today, a configuration change caused Facebook services to be unavailable to some people. Since then, we have quickly investigated and resolved the issue."

18:45 EDT Levi Strauss CEO: The brand is hot - In an interview on CNBC's Mad Money, Chip Bergh said Levi Strauss has doubled down on the brand and its capabilities. The company has used the pandemic to get a bit tighter on cost structure, he noted. "We'll emerge from the pandemic with a brand that is on a tear around the world," Bergh added. He said there is virtually no limit to upside from a pricing standpoint. Looser fits are the fastest growing part of the business and could present a new denim cycle, he noted. "We lead where others follow in consumer trends."

18:00 EDT Avengers Campus will open at Disneyland on June 4, CNBC says - Disney said "new superhero recruits will be able to experience Disneyland's Avenger Campus on June 4," CNBC says. "The new area is an extension to Disney's California Adventure theme park in Anaheim, California and features Marvel's mightiest heroes from Earth and the stars," added the story. Reference Link

17:53 EDT Antero Resources CFO Glen Warren to retire - Antero Resources Corporation (AR) and Antero Midstream Corporation (AM) announced that Glen Warren will retire as President and Chief Financial Officer of Antero Resources and President of Antero Midstream, effective April 30, 2021. Warren will also step down from the board of both companies as of the same date. "Glen has been a visionary leader in the energy industry over the last several decades," said Paul Rady, Co-Founder, Chairman and CEO of Antero Resources and Antero Midstream. "For more than 20 years, Glen and I have been partners across a number of successful plays and organizations. We were some of the first successful players in unconventional resources, initially in coal bed methane in the Powder River Basin, then in the Barnett Shale where we were early adopters of horizontal drilling and multi-stage completions. Since first entering Appalachia in 2008, Glen has been instrumental in growing Antero Resources into the second largest NGL producer and the third largest natural gas producer in the United States today. Under Glen's co-leadership, Antero Resources has reset its balance sheet and cost structure, is generating significant free cash flow and expects to reduce leverage below 2.0x in 2021. In addition, Antero Midstream is now one of the only midstream companies in the industry with the optimum combination of c-corp governance, a self-funding business model after dividends, long-term growth and a declining leverage profile with already one of the strongest balance sheets in the midstream industry. Despite the challenges facing the energy industry over the last several years, Glen has helped reposition both Antero Resources and Antero Midstream to succeed for many years to come. His impact can be seen on our people, assets, balance sheets and performance. I wish Glen all the best in the next chapter of his life."

17:38 EDT C3.ai discloses Baker Hughes Holdings to sell 873.4K shares of common stock - In a regulatory filing, C3.ai disclosed that Baker Hughes Holdings sold a holding of 873.4K shares of common stock on April 7th in a total transaction size of $56.1M, reducing its stake by about 8%.

17:12 EDT Dave & Buster's Chairman King sells $668K in shares - Dave & Buster's Chairman Stephen King disclosed in a filing that he had sold 15,000 shares of company stock at $44.53 per share on April 8 for a total transaction amount of $667,950.

16:47 EDT Beneficial owner of Pulmonx Boston Scientific sells over $28M in shares - Beneficial owner of Pulmonx Boston Scientific disclosed in a filing that he had purchased 650,000 shares of company stock at $43.60 per share on April 6, for a total transaction amount of $28,340,000.

16:46 EDT Dolphin Entertainment unveils first three NFTs from H2H collection - Following the previous announcement of the partnership between Hall of Fame Resort & Entertainment (HOFV), Dolphin Entertainment (DLPN) and Elite Holdings, the entertainment entity has just unveiled the three athletes leading off the group's NFT, or non-fungible tokens, offerings. Football fans can now own NFTs featuring Doak Walker, Earl Campbell, and Tim Brown. The company said the "H2H Legends are representative of an elite and rare group of ten men who have won a Heisman Trophy and been enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame." These NFTs from Brown, Campbell, and Walker from the H2H collection will be the first three to be released in the partnership between HOFRECO and Dolphin Entertainment, with additional tokens rolling out in the coming months.

16:41 EDT HealthEquity to acquire Further for $500M - HealthEquity announced that it had entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Further, a provider of HSA and consumer directed benefit administration services. HealthEquity is purchasing Further for $500M. At closing, management expects the transaction to add approximately $60M in revenue on an annualized run-rate basis, with a 20% contribution to adjusted EBITDA margin. Management expects to achieve an additional $15M in efficiencies on an annualized basis within three years, with $55M of one-time costs incurred over that time period. The transaction is subject to regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions and is expected to close by September 2021. Kessler continued, "We look forward to welcoming the talented Further family to our Purple culture, and to working together to deliver remarkable results to our members, clients, partners and expanded team."

16:39 EDT RumbleON drops 4% to $39.04 after announcing Class B common stock offering

16:35 EDT Celcuity Inc trading resumes

16:31 EDT Syndax says FDA grants Orphan Drug Designation to axatilimab - Syndax Pharmaceuticals announced that the U.S. FDA has granted Orphan Drug Designation to axatilimab, its anti-CSF-1R monoclonal antibody, for the treatment of patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

16:26 EDT WD-40 drops 6% to $290.00 after Q2 results miss estimates

16:20 EDT Ready Capital closes $655M in 11 States in Q1 - Ready Capital's National Bridge Originations Team announces the closing of acquisition, refinance, renovation and redevelopment loans for approximately $657M in 11 states between January 2021 and March 2021. In January, Ready Capital closed the financing for the acquisition and stabilization of an approximately 3,000 SF, Class A, retail property in the City Hall submarket of New York, NY. The Property was acquired 100% leased to a single-tenant. Ready Capital closed the $8.8MM, non-recourse, interest only, floating rate loan which features a 24-month term, one extension option, flexible prepayment, and is inclusive of a facility to provide future funding for tenant leasing costs and interest shortfalls. In January, Ready Capital closed the financing for the acquisition, renovation, and stabilization of a 110-unit, Class C, multifamily property in the West Charlotte submarket of Charlotte, NC. Upon acquisition, the sponsor will implement a capital improvement plan to renovate unit interiors and refine curb appeal. The sponsor also plans to add value by streamlining management and optimizing expenses. Ready Capital closed the $7.7MM, non-recourse, interest only, floating rate loan which features a 36-month term, two extension options, flexible prepayment, and is inclusive of a facility to provide future funding for capital expenditures. In January, Ready Capital closed the refinancing for the stabilization of a newly delivered, 90-unit, Class A, multifamily property in the Bloomingdale submarket of the Chicago, IL MSA. The property is newly constructed and was 100% vacant at close. The loan proceeds will be used to retire the existing construction loan, provide a cash-out at close, and an earnout will be made available upon the property achieving a pre-determined performance threshold. Subsequently, the sponsor will lease-up the property to stabilized occupancy and at market rents. Ready Capital closed the $22.9MM, non-recourse, interest only, floating rate loan which features a 24-month term, one extension option, flexible prepayment, and is inclusive of a facility to provide future funding for interest and carry shortfalls and an earnout.

16:18 EDT Services Properties Trust, Hyatt agree to extend termination date - Service Properties Trust (SVC) announced that it has reached an agreement with a subsidiary of Hyatt Hotels Corporation (H) to extend the termination date of the management agreement for 22 Hyatt Place hotels to May 22, 2021, versus April 8, 2021, previously. SVC and Hyatt remain in discussions regarding possible changes to the management agreement which may enable some or all of the hotels to remain Hyatt Place hotels managed by Hyatt.

16:17 EDT PQ Group unveils future rebranding as ecovyst - PQ Group hosted a virtual investor conference. Belgacem Chariag, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, and the Company's executive leadership presented their strategic vision for the future portfolio rebranded as ecovyst, a pure-play catalysts and services company with a sustainability-focused growth outlook, following the close of the sale of the Performance Chemicals business in 2021. "With the announced sale of Performance Chemicals expected to close in 2021, we have nearly completed the transition of our business portfolio to one that is Simpler + Stronger," said Mr. Chariag. "With solid historical performance and momentum, we are prioritizing the next stage of our Greening + Growing vision for high growth and strong and sustainable margins. ecovyst will be a leaner, nimbler and more efficient company, with innovation resources focused on enabling solutions to customers' sustainability goals in the transition to cleaner fuels and a circular economy for plastics." Belgacem Chariag also discussed a comprehensive set of ecovyst's sustainability goals, including a smaller environmental footprint by both 2025 and 2030. Key targets in this area include: 15% and 25% reduction in greenhouse gas intensity by 2025 and 2030, respectively; 40% lower hazardous waste by 2025, and 15% and 25% cuts in non-recyclable waste by 2025 and 2030, respectively; and 90% to 95% of innovation investment for safer, healthier, cleaner sustainability-focused end use solutions by 2025 and 2030, respectively.

16:14 EDT Sunworks to acquire Solcius for $51.8M in all-cash transaction - Sunworks and Solcius, a privately held, residential solar company, announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement pursuant to which a subsidiary of Sunworks will acquire Solcius, valued at $51.8M on a cash-free and debt-free basis, in an all-cash transaction. The transaction creates a national solar power provider with a presence in 12 states, including California, Oregon, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Colorado, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Massachusetts, and South Carolina. Together, the combined organization generated net revenue of approximately $131.5M in calendar year 2020. Sunworks expects the combined company to be profitable in the first full year after integration and after capturing strategic, operational, and cost synergies. The transaction is expected to be accretive to earnings and to drive cash flow once integration synergies have been implemented. The board of directors of each of Sunworks and its subsidiary, Sunworks United, unanimously approved the definitive transaction agreement, which includes an all-cash payment of $51.8M, subject to customary purchase price adjustments, and customary seller representations and warranties and indemnification obligations. In 2020, Solcius generated approximately $93.4M in revenue and reported $2.8M of operating income. Morris will serve as the CEO of the combined organization, and Knapp will continue as president of Solcius. The existing Sunworks board of directors will remain as currently constructed.

16:14 EDT KemPharm amends pact with Gurnet Point affiliate, after FDA approves AZSTARYS - KemPharm announced an amendment to the definitive collaboration and license agreement with an affiliate of Gurnet Point Capital , a private investment firm focused on the life sciences and medical technology sectors. The License Agreement provides for an exclusive worldwide license to develop, manufacture and commercialize KemPharm's product candidates containing serdexmethylphenidate and d-methylphenidate, including AZSTARYS a once-daily product for the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in patients age six years and older. AZSTARYS was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on March 2. Under the terms of the amended License Agreement, KemPharm is now eligible to receive a total of up to $590 million in future regulatory and sales milestone payments for AZSTARYS, as well as tiered royalty payments on a product-by-product basis for net sales. Royalty rates range, on a product-by-product basis, from a percentage in the high single digits up to the mid-twenties for U.S. net sales, and a percentage in the low to mid-single digits of net sales in each country outside of the U.S. Under the original terms of the License Agreement, KemPharm was eligible to receive up to $468M in regulatory and sales milestones, having already received $15M from previously achieved milestones. Per the amended terms, KemPharm will receive a regulatory milestone payment of $10M for the FDA approval of AZSTARYS which is due five (5) calendar days after the effective date of the amendment. In addition, KemPharm is eligible to receive an additional regulatory milestone payment of $10M within thirty days following the scheduling determination of SDX, the prodrug component of AZSTARYS, by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. The DEA action is expected to be completed on or around June 2. Other changes include the addition of four new sales milestone tiers, including three lower-level sales tiers and a new top level sales tier. Potential sales milestones available under the amended License Agreement total $550M, as compared to $420M in the original agreement. Corium , is leading the commercialization of AZSTARYS and expects to make AZSTARYS commercially available in the U.S. as early as the second half of 2021.

