Stockwinners Market Radar for April 20, 2021 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

20:19 EDT NorthWestern enters contracts for 325 MW of dispatchable capacity resources - NorthWestern Energy has entered into multiple contracts for projects to acquire 325 megawatts of dispatchable capacity resources: procurement and construction agreements for a 175 megawatt natural gas plant; a pending agreement to purchase capacity from a 50 megawatt battery storage project; and a power purchase agreement for 100 megawatts of predominantly hydroelectric resources. The contracts were entered into after NorthWestern Energy completed its competitive solicitation process for long-term capacity resources issued in January 2020.

19:43 EDT Volaris announces addition of eight incremental A320 NEO aircraft - Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion, S.A.B. de C.V. (VLRS) announces the addition of eight more A320 NEO aircraft to its fleet in 2021, on top of the three aircraft from its purchase order with Airbus (EADSY), closing the year with at least 98 aircraft.

18:36 EDT BHP Group reports Q3 iron ore output 69.9MT, down 4% from last year - Reports Q3 petroleum output 25.4MMBOE, up 7% from last year. Reports Q3 copper production 391.4kt, down 7% from last year. Reports Q3 Metallurgical coal production 9.6MT, up 1% from last year.

18:20 EDT Netflix says largest competitor is still linear television - Says biggest new show was French series "Lupin." Says more authentically local shows tend to play really well in local markets.

18:07 EDT Netflix says Q1 performance 'boils down to COVID' - Says Q1 performance "boils down to COVID." Says comparison to last Q1 creates some "short-term choppiness." Says COVID pushed some key content to the back end of this year. Says most "big misses" in terms of content happened in the past five quarters. Says COVID made it difficult to predict user growth. Comments taken from Q1 earnings conference call.

17:45 EDT Inotiv drops 10% to $18.41 after announcing common stock offering

17:38 EDT Recursion Pharmaceuticals holder Mubadala Investment Co buys $50M in stock - In a regulatory filing, Mubadala Investment disclosed that the fund purchased 2.78M shares of Recursion Pharmaceuticals on April 16th in a total transaction size of $50M, increasing its stake by about 47%.

17:16 EDT Boeing awarded $436.69M Army contract modification for Apache AH-64E aircraft - Boeing was awarded a $436.69M modification to a contract for full rate production of Apache AH-64E aircraft. Work will be performed in Mesa, Arizona, with an estimated completion date of February 28, 2025. FY21 aircraft procurement, Army funds in the amount of $436.69M were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command is the contracting activity.

17:10 EDT PayPal's Venmo launches 'crypto on Venmo' to buy, hold and sell cryptocurrency - Earlier on Tuesday, Venmo announced the launch of crypto on Venmo, a new way for Venmo's more than 70M customers to buy, hold and sell cryptocurrency directly within the Venmo app. Beginning to roll out today, crypto on Venmo offers customers a way to start their crypto journey alongside the many ways they already use Venmo to spend and manage their money. With crypto on Venmo, customers can view cryptocurrency trends, buy or sell crypto, and access in-app guides and videos to help answer commonly asked questions and learn more about the world of crypto. Customers using crypto on Venmo can choose from four types of cryptocurrency: Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin and Bitcoin Cash. When they make transactions, customers can also choose to share their crypto journey with their friends through the Venmo feed. "Crypto on Venmo is a new way for the Venmo community to start exploring the world of crypto, within the Venmo environment they trust and rely on as a key component of their everyday financial lives," said Darrell Esch, SVP and GM, Venmo. "No matter where you are in your cryptocurrency journey, crypto on Venmo will help our community to learn and explore cryptocurrencies on a trusted platform and directly in the app they know and love. Our goal is to provide our customers with an easy-to-use platform that simplifies the process of buying and selling cryptocurrencies and demystifies some of the common questions and misconceptions that consumers may have." Venmo customers can start their crypto journey with as little as $1 by clicking on "Crypto" in the Venmo menu at the top right in the app. Customers will have the ability to buy and sell cryptocurrency using funds from their balance with Venmo, or a linked bank account or debit card. All transactions are managed directly in the Venmo app. Simple, easy to navigate and intuitive, crypto on Venmo also enables Venmo customers to share their crypto experience with their friends if they choose to publish on the Venmo feed. Crypto on Venmo is enabled through PayPal's partnership with Paxos Trust Company, a regulated provider of cryptocurrency products and services. PayPal was also granted a first-of-its-kind conditional Bitlicense by the New York State Department of Financial Services, NYDFS, allowing PayPal and Venmo to offer its customers the ability to buy, sell and hold cryptocurrency.

17:03 EDT Intuitive Surgical jumps about 4% above $842 after Q1 earnings

17:03 EDT Intuitive Surgical sees 'similar quarterly patterns' to 2019 on procedure trends - Sees FY21 gross margin 70%-71% vs. 68.4% in FY20 and 71.7% in FY19.

16:37 EDT Marathon Oil reports Q1 cash flow from operations of $610M-$630M - Marathon Oil provided preliminary information regarding certain Q1 financial and operational estimates in light of uncertainty from Winter Storm Uri. The Company will report final first quarter results on Wednesday, May 5, after the close of U.S. financial markets. Preliminary Q1 results include: cash flow from operations of $610M-$630M, including $10M-$20M of negative changes in working capital; cash additions to property, plant, and equipment of approximately $200M; Total Company oil production of 172,000 net bopd with sales of 168,000 net bopd; total Company oil-equivalent production of 345,000 net boed with sales of 341,000 net boed; difference between production and sales due primarily to an underlift in Equatorial Guinea; Estimated unhedged U.S. segment realizations of approximately $55/bbl for oil, $24/bbl for NGLs, and $6.30/mcf for natural gas; International segment oil realizations of approximately $44/bbl; realized derivative loss of $71M; General and administrative expense of approximately $90M, including $11M of severance expense and $13M of corporate aircraft lease termination expense, both related to cost reduction actions during Q1.

16:32 EDT National Vision names Roger Francis chief stores officer - National Vision Holdings announced the selection of Roger Francis as Chief Stores Officer, effective May 3, 2021. Francis will report to Reade Fahs, Chief Executive Officer, and will oversee operations for more than 1,200 stores across all National Vision brands. He will work closely with the executive team to advance National Vision's mission, vision and growth strategies.

16:31 EDT Yellow Corp announces its aim tor recruit 'thousands' of new employees - Yellow Corp announced it is recruiting employees for new positions in Everett, Washington. On Tuesday, April 27, Yellow will host a hiring event as the trucking company looks to fill jobs including dock workers, linehaul drivers, local drivers and box truck drivers. Yellow intends to hire qualified individuals immediately for 19 jobs in Everett with more positions open nationwide. Yellow's 30,000 employees are based in all 50 states as well as Puerto Rico, Canada and Mexico. Yellow's Everett hiring event is among more than two dozen similar recruiting events taking place across America between now and July. By the end of 2021, Yellow aims to hire thousands of new employees nationwide with at least 1,500 of those positions earmarked for commercial drivers.

16:25 EDT Moderna announces new supply agreement with Israel for 2022 - Moderna announced a new supply agreement with Israel for 2022. Under the terms of this agreement, Israel also retains an option to purchase doses of one of Moderna's variant-specific vaccine candidates subject to regulatory approval. The announcement follows two earlier agreements between Israel and Moderna to supply a total of 10 million doses of the COVID-19 Vaccine Moderna. The Israeli Ministry of Health authorized COVID-19 Vaccine Moderna for use on January 4, 2021. "We appreciate the continued confidence and collaboration with the Israel Ministry of Health with this new agreement," said Stephane Bancel, Chief Executive Officer of Moderna. "This is an important moment for our company as the first firm order for 2022 supply and for the supply of our variant-specific booster vaccine candidates against COVID-19, currently being studied in human clinical trials. Recent preclinical results have shown that our variant-specific booster candidates were effective against COVID-19 variants of concerns, and we hope to continue to see positive results from the clinical studies."

16:23 EDT BurgerFi receives noncompliance notification from Nasdaq - BurgerFi received a letter from Nasdaq as a result of not timely filing its annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020. The letter states that the company is not in compliance with the filing requirements for continued listing under Nasdaq Listing Rule 5250. The Nasdaq letter notes that the company is required to submit a plan to regain compliance with Nasdaq's filing requirements within 60 calendar days of the date of the Nasdaq letter, which is June 15. Upon acceptance of the company's compliance plan, Nasdaq is permitted to grant an extension of up to 180 days from the initial due date of the subject filing, which is October 12, for the company to regain compliance with Nasdaq's filing requirements for continued listing. The company intends to submit a compliance plan within the 60 calendar day period. During the process of regaining compliance with Nasdaq, the company expects that its common stock and warrants will continue trading on Nasdaq.

16:19 EDT Edwards Lifesciences CEO says 'continued confidence' in 2021 outlook - "We recognize that there are many people still struggling with the pandemic around the world, yet as we anniversary the start of the pandemic, I'm encouraged by the signs of recovery," said Michael Mussallem, chairman and CEO. "Structural heart procedures increased as we progressed through the winter months, and our sales growth this quarter was better-than-expected. Although we anticipate the effects of the pandemic will impact structural heart patients in the near term, we have continued confidence in our positive 2021 outlook."

16:17 EDT Regional Management expands operations to Illinois - Regional Management announced that it has expanded its operations to Illinois, its 12th U.S. state, with the opening of its first branch in Maryville. The branch is the company's 366th location and expands Regional Management's de novo footprint within the Midwestern U.S. "We are thrilled to bring our valuable product set, financial solutions, and best-in-class service to consumers throughout Illinois," said Robert W. Beck, President and Chief Executive Officer of Regional Management Corp. "We expect to open additional branches in Illinois throughout 2021. We also remain on track to enter another four to six new states over the next 18 months, including expansion to up to two additional states later this year. Our geographic expansion, combined with our latest digital origination and servicing initiatives, continue to enable us to reach new customers and to empower our existing customers to transact with us at their convenience."

16:17 EDT Premier Financial raises quarterly dividend to 26c per share from 24c - The Board of Directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.26 per common share, an increase of $0.02 per common share, payable May 14, 2021, to shareholders of record at the close of business on May 7, 2021. The dividend represents an annual dividend of 3.14 percent based on the Premier common stock closing price on April 19, 2021. Premier has approximately 37,304,000 common shares outstanding.

16:14 EDT LabCorp launches COVID-19 test kits for small business - The company states: "Labcorp announced the availability of the Pixel by Labcorp COVID-19 PCR Test Home Collection Kit for small businesses, an initiative aimed at providing fast, convenient, and reliable testing for companies with as many as 120 employees. Labcorp Employer Services currently provides COVID-19 testing and vaccination services for larger organizations and communities. Upon receiving a Pixel by Labcorp COVID-19 PCR Test Home Collection Kit from their employer or an event organizer, individuals self-administer the test using a short nasal swab and send their sample back to Labcorp via prepaid FedEx Express overnight. Results are typically available within 1-2 days from when Labcorp receives the sample. Once the test is processed by Labcorp, results are accessed securely by the employee via the Pixel by Labcorp website. If a COVID-19 test is positive, a Labcorp-verified healthcare staff member will contact the individual directly by phone or mail to discuss next steps. Pixel by Labcorp has contracted with a physician network to provide independent physician services for consultation. Labcorp's COVID-19 PCR test has not been FDA cleared or approved and has been authorized by the FDA under an emergency use authorization only for the detection of nucleic acid from SARS-CoV-2, not for any other viruses or pathogens."

16:12 EDT Lumos Pharma names Lori Lawley as CFO - Lumos Pharma announced several changes to its executive team as the Company celebrates one year since the close of its merger. After a distinguished 40-year career as an accountant and financial executive, including over 15 successful years with the Company and its predecessor, Chief Financial Officer Carl Langren has announced his plans to retire effective as of July 4, 2021. Mr. Langren has served as CFO of the Company since November 2018. After his departure, Mr. Langren will continue to serve as a consultant to Lumos Pharma for a transitory period to ensure a smooth succession process. Lori Lawley, currently Senior Vice President, Finance and Corporate Controller, will succeed Mr. Langren as CFO effective as of July 4, 2021.

16:09 EDT ICF International awarded $35M contract from Department of Health - The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families recently awarded ICF, a global consulting and digital services provider, a re-compete contract to provide training and technical assistance to support Head Start programs in the southeast region of the country. The contract has a value of $35M and a term of five years, including an 11-month base and four 12-month options. The award adds eight additional states to ICF's Head Start program coverage area.

16:08 EDT Netflix sees $5B buyback program to start this quarter - Netflix said: "During the quarter, we repaid our 5.375% February 1, 2021 bond - $500M principal - out of balance sheet cash, reducing our total gross debt balance to $15.7 billion as of March 31, 2021. We intend to maintain $10-$15B of gross debt. Our board has approved a program to repurchase up to $5B of our common stock beginning in 2021 with no fixed expiration date. We expect our buyback program will begin this quarter."

