Stockwinners Market Radar for April 22, 2021 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

20:07 EDT Guardant Health CEO sells 72.4K shares of common stock - In a regulatory filing, Guardant Health disclosed that its CEO Helmy Eltoukhy sold 72.4K shares of common stock on April 20th in a total transaction size of $10.97M, reducing his stake by about 3%.

18:47 EDT Intel CEO: We are working to rebuild the culture - In an interview on CNBC's Mad Money, Pat Gelsinger said Intel needs to get back to its roots of being an innovator. He noted that the company's new model of innovating and co-working has had a positive response from customers. Gelsinger added that the world needs a more balanced supply chain. "It's critical for the semiconductor industry and the world."

18:34 EDT Oak Street Health CEO sells 90K shares of common stock - In a regulatory filing, Oak Street Health disclosed that its CEO Michael Pykosz sold 90K shares of common stock on April 20th in a total transaction size of $5.33M, reducing his stake by about 1%.

17:54 EDT Syndax director buys 14K shares of common stock - In a regulatory filing, Syndax disclosed that its director Dennis Podlesak bought 13,967 shares of common stock on April 22nd in a total transaction size of $197K.

17:47 EDT Heritage Insurance to incur $31.4M in accident quarter weather losses in Q1 - Heritage Insurance announced that it expects to incur approximately $15.4M of net current accident quarter catastrophe losses and $16.1M of net current accident quarter other weather losses in first quarter 2021, representing total net current accident quarter weather losses of approximately $31.4M in first quarter 2021.

17:36 EDT Twitter Business begins test for new profile type called Professional Profiles - The social media company informed in a tweet, earlier on Thursday that is is "launching an exciting test of a new profile type called Professional Profiles! Professional Profiles are a new tool that will allow businesses, non-profits, publishers, and creators - anyone who uses Twitter for work - to display specific information about their business directly on their profile." Reference Link

17:13 EDT Silicon Labs jumps 14% to $165 after selling I&A business to Skyworks for $2.75B

17:11 EDT Snap Q2 DAU growth rate to be consistent with Q1 - In its earnings call, Snap CFO Derek Anderson says: "As we look forward to Q2, we estimate that DAU will grow at a rate consistent with the prior quarter, or approximately 22% year-over-year, to reach 290M in Q2. On the monetization side, we are cautiously optimistic that the operating environment will continue to improve."

17:09 EDT Snap says Q1 revenue and DAU growth rates highest in over three years - Says delivering positive free cash flow for the first time as a public company. Says Android user base is now larger than our iOS user base. Says optimistic about the engagement trends as the world is beginning to open up. Says augmented reality remains one of our biggest opportunities, investing heavily in both core technology and the community-facing AR experiences. Comments taken from Q1 earnings conference call.

17:04 EDT Boston Beer jumps 8% to $1,341.53 after Q1 results beat estimates

17:01 EDT Parker-Hannifin raises quarterly dividend 17% to $1.03 from 88c per share - The dividend is payable June 4 to shareholders of record as of May 7.

16:58 EDT Bar Harbor Bankshares increases quarterly dividend 9% to 24c per share - Bar Harbor Bankshares increased the quarterly cash dividend by 2c per share, or 9%, to 24c per share, and declared a dividend of 24c to shareholders of record at the close of business May 18, payable on June 18.

16:55 EDT DoorDash, Olo reach new multi-year agreement - Olo (OLO) and DoorDash (DASH) have agreed to terms on a new multi-year agreement and reached a resolution on their contract dispute. The new deal will allow the companies to continue to work together on products and features to unlock value for both parties and their shared merchant base. The parties have also agreed to settle and dismiss all of DoorDash's outstanding legal claims.

16:47 EDT APi Group targets 13%+ adjusted EBITDA margin by year-end 2025 - APi Group Corporation announced during its Investor Event that it has established a new goal of 13%+ adjusted EBITDA margin by year-end 2025. Russ Becker, APi's President and Chief Executive Officer stated: "As we continue to focus on improving our mix, disciplined project and customer selection, pricing opportunities, leveraging our spend, driving operational excellence and realizing synergies from future acquisitions, we are confident in establishing a new goal of 13%+ adjusted EBITDA margin by year-end 2025."

16:42 EDT Skechers jumps 8% to $48.11 after Q1 results, Q2 guidance beat estimates

16:37 EDT Mattel jumps 7% to $22.35 after Q1 results beat, FY21 revenue view raised

16:35 EDT Silicon Laboratories trading resumes

16:34 EDT GlaxoSmithKline announces FDA approval of JEMPERLI - GlaxoSmithKline announced that the U.S. FDA has approved JEMPERLI, a programmed death receptor-1 blocking antibody, based on the company's Biologics License Application. JEMPERLI is indicated for the treatment of adult patients with mismatch repair-deficient recurrent or advanced endometrial cancer, as determined by an FDA-approved test, that have progressed on or following prior treatment with a platinum-containing regimen. This indication is approved under accelerated approval based on tumor response rate and durability of response. Continued approval for this indication may be contingent upon verification and description of clinical benefit in a confirmatory trial.

16:33 EDT WSFS Financial increases quarterly cash dividend 8% to 13c per share - The company's board approved a quarterly cash dividend of 13c per share of common stock, an 8% increase from its cash dividend in Q4. During the quarter, WSFS repurchased 267,309 shares at an average price of $44.97, totaling $12M.