16:11 EDT Waitr Holdings adds more Marco's Pizza delivery locations - Waitr Holdings announced it has added additional Marco's Pizza locations to its platform. Waitr and Bite Squad now deliver from Marco's Pizza at more than 100 locations in 92 cities across the nation. The two companies originally began working together, in select markets, in October 2020. "Marco's Pizza's is dedicated to producing the best delivered pizza for its customers, and we're dedicated to make the best delivery experience, which makes it an ideal brand for the Waitr platform," said Carl Grimstad, CEO and Chairman of Waitr.

16:09 EDT Golub Capital reports Q2 new middle-market originations of $234.7M - Golub Capital originated $234.7M in new middle-market investment commitments during Q2. Approximately 75% of the new middle-market investment commitments were one stop loans, 24% were senior secured loans and 1% were equity securities. Of the new middle-market investment commitments, $175.0M funded at close. Total investments at fair value are estimated to have decreased by approximately 2.5%, or $114.6M during Q2 after factoring in debt repayments, sales of securities, net fundings on revolvers and net change in unrealized gains.

16:08 EDT WD-40 CEO says 'high demand for our maintenance products' - "We continue to experience very high demand for our maintenance products due to renovation trends associated with the pandemic, or what we call isolation renovation," said Garry Ridge, WD-40 company's chairman and CEO. "In addition, we are seeing improved market conditions due to a reduction of COVID-19 lockdown measures in many markets, particularly in China, as well as increased sales through the ecommerce channel. However, the pandemic has also caused some disruptions and constraints to our supply chain, primarily in the Americas, which impacted our ability to meet the increased end user demand we experienced in the United States during the second quarter. Despite these supply chain challenges in the United States, we continue to experience very strong point-of-sale end user demand for our maintenance products. We are working to address the supply chain challenges and there is a recovery plan underway which we expect will result in improved conditions in the back half of the year. We are off to a very strong start in the first half of fiscal 2021. Keeping up with demand in a COVID environment has been a challenge, but we've increased our revenue expectations and believe that net sales are likely to be in a range of between $445 million to $475 million for the full fiscal year. This upward revision is driven primarily by favorable changes in foreign currency exchange rates. Additionally, over the long-term, we are optimistic that many of the new end users who have interacted with our products during the pandemic will become permanent users of our maintenance and homecare solutions."

16:06 EDT Good Times Restaurants reports Q2 SSS up 22.9% - The company states: "Good Times Restaurants, operator of Bad Daddy's Burger Bar and Good Times Burgers & Frozen Custard, announced that year-over-year same store sales for its Good Times brand increased 22.9% for its second fiscal quarter ended March 30, 2021. Year-over-year same store sales at its Bad Daddy's brand increased 9.1% during the quarter compared to its fiscal 2020 second quarter, driven by reductions in COVID-19-related restrictions late in the quarter and the rollover of initial prior-year impacts of the pandemic during the last half of March." CEO Ryan Zink says: "We are pleased to report strong sales for both brands in our second fiscal quarter. We continue to see sequential improvement in average weekly sales at Bad Daddy's as customers return to on-premises dining and our Good Times concept continues to post impressive sales in spite of reduced pandemic-related restrictions and increased consumer confidence in on-premise dining, which we attribute to improved awareness generated during the pandemic, and our laser-focus on accuracy and speed of service. We continue to focus on staffing our restaurants and operating safely in consideration of the impacts of COVID-19. To that end, we have implemented an incentive program that provides financial incentives for each employee who receives up to two COVID-19 vaccinations between March and June of this year. Further, we are not immune to staffing challenges facing restaurants, and other industries, and we continue to focus efforts toward programs that will allow us to aggressively compete with other companies and concepts for talented employees that are the heart and soul of each restaurant."

16:06 EDT Celcuity reports preliminary data from Phase 1b gedatolisib plus Ibrance trial - Celcuity reported preliminary data for the 103 patients enrolled in the expansion portion of an ongoing Phase 1b clinical trial evaluating gedatolisib, a first-in-class PI3K/mTOR inhibitor, plus Ibrance and endocrine therapy, in ER+/HER2- advanced or metastatic breast cancer patients. As of the January 11, 2021 data cut-off date, 53 of the 88 evaluable patients had an objective response. Gedatolisib was also generally well tolerated, with the majority of treatment-related adverse events being Grade 1 or 2. The most common Grade 3 or 4 TRAEs related to gedatolisib were stomatitis and rash. "We are very encouraged by this preliminary data for gedatolisib from our ongoing Phase 1b trial in patients with breast cancer," said Brian Sullivan, CEO and Co-Founder of Celcuity. "The robust response rate and the observed tolerability profile are particularly compelling given the need for a therapeutic regimen that can address endocrine therapy resistance. We look forward to sharing additional data from the study at a future medical conference in 2021. Developing a therapeutic such as gedatolisib allows us to more fully leverage our CELsignia cellular analysis platform."

16:04 EDT PriceSmart CEO says 'pandemic still weighs on our business in certain markets' - Comments from Sherry Bahrambeygui, CEO: "PriceSmart achieved solid results for the second quarter of fiscal year 2021, with continued focus on strengthening our Company as a trusted part of our members' lives. The quarter started with the grand opening of our new Usaquen Club, our third club in the greater metropolitan area of Bogota which is located in the heart of a densely populated area. We believe that the Usaquen Club should drive sales growth, provide greater convenience and strengthen our presence in a market that provides significant growth opportunity. In addition, in late February and early March, we launched our first two PriceSmart Pharmacies in Costa Rica. We believe that this incremental membership benefit will be well received and complements our Optical service. We plan to launch several more PriceSmart Pharmacies by the end of the calendar year. Additionally, we continue to invest in our omni-channel efforts to improve service and offer greater convenience to our Members. Despite our success, the pandemic still weighs on our business in certain markets. Similar to what we have seen in the United States, infection rates increased dramatically in our markets during and after the holiday season. This brought the return of government-mandated club closures, primarily in Panama, but we also experienced club closure days in Colombia and some other Caribbean markets. In total, we had 142 club days lost this quarter versus 51 in the first quarter of fiscal year 2021. We also faced challenges in Trinidad, as our decision to limit U.S. merchandise imports, due to a lack of sufficient U.S. dollar availability for currency exchange purposes, negatively impacted sales. However, we are pursuing avenues to increase the level of imports in support of sales in Trinidad."

16:00 EDT Celcuity Inc trading halted, news pending

15:59 EDT New England Service Company to be acquired by Eversource's Aquarion - Aquarion Company, parent of Aquarion Water Company, and New England Service Company announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement whereby Aquarion will acquire all outstanding shares of NESC and NESC will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Aquarion. Under the agreement, which was unanimously approved by the boards of directors of both Aquarion and NESC, the acquisition will be executed through a stock-for-stock transaction that is structured to be a tax-free reorganization. The agreement provides that the stockholders of NESC will receive 0.51208 shares of the common shares of Aquarion's parent, Eversource Energy, in exchange for each share of NESC common stock. The fixed exchange ratio implies a $44.90 per share price based on the $87.68 closing price of Eversource Energy common shares on April 6, 2021. In connection with the exchange, Eversource Energy will issue approximately 463,000 shares of ES Common Stock at closing. The merger includes NESC's Valley Water System in Connecticut, Colonial Water Company and Mountain Water Systems in Massachusetts, and Abenaki Water Company in New Hampshire, as well as unregulated service operations throughout New England. The merger will add nearly 10,000 customers to Aquarion's existing base of 216,000 customers. Under the agreement, all NESC employees will be retained. The parties plan to file all required regulatory applications over the coming months with an anticipated closing by the end of 2021.

15:52 EDT Neurocrine treatment of EECSWS granted FDA orphan designation - Neurocrine Biosciences' treatment of epileptic encephalopathy with continuous spike-wave discharges during sleep, or EECSWS, was granted FDA orphan designation, according to a post to the agency's website. Reference Link

15:07 EDT Amazon adds 720p streaming to its Luna cloud gaming service - Amazon's Team Luna blogged earlier: "Since Luna launched into early access, we've regularly heard from customers on what they're enjoying as well as areas where we can improve their experience. One of the most requested features is the ability to play at lower resolutions to match unique internet connection speeds and bandwidth demands. Starting today, we're enabling a new 720p option, allowing for decreased bandwidth and data usage by streaming at a lower resolution. With this setting, customers that have data cap limitations from their internet service providers can play at a lower resolution without sacrificing gameplay performance. To take advantage of the 720p option, customers can go to the Settings tab in Luna and select 720p. It's that easy! We are working hard to continue improving Luna throughout early access, so we appreciate all the feedback we've received thus far from customers. Download the Luna app on Fire TV to start playing today or get more information and request an invitation to early access at amazon.com/Luna." Reference Link

14:52 EDT Citi Trends senior VP of store operations Dunn sells 15,000 common shares - In a regulatory filing, Citi Trends senior VP of store operations James Dunn disclosed the sale of 15,000 common shares of the company on April 7 at a price of $87.63 per share.

14:38 EDT Florida sues Biden administration, CDC over shutdown of cruises - Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody today filed legal action against the Biden administration and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention "over the outdated federal shutdown order of the nation's cruise industry." The cruise industry "remains under a strict federal shutdown order-harming the national economy and Florida's travel industry along with its workers," Moody said in a statement. According to Moody's complaint, filed Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, the CDC does not have the authority to issue year-and-a-half-long nationwide lockdowns of entire industries. Florida's complaint also contends the CDC's actions are arbitrary and capricious and otherwise violate the Administrative Procedure Act. Publicly traded companies in the cruise travel space include Carnival Corporation (CCL), Royal Caribbean (RCL), Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCLH), Lindblad Expeditions (LIND) and OneSpaWorld (OSW). Reference Link

14:33 EDT Corcept Therapeutics NASH trial recruitment suspended - Corcept Therapeutics' phase 2, double blind, placebo-controlled, randomized study is to assess the safety and efficacy of miricorilant in patients with presumed Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis, or NASH, has Suspended recruitment, according to a post to ClinicalTrials.gov. The study recruitment was suspended by the trial sponsor, "pending investigation of abnormal laboratory values in patients with NASH," the update dated April 7 stated. Reference Link

13:08 EDT Energy Department to invest $61.4M in research for biofuels - The U.S. Department of Energy announced $61.4M for technologies that produce low-cost, low-carbon biofuels. "Biofuels are derived from renewable resources, and can power heavy-duty vehicles that are difficult to electrify with current technologies - including airplanes and ships - to help accelerate America's path to a net-zero emissions economy by 2050," the agency said in a statement. The application process will include two phases: a concept paper and a full application. Concept papers are due on April 30, and full applications are due on June 21. Companies in the biofuels space include Gevo (GEVO), Aemetis (AMTX) and Green Plains (GPRE).

12:50 EDT President Biden seeks to appeal immunity for gun manufacturers - During a White House speech, President Biden said: "Most people don't realize: the only industry in America, billion-dollar industry, that can't be sued, exempt from being sued, are gun manufacturers. Imagine how different it would be, had that same exemption been available to tobacco companies, who knew and lied about the danger they were causing. We should also eliminate gun manufactures from the immunity they received from the Congress." Publicly traded companies in the firearms space include Smith & Wesson Brands (SWBI), Sturm Ruger (RGR) and Vista Outdoor (VSTO).

12:00 EDT Southwestern Energy falls -8.6% - Southwestern Energy is down -8.6%, or -41c to $4.29.

12:00 EDT Box falls -9.1% - Box is down -9.1%, or -$2.20 to $22.07.

12:00 EDT Par Technology rises 25.4% - Par Technology is up 25.4%, or $15.80 to $78.12.