16:07 EDT Qiagen launches artus SARS-CoV-2 test kit - Qiagen announced the launch of the artus SARS-CoV-2 Prep&Amp UM Kit which uses a liquid based sample preparation technology to simplify and increase COVID-19 testing throughput. The artus SARS-CoV-2 Prep&Amp UM Kit has been CE-IVD registered for use in the European Union and other markets and an application for Emergency Use Authorization has been submitted to the FDA, allowing commercialization via notification in the US. QIAGEN's innovative artus(R) SARS-CoV-2 Prep&Amp UM Kit integrates a liquid-based sample preparation that takes no more than two minutes with the provided real-time PCR assay. The kit uses common transport media like Universal Transport Media as the starting material, and provide all reagents required for sample to result on suspected SARS-CoV-2 patient samples.

16:05 EDT Netflix sees Q2 global streaming paid net additions of 1.0M - Netflix said in its quarterly letter to investors: "As a reminder, the quarterly guidance we provide is our actual internal forecast at the time we report. That means in some quarters our results will be high relative to our guidance forecast and, in others, it will be low, as can be seen in the chart below. As our membership base continues to grow, there will naturally be more volatility in our absolute paid net additions performance vs. forecast. With similar pull forward and delayed slate dynamics plus our typical seasonality expected to impact Q2'21, we project paid net additions of 1m (vs. 10m in the prior year quarter) with our UCAN and LATAM regions expected to be roughly flattish in memberships (+/- a couple hundred thousand paid net adds). We anticipate paid membership growth will re-accelerate in the second half of 2021 as we ramp into a very strong back half slate."

16:04 EDT Kindred Biosciences announces results from IL-31 antibody program - Kindred Biosciences unveiled positive results in a new long-acting interleukin, or IL,-31 antibody program, or KIND-039, that integrates the company's novel half-life extension technology. Results from the pharmacokinetic study of the molecule demonstrate that the fully caninized, high-affinity antibody has up to a three-fold longer half-life compared to tirnovetmab. This extended half-life is expected to allow for up to three-fold longer interval between dosing.

16:03 EDT Interactive Brokers says impact of COVID on future results remains uncertain - The company states: "The initial effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Company's financial results, which may have continued through the first quarter of 2021, can be summarized as follows: (1) higher commission revenue due to increased trading activity and a higher rate of customer accounts opened throughout 2020 and into the first quarter of 2021; and (2) lower net interest income resulting from lower benchmark interest rates. Reduced net interest income on customer cash balances and margin lending was offset in the current quarter by a strong performance in securities lending. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the company's future financial results remains uncertain and currently cannot be quantified, as it depends on numerous evolving factors that currently cannot be accurately predicted, including, but not limited to the duration and spread of the pandemic; its impact on our customers, employees and vendors; governmental actions in response to the pandemic; and the overall impact of the pandemic in the economy and society; among other factors. Any of these events could have a materially adverse effect on the company's financial results."

15:30 EDT Blizzard says 'Overwatch' director Kaplan to leave company - Blizzard Entertainment, a subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, announced in a blog post that Jeff Kaplan has decided to leave the company after a long career at the game maker, and that Aaron Keller, a Blizzard veteran and founding member of the "Overwatch" team, will be stepping in as game director. Jeff Kaplan was one of the directors on Blizzard's popular 2016 team-based shooter "Overwatch." Reference Link

14:02 EDT Phillips 66 announces minority ownership stake in Shell Rock Soy Processing - Phillips 66 announced it is securing feedstock for the company's portfolio of renewable fuels projects by investing in a new soybean-processing plant in Iowa. The company's investment gives it a minority ownership stake in Shell Rock Soy Processing, Phillips 66 said. The plant, which is pending state and local approvals, will yield approximately 4,000 barrels per day of soybean oil. Phillips 66 has an agreement to purchase 100% of the plant's soybean oil production that will be used to make renewable fuels. "This strategic investment expands our reach into the renewable diesel value chain and provides secure feedstock. It also reflects our commitment to play an important role in a lower-carbon energy future," said Brian Mandell, Phillips 66 Executive Vice President of Marketing and Commercial.

13:56 EDT Apple says 11-inch iPad Pro starts at $799, available in second half of May - Says iPad Pro available for pre-order April 30, available for purchase in second half of May. Says 11-inch starts at $799, 12.9-inch starts at $1099.

13:48 EDT Apple introduces new iMac with M1 chip - Apple introduced a new iMac that it said features "a much more compact and remarkably thin design, enabled by the M1 chip." Apple said: "The new iMac offers powerful performance in a design that's just 11.5 millimeters thin, with a striking side profile that practically disappears. Available in an array of vibrant colors to match a user's personal style and brighten any space, iMac features a 24-inch 4.5K Retina display with 11.3 million pixels, 500 nits of brightness, and over a billion colors, delivering a brilliant and vivid viewing experience." The new 24-inch iMac is available to order beginning Friday, April 30, on apple.com and in the Apple Store app. It will begin arriving to customers and be available in select Apple Store locations and through Apple Authorized Resellers beginning in the second half of May. iMac with 7-core GPU starts at $1,299 in the U.S. and $1,249 in the U.S. for education, and is available in green, pink, blue, and silver. iMac with 8-core GPU starts at $1,499 in the U.S. and $1,399 in the U.S. for education, and is available in green, yellow, orange, pink, purple, blue, and silver.

13:44 EDT Apple adding 5G to new iPad Pro - Apple (AAPL) says iPadOS already built to take full advantage of M1 capabilities. Says M1 offers 50% faster CPU for iPad Pro. Says iPad Pro compatible with latest PlayStation (SNE) and Xbox (MSFT) controllers. Says new iPad Pro comes with two times faster storage and a new 2TB storage configuration. Says new iPad Pro comes with thunderbolt support and 4x more bandwidth for wired connections. Says adding 5G to iPad Pro.

13:37 EDT Apple says new iMac pre-orders start April 30, out in second half of May - Says new iMac starts at $1299 in four colors. Says pre-orders start April 30, available for purchase in second half of May. Says comes in seven colors starting at $1499.

13:31 EDT Discovery announces Food Network Kitchen launch on Roku platform in U.S. - Discovery (DISCA) announced that Food Network Kitchen, which it calls "the most complete food and cooking digital experience," is now available on the Roku (ROKU) platform in the U.S. "Today's launch on the Roku platform makes Food Network Kitchen available to millions of new customers in the U.S. We are thrilled to expand our relationship with Roku and provide their customers with access to Food Network Kitchen, continuing to inspire people to explore all their kitchen has to offer," said Gabriel Sauerhoff, SVP, Digital Distribution and Commercial Partnerships at Discovery, Inc.

13:27 EDT Apple says new iMac comes with 1080p FaceTime HD camera - Says new iMac display is 24 inches, comes with 11.3M pixels and 4.5x retina display. Says new iMac has 1080p FaceTime HD camera. Says new camera paired with M1 processor.

13:23 EDT Apple unveils 'next generation' of Apple TV 4K - Apple announced the next generation of Apple TV 4K, which it said delivers "high frame rate HDR with Dolby Vision" and connects customers to their "favorite content with the highest quality." Apple said: "At the heart of the new Apple TV 4K is the A12 Bionic chip that provides a significant boost in graphics performance, video decoding, and audio processing. And with an all-new design, the Siri Remote makes it even easier to watch shows and movies on Apple TV with intuitive navigation controls. Together with tvOS - the most powerful TV operating system - Apple TV 4K works seamlessly with Apple devices and services to magically transform the living room in ways that everyone in the family will love." The new Apple TV 4K will be available starting at $179 in the U.S. from apple.com, in the Apple Store app, and Apple Store locations. Apple TV 4K is also available through Apple Authorized Resellers and select pay TV providers. Customers can order the new Apple TV 4K beginning Friday, April 30, with availability beginning in the second half of May in more than 30 countries and regions, including the U.S. Apple TV HD with the new Siri Remote will be available for $149.

13:19 EDT Apple says new Apple TV 4K available for purchase in second half of May - Says season 2 of "Ted Lasso" coming to Apple TV+ in July. Says Apple TV 4K built with A12 bionic processor. Says working with content providers to stream content in 4K HDR. Says new Apple TV 4K can play HDR in high frame rates. Says new color balance feature to allow users to use iPhone to adjust color settings on Apple TV. Says redesigned Apple TV remote with contrasting controls and new touch-enabled clickpad. Says new Apple TV 4K available for pre-order April 30 and purchase available in second half of May, with 32GB version priced at $179 and 64GB version priced at $199.

13:14 EDT Apple introduces AirTag iPhone accessory - Apple introduced AirTag, an accessory that helps keep track of and find items with Apple's Find My app. Apple said: "Whether attached to a handbag, keys, backpack, or other items, AirTag taps into the vast, global Find My network and can help locate a lost item, all while keeping location data private and anonymous with end-to-end encryption." AirTag can be purchased in one and four packs for just $29 and $99, respectively, and will be available beginning Friday, April 30.

13:13 EDT Apple introduces new purple color for iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini - Apple unveiled what it called "an all-new stunning purple finish" for iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini. "This new color beautifully accentuates the flat aluminum edges of iPhone 12, which are perfectly color-matched to the precision-milled back glass," Apple said in a press release to accompany its "Spring Forward" product event. Customers in China, Japan, the U.K., the U.S., and more than 30 other countries and regions will be able to pre-order iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini in purple beginning at 5 a.m. PDT on Friday, April 23, with availability beginning Friday, April 30.

13:11 EDT Apple introduces AirTag, a physical tool to attach to items - Apple introduced AirTag, a device that uses iPhone's Find My network to find physical items the device is attached to. Says AirTag is designed to find items, not people. Says comes with unwanted tag detection and other kinds of alerts. Says priced at $29, with a four-pack priced at $99. Says pre-orders start Friday, fully available April 30. Says partnered with Hermes for leather strap for AirTag.

13:06 EDT Apple says Apple Card Family available in U.S. in May

13:01 EDT Tyson Foods extends on-site vaccinations to employee families, households - Tyson Foods will now extend onsite COVID-19 vaccinations to family members of employees as well as others living in their homes. Vaccines will be available, per state and local guidelines, to these extended groups at all future Tyson Foods vaccination events.

12:33 EDT Medtronic announces safety, effectiveness results for IN.PACT AV Access study - Medtronic announced the safety and effectiveness results through 24 months for the IN.PACT AV Access clinical study. The company said, "The data, which were presented virtually as a podium first at the 2021 Charing Cross Symposium, demonstrated that the IN.PACT AV drug-coated balloon is the first and only DCB to show sustained and superior effectiveness through two years compared to standard percutaneous transluminal angioplasty in end-stage renal disease patients with de novo or non-stented restenotic native arteriovenous fistulae in the upper extremity." AV fistulae are created and used to deliver hemodialysis to patients with ESRD. Over time, vessel restenosis limits the ability to use AV fistulae effectively. In order to restore function, patients often undergo one to three AV fistula maintenance procedures per year. The need for frequent reinterventions can result in significant disruptions to critical hemodialysis care and increased costs to the healthcare system. Drug-coated balloons have the potential to extend the time between reinterventions by maintaining AV access site patency, therefore maximizing a patient's uninterrupted access to lifesaving dialysis care. Over two years, the IN.PACT AV DCB group demonstrated a continued clinical benefit compared to the PTA control group. Key data highlights per Kaplan-Meier estimates for this dataset include: Target lesion primary patency through 24 months was 52.2% in the IN.PACT AV DCB group compared to 36.2% in the PTA control group. Access circuit primary patency through 24 months was 39.5% in the IN.PACT AV DCB group compared to 25.4% in the PTA control group. Freedom from all-cause mortality through 24 months was 82.4% in the IN.PACT AV DCB study group and 82.8% in the PTA control group.

12:05 EDT ASM International announces new EUR 100M buyback program - On February 25, 2020, ASM International announced the authorization of a share buyback program for up to EUR 100M. The program started on June 2, 2020, and was completed on March 2, 2021. In total, the company repurchased 646,180 shares at an average price of EUR 154.76. Today ASM announces the authorization of a new repurchase program of up to EUR 100M of the company's common shares within the 2021/2022 time frame. "This buyback program will be executed by intermediaries and will end as soon as the aggregate purchase price of the common shares acquired by ASMI has reached EUR100 million," the company said.

12:00 EDT dMY Technology II falls -11.6% - dMY Technology II is down -11.6%, or -$2.12 to $16.14.

12:00 EDT Companhia Brasileira de Distribuicao rises 7.9% - Companhia Brasileira de Distribuicao is up 7.9%, or 51c to $6.99.

12:00 EDT Kansas City Southern rises 16.0% - Kansas City Southern is up 16.0%, or $41.12 to $297.52.