11:35 EDT Arkane delays upcoming PS5 game 'Deathloop' to September 14, 2021 - Video game developer Arkane Studios, which was recently acquired by Microsoft (MSFT) in the ZeniMax deal, announced via Twitter that it has made the decision to delay the launch of its upcoming game "Deathloop" to September 14, 2021. "We're committed to quality and preserving our team's ambitions for DEATHLOOP while ensuring the health and safety of everyone at Arkane," game director Dinga Bakaba, art director Sebastien Mitton, and the Arkane Lyon team said in a statement. "We'll be using this extra time to accomplish our goal: create a fun, stylish, and mind-bending player experience." The Fly notes that the game, which has a timed console exclusivity deal with Sony's (SNE) PlayStation 5, was previously planned for release on May 21, 2021. Reference Link

11:08 EDT Repare Therapeutics' Phase 1 RP-6306 trial to start quarter sooner than guided - Repare Therapeutics is hosting a virtual investor day webcast, during which the company said it is "highlighting the progress of its proprietary RP-6306 program for tumors with genetic alterations characterized by CCNE1 amplification." The company expects to initiate a Phase 1 clinical trial of RP-6306 in the second quarter of 2021, Repare stated. Lloyd Segal, President and CEO of Repare, added: "At today's event, we will be reviewing the compelling pre-clinical anti-tumor activity of RP-6306, our first- in-class, selective, oral inhibitor of PKMYT1 to treat CCNE1-amplified, FBXW7-altered and other undisclosed PKMYT1 inhibitor-sensitive cancers. Our in vivo and other pre-clinical data indicate that RP-6306 can selectively inhibit tumors with these specific alterations when used as a monotherapy and in combination with other agents. We plan to initiate a Phase 1 clinical trial during this quarter, which is a quarter ahead of previously announced guidance. We look forward to advancing our RP-6306 program into the clinic."

10:21 EDT H.B. Fuller increases quarterly dividend 3% to 16.75c from 16.25c per share - H.B. Fuller announced that its board of directors declared a regular quarterly cash dividend of 16.75c per share of common stock. The dividend is payable on May 6 to shareholders of record at the close of business on April 22. This represents a 3% increase over the prior quarterly dividend, the company noted.

10:07 EDT Jaguar Land Rover expands installation of SiriusXM - Jaguar Land Rover North America (TTM) and SiriusXM (SIRI) announced that they are expanding the factory installation of SiriusXM's audio entertainment service, and that SiriusXM is now a standard feature in all Jaguar and Land Rover models in the United States beginning with '21 model year vehicles. The standard availability of SiriusXM is part of a new agreement between SiriusXM and Jaguar Land Rover that extends their relationship into 2026. Additionally, the two companies announced that Jaguar Land Rover will soon begin offering the advanced SiriusXM with 360L platform, which combines satellite and streaming content delivery into a single, cohesive in-vehicle entertainment experience.

10:00 EDT Geo Group falls -7.4% - Geo Group is down -7.4%, or -46c to $5.75.

10:00 EDT Box falls -10.1% - Box is down -10.1%, or -$2.44 to $21.83.

10:00 EDT Natuzzi rises 12.6% - Natuzzi is up 12.6%, or $1.75 to $15.60.

09:47 EDT AMTD International falls -5.1% - AMTD International is down -5.1%, or -39c to $7.20.

09:47 EDT Box falls -10.6% - Box is down -10.6%, or -$2.57 to $21.70.

09:47 EDT Phreesia rises 9.4% - Phreesia is up 9.4%, or $4.93 to $57.47.

09:40 EDT Natuzzi trading resumes

09:35 EDT Natuzzi trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:33 EDT PAR Technology trading resumes

09:31 EDT Cigna + Oscar small business health insurance available in California regions - Cigna (CI), and Oscar Health (OSCR) announced that Cigna + Oscar small business health insurance will be available in the Bay Area, Central Coast, Greater Sacramento, Inland Empire, Los Angeles, Orange County, North Bay, and San Diego regions. California small businesses with between one and 100 employees will have access to services driven by the combination of Cigna's provider relationships and Oscar's approach to customer service and care navigation. Cigna and Oscar will share risk equally under a reinsurance agreement for solutions offered through this strategic partnership and plan to expand the partnership over time.

09:19 EDT Par Technology acquires Punchh for approximately $500M in cash, stock - PAR Technology announced that it has acquired Punchh for approximately $500M paid in cash and shares of PAR common stock to Punchh stockholders. The company said this acquisition makes PAR a unified commerce cloud platform for enterprise restaurants and positions PAR to lead the industry with integrated point-of-sale, back office, payment and guest engagement solutions. PAR financed the cash consideration of the purchase price through a combination of equity and debt, including proceeds from the sale of $160M of PAR common stock to PAR Act III, and to funds and accounts advised by T. Rowe Price Associates and a $180M senior secured term loan under a credit agreement. Keith Pascal, Act III partner, joins the board of directors of PAR Technology Corporation and, Ron Shaich, Act III managing partner and founder of Panera Bread, takes a board observer seat.

09:18 EDT Plug Power invited to submit Part II application for DOE Title XVII program - Plug Power announced that it has been invited to submit a Part II Application for a loan guarantee under the U.S. Department of Energy Title XVII Loan Guarantee Program. The invitation for the Part II application is for a proposed $520M loan guarantee from the DOE to support the use of green hydrogen to transform the materials handling, transportation, and industrial sectors in the United States. This is the first of several steps in the process to secure a conditional commitment and final loan agreement from the Department. Plug Power will work closely with the DOE to fulfill the requirements of Part II of the application process. Plug Power is building a 500-ton green hydrogen network by 2025 and the loan DOE loan guarantee supports the first phase of the Company's buildout. Upon receiving approval from the DOE Title XVII Loan Guarantee Program, Plug Power will utilize its electrolyzer, liquefaction and distribution technologies to deploy the first resilient network of zero-carbon hydrogen production facilities across the United States. The facilities will have a combined liquid hydrogen generation capacity of approximately 180 tons per day. Each plant will be co-located with solar photovoltaic, wind, and/or hydro-electric plants that will utilize zero-carbon renewable electricity. Plug Power is in the process of negotiating power purchase agreements with renewable energy suppliers.

09:17 EDT Rada Electronic announces $24M in new orders during Q1 - RADA Electronic Industries announced the receipt of $24M of new orders in Q1, including $9M in new orders during March 2021. This figure represents a growth of 50% in new orders during the first quarter when compared to 1Q20. The majority of these new orders will be delivered during 2021. Of these new orders, approximately 90% were orders for RADA's software-defined tactical radars for counter UAV, short-range air defense and counter fires, with 40% of the orders coming from the US market and 50% from the rest of the world. The remaining 10% were for RADA's legacy avionics systems production. Dov Sella, RADA's CEO, commented, "The 50% growth in new orders in the first quarter, when compared to last year, increases our confidence in our revenue guidance of over $120 million for 2021. We are particularly pleased with the flow of new orders coming from non-US markets. At the same time, we are satisfied with the continued stability in our legacy avionics business demonstrating an annual revenue rate of approximately $10 million."

09:15 EDT Document Security expands healthcare segment, invests in Vivacitas Oncology - Document Security Systems (DSS) announced DSS Biomedical International, a subsidiary of Impact BioMedical, a wholly owned subsidiary of the company, completed an equity investment in Vivacitas Oncology, a clinical-stage company focused on difficult to treat cancers. Vivacitas' assets are organized into two separate, yet related platforms: a development platform centered around advancing next-generation Camptothecins in various cancers, and a platform focused on applying new formulations and modified chemistries to compounds to potentially improve tolerability and efficacy. As part of its equity investment in Vivacitas, DSS Biomedical received the right to appoint two members to the board of directors of Vivacitas. Separately, DSS Biomedical acquired Impact Oncology from Alset EHome International (AEI). The principal assets of Impact Oncology consist of equity in Vivacitas. The chairman of DSS is also the chairman of Alset EHome International.

09:12 EDT Philips, Ibex Medical Analytics partner for AI-powered digital pathology - Royal Philips announced a strategic collaboration to jointly promote their digital pathology and AI solutions to hospitals, health networks and pathology labs worldwide. The combination of Philips digital pathology solution and Ibex's Galen AI-powered cancer diagnostics platform, currently in clinical use in Europe and the Middle East, empowers pathologists to generate objective, reproducible results, increase diagnostic confidence, and enable the productivity and efficiency improvements needed to cope with ever-increasing demand for pathology-based diagnostics.

09:11 EDT RCI Hospitality reports Q2total club & restaurant sales up 9.5% Y-O-Y - RCI Hospitality reported sales for its Nightclubs and Bombshells restaurants for Q2. Compared vs. 2Q20, total club and restaurant sales were $43.5M , up 9.5%; total club and restaurant same-store sales were $16.9M, up 26.3%; nightclubs total sales were $30.4M, down 1.9%; Nightclubs same-store sales were $6.9M, up 3.6%; Bombshells total sales were $13.2M, up 49.5%; Bombshells same-store sales were $10.0M, up 48.6%. Many locations were not open enough days in 2Q21 and 2Q20 to be part of same-store sales. CEO Eric Langan said, "Total sales in January were better than December. February was affected by the Texas Freeze. In March, RCI recorded the highest monthly club and restaurant sales in company history. We believe the continued sequential quarterly improvement reflects more locations open on a more consistent basis, less restrictive curfews, and the ongoing return of our loyal customer base, all of which are generally benefitting from increased vaccinations. This was despite the fact that most of our larger locations in northern states still operated under more restrictive curfews, which are starting to end" .During 2Q21, 29 of 38 clubs were open the full quarter and 37 by period end. All 10 Bombshells were open. But the Texas Freeze caused 21 clubs and all the Bombshells to close for several days mid-February.

09:09 EDT CACI gets $700M BPA from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security - CACI International announced that it has been awarded a five-year, multiple-award Blanket Purchase Agreement by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, DHS, with a $700M total federal program value, to provide national security investigations to the department. Under the agreement, which represents new work for the company, CACI will provide enterprise technology to DHS in support of its national security investigations. CACI will support the full range of case types for DHS and their components. This award also expands the set of government customers to whom CACI provides national security investigations, which includes the U.S. Department of Defense and Intelligence Community.CACI's efficient investigations business model is a true differentiator. CACI uses a scalable delivery model and stations investigators around the country, ensuring industry-leading training, shared lessons learned, and the delivery of higher quality and more timely work. John Mengucci, CACI President and Chief Executive Officer, said, "CACI looks forward to applying its more than 17 years of experience supporting national security investigations to help protect the Department of Homeland Security and the integrity of its people and mission."

09:09 EDT Alphatec announces AMF clearance of tender offer for EOS Imaging - On March 30, 2021, the AMF cleared the Company's tender offer for EOS. As a result, on April 1, 2021, ATEC commenced its public offer to purchase for cash all EOS issued and outstanding ordinary shares and all outstanding convertible bonds for a total purchase price of approximately $117 million. As previously disclosed by the Company, the offer will remain open for an initial acceptance period of 25 Euronext Paris trading days and, subject to the satisfaction or waiver of certain tender conditions, the initial tender may be followed by a reopened tender offer for a period of 10 additional Euronext Paris trading days. If ATEC owns 90% or more of EOS' share capital and voting rights following the close of either offer period, the Company will squeeze-out any remaining, non-tendered EOS shares, according to French law and regulation.

09:08 EDT Alphatec appoints J. Todd Koning as CFO - The Company announced the appointment of J. Todd Koning to the role of Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Koning succeeds Jeffrey Black, who has resigned as CFO, effective April 18, 2021, to pursue interests outside of spine, but will remain with the Company in a transition capacity through April 30, 2021. Koning's ATEC appointment follows three years with Masimo Corporation, where he most recently served as Senior Vice President of Finance and Chief Accounting Officer, responsible for corporate planning and analysis, global accounting, SEC reporting, financial systems, and investor outreach.

09:06 EDT Titan International offers COVID-19 vaccinations at Des Moines, Iowa, facility - Titan International is continuing its dedication to employee health and safety by offering on-site COVID-19 vaccination opportunities free of charge for employees at its Des Moines, Iowa, facility. The Des Moines clinic is part of a larger company initiative to vaccinate employees at their U.S. locations. The on-site vaccination clinic at the Des Moines facility will begin in mid-April, with second doses scheduled for after the required waiting period. Vaccines will be administered to employees by licensed health-care professionals and will be available during all three work shifts to make the process as convenient as possible for employees.

09:06 EDT Tetra Tech acquires IBRA-RMAC Automation Systems, terms undisclosed - Tetra Tech announced that it has acquired IBRA-RMAC Automation Systems, a water systems instrumentation and digital transformation consulting services for water infrastructure company. The terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. IBRA-RMAC is joining Tetra Tech's Government Services Group.

09:05 EDT Beyond Meat expands U.S. retail distribution within multiple grocery chains - Beyond Meat (BYND) announced several major product expansions within its existing footprint at retailers nationwide. As demand for plant-based meat continues to rise, this increased distribution strengthens the company's expansive retail presence at approximately 28,000 retail outlets across the U.S. The expanded retail product availability includes: Beyond Meatballs: Newly available at Kroger (KR) approximately 1,500 stores, Target (TGT) 750 stores and Giant Foods 163 stores. Beyond Breakfast Sausage Links: Newly available at Kroger approximately 1,500 stores. Cookout Classic: Expanding throughout April and May to more than 3,000 existing Beyond Meat retail partner stores nationwide including Wegmans, Albertsons/Safeway, FreshDirect.com, Jewel, Sprouts, Stew Leonard's, and Stop & Shop. Beyond Sausage: Newly available at Super Target 200+ stores in May.

09:05 EDT WynnBET partners with digital sports media publisher Minute Media - WynnBET, the premier casino and sports betting app from Wynn Resorts, announces a multi-year content marketing and affiliate partnership with global technology and digital publishing platform, Minute Media, owner and operator of six global sports and culture brands including The Players' Tribune, FanSided, 90min, and The Big Lead. Under the deal, WynnBET will tap into Minute Media's diverse network of owned brands, media personalities, athlete influencers, and open technology platform to create story-driven content that introduces WynnBET to an average of 60 million monthly users in the United States.

09:02 EDT Twitter integrates Nielsen's cross-media solutions into video ad platform - Nielsen (NLSN) and Twitter (TWTR) announced the expanded integration of Nielsen's audience measurement and outcomes cross-media solutions into Twitter's video ad platform. The integration includes new subscription to Nielsen Media Impact and Nielsen Ad Intel and expanded access to Nielsen Total Ad Ratings. Together, these tools will enable Twitter to help video advertisers do more robust pre- and post-campaign planning, maximize ad inventory, understand cross-media planning, and deliver campaign results with increased speed and agility. To bolster its use of NMI and TAR, Twitter will leverage Nielsen's National TV Ratings data for added insights of ad campaigns across platforms.

08:58 EDT Boise Cascade CFO Wayne Rancourt to retire, Kelly Hibbs to succeed - Boise Cascade announced the transition of its CFO and treasurer position. Wayne Rancourt has communicated his intent to retire effective May 14. The company's board has promoted Kelly Hibbs to SVP, CFO and treasurer, effective upon Rancourt's retirement. Rancourt joined the vompany in 1983 and has served as its CFO and Treasurer since 2009. Hibbs joined the organization in 1996 and was promoted to his current officer position in 2011.

08:51 EDT South Jersey Gas receives approval of energy-efficiency program - South Jersey Gas, a subsidiary of SJI, announced that it received New Jersey Board of Public Utilities approval to significantly expand its energy-efficiency program. The expanded program authorizes SJG to spend $133M over the next three years to deliver energy-efficiency solutions to help customers lower energy costs and reduce their carbon footprint. The program, which consists of approximately $121.7M in energy-efficiency related investments, "positions SJG to meet or exceed its annual energy consumption reduction targets set by the New Jersey Clean Energy Act," the company said. "Fully subscribed, the program will help customers save $177M in energy costs and 59M therms over its lifetime, which equates to preventing the release of over 510,000 tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere - the same as removing nearly 100,000 cars from New Jersey roadways for a year. Moreover, the program has the potential to support the creation of over 2,500 jobs over 3 years," South Jersey added.

08:45 EDT Elizabethtown Gas receives approval of energy-efficiency program - Elizabethtown Gas announced that it received New Jersey Board of Public Utilities approval to significantly expand its energy-efficiency program, providing increased energy and cost-saving opportunities for all customers. The expanded program authorizes ETG to spend $83M over the next three years to deliver meaningful and innovative energy-efficiency solutions to help customers lower energy costs and reduce their carbon footprint. ETG also received approval of a Conservation Incentive Program that eliminates the link between usage and margin, putting ETG in a stronger position to help customers manage their energy bills. The program, which consists of approximately $76 million of energy efficiency related investments, demonstrates the company's commitment to the clean energy and environmental priorities of our State and region, advancing New Jersey's energy policy goals in a manner that will benefit customers and the environment, and will help to grow the State's green energy economy. The program positions ETG to meet or exceed its annual energy consumption reduction targets set by the New Jersey Clean Energy Act. Fully subscribed, the program will help customers save $152 million in energy costs and 45 million therms over its lifetime, which equates to preventing the release of over 443,000 tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere - the same as removing over 87,000 cars from New Jersey roadways for a year. Moreover, the program has the potential to support the creation of almost 2000 jobs over 3 years.

08:43 EDT iFresh partners with Yami to extend online marketplace business - iFresh announced that it is partnering with Yami, an e-commerce platform based in Los Angeles, CA. This partnership extends iFresh's fresh grocery, food products, and snack sales to Yami extensive nationwide network beyond iFresh's current market through Yami's direct-to-customer platform. The Company expects that the partnership will provide Yami's customers with the opportunity to purchase iFresh products. The two parties have laid out necessary groundwork and preparation since November 2020, and diligently prepared for the launch this year. Starting on March 9th, 2021, Yami has made iFresh's varied selection of groceries, snacks, and other products accessible to its consumers in New York area at yamibuy.com. With the consumer demand increasing, the delivery service is expected to be extended to customers in other regions that iFresh operates stores, including Boston, Maryland, and Florida.

08:42 EDT Safe-T's ZoneZero solution added as approved vendor to NASA solution - Safe-T Group announced that its ZoneZero solution, developed by its wholly owned subsidiary, Safe-T Data A.R Ltd., had been successfully added to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Solution for Enterprise-Wide Procurement contract vehicle. The inclusion of Safe-T's solutions to the SEWP vehicle was made possible by its lead distributor in North America, Philemon Security USA, through its channel partners. All U.S. federal agencies, including the Department of Defense, and government contractors are able to purchase ICT and AV solutions (from SEWP-authorized resellers. NASA's SWEP-V is a United States Government-Wide Acquisition Contract authorized by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget and managed by NASA.

08:40 EDT Vir Biotechnology announces preclinical research on SARS-CoV-2 - Vir Biotechnology announced the publication of new preclinical research highlighting novel mechanisms by which SARS-CoV-2 enters host cells and identifying how auxiliary receptors may impact the clinical efficacy of monoclonal antibodies. The research highlights the distinct mechanism of action of non-receptor-binding motif-targeting antibodies, such as VIR-7831 and VIR-7832, the Company's investigational SARS-CoV-2 mAbs that target a conserved non-RBM site within the receptor binding domain. While prior literature has shown that SARS-CoV-2 infection is mediated by the virus binding to the ACE-2 entry receptor, findings from this research, posted on BioRxiv, highlight the importance of three additional auxiliary receptors that enhance infection mediated by the ACE-2 receptor. This new study addresses the role of DC-SIGN and L-SIGN lectins in infection and further identifies the SIGLEC1 lectin as a new participant in infection. SIGLEC1 is of particular importance because it is highly expressed and associated with SARS-CoV-2 in macrophages - an inflammatory cell type that is prominent in the lungs of patients with severe COVID-19. These cells can bind to infectious SARS-CoV-2 and present the virus to another cell to establish infection in that second cell. These auxiliary receptors also play an important role in modulating the neutralizing activity of different classes of spike-specific antibodies and may contribute to viral dissemination in the most severe COVID-19 cases. This study addresses another important aspect related to the influence of the experimental methods used in measuring the neutralizing activity of different classes of spike-specific antibodies. Cells that overexpress ACE-2 at levels in excess of normal cells are widely used in neutralization assays because they can be infected with high efficiency. While these cell lines effectively measure the neutralizing activity of antibodies that target the RBM of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, they inadequately measure the neutralizing activity of non-RBM antibodies, as well as antibodies that target the N-terminal domain of the spike. The NTD is a major target of human immunity to SARS-CoV-2. This observation indicates the significant limitations of the use of cells overexpressing ACE-2 for studies of mAbs and measuring serum neutralizing antibodies elicited by vaccination or infection. When tested in more physiologic conditions, with cells expressing low levels of ACE-2 together with lectin receptors, non-RBM antibodies showed an enhanced ability to block viral infection. S309, which targets a conserved non-RBM site within the RBD, showed enhanced neutralizing activity, reaching 100% neutralization. In contrast, antibodies that target the RBM were less effective in preventing infection. Additionally, a subset of the RBM-targeting antibodies analyzed in the study, including three clinical-stage antibodies, were shown to promote cell-cell fusion driven by the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, potentially promoting cell-to-cell spread of the infection. VIR-7831 and VIR-7832 are investigational compounds, not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or any other regulatory authority.

08:38 EDT OSI Systems receives $6M contract for security inspection system maintenance - OSI Systems announced that its Security division received a contract valued at approximately $6M for operation and maintenance services of critical infrastructure facilities. The Company will be responsible for operating and continuing service of the Rapiscan Systems and AS&E cargo, vehicle, parcel, and personnel explosive and contraband detection systems. "We are pleased to receive this award and very proud of our commitment to support this longstanding customer and its security missions," said OSI Systems' Chairman and CEO, Deepak Chopra.

08:37 EDT Quanta's Medolife Rx announces pre-clinical results on Escozine - Medolife Rx, which is a majority owned subsidiary of Quanta, announced pre-clinical study results conducted at one of the leading cancer research centers in the United States showing that the Company's lead drug candidate Escozine caused up to 95 percent Specific Induced Apoptosis in various types of Leukemia cancer cells. Such a result is significant not only to the Company's ongoing clinical research, but could have tremendous effects on cancer treatments worldwide. The study was broken into two objectives: to evaluate the effect of Escozine at four different concentration levels on the induction of apoptosis in five cancer cell lines: K-562: Human Chronic Myeloid Leukemia; MEC-1: Human Chronic B Cell Leukemia; NAMALWA: Human Burkitt Lymphoma; RAJI: Human Burkitt Lymphoma, TP53 Wild Type; RAMOS: Human Burkitt Lymphoma, TP53 Mutated ; to evaluate the effect of Escozine at four different concentration levels on the induction of apoptosis in four Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia patients, two at high-risk and two at low-risk levels . The result of the first objective was that cell death was observed in all cell lines when treated with Escozine after 48 hours of incubation. The effect on cell death was dependent on the concentration level of Escozine, with insignificant cell death being observed in concentration levels from 10-30 percent, a variation of cell death between 5-40 percent at a 50 percent concentration of Escozine, and a greater than 95 percent cell death in all cell lines when Escozine was included at 100 percent concentration, with the exception of RAMOS, which showed an approximate 50 percent cell death rate. In the second part of the study, cells were taken from four CLL human patients, two High Risk and two Low Risk. The cells were introduced to Escozine at varying concentrations, and the results showed that both HR patients reported minimal effects at concentrations of 10 percent and 30 percent of Escozine; however, at concentrations of 50 percent, cell death occurred in approximately 50 percent of cells, and at 100 percent concentration levels, over 95 percent cell death was observed. In LR patients, similar results were observed with higher concentrations of Escozine at 50 percent and 100 percent inclusion where high levels of cell death were observed. The results were consistent with the cell line portion of the study, confirming that Escozine at higher concentrations can cause SIA, or cell death, in greater than 95 percent of cancer cells.