11:40 EDT Kazia Therapeutics expands pipeline to include EVT801 - Kazia (KZIA) announced that it is expanding its pipeline to include EVT801, a novel small molecule inhibitor of VEGFR3. The drug is being licensed from Evotec (EVTCY) for EUR1M upfront, EUR308M in milestones and tiered single-digit royalties. EVT801 was developed as part of a collaboration between Evotec and Sanofi (SNY). Kazia will be responsible for development, but will collaborate with and have access to Evotec resources to support development. The product is currently in preclinical development, but Kazia believes it can launch a Phase I study before the end of CY21.

11:27 EDT Philips reports five-year meta-analysis of Stellarex drug-coated balloon - Royal Philips announced the five-year patient-level meta-analysis of two major randomized controlled trials. The findings, which represent the highest level of the evidence pyramid, confirm the long-term safety of the Philips Stellarex Drug-Coated Balloon, the company said in a statement. The meta-analysis shows no difference in mortality at each year through five years for patients treated with the Stellarex low-dose DCB when compared with those treated with percutaneous transluminal angioplasty, the current standard of care. The meta-analysis was presented at the 2021 Charing Cross International Symposium. The ILLUMENATE EU RCT and ILLUMENATE Pivotal RCT meta-analysis comprises approximately 600 patients in Europe and the U.S., and is the largest homogenous patient data set of paclitaxel DCB RCTs with five-year follow-up. After five years, the meta-analysis for the two studies shows no difference in survival rates, with 80.4% for the Stellarex DCB arm and 80.4% for the PTA arm. The analysis also demonstrates that the use of one or multiple Stellarex DCBs in a patient is not a predictor of mortality. The meta-analysis has a vital status follow-up compliance of over 90%.

11:20 EDT United Airlines 'laser-focused' on paying down debt

11:15 EDT Lockheed Martin says returned $1.7B cash to stockholders - Says White House's preliminary budget proposal for FY22 shows the "desire for continued stability and national security." Says an orange flag exercise w/ the Air Force showcased the integration of the F-35, F-22 and U-2 with land-based long range missiles and space-based sensors. Says the exercise demonstrated a fully functional Internet of Things architecture.

11:10 EDT United Airlines has identified $1.9B of $2B cost-cutting efforts

11:03 EDT Lockheed Martin sees FY21 Aeronautics sales $27.375B-$27.775B - Sees FY21 Space sales $11.875B-$12.175B, RMS sales $16.425B-$16.825B, MFC sales $11.625B-$11.925B. Sees Aeronautics segment operating profit $3.01B-$3.05B, Space segment op profit $1.12B-$1.15B, RMS segment op profit $1.66B-$1.7B, MFC segment op profit $1.59B-$1.62B. Comments taken from Q1 conference call presentation slides

11:03 EDT Advance Auto raises 2021 capital expenditures outlook to $300M-$350M - Prior 2021 capital expenditures outlook $275M-$300M.

11:02 EDT Advance Auto Parts raises 2021 new store openings to 100-150 - Prior outlook of 2021 new store openings was 50-100.

10:59 EDT Advance Auto boosts quarterly dividend to $1 from 25c, buyback by $1B - Advance Auto Parts announced that its board approved an additional share repurchase authorization of $1B, bringing the total available repurchase authorization to approximately $1.3B. In addition, the board declared a quarterly cash dividend of $1.00 per share, an increase from 25c. The dividend is payable July 2, to shareholders of record as of June 18. "In recognition of our 2020 results, strong financial position and confidence in our ability to deliver additional top- and bottom-line growth this year, the Board has voted to significantly increase the quarterly dividend," said Tom Greco, CEO. "Across Advance, we remain focused on our financial priorities of maintaining an investment grade rating, investing in the business and returning cash to shareholders. This increase in the quarterly cash dividend combined with the additional share repurchase authorization announced today reflects our commitment to a balanced approach to returning cash to shareholders."

10:51 EDT Toshiba says 'not possible to evaluate' CVC acquisition proposal - Toshiba disclosed that letter received from CVC Asia Pacific Limited "contained no specific and detailed information capable of detailed evaluation." It added ,"As this preliminary proposal lacks the required information the board has concluded it is not possible to evaluate it." Toshiba said it would "seriously consider and evaluate any credible offers." Reference Link

10:49 EDT United Airlines: Pace of demand recovery 'really accelerated' in March

10:37 EDT United Airlines CEO: Company has made last Covid debt raise

10:36 EDT United Airlines sees clear path to reaching positive adjusted EBITDA - Sees clear path to achieving positive adjusted EBITDA even with business and long-haul down as much as 70%. Sees return to positive net income once business and long-haul international recover to down 35%.

10:35 EDT United Airlines continues to expect positive core cash flow moving forward

10:33 EDT Cross Country Healthcare appoints Gerald Purgay as CMO - Cross Country Healthcare promoted Gerald Purgay to the role of chief marketing officer where he is responsible for all marketing functions across the enterprise. Previously, Purgay served as SVP, marketing.

10:22 EDT Hershey announces new renewable energy agreements aligned with 2030 goals - The Hershey Company (HSY) announced two new clean energy partnerships to develop solar projects in the U.S. as it moves its operations toward the use of clean and renewable energy. For the first project, located in Camden, North Carolina, Hershey has made a 15-year power purchase agreement that will enable the financing and construction of the company's first utility-scale solar farm. The farm is being developed by global renewable energy developer BayWa r.e. This solar project will be a 20 megawatt facility on 218 acres of land. Once completed, the North Carolina project will reduce CO2 emission by 32,025 metric tons per year, the equivalent of emissions incurred from driving more than 80 million miles in the average passenger car or charging nearly 3.9 billion smartphones.* Construction of the new solar farm is expected to be completed in late July. In addition, Hershey has signed a solar power purchase agreement with National Grid Renewables (NGG) for 50 megawatts of the previously announced Noble Project, currently under construction in Denton County, Texas. Hershey's solar contract will account for an estimated 118,000 megawatt hours per year, creating a reduction of approximately 83,625 metric tons of CO2 emissions annually, equivalent to driving 210 million miles in the average passenger car or charging more than 10 billion smartphones, the company said in a statement. Hershey is one of several companies involved in the Noble Project, which is estimated to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by a total of 450,000 metric tons annually during the first 20 years of operations. Both solar projects will generate significant clean power in North Carolina and Texas as well as significantly reduce Hershey's CO2 footprint by 115,650 metric tons each year, Hershey said.

10:15 EDT Beam Therapeutics publishes data highlighting IBEs that enhance efficiency - Beam Therapeutics announced the publication of work describing inlaid base editors in The CRISPR Journal. IBEs are architectural variants of base editors that have attributes of enhanced specificity and altered activity windows relative to foundational base editors. The work highlights Beam's application of its IBEs for BEAM-102, one of its base editing programs in development for the treatment of sickle cell disease. "Beam is a pioneer in the field of base editing, and this work is a testament to the leadership of our team of scientists in expanding the role that base editing medicines can play in the treatment of a wide variety of diseases," said Giuseppe Ciaramella, Ph.D., president and chief scientific officer of Beam. "Direct correction of the sickle-causing mutation with traditional gene editing technologies has been limited by low efficiency. The therapeutic potential of our rationally designed IBEs is exciting. Not only have these differentiated base editors demonstrated the potential to efficiently convert the disease-causing sickle hemoglobin allele into a normal variant; they open the doors to potentially target a broad range of other genetic diseases."

10:11 EDT EMA says 'overall benefit-risk remains positive' for J&J Covid vaccine

10:02 EDT Southern Power acquires Glass Sands Wind Facility from Steelhead Americas - Southern Power, a subsidiary of Southern Company (SO), announced the acquisition of its 15th wind project, the 118-megawatt Glass Sands Wind Facility, from Steelhead Americas, Vestas' development arm in North America. The project, located in Murray County, Oklahoma, is Southern Power's fifth wind facility in the state and contributes to the company's growing fleet of clean energy resources from California to Maine. Glass Sands was developed by Steelhead Americas and is expected to utilize 28 wind turbines manufactured by Vestas. Construction, executed by Mortensen, is underway, and the project is expected to achieve commercial operation in the fourth quarter of this year. Once operational, the electricity and associated renewable energy credits generated by the facility will be sold under a power purchase agreement with Amazon (AMZN).

10:00 EDT Altria Group falls -7.0% - Altria Group is down -7.0%, or -$3.42 to $45.66.

10:00 EDT San Juan Basin Royalty Trust rises 9.6% - San Juan Basin Royalty Trust is up 9.6%, or 42c to $4.76.

10:00 EDT Kansas City Southern rises 14.5% - Kansas City Southern is up 14.5%, or $37.21 to $293.61.

09:53 EDT Abbott believes substantial portion of Covid testing is sustainable - Says saw solid growth across businesses amid the pandemic, with double-digit growth in diabetes, structural heart, core lab and adult nutrition. Says has momentum with planned product launches. Says underlying base business, pipeline 'heading in the right detection. Says will get a lot of the share of Covid testing that's remaining.

09:47 EDT Virgin Galactic falls -7.7% - Virgin Galactic is down -7.7%, or -$1.72 to $20.74.

09:47 EDT China Green falls -9.3% - China Green is down -9.3%, or -$1.57 to $15.30.

09:47 EDT Fisker rises 10.7% - Fisker is up 10.7%, or $1.32 to $13.69.

09:43 EDT Abbott 'on track' with guidance expectations - Says on track with guidance expectations. Says underlying base business continues to improve. Says global user base for Libre surpasses 3M users worldwide. Comments taken from Q1 earnings conference call

09:37 EDT Johnson & Johnson says 'cautiously hopeful' on path forward for COVID vaccine

09:32 EDT Harley-Davidson says Q1-Q3 inventory will be lower than historical average - Says inventory in first three quarters of 2021 will be lower than historical average. Says new retail originations were up in Q1 over 25%. Says expects 30%-35% motorcycle segment growth. Says expects 60% of revenue to be from first half of 2021. Says expects inventories to dip in back half of the year. Says looks to be pioneer in EV space. Says will release more details related to EVs in Q2. Says expects unprecedented pandemic-related supply chain challenges to persist. Says has been through significant change. Comments taken from Q1 earnings conference call.

09:25 EDT Innospec no longer considering Elementis acquisition following offer rejection - Innospec (IOSP) notes the recent speculation with regard to a potential offer for Elementis (EMNSF). On 31 March 2021, an approach was made by Innospec to the Board of Elementis. This approach was rejected by the Board of Elementis on 9th April 2021 and Innospec subsequently ceased active consideration on 15th April 2021. The approach sought the support of the Elementis Board for a possible all share offer of 160p per Elementis share with a maximum 50% cash alternative with mix and match facility. As a result of the rejection, Innospec is no longer currently considering this acquisition. The company said, "Innospec believes the combination of the companies would have created benefits for both sets of shareholders given the compelling strategic fit. The Proposal would have enabled Elementis shareholders to share in future value creation substantially beyond the headline offer price through significant anticipated synergies and an expected re-rating of the Elementis business to Innospec's materially higher valuation multiple. Innospec remains highly focused on delivering value for its own shareholders. Innospec will only pursue transactions which meet its investment criteria and where it is appropriate to do so, taking into account the importance of maintaining a prudent capital structure under current economic conditions. "

09:19 EDT AMD announces AMD Radeon Software Adrenalin 21.4.1 - AMD announced AMD Radeon Software Adrenalin 21.4.1, the next edition of its software suite for AMD Radeon graphics.

09:18 EDT EnWave completes 10kW REV machine sale to NuWave Foods - EnWave announced that it has completed the sale of a 10kW Radiant Energy Vacuum machine to NuWave Foods. NuWave entered into a royalty-bearing license agreement with EnWave to use REV technology for a lineup of shelf-stable bakery products in November 2020. NuWave must purchase a 60kW or greater rated power REV machine to retain the exclusivity for its lineup of shelf-stable bakery products granted under the License.

09:16 EDT Syneos Health, Medable partner to expand decentralized trial solutions - Syneos Health and Medable announced a partnership to bring clinical trials closer to the patient. The partnership will deliver new decentralized capabilities to Syneos Health with the aim of increasing clinical trial diversity, while improving patient access and experiences to transform biopharmaceutical product development. Syneos Health will gain access to Medable's digital platform that "reduces physician burden, simplifies the patient journey, and collects previously difficult to obtain data to speed therapies to patients across the clinical development lifecycle," the companies said. "The demand for decentralized clinical trials has steadily increased as sponsors search for innovative and meaningful ways to drive efficiency, reduce cost and alleviate patient burden," said Maria Fotiu, Executive Vice President for Decentralized Solutions, Syneos Health. "Our collaboration with Medable will identify opportunities to capture data - real time - to better deliver customized, decentralized solutions. When combined with our Illingworth Research Group mobile research nursing capabilities, we believe we'll be able to engage more diverse populations and increase access for patients who previously couldn't participate in clinical trials."