08:35 EDT Wells Fargo announces major solar expansion in North Carolina - Wells Fargo, NextEra Energy Resources, and Duke Energy today announced a 20-year renewable energy purchase agreement, under which Wells Fargo will consume 100% of solar energy produced by the Blackburn Solar Project, a 58-megawatt 600-acre solar farm planned for Catawba County, North Carolina, under Duke Energy's Green Source Advantage, GSA, program. The transaction announced today is Wells Fargo's single largest to date and will supply approximately 8% of the company's annual global electricity. Energy provided under the agreement will allow Wells Fargo to meet more than 50% of total electricity needs and 100% of its eligible load within the Duke Energy Carolinas service area, where it maintains a real-estate footprint of 7.5M square feet and employs about 36,000. The 130,000 megawatt-hours Wells Fargo will receive each year will be generated by about 200,000 solar panels. The facility will be developed, owned, and operated by a subsidiary of Florida-based NextEra Energy Resources, and is scheduled to come online in 2022. Wells Fargo will also retain the Renewable Energy Credits.

08:34 EDT Ocuphire Pharma initiates ZETA-1 Phase 2 trial of APX3330 - Ocuphire Pharma announced that it has screened the first patient in ZETA-1, a Phase 2 trial to evaluate APX3330 in non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy and mild proliferative diabetic retinopathy. Effects on diabetic macular edema will be explored as a secondary outcome. A number of retinal centers across the US are active and recruiting eligible diabetic retinopathy patients. The ZETA-1 trial is a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-masked study designed to evaluate the efficacy of APX3330 to improve diabetic retinopathy over 24 weeks. The study will be conducted in up to 20 U.S. sites and is expected to enroll approximately 100 subjects with moderately-severe to severe NPDR or mild PDR in the study eye. If patients who are enrolled also have DME in their non-study eye, this eye will also be followed during the trial for potential improvement. The primary endpoint of the study will evaluate the percentage of subjects with a greater than or equal to 2 step improvement on the Diabetic Retinopathy Severity Scale score. Secondary endpoints include evaluation of central subfield thickness to assess effects on diabetic macular edema, BCVA, safety and tolerability.

08:33 EDT Honeywell commits to carbon neutrality by 2035 - Honeywell committed to become carbon neutral in its operations and facilities by 2035 through a combination of further investment in energy savings projects, conversion to renewable energy sources, completion of capital improvement projects at its sites and in its fleet of company vehicles, and utilization of credible carbon credits. The company's sustainability efforts since 2004 have driven a more than 90% reduction in the greenhouse gas intensity of its operations and facilities. This builds on the company's '10-10-10' commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 10% from 2018 levels, deploy at least 10 renewable energy opportunities and achieve ISO's 50001 Energy Management Standard at 10 facilities by 2024.

08:33 EDT GreenBox reaches final terms to acquire ChargeSavvy in $12M transaction - GreenBox POS announced reaching final terms of its previously announced acquisition of ChargeSavvy LLC, a financial technology company specializing in payment processing and POS systems. The final price of the acquisition was renegotiated from the previously announced $31.2 million all stock transaction to an all-stock transaction valued at $12 million. GreenBox will issue 1 million restricted shares of common stock to ChargeSavvy. The final negotiated terms reflect the findings of an independent audit, internal due diligence, and reflect an overall lower price, negotiated in good faith. The terms take into consideration the strength of GreenBox share price while limiting dilutive effects from the purchase. The parties expect to celebrate signing the definitive agreement within the next few days. The acquisition will include ChargeSavvy's headquarters, a 61,000 square foot office building located in Chicago. ChargeSavvy will be able to immediately utilize GreenBox technology, licenses, rapid onboarding and banking licensing to streamline the boarding of new and existing clients.

08:31 EDT Envestnet acquires Harvest Savings & Wealth Technologies, no terms disclosed - Envestnet announced it has acquired fintech innovator Harvest Savings & Wealth Technologies, which provides automated goals-based saving tools and wealth solutions to banks, credit unions, trust companies, and other financial institutions. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

08:18 EDT MusclePharm appoints Sabina Rizvi as president, CFO - MusclePharm Corporation (MSLP) announced that its Board of Directors has named Sabina Rizvi as its first President and CFO. Rizvi joins MusclePharm from Yum! Brands (YUM), where she has held multiple C-suite roles of increasing responsibility including CFO of the Canadian and Thailand business units and President and General Manager of Pizza Hut Thailand.

08:15 EDT Vocera earns cyber essentials plus certification in the United Kingdom - Vocera Communications announced it achieved Cyber Essentials Plus Certification after completing a rigorous technical audit of the company's internal and external IT systems. Cyber Essentials Plus is the highest level of security certification within the Cyber Essentials program that is endorsed by the United Kingdom Government to demonstrate an organisation has appropriate protections against the most common cyber threats. Cyber Essentials evaluates five technical security controls that organisations should implement to defend against the majority of internet-borne threats. The certification standard verifies secure configuration, boundary firewalls and internet gateways, access control, patch management and malware protection. "We are committed to protecting our customers, partners and employees in the UK and around the globe," said Brent Lang, Chairman and CEO of Vocera. "Earning the Cyber Essentials Plus Certification underscores our focus on the highest levels of security and service. We also recognise and support NHS leadership in requiring vendors to be Plus Certified to ensure that patient and personal health information is rigorously protected."

08:14 EDT Hall of Fame Resort & Entertainment teams with Dolphin and H2H on NFT - Hall of Fame Resort & Entertainment (HOFV) announced its first non-fungible tokens offering in partnership with Dolphin Entertainment (DLPN) and Elite Holdings , the entity which owns H2H. Together, the companies will develop, market, promote and sell NFTs associated with the H2H Legends. Michael Crawford, President and CEO of HOFV, said, "As an organization that operates at the intersection of sports and entertainment, it is our responsibility to leverage the access we have to unique content to build one-of-a-kind fan engagement opportunities across all of our business verticals. The demand for NFTs associated with sports has already been overwhelming. Given the brand partnerships we have with entities like the NFL Alumni Association, the Pro Football Hall of Fame and many others, we will continue to create a strong pipeline of content that will excite consumers for years to come."

08:11 EDT aTyr Pharma appoints Andrea Wilson as patient advisor - aTyr Pharma announced the appointment of Andrea Wilson as a patient advisor to the company. Ms. Wilson, a sarcoidosis patient and advocate, co-founded the Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research, the leading international nonprofit organization dedicated to finding a cure for sarcoidosis and improving care for sarcoidosis patients, and previously served as President and a member of its Board of Directors, including Chairwoman.

08:10 EDT Osisko Gold releases ESG report - Osisko Gold Royalties is pleased to announce several positive steps towards its ongoing commitment to environmental, social and governance matters. These include the release of an inaugural ESG report, commitment to the United Nations Global Compact, and an investment and strategic partnership to promote global decarbonization and biodiversity efforts through carbon credit streaming transactions. Osisko's goal, with the release of its ESG report, is to facilitate ongoing discussions of our risk management processes and help stakeholders assess our relative exposure to, and performance managing, ESG issues. In addition to a discussion of corporate governance practices, the report provides a focused review of how Osisko assesses potential investments through its diligence process and monitors existing assets to ensure the Corporation is well positioned to deliver growth responsibly. Osisko is also proud to announce a strategic partnership with Carbon Streaming to help promote global decarbonization and biodiversity projects. The group's management team consists of seasoned executives with significant streaming expertise and recognized climate change experts. Carbon Streaming's business model is to fund carbon-offset projects that avoid, reduce or remove GHG emissions globally. Osisko's investment totaled C$3.5 million for a 14.3% partially diluted stake in the company, which has been able to raise approximately C$36 million privately. The investment affords Osisko a 20% right to participate in any streaming transactions conducted by Carbon Streaming under certain circumstances Beyond the potential to offset the Corporation's indirect carbon emissions, Osisko expects potential synergies with current and future mine operators in its traditional royalty business. Mining operations afford significant opportunities to generate carbon credits through ancillary projects that are value enhancing for the mine, the neighboring communities and the environment overall.

08:09 EDT electroCore announces results from SAVIOR-1 study of nVNS in COVID-19 patients - electroCore announced the top-line results from the SAVIOR-1 study, a prospective, randomized, controlled study evaluating non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation, or nVNS, using gammaCore Sapphire in patients admitted to the hospital for treatment of COVID-19 between April 2020 and February 2021. This study was an investigator-initiated trial conducted at the Hospital Clinico Universitario de Valencia, Spain. The SAVIOR-1 study enrolled 110 patients over 18 years of age. A total of 97 patients provided baseline demographic and medical history data. The study was designed to evaluate the safety and feasibility of nVNS in addition to the current standard of care in patients hospitalized with active SARS-CoV-2 infection. This pilot study also assessed the incidence of relevant clinical events and changes in blood chemistry between the group treated with nVNS in addition to the standard of care at the time of admission, compared with standard of care alone. The patients' clinical and biochemical endpoints were measured over their first five days of therapy and the adjusted means were compared. It was noted that the post-randomized assessment of severity of condition resulted in a 3.5 to 1 bias with more severe patients in the treatment arm. With respect to the clinical endpoint of oxygen saturation, the nVNS treated group showed a modest, but not significant improvement. Among the biomarkers evaluated, the adjusted mean decrease in C-Reactive Protein, or CRP, from baseline was significantly greater in the nVNS treated grou[. Trends toward significance were also observed for decreases in the treatment group for procalcitonin and d-dimer. Increased levels of CRP, procalcitonin, and d-dimer have all been reported to be associated with more severe disease. The lower levels of these markers in the nVNS treated group may represent the initial impact of nVNS therapy to potentially improve the course of a patients' COVID-19 symptoms. Other biochemical measures also favored the treatment group but did not achieve significance. nVNS was well tolerated with no major device related adverse events and the therapy was administered three times daily on the majority of patients as outlined in the study protocol. Full data from the study, including cytokine levels which are pending final lab results, will be submitted to a peer reviewed journal later this year.

08:07 EDT Mission Produce releases ESG report - Mission Produce announces the release of its inaugural Environmental, Social, and Governance Report, titled "Finest for the Future." The report highlights the Company's accomplishments in sustainable farming and details the status and scope of its goals across Diversity, Equity and Inclusion , climate risk, waste reduction and community investment. Throughout its history, Mission has remained rooted in honesty, respect, and loyalty to its land, resources, and people. As the global leader in avocados, Mission has committed to sustainability initiatives that embody its core values: Fun, Innovative, Reliable, Successful, and Trustworthy. For over 35 years, the Company has invested in its people, state-of-the-art technology and infrastructure. With a focus on investing in people, reducing water and waste, and minimizing carbon emissions, key highlights of the report include the following accomplishments and goals: Mission announced the implementation of a reduced plastic bag in at least 50% of the bags packed and shipped globally by fiscal year 2025, equating to almost 500,000 0.5-liter plastic bottles; Mission's precision and biodiverse farming methods use less irrigation water per avocado compared to the average grower, specifically 40.5% less water in Peru1 and 40% less water in California; Solar panels at the packing facility in the Company's Oxnard headquarters power almost three-quarters of the facility during peak season, with more facilities transitioning to supply renewable energy each year, specifically in Peru and California; By the end of 2021, Mission aims to apply shelf-life extension technology to 22.5 million pounds of avocados to combat food waste and reduce shrink of avocados, the equivalent of powering almost 563 homes, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency Greenhouse Gas calculator; Mission's global workforce comprises nearly 50% women, almost 20% of whom were promoted in 2020; Compared to 2019, in 2020, Mission was able to decrease its total global scope 1 and 2 emissions by 15.8% and reduce its total waste by 16.2%. Additionally, Mission will sponsor the produce industry's first-ever DE&I initiative in 2021, run by the Center for Growing Talent of the Produce Marketing Association.

08:07 EDT Fathom to acquire hyperlocal technology platform LiveBy - Fathom has signed a definitive agreement to acquire hyperlocal data and technology platform, LiveBy. Following the acquisition, LiveBy will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Fathom's subsidiary, IntelliAgent. The purchase price is expected to be approximately $9.0M, consisting of approximately $3.0M in cash and $6.0M in Fathom Holdings common stock. Based in Lincoln, Nebraska, and founded in 2015, LiveBy pairs local data with its geospatial boundaries to create key insights that help boost website engagement, inform clients, and nurture leads. Fathom plans to fully integrate LiveBy's technology platform into its proprietary intelliAgent software suite.

08:06 EDT Immutep achieves fast track designation from FDA for Efti - Immutep (IMMP) announced its lead product candidate eftilagimod alpha has received Fast Track designation in 1st line recurrent or metastatic HNSCC from the Food and Drug Administration. Fast Track has been granted for the development program of efti for 1st line treatment of recurrent or metastatic HNSCC due to its potential to address an unmet medical need, as evidenced by encouraging data indicating a positive risk benefit ratio. The data package evaluated by the FDA included the promising results from Part C of Immutep's Phase II TACTI-002 trial evaluating efti in combination with Keytruda 2nd line PD-X naive HNSCC, and its plans for a trial in 1st line HNSCC. Interim clinical data from TACTI-002 was presented at the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer in November 2020. The Overall Response Rate reported was approximately 36% for 28 patients receiving efti in combination with Keytruda. On 16 March 2021, Immutep announced that it had entered into a second collaboration with Merck & Co. (MRK) to evaluate efti in combination with Keytruda in a new Phase IIb trial in 1st line HNSCC, TACTI-003. Planning for this trial is advancing well and the study is expected to start in mid-2021.

08:05 EDT GT Biopharma enrolls tenth patient in TriKE Phase I/II clinical trial - GT Biopharma has enrolled Patient 10 in its GTB-3550 TriKE first-in-human Phase I/II clinical trial for the treatment of high-risk myelodysplastic syndromes and refractory/relapsed acute myeloid leukemia. Patient 10 will be dosed at 100mcg/kg/day. Highlights from the first nine patients treated with GTB-3550 TriKE include: up to 63.7% reduction in bone marrow blast levels; restores patient's endogenous NK cell function, proliferation and immune surveillance; no progenitor-derived or autologous/allogenic cell therapy required; no cytokine release syndrome observed; 3 out of the last 5 patients treated respond. MDS is a rare form of bone marrow-related cancer caused by irregular blood cell production within the bone marrow. Acute myeloid leukemia is a type of cancer in which the bone marrow makes abnormal myeloblasts, red blood cells, or platelets.

08:04 EDT Connect Biopharma completes enrollment of CBP-201 Phase 2 trial - Connect Biopharma Holdings announced that it has completed full enrollment of the phase 2 clinical trial evaluating CBP-201 in adult patients with moderate-to-severe Atopic Dermatitis. The global, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, dose-ranging clinical trial to assess the efficacy, safety, and pharmacokinetics profile of CBP-201, was designed to enroll 220 subjects and is being conducted at 60 sites across the US, China, Australia, and New Zealand. CBP-201 or placebo was administered to eligible adult subjects with moderate-to-severe AD for 16 weeks with 8 weeks of follow up/

08:02 EDT Orbcomm to be acquired by GI Partners for 11.50 per share in cash - ORBCOMM announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by GI Partners in an all-cash transaction that values ORBCOMM at approximately $1.1B, including net debt. Under the terms of the agreement, ORBCOMM stockholders will receive $11.50 in cash per outstanding share of common stock upon closing of the transaction, representing a premium of approximately 52% to ORBCOMM's closing share price on April 7th and a 50% premium over the 90-day volume-weighted average share price through that date. The investment by GI Partners will support ORBCOMM's strong momentum in the industrial IoT as it increases its investment in sales, marketing and technology innovation to accelerate growth, execute on its long-term strategic plan and global market expansion, and provide added flexibility as a privately-held company. ORBCOMM's Board of Directors has unanimously approved the transaction and recommends that ORBCOMM's stockholders vote in favor of the transaction at the special meeting of ORBCOMM stockholders to be called in connection with the transaction. A special meeting of ORBCOMM's stockholders will be held as soon as practicable following the filing of a definitive proxy statement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and subsequent mailing to its stockholders. The transaction is expected to close following the satisfaction of customary closing conditions, including approval by ORBCOMM stockholders and the receipt of required regulatory approvals. Consistent with the Board's commitment to maximizing stockholder value, under the terms of the definitive merger agreement, ORBCOMM and its representatives may actively solicit and consider alternative acquisition proposals during a 30-day "go-shop" period that will expire on May 7, 2021. ORBCOMM has the right to terminate the definitive merger agreement with GI Partners to enter into a superior proposal subject to certain terms and conditions of the definitive merger agreement. There can be no assurance that this process will result in a superior proposal, and ORBCOMM does not intend to disclose developments with respect to the solicitation process unless and until it determines such disclosure is appropriate or is otherwise required. The parties expect the transaction to close in the second half of 2021. Subject to and upon completion of the transaction, ORBCOMM will become a privately-held company and its common stock will no longer be listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market.

08:01 EDT Canopy Growth to acquire The Supreme Cannabis Company in $435M deal

07:54 EDT Riot Blockchain to acquire Whinstone for in a transaction valued at $651M - Riot Blockchain announced that it has signed a definitive agreement pursuant to which Riot will acquire Whinstone, including all of its assets and operations, for consideration of $80M cash plus a fixed 11.8M shares of Riot common stock, equal to an implied total transaction value of approximately $651M based on Riot's last closing price of $48.37.Whinstone is the owner and operator of North America's largest Bitcoin hosting facility, with 300 MW in developed capacity and an attractive long-term power purchase agreement Diversifies Riot's revenues and catapults Riot into a market-leading position in the Bitcoin mining and hosting business Creates significant financial and operational synergies for Riot; Provides a clear, and significantly de-risked, path to growth for Riot, as Whinstone's facility can be rapidly expanded by an additional 450 MW; Transaction valued at $651 million, $80 million payable in cash and remainder in shares of Riot common stock The acquisition of Whinstone is a transformative event for Riot and its shareholders. Riot views Whinstone as a foundational element in its strategy to become an industry-leading Bitcoin mining platform, on a global scale. Upon the closing of this acquisition, Riot is expected to be the largest publicly-traded Bitcoin mining and hosting company in North America, as measured by total developed capacity. "The acquisition of Whinstone is the most significant achievement in Riot's growth to-date and positions Riot as an industry leader in Bitcoin mining," said Jason Les, CEO of Riot. "After the consummation of this transaction, we will have created a very clear path for the Company's future growth. Riot will wholly own the largest Bitcoin mining facility in North America, with very low power costs, and one of the most talented development teams in the industry. Whinstone will serve as the foundation of Riot's Bitcoin mining operations, upon which we will drive our goal of increasing the American footprint in the global Bitcoin mining landscape." Riot will be able to continue rapidly scaling its self-mining business with Whinstone's industry-leading team. Led by Chad Harris, the Whinstone team has become an industry-leading developer and operator of Bitcoin hosting facilities over the past two years, as Bitcoin mining has reached institutional scale. The Whinstone team is comprised of approximately 100 employees who have built Whinstone's Texas operations from greenfield to commercialization in less than twelve months. The talented Whinstone team, combined with the facility's substantial expansion capacity significantly de-risks Riot's future operational and financial growth.

07:49 EDT Riot Blockchain to acquire Whinstone for $80M cash, 11.8M shares of stock - Riot Blockchain announced that it has signed a definitive agreement pursuant to which Riot will acquire Whinstone US, including all of its assets and operations, for consideration of $80 million cash plus a fixed 11.8 million shares of Riot common stock, equal to an implied total transaction value of approximately $651 million based on Riot's last closing price of $48.37. Whinstone is the owner and operator of North America's largest Bitcoin hosting facility, with 300 MW in developed capacity and an attractive long-term power purchase agreement; Diversifies Riot's revenues and catapults Riot into a market-leading position in the Bitcoin mining and hosting business; Creates significant financial and operational synergies for Riot; Provides a clear, and significantly de-risked, path to growth for Riot, as Whinstone's facility can be rapidly expanded by an additional 450 MW; Transaction valued at $651 million, $80 million payable in cash and remainder in shares of Riot common stock. The acquisition of Whinstone is a transformative event for Riot and its shareholders. Riot views Whinstone as a foundational element in its strategy to become an industry-leading Bitcoin mining platform, on a global scale. Upon the closing of this acquisition, Riot is expected to be the largest publicly-traded Bitcoin mining and hosting company in North America, as measured by total developed capacity. Riot will be able to continue rapidly scaling its self-mining business with Whinstone's industry-leading team. Led by Chad Harris, the Whinstone team has become an industry-leading developer and operator of Bitcoin hosting facilities over the past two years, as Bitcoin mining has reached institutional scale. The Whinstone team is comprised of approximately 100 employees who have built Whinstone's Texas operations from greenfield to commercialization in less than twelve months. The talented Whinstone team, combined with the facility's substantial expansion capacity significantly de-risks Riot's future operational and financial growth. Whinstone is based in Rockdale, Texas and its facility is located on an 100-acre site, hosting Bitcoin mining customers in three buildings totaling 190,000 square feet. An additional 60,000 square foot building is also under development. The site is subject to a long-term lease agreement, with electricity provided via a long-term power supply contract. Whinstone's site has a total power capacity of 750 MW, with 300 MW currently developed. Whinstone's facility is believed to be the largest single facility, as measured by developed capacity, in North America for Bitcoin mining. In pursuit of achieving the most efficient power strategy, Whinstone combines fixed low-cost power agreements, real-time spot power procurement and income from ancillary power services revenue. Bitcoin miners benefit from low-cost energy to maximize production margins, benefiting from an electricity supply with the flexibility to respond rapidly to supply and demand events in the power market. Whinstone currently hosts Bitcoin mining operations for three institutional clients who, by the end of 2021, are expected to utilize up to 300 MW of aggregate power capacity. In addition to hosting revenue, Whinstone generates engineering and construction services revenue from hosting clients on site, including revenue derived from the fabrication and deployment of immersion cooling technology for Bitcoin mining. Upon closing of the transaction, Northern Data will own approximately 12% percent of the total outstanding common stock of Riot. The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2021, subject to the satisfaction or waiver of customary closing conditions, including receipt of required regulatory clearances.

07:43 EDT Constellation Brands expects 2022 beer net sales growth 7%-9% - Sees net sales decline for wine and spirits 22%-24%, organic net sales growth 2-4%.