09:14 EDT Verizon to expand 5G to several more cities in the U.S. - This week, Verizon is expanding 5G Ultra Wideband mobility to parts of New Orleans, LA; Fresno, CA; Riverside, CA; and San Antonio, TX. These additions will bring the total number of mobility cities to 71. 5G Home Internet will also be available to customers in parts of Riverside, CA on April 22, and Memphis and San Antonio on May 6.

09:12 EDT HP Inc. aims to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040 - HP Inc. announced some of the most aggressive and comprehensive climate goals in the technology industry. The commitments highlight the progress the company is making to drive a net zero carbon, fully regenerative economy, reduce its overall environmental footprint, and strengthen its business for the long term to create the most sustainable portfolio of products and solutions in the industry. The measures HP is driving, that build on the strength of its complete list of 2025 goals, are among the most comprehensive climate actions in the technology sector and align with relevant U.N. Sustainable Development Goals. "Climate change is a defining challenge of our generation that demands immediate action and investment," said Enrique Lores, HP Inc. President and CEO. "Now is a time for bold moves and ambitious goals that will protect our planet and create new sources of innovation and growth across the global economy. By driving toward net-zero carbon emissions across our entire value chain by 2040, product circularity and a forest positive framework, we will accelerate our progress and advance HP's aspiration to become the world's most sustainable and just technology company." Goals: Achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions across HP value chain by 2040, beginning with Supplies business achieving carbon neutrality by 2030; Reduce HP value chain GHG emissions 50% by 2030; Reach carbon neutrality and zero waste in HP operations by 2025; Reach 75% circularity for products and packaging by 2030; Maintain zero deforestation for HP paper and paper-based packaging; Counteract deforestation for non-HP paper used in our products and print services by 2030.

09:11 EDT Gap brand Athleta announces entry into Canada - Gap brand Athleta, announced it will enter Canada later this year, marking the performance lifestyle brand's first company owned expansion outside the United States. Athleta plans to launch e-commerce late this summer followed by opening retail stores at Yorkdale Shopping Center in North York, Ontario and Park Royal Shopping Centre in West Vancouver, British Columbia in fall 2021.

09:10 EDT Diversey appoints Selim Bassoul, Juan Figuereo to board of directors - Diversey Holdings (DSEY) has appointed Selim Bassoul and Juan Figuereo to the company's board of directors, effective March 25, 2021, following the public listing. Mr. Bassoul will serve as chairman of Diversey's board. These appointments will bring the total number of directors to nine. Bassoul was the chief executive officer and chairman of the board of directors at The Middleby Corporation (MIDD) from January 2001 until his retirement in February 2019. Figuereo is currently a director and member of the audit and finance & investment committees at Western Alliance Bancorp (WAL) and also serves as a director and chair of the audit committee at Decker Brands (DECK).

09:09 EDT LivaNova gets FDA 501 clearance for B-Capta - LivaNova announced it received U.S. Food and Drug Administration clearance for B-Capta, the new in-line, blood-gas monitoring system integrated into the market-leading S5 heart-lung machine (. The system is designed to easily and accurately monitor arterial and venous blood gas parameters even during long and complex pediatric and adult cardiopulmonary bypass procedures. B-Capta, which received CE Mark in May 2020 and completed a successful limited commercial release in Europe, will now be available globally. B-Capta's innovative sensing technology provides accurate and continuous measurements that allow the perfusionist to quickly react to parameter changes. The system's intuitive user interface reduces set-up time, aligning parameters to those of the hospital's Laboratory Blood Gas Analyzer and includes accurate oxygen partial pressure a key measurement when performing Goal-Directed Perfusion. "B-Capta significantly extends the in-line, blood-gas monitoring options available to our customers for continuous monitoring of key patient physiological parameters consistent with clinical guidelines during extracorporeal life support procedures," said Marco Dolci, LivaNova Senior Vice President

09:08 EDT Biolase and EdgeEndo announce co-development of EdgePRO - BIOLASE and EdgeEndo announced in association with the American Association of Endodontists, or AAE, Annual Meeting beginning on April 21, the co-development of EdgePRO, a next-generation Laser-Assisted Microfluidic Irrigation device for endodontists. This new Microfluidic Irrigation device is being developed to offer a solution for endodontists seeking more from their current cleaning and disinfection techniques, such as sodium hypochlorite, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, chlorhexidine or 2-in-1 or 3-in-1 irrigation solutions. BIOLASE anticipates submitting a premarket notification to the FDA for the co-developed device in the Q2. The device is not currently available for sale in the U.S.

09:07 EDT Nano Dimension acquires DeepCube, to pay shareholders $40M, $30M in Nano shares - Nano Dimension announced that is has signed a definitive agreement to acquire DeepCube. Nano Dimension will pay the shareholders of DeepCube approximately $40M in cash and $30M in American Depositary Shares of Nano Dimension, which are subject to stand still for various periods of up to 3 years after closing of this transaction. Such closing is expected in the next few days, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions. Yoav Stern, CEO of Nano Dimension, commented: "Similar supply chain issues, as described recently in the public media in relation to the semi-conductor industry, are hovering over the printed circuit board fabrication and assembly industries. Those segments are even more subject to margins pressure due to the Far East low labor cost and "non-free-market" effects on the capital intensity and pricing mechanisms. Moreover, the PCB/PCBA industry is directly affected by the issues of the chip-components shortage. Nano Dimension's vision is to establish "INDUSTRY 4.0" solutions, which entail building an AI/ML "distributed digital fabrication application" rather than just building machines as capital equipment. The "AI/ML/DL Distributed Electronic Fabrication Application" will enable a totally environmentally and ecologically friendly digital control of the supply chain for Hi-PEDs, or very high performance AME-3D-PCBs."

09:05 EDT JAKKS, SEGA expand global toy partnership for Sonic the Hedgehog merchandise - JAKKS Pacific announced a renewal with SEGA of America,. for the Classic and Modern versions of the Sonic the Hedgehog Collection, maintaining JAKKS as one of the franchise's global partners. JAKKS will design, manufacture, market, and sell Sonic the Hedgehog branded toy product lines worldwide commencing in 2022. This renewed agreement will include rights to produce action figures, playsets, vehicles, plush and other collectibles.

09:04 EDT Y-mAbs receives requests from FDA for additional data on omburtamab - Y-mAbs Therapeutics announced a regulatory update for omburtamab, which is an investigational, monoclonal antibody that targets B7-H3 and has been radiolabeled before intraventricular central nervous system administration. B7-H3 is an immune checkpoint molecule that is widely expressed in tumor cells of several cancer types. Y-mAbs recently concluded a Type B meeting with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration regarding omburtamab and received requests from the FDA for additional data concerning the granularity of data from our identified historical control groups. In order to agree on a statistical analysis plan, this additional granularity data is being collected and we anticipate submitting it to the FDA by the end of April. An additional Type B meeting has been scheduled for June 1, 2021 to discuss the SAP based on review of the additional data. The company continues to be in close dialog with the FDA and maintains an aim of resubmitting the Biologics License Application for omburtamab late in the second quarter or in the third quarter of 2021.

09:03 EDT EZGO Technologies signs agreement with Jiangsu Research Institute - EZGO Technologies announced that it entered into a strategic cooperation agreement with Jiangsu Research Institute of Dalian University of Technology, or JSRI-DUT, a well-known university in China, and co-founded the Intelligent Fast Charging Technology Innovation Center. EZGO and JSRI-DUT plan to develop new fast charging and wireless charging technologies and solutions, aiming to launch its first fast-charging product by the end of the Q2 and a wireless charging solution by the end of 2021. The wireless charging market for E-bicycles is growing rapidly, with the overall market growing at an annual CAGR of 10% and expected to reach $40B by 2026 according to Philips IP&S. The main purpose of this alliance between EZGO and JSRI-DUT is to facilitate extensive cooperation in technology research, standardization of wireless charging solutions, promotion of certain wireless charging applications, utilization of intellectual property and talent development in the area of intelligent fast charging technology by leveraging the resource advantages from both JSRI-DUT and the Company.

09:02 EDT Infrastructure and Energy Alternatives awarded $300M in wind, solar projects - Infrastructure and Energy Alternatives announced that the company has been awarded three renewable energy construction projects for a combined total of approximately $300M. Two of the engineering, procurement and construction projects, including a wind farm and a solar farm, are located in Texas. Work on the solar farm began in the first quarter of 2021 and is expected to be completed by December 2021. IEA is self-performing all the engineering, civil, foundations, trackers, collection, inverter installations, module installations and commissioning at the solar project site. Work on the wind farm began in the first quarter of 2021 and is anticipated to be completed in the first half of 2022. IEA is also self-performing all the project work, including the construction of project roads, the erection of wind turbine generators and the installation of the medium voltage collection systems. The third project is a wind farm located in Illinois with completion expected in 2022. IEA is building all the public and private access roads for the project site, erecting the wind turbine generators and installing the collection systems.

09:01 EDT Boeing CFO Greg Smith to retire in July 2021

08:53 EDT Johnson & Johnson says COVID-19 remains a 'dynamic variable' in U.S. - Says Q1 Medical Devices sales driven by COVID related market recovery in Asia Pacific and U.S. Says continues to invest in R&D at "competitive levels." Sees room to run in Medical Devices unit recovery. Says "stronger as a business before the pandemic." Comments taken from Q1 earnings conference call.

08:47 EDT Procter & Gamble plans to return about $19B of cash to shareholders this FY - P&G expects to pay more than $8B in dividends in fiscal 2021. The company also increased its outlook for common stock repurchase from up to $10B to approximately $11B in fiscal 2021.

08:46 EDT William Hill says High Court sanctions scheme of arrangement with Caesars - On September 30, 2020, the boards of William Hill (WIMHY), Caesars UK Bidco and Caesars (CZR) announced that they had reached agreement on the terms of a recommended cash acquisition pursuant to which Caesars UK Bidco would acquire the entire issued and to be issued share capital of William Hill not already owned by or on behalf of the Caesars Group, to be effected by means of a Court-sanctioned scheme of arrangement, William Hill noted. The Scheme Court Hearing was held on March 31, 2021, and "William Hill is pleased to announce that the High Court of Justice in England and Wales has today sanctioned the Scheme pursuant to which the Acquisition is being implemented," the company announced. "It is anticipated that the effective date will be April 22, 2021, which is when a copy of the court order is expected to be delivered to the registrar of companies... Applications have been made for the suspension of trading in William Hill Shares on the London Stock Exchange's main market for listed securities and the listing of William Hill Shares on the premium listing segment of the Official List of the Financial Conduct Authority and such suspensions are expected to take effect by 7:30 a.m. on 22 April 2021. The last day of dealings in, and for the registration and transfer of, William Hill Shares will be 21 April 2021. The de-listing of William Hill Shares from the premium listing segment of the Official List of the Financial Conduct Authority and the cancellation of the admission to trading of William Hill Shares on the London Stock Exchange's main market for listed securities have also been applied for and will, subject to the Scheme becoming Effective, take effect by 8:00 a.m. on 23 April 2021. A further announcement will be made when the Scheme has become Effective," William Hill said.

08:36 EDT Simulations Plus says DSS, division has renewed licenses to DILIsym - Simulations Plus announced that its DILIsym Services, DSS, division has renewed licenses to its DILIsym(R) software platform, its flagship quantitative systems toxicology software for predicting and investigating drug-induced liver injury for use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration . The renewal ensures continued DILIsym software access to FDA employees across all FDA divisions at the FDA's discretion through an unlimited licensing package. Dr. Paul B. Watkins, chair of the Scientific Advisory Board of the DILI-sim Initiative, remarked, "It is not surprising that the FDA continues to see value in maintaining access to the DILIsym software in-house, as they are now frequently seeing results from the software in regulatory submissions, including NDA applications. It's clear that results for DILIsym modeling can be an important part of the weight of evidence supporting the liver safety of new drug candidates." Dr. Brett Howell, president of the DILIsym Services division, added: "DILIsym is helping drug developers better predict and understand liver injury. There are now several public examples of this, including work focused on ubrogepant, lixivaptan, tolvaptan, remdesivir, pexidartinib, solithromycin, entolimod, acetaminophen, and GGF2. Many other examples are ongoing or completed but not yet public. It is, therefore, great to see the FDA maintaining DILIsym access to potentially evaluate the DILIsym submissions received and to potentially do further analyses."

08:33 EDT CACI awarded $376M contract by National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency - CACI International announced that it has been awarded a five-year, single-award indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract, with a ceiling value of $376M, by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency to provide mission technology in support of critical geospatial intelligence missions. Under the contract, which is new work for the company, CACI will help improve and sustain a framework for organizing and sharing geospatial intelligence data and enhance these capabilities with artificial intelligence and machine learning tools. CACI will develop and deploy a processing and integration platform that will enable NGA and its partners to assess, train, and field algorithms into the production framework. The company will also help enable production capabilities to access, discover, and consume the generated data, including space-based images, and further develop data management capabilities. John Mengucci, CACI President and Chief Executive Officer, said, "CACI is proud to bring our strength in artificial intelligence and proven mission technology to NGA to enable actionable intelligence for their critical national security missions."