07:40 EDT CloudMD to acquire Oncidium, closing of transaction expected in June - CloudMD Software & Services announced that it has signed a binding agreement to acquire Oncidium, one of Canada's leading healthcare providers to employers. Oncidium has built a difficult-to-replicate ecosystem of over 500 clients, more than 1,000 health care providers and medical assessors, and its clients with over 2 million employees across the country. Oncidium's solution will be a key component of the company's Enterprise Health Solutions, or EHS, Division and will provide complementary services to the company's already established employer base. This will enable CloudMD to provide a comprehensive EHS solution to the combined network of over 5,500 clients and 5 million employees across North America. The addition of Oncidium will immediately be synergistic for a number of key reasons: instantly accretive to CloudMD with LTM revenues of $37M and Adjusted EBITDA margin exceeding 14% with current 4-month annualized revenue run rate in excess of $40M; on a consolidated basis, CloudMD will have an annualized revenue run rate in excess of $120M, overall gross margin of 35% and achieve positive Adjusted EBITDA; drives revenue and margin expansion for the Enterprise Health Solutions division5 with annualized revenue run rate of $53M, Adjusted EBITDA of +10% and a healthy gross margin of 40%; rapidly growing business in the fastest growing segment of the Canadian healthcare space; cross selling opportunities through a combined network of 5,500 loyal corporate clients and over 5 million lives; increases CloudMD's capabilities to include additional employer health services; and competitive advantage to industry peers. In consideration for the purchase of 100% of the outstanding securities of Oncidium, CloudMD has agreed to pay shareholders of Oncidium: $30M in cash, subject to applicable working capital adjustments; $38M in common shares of the Company at a deemed price of $2.30 per common share; and a performance-based earnout of up to $32M over a 3 year period, which is payable in cash or common shares of the company, at the sole discretion of CloudMD at the time of the earnout. The common shares will be subject to certain contractual restrictions on trading for a period of up to 30 months from the date of issuance. CloudMD intends to fund the cash portion of the upfront consideration with cash on hand and/or debt. The upfront portion of the consideration implies a valuation of ~1.8x LTM Sales and ~13.1x LTM Adjusted EBITDA. The total transaction value carries an implied valuation of ~1.5x Sales and ~8.1x Adjusted EBITDA. The closing of the transaction is expected to occur during the first half of June 2021.

07:39 EDT Royalty Pharma acquires Oxlumo royalty interest from Dicerna for $180M upfront - Dicerna Pharmaceuticals (DRNA) and Royalty Pharma (RPRX) announced that Royalty Pharma has acquired Dicerna's royalty interest in Oxlumo for an upfront cash payment of $180M and up to $60M in contingent sales-based milestone payments. Oxlumo, which has been approved by the FDA and European Medicines Agency, or EMA, for the treatment of primary hyperoxaluria, or PH, type 1, is marketed by Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (ALNY). Dicerna became entitled to royalties on worldwide net product sales of xlumo as part of a 2020 non-exclusive intellectual property cross-license agreement between Dicerna and Alnylam related to the companies' PH programs. Dicerna is entitled to royalties in the mid to high single digits based on Oxlumo global net sales. This transaction, together with Dicerna's cash, cash equivalents, held-to-maturity investments and anticipated milestone and other payments from existing collaborations, is expected to extend Dicerna's projected cash runway and be sufficient to fund the execution of its current clinical and operating plan into 2024.

07:36 EDT W.P. Carey makes $119M investment in hypermarket portfolio in France - W. P. Carey has made a $119M sale-leaseback of three hypermarket properties located in Southern and Central France. The portfolio comprises a total of 424,800 square feet and is triple-net leased to Distribution Casino France, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Casino Guichard-Perrachon food retailer, with approximately 11,000 stores in France and Latin America. The properties are established grocery sites that rank among Casino's top hypermarkets. The assets are triple-net leased with French CPI-based rent escalations and secured by a parent guarantee.

07:34 EDT Dollar Tree and Family Dollar hiring at U.S. stores and distribution centers - Dollar Tree announced plans to support its growth by hiring thousands of full- and part-time associates at Dollar Tree and Family Dollar stores and distribution centers across the U.S. The Company is offering a broad range of opportunities to fit candidates' availability. "With a competitive compensation package and a variety of shifts and flexible schedules, Dollar Tree and Family Dollar are seeking thousands of motivated individuals to support our stores and distribution centers as we provide great value to millions of families across the country in clean and convenient shopping environments," stated Betty Click, Chief Human Resources Officer. "As a leader in value retail, we are focused on training and talent development, and with two distinguished brands, we offer many career opportunities within a stable, growing organization that is committed to providing associates with a safe, positive, and professional work environment." The opportunities include full- and part-time managers at the Company's more than 15,400 U.S. store locations, along with flexible part-time shifts for cashiers and stockers. All Dollar Tree and Family Dollar stores offer a monthly Store Manager Bonus Program, which rewards store managers for performance. To meet career-driven candidates' professional goals, associates can quickly advance to store management positions, depending on a variety of factors. Positions in the Company's 26 U.S. distribution centers include management, as well as full- and part-time order fillers, equipment operators, maintenance, and warehouse associates. The Company prides itself in its total rewards package for distribution center associates, including competitive benefits for eligible full-time associates. Dedicated associates also have opportunities to grow into management-level roles and to earn extra compensation through incentive pay, enabling them to promptly earn higher wages upon increasing their productivity.

07:30 EDT TWC Tech Holdings II trading resumes

07:13 EDT uniQure announces publications of preclinical data for AMT-130 - uniQure announced that three manuscripts on preclinical data from its gene therapy candidate AMT-130 in Huntington's disease have been accepted for publication, in the journals Science Translational Medicine, Brain Science, and Brain Communications. The publications show the safety and efficacy of AMT-130 in the deep brain structures of a large animal model and outline a promising novel efficacy biomarker for AMT-130. The paper published this week in Science Translational Medicine examines the translatability and long-term durability of AMT-130 in transgenic Huntington's disease minipigs, which were used to assess the biodistribution and target engagement in a larger brain. The minipig model is the largest diseased animal model available, generally weighing up to 300 pounds. AMT-130 was administered by MRI-guided convention-enhanced delivery at a single dose, bilaterally in the caudate and putamen. Vector DNA distribution and transgene expression in minipig brains demonstrated extensive brain coverage comparable at the interim sacrifice timepoints of 6- and 12-months post administration, leading to significant lowering of mutant huntingtin protein in the brain. At 12 months, the most pronounced mHTT protein lowering was observed in the putamen, caudate, and amygdala, followed by thalamus, and cerebral cortex.

07:10 EDT Athira Pharma to host webinar on targeting HGF/MET - Athira Pharma announced that it will host an educational webinar on targeting HGF/MET, a naturally occurring, neuronal repair pathway. The live webinar event will be on Thursday, April 15, at 1:30 p.m. PT / 4:30 p.m.ET. The webinar will feature a discussion with Marwan Sabbagh, M.D., a board-certified neurologist and geriatric neurologist and leading expert in Alzheimer's disease and dementia. Dr. Sabbagh will discuss the current treatment landscape of Alzheimer's disease and dementia; the need for differentiated approaches; and the critical role of the hepatocyte growth factor and its receptor, MET repair pathway, in mediating brain health and function. Dr. Sabbagh is a member of Athira's Clinical Advisory Board. Kevin Church, Ph.D., Vice President of Discovery at Athira, will also provide an overview of HGF biology, the translational aspect of the pharmacology and ATH-1017: a small molecule therapeutic candidate designed to enhance the activity of HGF/MET, impact neurodegeneration and regenerate brain tissue. Drs. Sabbagh and Church will also be available to answer questions following the formal presentation.

07:09 EDT KKR to lead purchase of $500M of convertible preferred stock in Box - KKR (KKR) will lead the purchase of $500 million of convertible preferred stock. The preferred stock will be convertible into shares of Box (BOX) common stock at a conversion price of $27.00 per share. In the event that the 10-day volume-weighted average price, or VWAP, ending April 21, 2021 is less than a threshold price of $20.77 per share, the conversion price will be proportionately adjusted downward from $27.00. Any downward adjustment will maintain the same ratio of conversion price to 10-day VWAP as the unadjusted conversion price to such threshold price, subject to a minimum conversion price of $24.00 per share. The investment from KKR is being made through certain of its investment funds. The preferred stock carries a 3% dividend, which will be payable in kind or in cash, at Box's election. On an as-converted basis, the preferred stock will represent approximately 11% of Box's shares outstanding after giving effect to the investment and before any share repurchases. The preferred stock can be converted into common stock at any time, and Box may be required to redeem the preferred stock after seven years. Conversely, Box can require conversion into common stock after three years if the stock price exceeds certain thresholds and can redeem the preferred stock after five years, subject to a call schedule. Consummation of this investment is subject to satisfaction of customary closing conditions. Box currently expects the investment to close in May 2021.

07:08 EDT Box reaffirms vision to deliver Content Cloud, drive profitable growth - Box reaffirmed its vision to deliver the Content Cloud and drive profitable growth. Bolstered by the support of KKR, the company is focused on advancing its land-and-expand strategy to generate growth from new and existing customers while driving continued demand for its advanced product capabilities and adoption of Box Suites. To further open up new areas for growth and innovation, the company is growing its product portfolio and expanding its presence in key international markets. To accelerate its strategy Box has expanded into new market adjacencies like e-signatures with Box Sign, the new e-signature capability that will be natively embedded in Box, while also continuing to double down on product areas like Box Shield and Box Governance for advanced security and compliance, and Box Relay for workflow automation. Box also continues to cultivate strong partnerships with leading technology companies and system integrators, including IBM, Google, Salesforce, Slack, Zoom, Cisco Okta, and Microsoft, to ensure it is delivering its Content Cloud to customers at scale. As previously announced, Box is committed to achieving a revenue growth rate between 12-16%, with operating margins of between 23-27%, by fiscal 2024. Box remains confident in its ability to achieve these results based on the customer momentum underway, as well as the company's product roadmap and the total addressable market opportunity ahead.

07:08 EDT BeiGene launches Brukinsa in Canada to treat Waldenstrom's Macroglobulinemia - BeiGene announced the official launch of BRUKINSA zanubrutinib, in Canada for the treatment of adult patients with Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia . BRUKINSA was authorized for sale by Health Canada in this indication on March 1, 2021, following the previous grant of priority review in September 2020. In tandem with the commercial launch of BRUKINSA, the myBeiGene patient support program is available in Canada to support patients, caregivers, and healthcare providers with access to BRUKINSA. "We are thrilled to officially launch BRUKINSA in Canada, making this potentially best-in-class BTK inhibitor available to Canadian WM patients. Since the approval in Canada five weeks ago, our team has been working to set up distribution channels across the country for a speedy launch," said Peter Brenders, General Manager of Canada at BeiGene. "Together with the myBeiGene patient support program with comprehensive financial assistance, disease education, and emotional support, we are striving to ensure access for patients in Canada."

07:07 EDT Box announces partnership with KKR, including $500M KKR-led investment

07:06 EDT Harbor Custom Development secures $6.3M in construction financing - Harbor Custom Development announced that it has established a new corporate banking relationship with Washington Federal Inc. DBA "WaFd Bank" and secured $6.383M in construction financing for 13 single family homes at Soundview Estates, a 339 lot subdivision located in Bremerton, Washington. Sterling Griffin, President and CEO of Harbor stated, "We are excited to enter into a new banking relationship with a top tier multi-state lender like WaFd Bank. Their eight state Western U.S. footprint provides us the opportunity to grow Harbor Custom Homes in several of our target markets with conventional financing. We are currently established in the Seattle, Sacramento and Austin metro markets and look forward to potential expansion into other markets prior to year end."

07:05 EDT BeiGene saysPhase 2 trial of Brukinsa did not meet efficacy endpoints - BeiGene announced that the Phase 2 trial evaluating BRUKINSA ,zanubrutinib, in patients hospitalized with respiratory symptoms of COVID-19, requiring supplemental oxygen without mechanical ventilation, did not meet the co-primary efficacy endpoints of respiratory failure-free survival or reduction in days on oxygen as compared to placebo. There were no new or additional safety signals for zanubrutinib identified in the trial. "I am proud of the work by our teams at BeiGene and our research partners to further the understanding of the potential for BTK-inhibition against COVID-19-related respiratory distress. While the outcome of this Phase 2 trial is disappointing, I am heartened by the speed at which we mobilized to launch a clinical trial to explore if zanubrutinib might be able to help in the global fight against COVID-19," said Jane Huang, M.D., Chief Medical Officer, Hematology, at BeiGene. "Our mission has been to explore ways we can help patients around the world, supported by scientific rigor and well-designed and executed trials like this." BeiGene expects to submit these data for scientific presentation or publication in the future.