08:33 EDT Kandi Technologies completes Jinhua manufacturing exit inspection - Kandi Technologies announced that it completed all work necessary to vacate the property associated with its legacy manufacturing plant in the Jinhua Economic and Technological Development Zone. Accordingly, the Development Zone has acknowledged the completion and delivered to Kandi all required documents necessary to close the transaction. On schedule and as agreed, by the end of March 2021 Kandi finished relocating production and offices to the new industrial park and vacated the old factory property. In early April, the relevant Economic Zone authorities inspected the vacated land and determined that it met all stipulated conditions. This inspection and acceptance will now be verified by an additional set of interested parties. Upon their approval, within ten working days Kandi will receive the final installment payment of $22.7M.

08:27 EDT Super League Gaming, Mobcrush to share new offering at Esports Newfront - Super League is thrilled to be participating in the upcoming 2021 Esports Newfront alongside Mobcrush. The presentation from the two companies, happening at 1:30 PM ET on Thursday, April 22nd, will feature a first-hand look at the unique opportunities for consumer brands to reach a broad demographic of mainstream gamers across the three most critical engagement points: in-game, in-stream, and in-event. The companies will share how tapping into their offerings enables an impressive level of scale through a combined player base of more than three million per month and more than 400,000 players per day, and a U.S. audience of 85 million monthly and more than 7.7 billion video views across digital live streaming platforms such as Twitch and YouTube as well as more than two billion video views across social media channels including Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and more.

08:26 EDT Zscaler announces enhancements for Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange - Zscaler announced innovations for the Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange platform and new programs designed to secure digital businesses. New security solutions, resources for IT execs and practitioners, and deployment guides to expedite zero trust adoption are redefining the rules of IT security for today's internet-driven, cloud-first businesses. The combination of these offerings provides digital businesses a holistic approach to securing modern organizations and the pragmatic skills and blueprints needed to be competitive.

08:24 EDT WSP Global commits to net zero emissions across value chain by 2040 - WSP Global announced a commitment to achieve net zero emissions across its value chain by 2040. To support the achievement of its net zero commitment, the Corporation has set science-based greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets, which have been approved by the Science Based Targets initiative. Through this net zero commitment WSP will also join the Race to Zero, which brings together a coalition of leading net zero initiatives, with an objective to build momentum around the shift to a decarbonized economy ahead of COP26, the 26th United Nations Climate Change conference taking place later this year.

08:22 EDT Quanta's Medolife Rx announces pre-clinical results on Escozine - Medolife Rx announced pre-clinical study results showing that the Company's lead drug candidate Escozine, when combined with leading chemotherapy agents such as Cyclophosphamide, Etoposide and Cisplatin, has a synergistic effect in killing leukemia and lymphoma cancer cell lines and cancer cells. The study, which was performed at one of the leading academic cancer research institutions in the United States, was broken into two objectives: a. to evaluate the chemosensitization of Escozine in combination with three different chemotherapy agents for the induction of apoptosis, or cell death, 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 b. to evaluate the chemosensitization of Escozine in combination with three different chemotherapy agents for the induction of apoptosis, or cell death, in four Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia patients, two at high-risk and two at low-risk levels The study was designed to determine if Escozine had a synergistic, additive or antagonistic effect when combined with other chemotherapy agents. The result of both objectives showed that Escozine had a synergistic effect when combined with the chemotherapy agents, meaning the compounds induce greater apoptosis when given together than the total effects of both compounds alone. The Company considers this result very positive in that its lead drug candidate increased the effectiveness of chemotherapy in killing cancer cells and cancer cell lines. For reference, cell lines are commonly used in in vitro model systems in many drug discovery research programs. They retain most of the genetic properties of the cancer of origin and provide researchers with a source of biological material for experimental purposes.

08:17 EDT Lottery.com enter MOU with Voyager Digital for payments platform integration - Lottery.com and Voyager Digital (VYGVF) announced that the parties executed a memorandum of understanding. The MOU establishes an agreement to enable Lottery.com users to generate payment transactions through the Voyager payment platform. On February 22, 2021, Lottery.com entered into a definitive agreement with Trident Acquisitions Corp. (TDAC) to become a publicly traded company on The Nasdaq Stock Market.

08:14 EDT Liquid Media announces Red Carpet NFT drop, NFT platform NFTainment.io - Liquid Media Group in conjunction with CurrencyWorks announced their premier Red Carpet NFTs will be released, known as a drop, in May 2021. Bringing fans up close and behind the scenes with some of their favorite Hollywood personalities and movies, Red Carpet NFTs be as much about experiences as they are collectibles. During the summer of 2021, Liquid will roll out the Red Carpet for fans through the CurrencyWorks' powered NFTainment.io, a community and trading platform where fans can buy, sell, or discuss their favorite NFTs and speculate on Liquid's next drop.

08:12 EDT Sabina Gold & Silver says Goose Camp has been re-opened - Sabina Gold & Silver Corp is pleased to announce that the Goose Camp has been successfully re-opened and work programs focused on pre-development advancement and exploration have commenced at the Goose Property on its 100%-owned Back River Gold Project in Nunavut, Canada Operating under Sabina's COVID-19 Protocol Operational Framework, camp personnel have been safely mobilized into site and have commenced the 2021 field programs. Sabina will continue to engage with relevant parties and with the safety and well-being of our employees as our focus, will modify protocols based on new information to ensure our measures are protective. Sabina anticipates that the Goose site will remain open from present to end of year for 2021 targeting several key initiatives focused on advancing the Project. Pre-development activities are focused on critical path activities needed to maintain the targeted production schedule as contemplated in the Updated Feasibility Study. Exploration drilling and field programs will focus on advancement of gold targets and zones designed to provide near term positive impact at the Goose site. In addition, a return to the George site for reconnaissance work will help develop a phased strategy for future programs on the Back River Gold District's second most advanced property. Project development work at Goose will focus on detailed engineering, procurement, completion of select earthworks at the Port and Goose site and commencing the development of the underground ramp for exploration of the Umwelt deposit. Detail engineering will advance on the crushing and screening plant, process plant, power house, truck shop and the Goose site fuel farm design. Detailed engineering should be largely competed in H2, 2021. Additionally, Sabina is working to complete detailed design for the plant site pond; rough grade for the process plant; fuel farm pad; water management structures; and accommodation complex design. As part of this work the Company is also evaluating optimization opportunities on the sequencing of underground and open pit mining. The exploration ramp, will involve establishing the on-surface support facilities, collaring the 5 m x 5 m portal and driving toward the Umwelt underground to provide for continued exploration of the Umwelt Zone. Procurement items include phase one of the accommodation complex; steel and cladding for the process mill building and truck shop; multiplate steel tunnels for crushed ore reclaim; construction equipment required for foundation installation and building erection; secondary cone crusher, crusher screen and grizzly feeder; and phase one of the open pit mining fleet. These items will enable Sabina to be well prepared to begin pre-stripping of the Echo open pit once funding is obtained and a production decision is made. Sabina is also actively working with a logistics specialist to finalize the execution strategy for goods and equipment to site. Construction activities will continue with civil works including; construction of bulk fuel storage tank and containment at the Goose Site; completion of the fuel containment berm at the Port; advancement of the underground exploration ramp development at Umwelt; completion of infrastructure to support ramp activities, including a surface workshop for equipment maintenance, and water storage settling pond. This field season includes a geotechnical drilling program to provide additional information for water management structures.

08:12 EDT Kohl's partners with 'iconic' brand TOMMY HILFIGER - Kohl's announced today a new partnership to bring TOMMY HILFIGER men's sportswear to more than 600 stores across the country, and an expanded assortment on Kohls.com this fall. Tommy Hilfiger, known for creating high-quality apparel that is globally recognized for its classic American cool style, will offer Kohl's customers an assortment of timeless staples as well as seasonal styles from its men's sportswear collection. Kohl's will feature an elevated branded in-store and merchandise experience in nearly 100 stores that punctuates TOMMY HILFIGER's iconic red, white and blue aesthetic and furthers Kohl's modernized store experience. "We are excited to partner with TOMMY HILFIGER, one of the world's most recognizable designer lifestyle brands, to bring their iconic assortment of casual essentials to our 65 million customers nationwide," said Doug Howe, Kohl's chief merchandising officer. "Known for seamlessly blending premium styling, quality and value, the TOMMY HILFIGER brand brings consumers aspirational and accessible apparel designed for everyday wear. The addition of TOMMY HILFIGER further supports our continued work to evolve our brand portfolio to increase our relevancy with our loyal customers and bring new customers to Kohl's."

08:10 EDT VSE Corp. awarded $37.5M in new contract awards from Air Force - VSE Corp. announced approximately $37.5M in combined new contract awards with the United States Air Force and a U.S. Government foreign ally. Activity under both contracts is expected to commence during Q2. A three-year task order award under the United States Air Force, or USAF, Contract Field Teams, or CFT, program. As stipulated within the task order, VSE will provide corrosion control treatment, prevention and repair maintenance on the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft and associated support equipment. VSE will support the VAW-120 Fleet Replacement Squadron attached to the Airborne Command & Control and Logistics Wing at Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia. A contract award to provide maintenance, repair and overhaul services for more than one hundred Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles and FMTV companion trailers for a U.S. Government foreign ally for approximately one year. This work will be performed at VSE's Vehicle MRO facility in Texarkana, Arkansas.

08:08 EDT Virgin Galactic down 8.5% following holding sale by Cathie Wood's ARK Investment - Shares of Virgin Galactic are down over 8.5% at $20.51 in pre-market trading following the disclosure by Cathie Wood's ARK Investment Management last night that the fund sold over 590K shares in yesterday's session.

08:07 EDT Axos Financial to acquire E*TRADE Advisor Services - Axos Financial (AX), announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary Axos Clearing has signed a definitive agreement to acquire certain assets and liabilities of E*TRADE Advisor Services the registered investment advisor custody business Morgan Stanley acquired in its acquisition of E*TRADE (ETFC) Financial Corporation in 2020. Axos will fund the $55M cash purchase price with existing capital at Axos Financial, Inc. and expects this transaction to close in the third calendar quarter of 2021. "We are extremely excited to announce the EAS acquisition," said Gregory Garrabrants, President and Chief Executive Officer of Axos Financial, Inc. "The addition of approximately 200 RIA custody relationships with $23B of combined assets under custody significantly accelerates our time-to-scale in this business. We intend to leverage EAS' turnkey technology platform and Axos Clearing's capabilities to expand the service offerings to independent registered investment advisors and turnkey asset management program managers. The $1.2B of client cash deposits adds another potential source of low-cost funding and optionality for Axos Bank. Assuming minimal cost and revenue synergies, we expect the acquisition to be 5% accretive to our fiscal 2023 earnings per share, with a tangible book value earn-back of approximately three years."

08:06 EDT CHF Solutions announces enrollment of first patient in ULTRA-Peds Registry - CHF Solutions announced Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital in Hollywood, Florida has enrolled the first patient in the Ultrafiltration Therapy Registry Using Aquadex. ULTRA-Peds will collect real-world evidence on the safety, performance and utilization of Aquadex SmartFlow in fluid overloaded children who weigh 20 kg or more. CHF Solutions is the sponsor of the registry alongside collaborator Acute Kidney Injury Critical Care Research Foundation. Key clinical data to be collected from approximately 500 patients: Treatment course survival; ICU survival; ICU length of stay; Change in kidney function; Hemodynamic stability; Change in percentage of fluid overload; Complications and adverse events.

08:05 EDT Landsea Homes plans to build 65 homes in Anaheim - Landsea Homes announced that it plans on building 65 homes for a new community called Nolin in Anaheim, CA. Land development is expected to begin this month, with the anticipated grand opening in October. Nolin will include three-story townhomes with four different floor plans ranging from 1,134 square feet to 1,970 square feet, and offer three or four bedrooms. Residents will also enjoy common area amenities, including a passive park and playground. Each home will feature gourmet kitchens with abundant counter space and modern appliances, outdoor balconies and primary bedrooms with large walk-in closets.

08:04 EDT Lineage Cell Therapeutics enters worldwide license agreement with Immunomic - Lineage Cell Therapeutics announced a worldwide license and development collaboration agreement with Immunomic Therapeutics, a privately-held clinical-stage biotechnology company pioneering the study of nucleic acid immunotherapy platforms. The collaboration will generate a novel product candidate derived from Lineage's VAC allogeneic cancer immunotherapy platform and targeting a proprietary Tumor Associated Antigen, or TAA, construct provided by ITI, for the treatment of glioblastoma multiforme, or GBM. Lineage and ITI will collaborate in the manufacturing and clinical development of a novel VAC product candidate. Following the full development and delivery of current Good Manufacturing Practice, or cGMP, VAC product material, ITI will assume full and independent clinical and commercial responsibility and further advancement of the program. Under the terms of the agreement, Lineage will be entitled to upfront payments totaling $2Manticipated in the first year and up to $67M in development and commercial milestones across multiple indications and territories. Lineage also will be eligible to receive royalties up to 10% on net sales of future products.

08:04 EDT Leidos awarded contract by U.S. Customs and Border Protection - Leidos was awarded a prime contract by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, or CBP, to provide Multi-Energy Portal, or MEP, systems for non-intrusive inspection, or NII, of commercial vehicles at land and sea ports of entry. The multiple-award indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract has a total value of $480M. It includes a base period of five years and options up to ten years, if exercised. The MEP systems will be integrated in Vista, California, and deployed to existing vehicle inspection sites across the U.S. Under this contract, Leidos will integrate, deploy and train CBP staff to use its VACIS MEP with low-energy backscatter and high-energy transmission cargo inspection system.

08:03 EDT Arcadia Biosciences receives Health Canada approval for GoodHemp varieties - Arcadia Biosciences announced that three of its GoodHemp varieties have earned approval from Health Canada for their consistency and compliance. This approval follows the recent certification of GoodHemp seed varieties by the Association of Official Seed Certifying Agencies and is the final step to enable hemp seed sales in Canada. GoodHemp seed varieties and genetics are distributed in Canada by Tritium 3H, Inc. (T3H), which specializes in hemp field testing, certified seed production, commercialization and distribution of industrial hemp varieties. The approval from Health Canada broadens the geographic opportunities for GoodHemp and enables growers to access high quality seeds through Tritium for the 2021 growing season.

08:02 EDT Zimmer Biomet receives FDA clearance the ROSA Partial Knee System - Zimmer Biomet Holdings announced FDA 510 clearance of the ROSA Partial Knee System for robotically-assisted partial knee replacement surgeries. The ROSA Partial Knee System is the newest addition to ROSA Robotics, Zimmer Biomet's multiple application robotics platform which includes the ROSA Knee System for total knee replacement surgery and ROSA ONE for neurosurgical and spine procedures. The Rosa Partial Knee System is also now a component of ZBEdge, bringing another robotic solution to Zimmer Biomet's suite of integrated digital and robotic technologies.

07:58 EDT Quaker Houghton enters joint venture with Grindaix - Quaker Houghton has entered into an exclusive joint venture with Grindaix GmbH, a German-based, high-tech provider of coolant control and delivery systems. "This partnership is an excellent strategic fit with broad application. We see several advantages for our customers investing in system automation and optimization trends evolving from Industry 4.0," said Joe Berquist, SVP & Chief Strategy Officer for Quaker Houghton. "Grindaix's advanced capabilities enable us to deliver on our promise to make our customers more competitive, as we combine advanced product chemistry with equipment solutions to deliver an optimal package for performance, cost, and quality. We call this powerful combination 'Fluid Intelligence'. Grindaix's data based approach to coolant system operation has been growing steadily in the German market, and we see an opportunity to leverage their technology across our broader solutions portfolio."

07:54 EDT Gossamer Bio promotes of Laura Carter, Ph.D., to Chief Scientific Officer - Gossamer announced that Luisa Salter-Cid, Ph.D., Gossamer's Chief Scientific Officer, is resigning from Gossamer effective April 30, On that date, Laura Carter, Ph.D., currently Gossamer's Senior Vice President, Research & Translational Biology, will be promoted to Chief Scientific Officer. "I would like to thank Luisa for her many contributions to Gossamer Bio," said Faheem Hasnain, Chairman, President and CEO of Gossamer Bio. "Luisa has assembled a world-class research team that has made significant progress in developing our pre-clinical pipeline, and we wish her the best of luck as she moves on to new endeavors." Dr. Salter-Cid has served as Chief Scientific Officer since joining Gossamer in September 2018 following a distinguished career at Bristol Myers Squibb. "I am tremendously excited to welcome Laura Carter to the executive management team," said Mr. Hasnain. "Laura is a brilliantly talented immunologist and a proven leader, and I look forward to working together even more closely to develop the next generation of clinical programs for Gossamer."

07:46 EDT Surgery Partners announces term loan refinancing, conversion of preferred stock - Surgery Partners announced its intent to raise incremental term loans, convert Series A Preferred Stock into Company Common Stock and provided a preliminary financial update on first quarter 2021 results. Surgery Partners announced that it intends to raise $125 million of Incremental Term Loans to refinance $119M of existing Incremental Term Loans that were raised in April 2020 and to pay the fees and expenses associated with this refinancing. At prevailing market rates, the Company expects that this refinancing transaction would save the Company in excess of $5M in interest expense annually. The Company also announced that it has sent notice to BCPE Seminole Holdings of its intent to convert all of the outstanding 10.00% Series A Convertible Perpetual Participating Preferred Stock into approximately 22.609 million shares of Company Common Stock on May 17, 2021.

07:40 EDT Turning Point Brands in pact with Dockligh in support of Bob Marley Cannabis - Turning Point Brands announced today a $8.7M million strategic investment in Docklight Brands, The investment into Docklight Brands' Series A offering comes with certain follow-on investment rights. As a result of this transaction, Turning Point Brands now boasts access to two of the most iconic names in cannabis: Bob Marley(R) and Zig-Zag(R). The Marley CBD skincare line, which includes after-sun, hand cream, lip balm, balm, and roll-on products, combines tropical botanicals with hemp-derived CBD, and is currently available nationally in over 12,000 stores including select 7-Eleven, Circle K, Safeway and Dollar General locations, with additional availability expected through TPB's partner network. The Company's investment into Docklight will also support the growth of the broader Marley CBD line, including Marley Mellow Mood(TM) teas, Marley wellness shots, and Marley chocolate squares, as well as Marley Natural THC products, which are produced and sold under license agreements in Canada, Jamaica, and select U.S. states.

07:38 EDT KeyCorp sees FY21 NII up low single digits vs. prior 'relatively stable' outlook - Sees FY21 noninterest income up mid-single digits vs. prior low single digits outlook, with noninterest expense relatively stable vs. prior down low single digits outlook. Now sees FY21 net charge-offs to average loans 35-45bps vs. prior 50-60bps view. The GAAP tax rate is still expected to be about 19%. Sees loans relatively stable, with deposits up mid-single digits for FY21.

07:38 EDT Golden Star Resources and Royal Gold subsidiaries announce agreement - Golden Star Resources (GSS) announced that its wholly-owned non-profit subsidiary, Golden Star Oil Palm Plantations, or GSOPP, and RGLD Gold AG, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Royal Gold (RGLD) have entered into an agreement providing for Royal Gold's investment in the oil palm plantations initiative, Golden Star's award winning flagship sustainability project. In consideration of the long-standing relationship with the Wassa mine, and by extension the Wassa operations host communities, Royal Gold has committed to provide financial support for the activities of GSOPP that benefit the Wassa operational communities through an annual contribution of $150,000 during five years. The investment will be used to accelerate development of the Company's innovative sustainability initiative which is aimed at creating sustainable alternative livelihoods, bringing additional economic stimulation and a legacy of community development to the region. The proceeds will support the further development of palm oil plantations around Wassa as well as activities to grow GSOPP including assessment of downstream processing opportunities.

07:37 EDT Abbott CEO says 'we're off to a very strong start to the year' - "We're off to a very strong start to the year, with all four of our major businesses achieving strong growth," said Robert Ford, president and CEO, Abbott. "We're particularly pleased with the growing momentum of several recently launched products and continue to forecast more than 35 percent EPS growth for the year."

07:37 EDT Vision Marine to launch global marketing campaign for E-Motion - Vision Marine Technologies announced the unveiling of its first fully electric E-Motion powertrain to OEMs and consumers, through a global marketing campaign, which officially begins May 1. Vision Marine's go-to-market strategy is dual purposed. Initially, the company will offer customers the ability to pre-order the E-Motion 180 so they can secure a unit within six months. To achieve this, Vision has partnered with Nerd Marketing, an established. Key components of the strategic initiative involved securing prime advertisements in significant trade publications and establishing a strong presence amongst recreational boaters through online social platforms. In addition to the ongoing marketing campaign, Vision's team is further developing its distribution channels to support the demand for parts and services throughout North America, Australia and in select countries in Europe.

07:35 EDT AutoNation to acquire 11 stores, 1 collision center from Peacock Automotive - AutoNation announced it has signed an agreement to acquire 11 stores and 1 collision center operating in Hilton Head and Columbia, South Carolina, and Savannah, Georgia, from Peacock Automotive Group, representing approximately $380M in annual revenue. The completion of this acquisition will increase AutoNation's footprint from coast-to-coast with over 325 locations. This transaction is subject to customary terms and conditions, including manufacturer approval, and is expected to close in the Summer. AutoNation targets selling 1M combined new and pre-owned vehicles annually, through organic growth, expansion of AutoNation USA, and future acquisitions.

07:35 EDT Fifth Third sees Q2 NII stable to up 1% vs. Q1 - Sees Q2 noninterest income down 3%-5% vs. Q1, with noninterest expense down 5%-7% and net charge-off ratio 25-35bps. Sees Q2 average loans and leases up 1%-2% vs. Q1.

07:34 EDT AutoNation reports Q1 same-store new vehicle unit sales increased 22% - In Q1: Same-store new vehicle unit sales increased 22% compared to the prior year and increased 12% compared to the first quarter of 2019. Used Vehicle Retail Unit Sales - Same-store used vehicle unit sales increased 28% compared to the prior year and increased 20% compared to the first quarter of 2019. New Vehicle Gross Profit - Same-store new vehicle gross profit per vehicle retailed was $2,739, up $1,041 or 61% compared to the year-ago period. Used Vehicle Gross Profit - Same-store used vehicle gross profit per vehicle retailed was $1,744, up $255 or 17% compared to the year-ago period.

07:33 EDT XL Fleet appoints Cielo Hernandez as CFO - XL Fleet (XL) announced the addition of Cielo Hernandez as CFO of XL Fleet. As CFO, Hernandez will oversee the company's financial organization, including financial reporting, financial planning, internal controls, as well as treasury. Hernandez's extensive experience and capability will also contribute to strategic planning, M&A, and investor relations. Hernandez is a finance professional with more than 25 years of experience. She has held various positions in finance, operations, procurement and information systems, and prior to joining XL Fleet, served as senior VP and CFO of South Jersey Industries (SJI).

07:32 EDT Evaxion Biotech presents paper on deep data on immune complex stability - Evaxion Biotech announced a presentation by Jens Kringelum, PhD, Evaxion's Director in Genomic Immuno-Oncology, at the 4th Neoantigen Summit Europe, being held virtually April 20-22, focusing on "AI in personalized cancer medicine". The presentation described Evaxion's recent improvement in determining cancer neoepitopes through measurement and prediction of peptide-MHC complex stability. The work, previously reported in Nature Communications, December 9, 2020, outlines data on the thermostability of pMHC, the biological context for antigen processing. The paper explains how this method can be used to generate new data to train AI models for prediction of T-cell epitopes, and demonstrates how this appears to be a significant improvement over AI models trained on traditional mass spectrometry ligand data. The data have already proved valuable in enabling Evaxion's artificial neural networks to more readily predict the immunological behavior of certain peptide epitopes. PIONEER uses algorithms to identify and select tumor-specific mutations that we believe are most likely to generate a de novo T-cell activation and anti-tumor immune response. These tumor-specific mutations, termed neoepitopes, are incorporated into patient-specific immunotherapies. Evaxion is continuously improving the performance of its PIONEER platform in selecting putative neoepitopes by modifying aspects of the underlying algorithms and through the development of novel methods for data generation. Although the stability of pMHC is known to be important, current assays assess this interaction only for a single peptide at a time and in isolation and not in the context of natural antigen processing and presentation. We believe this new method provides a comprehensive and unbiased measure of pMHC stability for thousands of individual ligands detected simultaneously by mass spectrometry. This allows rapid assessment of intra-allelic and inter-allelic differences in pMHC stability and shows profiles of stability that are broader than previously appreciated, facilitating the training of the new model. This assay can be applied to any cells bearing MHC or MHC-like molecules, offering insight into not only the endogenous immunopeptidome, but also that of neoepitopes and pathogen-derived sequences.