07:05 EDT Biogen, Bio-Thera solutions announce commercialization agreement for biosimilar - Biogen and Bio-Thera Solutions announced that they entered into a commercialization and license agreement to develop, manufacture and commercialize BAT1806, a Phase 3 clinical stage anti-interleukin-6 receptor monoclonal antibody that is a proposed biosimilar referencing Actemra1. Actemra1's primary indication is for moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis in adults as well as juvenile idiopathic polyarthritis, systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis, giant cell arteritis and cytokine release syndrome. In 2020 global sales of Actemra1 were 2.8B CHF. Biogen will gain exclusive regulatory, manufacturing and commercial rights to BAT1806 in all countries excluding China. Biogen will expand its global biosimilars footprint with the potential approval of BAT1806. Under the terms of the agreement, Biogen will make an upfront payment of $30M to Bio-Thera Solutions, contingent upon Bio-Thera Solutions' Phase 3 for BAT1806 achieving satisfactory results. Should certain commercial milestones be achieved, Bio-Thera Solutions will be eligible to receive potential milestone payments. Biogen will also pay Bio-Thera Solutions tiered royalties. The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2021.

07:03 EDT CareDx announces HLA typing service offering - CareDx announced that they have launched a fully-functional next generation sequencing HLA typing service lab in Stockholm, Sweden to support companies in research and academic studies working on HLA applications in vaccine and drug development as well as disease association studies. CareDx's HLA typing service in Stockholm has been engaged by one of the top 10 global pharmaceutical companies in the world, providing initial testing results in the first quarter of 2021.

07:02 EDT Comscore signs agreement with Sun Broadcasting for local TV measurement - Comscore announced a new agreement to provide Sun Broadcasting with Comscore's local TV measurement currency for all of their Ft. Myers television stations, including WXCW-TV, WUVF-TV and WANA-TV.

06:57 EDT Compass Minerals to sell North American micronutrient assets for $60.25M - Compass Minerals announced that the company has entered into a definitive agreement to sell certain of its North America micronutrient assets to Koch Agronomic Services, a subsidiary of Koch Industries, for approximately $60.25M, payable at closing and subject to a closing inventory adjustment. The transaction represents another strategic step by Compass Minerals to optimize its asset portfolio to focus on the company's core operations. This includes three location-advantaged salt mines in North America and the U.K., a number of North American production and packaging facilities, and solar evaporation operations on the Great Salt Lake that produce the majority of the company's market-leading sulfate of potash, a premium low-chloride specialty fertilizer marketed as Protassium+. Under the terms of the agreement, Compass Minerals will sell substantially all assets related to the company's Wolf Trax, Rocket Seeds and Hydro Bullet micronutrient product lines to Koch. The sale agreement includes intellectual property, inventory, customer and marketing materials, and research and development projects already in progress for those product lines. The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter, subject to customary closing conditions.

06:54 EDT Endeavour Silver reports Q1 silver production up 22%, gold production up 31% - Endeavour Silver reports production of 1,048,100 silver oz and 11,109 gold oz in Q1, for silver equivalent production of 1.9 million oz at an 80:1 silver:gold ratio. Silver production increased 22% and gold production increased 31% compared to 1Q20, due primarily to higher ore grades mined and processed. Consolidated Production is on plan as silver equivalent production at each mine is on track to meet or exceed 2021 production plans. Sold 623,379 oz silver and 10,663 oz gold, held 523,235 oz silver and 1,123 oz gold of bullion inventory and 6,582 oz silver and 566 oz gold in concentrate inventory. Management withheld metal from sale during the price correction over last two weeks of March and plans to sell the withheld metal inventory in anticipation of a precious metal prices rebound in Q2. Advanced sale of the El Cubo mine in Guanajuato, Mexico to VanGold Mining Corp for $15M in cash and share payments, with up to $3M in contingent payments. The transaction is anticipated to close in April.

06:52 EDT The Buckle reports March net sales $139.4M, up 240.2% - The Buckle announced that net sales for the 5-week fiscal month ended April 3 increased 240.2$ to $139.4M from net sales of $41M for the prior year 5-week fiscal month ended April 4, 2020. Compared to the same 5-week period in fiscal 2019, net sales increased 69.5% from net sales of $82.3M for the 5-week fiscal month ended April 6, 2019. Net sales for the 9-week fiscal period ended April 3, 2021 increased 97.7% to $205.5M from net sales of $104M for the prior year 9-week fiscal period ended April 4, 2020. Compared to the same 9-week period in fiscal 2019, net sales increased 45% from net sales of $141.7M for the 9-week fiscal period ended April 6, 2019. Net sales for fiscal 2020 were significantly impacted by the company's closure of all brick and mortar stores due to the COVID-19 pandemic beginning March 18, 2020. As a result of the impact of the store closures on prior year reported net sales, the company will report total net sales each month compared to the past two years and does not plan to separately report comparable store sales for the months most affected by the store closures. The company plans to resume its regular monthly reporting with its August results.

06:48 EDT Stantec signs LOI to acquire Engenium consultancy in Australia - Stantec has signed a letter of intent set to close in Q2 to acquire Engenium, a project delivery consultancy specializing in the delivery of mining, resources, and industrial infrastructure projects, founded in 2003. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Headquartered in Perth, Western Australia, Engenium has multi-year framework agreements with many of the country's local mining houses and is involved in both brownfield and new greenfield project developments. Additionally, the team is at the forefront of decarbonization and clean energy technology.

06:37 EDT Compass Minerals sells North American micronutrient assets to Koch - Koch Agronomic Services reached agreement with Compass Minerals to purchase Compass Minerals' North American micronutrient assets, the global intellectual property rights, with trademarks and patents, and certain other assets associated with the Wolf Trax, Rocket Seeds and Hydro Bullet product platforms. The transaction is expected to close in April, subject to customary closing conditions.

06:26 EDT Infosys announces collaboration with ArcelorMittal - Infosys (INFY) announced a strategic long-term collaboration with ArcelorMittal (MT). ArcelorMittal has chosen Infosys to help accelerate the company's digital transformation and enable next-generation application management and business process management services for ArcelorMittal Europe. Through this engagement, Infosys will work with ArcelorMittal Europe, share best practices around next-generation application management services. Infosys will also establish a business process management, or BPM, service in ArcelorMittal Europe's shared services center.

06:09 EDT Aurinia Pharmaceuticals' Lupkynis shows efficacy in lupus nephritis - Aurinia Pharmaceuticals presented additional efficacy data from the Aura-LV and Aurora1 pivotal trials of Lupkynis in lupus nephritis. The data were shared at the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) 2021 Spring Clinical Meetings. Pooled data from the studies demonstrate that Lupkynis, in combination with mycophenolate mofetil and low-dose corticosteroids, led to treatment benefits across biopsy class subgroups compared with treatment with MMF and low-dose corticosteroids alone - placebo -. On January 22, the FDA approved Lupkynis in combination with a background immunosuppressive therapy regimen to treat adult patients with active LN.

06:06 EDT Aurora Mobile announces partnership with Beijing Koudai Fashion Technology - Aurora Mobile announced that it has entered into a partnership agreement with Beijing Koudai Fashion Technology Co., Ltd., also known as Weidian, to jointly develop digital marketing, digital "new retail", and intelligent connected systems. Leveraging its leading artificial intelligence technologies and strong analytical capabilities, Aurora Mobile will help Weidian facilitate an integrated and end-to-end ecosystem that serves merchants, developers, brands and consumers.

06:04 EDT Piedmont Lithium increases lithium resources by 40% - Piedmont Lithium updated its Global Mineral Resource estimate for the company's flagship Piedmont Lithium Project in North Carolina, USA which includes updated Mineral Resource estimates from the Core and Central properties and an initial Mineral Resource estimate from the Huffstetler property. The total MRE for the project is 39.2 Mt at 1.09% Li2O, with 55% of the MRE currently classified in the Indicated category. Exploration and infill drilling continues with five rigs operating on the Core property. CEO Keith Phillips commented: "Increasing the scale of our North Carolina mineral resource to 39.2 Mt at 1.09% Li2O establishes our asset as one of the largest spodumene resources in North America - and the only one in the U.S. The expanded resource offers the potential for increased annual lithium production, something we will evaluate as we prepare our updated Scoping Study for release next month. All this is coming together at an ideal time, as the public and private sectors dramatically increase their investment in the electrification of America. Given the scope and strategic location of our Piedmont Lithium Project, we believe we are ideally positioned to play a critical role in helping the U.S: build a clean energy economy and a U.S. based EV supply chain."

06:02 EDT AppHarvest acquires Root AI for approximately $60M - AppHarvest announced that it has acquired Root AI, an artificial intelligence farming startup that creates intelligent robots to help manage high-tech indoor farms. The acquisition of Root AI and its robotic universal harvester, Virgo, is expected to provide AppHarvest with a baseline of harvesting support working alongside crop care specialists focused on more complex tasks. AppHarvest expects the game-changing advantage of the technology to be in the data the robots can collect as they harvest, which can help evaluate crop health, precisely predict yield and optimize overall operations of the controlled environment agriculture facility. Root AI co-founder and CEO Josh Lessing will take on the role of Chief Technology Officer for AppHarvest where he will take the lead in continuing to develop the robots and their AI capabilities for the network of indoor farms that AppHarvest is building. AppHarvest is investing approximately $60M, consisting of approximately $10M in cash and the balance in AppHarvest common shares, to acquire Root AI. The company will issue approximately 2,328,000 shares for the transaction.

05:14 EDT Volvo, SSAB sign collaboration agreement to make vehicles from fossil-free steel - Volvo and SSAB have signed a collaboration agreement on research, development, serial production and commercialization of the world's first vehicles to be made of fossil-free steel. Volvo plans this year to start the production of concept vehicles and components from steel made by SSAB using hydrogen. Volvo will start manufacturing the first concept vehicles and machines with steel from SSAB using hydrogen in 2021. Plans are for smaller-scale serial production to start during 2022 and for a gradual escalation towards mass production to follow. Volvo and SSAB will also work together in research and development to optimize the use of steel in Volvo's products with regard to weight and quality. Together, the two companies will develop a number of products of fossil-free steel with the goal of reaching serial production within a few years. The companies said newly made fossil-free steel from SSAB will be a complement to the traditional and recycled steel used in Volvo's trucks, construction equipment and other products. Fossil-free steel will be made by a completely new technology using fossil-free electricity and hydrogen. The result will be a much lower climate impact and a fossil-free value chain. The collaboration framework also includes a review of common logistics solutions that can contribute to reducing SSAB's environmental impact from internal and external transports. The ambition is to use Volvo vehicles that are powered by batteries or fuel cells. SSAB aims to start supplying the market with fossil-free steel at a commercial scale in 2026. Development of a fossil-free value chain from mine to finished steel products will take place within the framework of the HYBRIT initiative, which SSAB has been driving with LKAB and Vattenfall since 2016. A pilot plant has been in place since August 2020 and this will soon start to produce smaller volumes of sponge iron made using hydrogen. This steel will be used to make the steel for use in this collaboration.

05:04 EDT Teva receives EU Marketing Authorization for Seffalair Spiromax - Teva Pharmaceuticals Europe announced that it has received EU Marketing Authorization for Seffalair Spiromax and its duplicate BroPair Spiromax as a maintenance treatment for asthma in adults and adolescents aged 12 years and older. Initial launches are planned in Portugal, Switzerland, Spain and the UK.