07:22 EDT Travelers raises quarterly dividend 4% to 88c per share - The Board of Directors declared a regular quarterly dividend of 88c per share, an increase of 4%. The dividend is payable on June 30 to shareholders of record at the close of business on June 10. The Board of Directors also authorized an additional $5B of share repurchases. This amount is in addition to the $805M that remained from previous authorizations as of March 31. This authorization does not have a stated expiration date

07:21 EDT Calibre Mining advances Eastern Borosi Gold-Silver District - Calibre Mining announced that the Company has commenced advancing the 100% owned Eastern Borosi Project located in northeastern Nicaragua. During March Calibre initiated a diamond drilling program to convert resources in three high-grade gold deposits from inferred to indicated classification and drill new, high priority gold-silver targets that have been outlined based on geochemical, geophysical and structural data. This work is being done with the aim of advancing EBP to be the next high-grade 'Mining Spoke' as part of the Company's "Hub-and-Spoke" operating strategy. Highlights: The 176 km2 EBP hosts NI 43-101 Inferred Mineral Resources containing 700,500 ounces of gold and 11.4 million ounces of silver among six epithermal vein style deposits with a combined 4.4 million tonnes averaging 4.93 g/t Au and 80 g/t Ag; Mineral resources have been defined in six vein systems that are exposed along an eight-by-ten kilometre structural corridor that remains open for resource expansion and discovery to the northeast and southwest; The "Mining Triangle" of northeast Nicaragua of which EBP is a part has produced in excess of 8 million ounces of gold but remains significantly underexplored; The initial infill and geotechnical drilling program is focused on Guapinol, the adjacent Vancouver, and the Riscos de Oro deposits which contain combined inferred resources of 1.97 million tonnes averaging 8.15 g/t Au and 69 g/t Ag containing 515,000 ounces of gold and 4,371,000 ounces of silver; Calibre has made significant progress during Q1, 2021 to acquire surface land rights and commence technical work and baseline environmental studies to support an Environmental Impact Assessment; EBP is located approximately 400 km by road from the Company's 2.2 million tonne per annum Libertad Mill which is currently less than 50% utilized; Calibre intends to commence exploration drilling in Q3 to test the potential for expanding the Guapinol-Vancouver and Riscos de Oro resources, as well as high priority targets along the principal vein trends at EBP.

07:17 EDT Crispr Therapeutics, Vertex amend collaboration for CTX001 - Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX) and CRISPR Therapeutics (CRSP) announced that the companies have amended their collaboration agreement to develop, manufacture and commercialize CTX001, an investigational CRISPR/Cas9-based gene editing therapy that is being developed as a potentially curative therapy for sickle cell disease and transfusion-dependent beta-thalassemia. With this revised agreement, Vertex will deploy the breadth of its established global capabilities and proven experience in manufacturing, development, regulatory, and commercialization to maximize the potential for CTX001 to transform the lives of tens of thousands of patients in the U.S., Europe and other countries. CRISPR Therapeutics will continue to support the development of CTX001 and invest in further innovation to maximize its potential. Under the terms of the amended agreement, Vertex will lead global development, manufacturing and commercialization of CTX001 with support from CRISPR Therapeutics. Vertex will be responsible for 60% of program costs and will receive 60% of profits from future sales of CTX001 worldwide, representing a 10% increase in program economics compared to the previous agreement. CRISPR will be responsible for 40% of costs and will receive 40% of profits. Additionally, CRISPR will receive a $900M upfront payment, with potential for a $200M payment upon the first regulatory approval of CTX001. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and clearances, including clearance under the Hart-Scott Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act.

07:16 EDT Canadian National makes 'superior' proposal to combine with Kansas City Southern

07:12 EDT Capital Product Partners announces sales of two 9,288 TEU container vessels - Capital Product Partners today announced the sale of two 9,288 TEU container vessels. The partnership has entered into a memorandum of agreement for the sale of the M/V 'CMA CGM Magdalena' and the M/V 'Adonis' to an unaffiliated third party for a total consideration of $195M. Delivery of the M/V 'CMA CGM Magdalena' and the M/V 'Adonis' to their buyer is expected in May and July/August 2021, respectively. The carrying value of M/V 'Adonis' and the M/V 'CMA CGM Magdalena' at the end of the first quarter of 2021 was $72.7M and $71.7M, respectively. The Partnership expects gross cash proceeds from the sale after repaying outstanding debt of approximately $97.6M.

07:10 EDT Can-Fite initiates Piclidenoson and Namodenoson studies required by FDA, EMA - Can-Fite BioPharma announced that in preparation for anticipated potential marketing registration filings for its drug candidates Piclidenoson and Namodenoson in the U.S. and Europe, the company has initiated a series of preclinical studies required by regulators. As part of a new drug application, or NDA, to the FDA and a Marketing Authorization Application, or MAA, to the European Medicines Agency, or EMA, both regulators require certain preclinical data be submitted along with the pivotal Phase III data. Piclidenoson is now being evaluated in the COMFORT Phase III clinical study which continues to enroll patients following a positive interim data analysis. The COMFORT study is designed to establish Piclidenoson's superiority as compared to placebo and non-inferiority compared to Otezla(R) in patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis. A pivotal Phase III study of Namodenoson in the treatment of hepatocellular cancer, or HCC, the most common form of liver cancer, is expected to commence in the fourth quarter of 2021. Namodenoson has orphan drug status in the U.S. and Europe and fast track status with the FDA. Can-Fite has reached agreement with both the FDA and EMA on the study design and upon successful results, the trial may lead to concurrent marketing approval in the U.S. and Europe.

07:09 EDT Autolus Therapeutics receives ILAP designation from UK MHRA for AUTO4 - Autolus Therapeutics announced that it has received innovative licensing and access pathway designation from the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency for AUTO4 being studied in a Phase 1 study in TRBC1 positive Peripheral T Cell Lymphoma.

07:08 EDT Paramount Gold Nevada acquires strategic claims from South Sleeper Resources - Paramount Gold Nevada announced it has completed the purchase of 152 unpatented lode claims from South Sleeper Resources LLC. The claims are located only two miles south of Paramount's wholly-owned former high-grade producing Sleeper Gold Mine. With the acquisition of the South Sleeper claims, Paramount has increased its total land position to over 40,000 acres in the prolific and highly prospective Sleeper district situated at the intersection of two major Nevada mining trends - the Battle Mountain-Eureka and Western Nevada Rift. The claims were formerly owned by several Nevada companies that collectively conducted numerous geophysical surveys and completed a total of 11 drill holes which intersected gold values up to 9.48 g/T over 3.05 meters in alluvium. These drill results were never properly assessed or followed up. Paramount acquired the South Sleeper claims for $350,000 in a combination of cash and shares. Paramount has engaged several renowned consultants including Mine Development Associates to assist the Paramount team in the review of all available data including drilling, geophysical surveys and geochemistry with the objective of developing an exploration program at the district sized Sleeper project which is now complemented by the addition of the South Sleeper claims. The drill program is expected to commence this summer.

07:07 EDT Philip Morris says FY21 guidance assumes net revenue growth of 5%-7% - The company's prior FY21 guidance called for revenue growth range of 4%-7%. The company further states that its FY21 guidance assumes: "A gradual improvement in the general operating environment, with potential volatility around the duration and effects of pandemic-related mobility restrictions across PMI's key markets; Lack of near-term recovery in PMI's duty-free business given the uncertain outlook for global travel, with current dynamics persisting through year end; A limited impact from the current global shortage of semiconductors on the supply of our electronic devices to consumers; An estimated total international industry volume progression, excluding China and the U.S., of approximately -3% to flat; A total cigarette and heated tobacco unit shipment volume progression for PMI of approximately -2% to +1%; Heated tobacco unit shipment volume of 95 to 100 billion units, compared to a range of 90 to 100 billion units previously; Net revenue growth of approximately 5% to 7% on an organic basis, compared to a range of approximately 4% to 7% previously; An increase in adjusted operating income margin of around 200 basis points on an organic basis, compared to at least 150 basis points, previously; Operating cash flow of around $11B at prevailing exchange rates and subject to year-end working capital requirements; Capital expenditures of approximately $0.8B; An effective tax rate, excluding discrete tax events, of around 22%."

07:07 EDT Intra-Cellular announces board of directors nominations - Intra-Cellular Therapies announced the nominations of Michael Rawlins and Joel Marcus to stand for election to the company's board of directors at its 2021 annual meeting of stockholders, scheduled for June 21. Michael Rawlins is being nominated as a new independent director of the board and Joel Marcus is being nominated for re-election to the board. Additionally, the company announced that, effective as of the 2021 annual meeting of stockholders, Christopher Alafi will have completed his term as a board member and will no longer serve as a director for the company.

07:05 EDT Enthusiast Gaming to commence trading on Nasdaq - Enthusiast Gaming Holdings announced that its common shares have been approved for listing on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the trading ticker symbol "EGLX." The Nasdaq Global Select Market is the highest listing tier of the Nasdaq Stock Market's three-tier market classification. Trading on the Nasdaq is expected to commence at market open on April 21, 2021. The Company will continue to maintain the listing of its Common Shares on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol "EGLX".

07:04 EDT Philip Morris CEO says Q1 performance driven by IQOS strength - CEO Andre Calantzopoulos states: "We are pleased to have delivered a very strong start to the year, with top- and bottom-line results coming in well ahead of our expectations for the first quarter despite the ongoing challenges of the pandemic. This performance was driven by the continued strength of IQOS, in particular, reflecting excellent user, volume and market share momentum, as well as further progress with manufacturing and operating cost efficiencies. Our results also benefited from the timing of specific factors, notably associated with shipments in certain markets and the phasing of commercial investments, which are expected to partially reverse in the second quarter. While the speed and shape of the global recovery from the pandemic remains uncertain, we are raising our full-year outlook, on an underlying basis, to reflect the strong results and positive momentum of the first quarter. Our guidance now represents organic adjusted diluted EPS growth of 11% to 13%, reflecting net revenue growth of 5% to 7% on the same basis."

07:03 EDT Seelos Therapeutics receives positive EMA opinion on ODD for SLS-005 - Seelos Therapeutics announced it has received a positive opinion on European Orphan Drug Designation for SLS-005 in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis from the European Medicines Agency Committee for Orphan Medicinal Products. The positive opinion issued by COMP will be sent to the European Commission, which is expected to grant the orphan designation within 30 days. Under orphan designation in the European Union, Seelos stands to benefit from several incentives such as protocol assistance, reduced regulatory fees and market exclusivity. European guidelines for Orphan Drug Designation are for diseases affecting not more than five in 10,000 people in the EU.

07:03 EDT Spirax-Sarco appoints Ivan Gottberg as president, general manager - Spirax Sarco (SPXSF) announced the appointment of Ivan Gottberg as President and General Manager of Spirax Sarco, Inc. He assumed his role on April 1, 2021, and is responsible for the USA business. He spent most of his career with Alfa Laval (ALFVY), where his final assignment was Food Systems Director for North America; and later, General Manager for ProXES.

07:00 EDT Alamos Gold subsidiaries to file investment treaty claim against Turkey - Alamos Gold announced that its Netherlands wholly-owned subsidiaries Alamos Gold Holdings Cooperatief U.A, and Alamos Gold Holdings will file an investment treaty claim against the Republic of Turkey for expropriation and unfair and inequitable treatment, among other things, with respect to their Turkish gold mining project. The claim will be filed under the Netherlands-Turkey Bilateral Investment Treaty, and is expected to exceed $1B, representing the value of the Company's Turkish assets. In October 2019, well into construction of the Kirazl Gold Mine, the government failed to grant a routine renewal of the Company's mining licenses, despite the Company having met all legal and regulatory requirements for their renewal. This past October, the Turkish government refused the renewal of the Company's Forestry Permit. The Company had been granted approval of all permits required to construct Kirazl including the Environmental Impact Assessment approval, Forestry Permit, and GSM permit, and certain key permits for the nearby A Da and Camyurt Gold Mines. These permits were granted by the Turkish government after the project earned the support of the local communities and passed an extensive multi-year environmental review and community consultation process. Alamos and the Subsidiaries are being represented by the leading Canadian law firm Torys LLP, with a team that includes John Terry and former Canadian Supreme Court Justice, the Hon. Frank Iacobucci. The Company is also being supported by its strategic advisor John Baird, former Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Senior Advisor to Bennett Jones. Alamos and the Subsidiaries expect to incur an after-tax impairment charge of approximately $215M, which will be recorded in the second quarter financial statements. The non-cash charge reflects Alamos' and the Subsidiaries' entire net carrying value of the Turkish assets.

06:59 EDT Travelers raises quarterly dividend 4% to 88c per share

06:58 EDT Eli Lilly, Incyte announce results from BRAVE-AA1 trial - Eli Lilly (LLY) and Incyte (INCY) announced results from a second Phase 3 trial, BRAVE-AA1, evaluating the efficacy and safety of once-daily baricitinib 2-mg and 4-mg in adults with severe alopecia areata, or AA. The data are consistent with findings from the first Phase 3 clinical trial, BRAVE-AA2, top-lined earlier this year. In both investigational trials, a statistically significant proportion of patients treated with baricitinib achieved the primary endpoint of hair regrowth across the two dosing regimens at Week 36 compared to patients treated with placebo. AA is an autoimmune disease that causes patchy hair loss on the scalp, face and sometimes on other areas of the body that can progress, and currently has no therapies approved by the FDA. In both studies, over the nine-month treatment period, patients with severe AA treated with baricitinib 2-mg and 4-mg doses experienced significantly greater scalp hair regrowth compared to patients treated with placebo based on physician's assessment. Results of BRAVE-AA1 showed that atWeek 36,the proportion of patients reaching 80 percent or more scalp hair coveragewasachievedby 35 of patients treated with baricitinib 4-mg/day, 22% of patients treated withbaricitinib2-mg/day and 5% percent of patients in the placebo group, meeting the primary endpoint. BRAVE-AA2 showed that at Week 36 the proportion of patients reaching 80 percent or more scalp hair coverage was achieved by 33 percent (pless than or equal to0.001) of patients treated withbaricitinib4-mg/day, 17 percent (pless than or equal to0.001) of patients treated with baricitinib 2-mg/day and three percent of patients in the placebo group, meeting the primary endpoint. Across both studies, the proportion of patients self-reporting at least 80 percent scalp hair coverage was significantly greater in the 2-mg and 4-mg groups compared to placebo by Week 36. The most common treatment-emergent adverse events, or TEAEs, in BRAVE-AA1 and BRAVE-AA2 included upper respiratory tract infections, headache and acne. No deaths or venous thromboembolic events, or VTEs, were reported in the trials. The safety profile of baricitinib in the two studies was consistent with its known safety profile in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, or RA, and atopic dermatitis, or AD. Lilly will present detailed data from these studies at scientific meetings later this year and submit the results to peer-reviewed journals. Based on these results, Lilly plans to submit a supplemental New Drug Application to the FDA for baricitinib in AA in the second half of 2021, followed by submissions to other regulatory agencies around the world.

06:49 EDT Velodyne Lidar signs multi-year sales agreement with Gatik - Velodyne Lidar (VLDR) announced a multi-year sales agreement with Gatik. Gatik uses Velodyne's lidar sensors as a key part of a fully redundant sensor suite to deliver goods safely and efficiently between micro-fulfilment centers, dark stores and retail locations - a logistics flow known as the middle mile. Gatik fulfills revenue-generating autonomous orders daily for multiple Fortune 500 customers in the US and Canada, including Walmart (WMT), reducing customer costs and keeping delivery times short.

06:47 EDT BWX Technologies announces $2.2B in contracts from U.S. Navy - BWX Technologies announced the award of U.S. Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program contracts totaling approximately $2.2B, including future-year options, for the manufacture of naval nuclear reactor components and fuel. The initial contracts were awarded in the first quarter of 2021 and will constitute approximately half of the $2.2B. The contract options are subject to annual Congressional appropriations and constitute the remainder of the total value. Columbia and Virginia-class naval nuclear reactor component manufacturing and material procurement activities will be performed at BWXT Nuclear Operations Group, Inc. locations in Lynchburg, Virginia; Barberton and Euclid, Ohio; and Mount Vernon, Indiana over an 8-year period beginning in 2021. Including future year options, this work is valued at more than $1.8B. The balance of the work - manufacture and delivery of fuel and support activities for the U.S. Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program, as well as development work for future Naval Reactors programs - will be performed by Nuclear Fuel Services, Inc. in Erwin, Tennessee.

06:44 EDT Fifth Third reports Q1 net interest margin 2.62% vs. 3.28% a year ago

06:38 EDT Genmab reports Q1 worldwide net sales of DARZALEX $1.365B - Genmab (GMAB) announced that worldwide net trade sales of DARZALEX, including sales of the subcutaneous formulation, as reported by Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) were $1.365B in the first quarter of 2021. Net trade sales were $691M in the U.S. and $674M in the rest of the world. Genmab receives royalties on the worldwide net sales of DARZALEX and DARZALEX FASPRO under the exclusive worldwide license to Janssen Biotech to develop, manufacture and commercialize daratumumab. As previously announced, Janssen is reducing its royalty payments to Genmab by what it claims to be Genmab's share of Janssen's royalty payments to Halozyme, cf. company announcement No. 39 of September 22, 2020.

06:38 EDT KalVista receives FDA notification on Phase 2 clinical trial of KVD824 proposal - KalVista Pharmaceuticals announced that the FDA has notified the Company in a letter that it has placed a clinical hold on the proposed Phase 2 clinical trial of KVD824. KVD824 is KalVista's oral product candidate being developed for prophylactic treatment of hereditary angioedema, or HAE. An Investigational New Drug Application was submitted earlier in 2021 for a Phase 2 clinical trial to evaluate KVD824 as a potential prophylactic treatment for the prevention of HAE attacks. The FDA letter requests further information and analysis related to certain preclinical studies of KVD824 submitted to support the planned Phase 2 trial. Refinements were also proposed to the intended KVD824 Phase 2 study protocol. No new studies were requested nor was it suggested that new data be generated to initiate the Phase 2 trial. KalVista will continue to work closely with the FDA on the overall development of KVD824 and will provide further updates as appropriate.

06:34 EDT GW Pharmaceuticals receives EC approval for EPIDYOLEX - GW Pharmaceuticals announces that the European Commission has approved the Type II variation application for EPIDYOLEX as an adjunctive treatment of seizures associated with TSC, for patients two years of age and older. This approval, which represents the third indication for GW's cannabidiol in Europe, paves the way for the expanded launch of the medicine across Europe. The EC decision is valid in all 27 countries of the European Union, alongside Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein.

06:15 EDT Global Net Lease to acquire McLaren Group headquarters for GBP 170M - Global Net Lease announced that the company has agreed to acquire a three property office and industrial campus in Woking, Surrey, England that serves as the world headquarters for McLaren's Automotive, Racing, and Applied divisions. The contract purchase price for the combined 840,000 square foot campus is GBP 170M with a 20-year, NNN lease. The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2021.

06:14 EDT Cango subsidiary to develop new retail model with Zhengzhou Nissan - Cango (CANG) announced its subsidiary Shanghai Cango Network Technology has entered into a strategic agreement with Zhengzhou Nissan Auto Sales Service (NSANY), to jointly develop a new retail model for automotive transaction in China's lower-tier markets. As part of the agreement, both parties will collaborate in the areas of automotive sales and marketing in the lower-tier markets through the development of a new automotive retail model. In addition, Cango Network Technology will also provide auto financial products and services to all customers of Zhengzhou Nissan's certified secondary dealer stores. In addition, Cango Network Technology will leverage its more than 50,000 car dealers and 80 local warehouses as well as logistics across the lower-tier markets, serving as supplement to Zhengzhou Nissan's existing sales channels. In addition, Cango Network Technology will also help Zhengzhou Nissan obtain and operate traffic from the lower-tier markets, together with marketing and promotion, as it attempts to tap into emerging rural and suburban markets.

06:10 EDT Danone has hired firm to conduct review of candidates for new CEO - Danone said: "The immediate priority of the new Chairman, together with the Board, is to lead the transition, including the search for a new Chief Executive Officer. An international executive search firm has been hired to conduct an extensive review of suitable external candidates. The Governance committee, led by Jean-Michel Severino, Lead Independent Director, is managing the day-to-day process."

06:09 EDT Danone: FY recurring operating margin to be broadly in line with 2020

06:07 EDT Ennis raises quarterly dividend 11% to 25c from 22.5c per share - Payable August 9 to shareholders of record on July 9.

06:03 EDT Aurora Mobile announces partnership with Hycan Intelligent Technology - Aurora Mobile announced that it has entered into a partnership agreement with Hycan Intelligent Technology, a leading emerging manufacturer of new energy vehicles, or NEV. Aurora Mobile will facilitate the digital upgrading and smart transformation of Hycan's operations to improve service efficiency, and further enhance user experience and expand its smart driver services.

05:50 EDT U.K.'s CMA: Bellis' purchase of Asda raises some competition concerns - The U.K.'s CMA has found that Bellis' completed GBP 6.8B purchase of Asda could lead to higher petrol prices in some parts of the country. In a statement, the CMA said: "The CMA has found that the deal raises local competition concerns in relation to the supply of road fuel in 36 areas across the U.K. and the supply of a specific type of fuel - called auto-LPG - in a further area. It is therefore concerned that the merger could lead to higher prices for motorists in these locations." The buyers now have 5 working days to offer legally binding proposals to the CMA to address the competition concerns identified. The CMA then has a further 5 working days to consider whether to accept any offer instead of referring the case to a phase 2 investigation. Reference Link

05:22 EDT Nokia selected by KATCH Network to deliver 5G networking in Aichi Prefecture - Nokia has been selected by Japanese CATV operator KATCH Network to deliver 5G standalone private wireless networking throughout the Aichi Prefecture, Japan. KATCH will offer autonomous industrial-grade private wireless networks for businesses in the region. Through this agreement, KATCH intends to ease and simplify 5G private wireless deployment in the Aichi Prefecture, which it said is the nerve center of automotive and high-tech manufacturing in Japan. Private wireless networks enable the manufacturing, automotive and industrial sectors to deploy IoT, machine learning, AI and automation for efficiency, safety and productivity gains.

05:17 EDT Erytech Pharma initiates process to seek FDA approval for eryaspase - Erytech Pharma announced the initiation of the process of seeking marketing approval from the FDA for its lead product candidate eryaspase in patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, or ALL, who developed hypersensitivity reactions to PEG-asparaginase based on the positive results of the NOPHO-sponsored Phase 2 clinical trial. Erytech initiated a dialogue with the FDA in 2020 to evaluate the potential of eryaspase to be approved for the treatment of hypersensitive ALL patients based on the NOPHO-sponsored Phase 2 clinical trial. The FDA confirmed the unmet medical need and, following the review of a comprehensive data package submitted by Erytech, invited the company to request a pre-BLA meeting to discuss the potential for the NOPHO-sponsored Phase 2 clinical trial to support marketing approval in the United States. Erytech has requested a pre-BLA meeting and subject to the feedback received in that meeting, the company plans to submit a biologics license application, or BLA, in the second half of 2021 for its lead product candidate eryaspase for the treatment of hypersensitive ALL patients.

05:10 EDT Elbit Systems subsidiary awarded $41M delivery order for night vision systems - Elbit Systems announced that its U.S. subsidiary, Elbit Systems of America, was awarded a delivery order valued at approximately $41M for the supply of night vision systems and various spare components to the U.S. Marine Corps. The order will be executed in Roanoke, Virginia and will be supplied through March 2022. This order is part of a $249M five-year squad binocular night vision goggles indefinite delivery indefinite quantity, or IDIQ, contract from September 6, 2019, under which the U.S. Marine Corps are supplied with Squad Binocular Night Vision Goggle, or SBNVG, systems consisting of high-performance, white phosphor image intensifier binoculars, modular uncooled thermal imaging sensors and common external power supplies.

05:07 EDT Nokia chosen by Chunghwa Telecom to expand 5G network in Taiwan - Nokia has announced that it has been chosen by Chunghwa Telecom, or CHT, to expand the operator's 5G network in Taiwan. The deal aims to support CHT's objective of achieving 80% population coverage as well as boost 5G subscriptions to over 20% of its current subscriber base. The expansion will leverage products from Nokia's AirScale portfolio to deliver enhanced connectivity for people and businesses in the southern and central areas of the country. The expansion, which supports Chunghwa Telecom's primary business objective to accelerate 5G rollout this year, focuses on high traffic areas, as well as locations with high business demand, including metropolitan cities, universities, subways, high-speed rail stations, industrial parks, and exhibition halls, and over 120 tourist hotspots. CHT is also looking to further expand its enterprise footprint by enhancing its 4G/5G coverage as well as deploying private network solutions. The network will also be designed specifically to leverage Nokia's competitive 5G radio solutions to support enterprise use cases. CHT will strengthen its cooperation with leading local manufacturers for industrial 4.0 applications using solutions in 3.5GHz and 28GHz spectrum to meet the high throughput requirements.

05:01 EDT Jacobs Engineering JV awarded position on $1.3B National Grid framework - Jacobs (J) /Morrison Utility Services joint venture, or JV, has been awarded a place on National Grid's (NGG) six-year substations engineering procurement construction framework in the U.K. The framework will provide collaborative and long-term support through program management, early contractor involvement, design and construction to deliver National Grid's performance-based substation regulatory program under RIIO-T2, where revenue generated is realized through a combination of incentives, innovation and outputs. National Grid estimates the contract value at $1.3B. As principal designer and principal contractor, the Jacobs/Morrison Utility Services JV will deliver new build, extension, replacement and decommissioning of high voltage electricity substations. The framework aims to develop the transmission network to maintain security of supply, while facilitating the ongoing transition to and connection of low-carbon generation and renewable technology. The JV will also focus on solutions to challenge convention and help National Grid support the low-carbon economy, using innovation to reduce materials, cost, carbon and scheduling. Organizational and delivery behaviors are aligned with the Project 13 Framework, a response to infrastructure delivery models in the U.K, where performance is incentivized against outcomes, using collaborative and integrated teams to challenge and maximize value.