16:29 EDT FDA approves Jemperli for dMMR endometrial cancer - AnaptysBio (ANAB) announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved GSK's (GSK) Biologics License Application, BLA, for JEMPERLI, dostarlimab-gxly, for the treatment of adult patients with mismatch repair deficient, dMMR, recurrent or advanced endometrial cancer, as determined by an FDA-approved test, that has progressed on or following prior treatment with a platinum-containing regimen. JEMPERLI was generated by AnaptysBio using its proprietary somatic hypermutation (SHM) antibody platform and subsequently developed by TESARO, Inc., now a part of GSK, under a collaboration agreement. Eight AnaptysBio-generated therapeutic antibodies have advanced into clinical development to date, and JEMPERLI is the first AnaptysBio-generated antibody to obtain FDA approval.

16:28 EDT South Plains Financial increases quarterly cash dividend to 7c per share - South Plains Financial announced that its board has declared a quarterly cash dividend of 7c per share of common stock, an increase of 2c per share of common stock over the most recent quarterly cash dividend declared in January. The dividend is payable on May 17 to shareholders of record as of the close of business on May 3.

16:25 EDT Tyson Foods will invest $48M in Arkansas poultry operation expansion - Tyson Foods will invest $48M as part of its commitment to accelerate the long-term growth of its poultry business and continued success of its Pine Bluff, Arkansas, poultry plant, company officials said today. Nearly 70 jobs will be created by the project, which is expected to be complete by late 2021. "The demand for convenient, high-quality chicken products continues to grow and we're investing in projects that meet the needs of our customers and consumers," said Donnie King, Chief Operating Officer and Group President, Poultry for Tyson Foods. "We'd like to thank the Arkansas Economic Development Commission and the Economic Development Alliance for Jefferson County for their assistance and support of this project." The project will increase capacity to the plant's fully cooked processing lines that in part produces

16:21 EDT Skyworks jumps about 4% to $190.67 after buying Silicon Labs' I&A business

16:19 EDT Seagate falls 2.5% to $82 per share after Q3 results and guidance

16:17 EDT Molina Healthcare to acquire Cigna's Texas Medicaid contracts for $60M - Molina Healthcare (MOH) and Cigna (CI) announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement pursuant to which Molina will acquire Cigna's Texas Medicaid and Medicare-Medicaid Plan contracts and certain operating assets. As of December 31, 2020, Cigna's Texas Medicaid and MMP business served approximately 48,000 Medicaid members in the STAR+PLUS program in the Hidalgo, Tarrant, and Northeast service areas, and approximately 2,000 MMP members in the Hidalgo service area, with full year 2020 premium revenue of approximately $1.0B. The purchase price for the transaction is approximately $60 million and Molina intends to fund the purchase with cash on hand. The transaction is expected to be immediately accretive to Molina's adjusted earnings per share. It is expected to close in the second half of 2021.

16:14 EDT WWE backs FY21 OIBDA view of $270M-$305M - The company states: "In January, the company issued guidance for 2021 Adjusted OIBDA. As previously discussed, the company estimated it can achieve 2021 Adjusted OIBDA of $270 - $305 million as revenue growth, driven by the impact of the Peacock transaction, the gradual ramp-up of ticketed live events, including large-scale international events, and the contractual escalation of core content rights fees, is offset by the increase in personnel and television production expenses. The company is not changing full year guidance at this time. While first quarter 2021 results were up on a year-over-year basis, they were largely driven by the impact of the WWE Network-Peacock licensing agreement, including the upfront revenue recognition related to the delivery of certain WWE Network intellectual property rights, and therefore should not extend into future quarters. Additionally, the guidance range remains highly dependent upon the Company's ability to stage live events, including large-scale international events."

16:11 EDT Independent Bank, Meridian Bancorp sign $1.15B merger agreement - Independent Bank Corp. (INDB) and Meridian Bancorp (EBSB) have signed a definitive merger agreement for Independent to acquire Meridian and Rockland Trust to acquire East Boston Savings Bank. The merger agreement provides that each Meridian stockholder will receive 0.2750 of a share of Independent common stock for each share of Meridian common stock. The transaction is intended to qualify as a tax-free reorganization for federal income tax purposes and to provide a tax-free exchange for Meridian stockholders for the Independent common stock consideration they receive. Independent anticipates that: the transaction will (i) be approximately 7.9% immediately accretive to tangible book value per share; (ii) be approximately 23% accretive to its 2022 earnings per share, assuming fully phased-in cost saves; and, (iii) generate an internal rate of return of approximately 16%. Combined merger-related charges are expected to be approximately $64 million before tax, in the aggregate, incurred in 2021. The boards of directors of each company have unanimously approved the transaction. The transaction is subject to certain conditions, including the receipt of required regulatory approvals, approval by the stockholders of both Meridian and Independent, and other customary conditions. Meridian's directors and executive officers who currently own, in the aggregate, about 3.5% of Meridian Bancorp, Inc.'s outstanding shares have signed voting agreements pursuant to which they have agreed to vote their shares in favor of the merger. Independent anticipates issuing approximately 14.2 million shares of its common stock in the merger. Based upon Independent's $79.57 per share closing price on April 21, 2021, the transaction is valued at approximately $1.15 billion and the aggregate consideration represents 150% of Meridian's tangible book value. The merger is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2021 subject to customary closing conditions, including customary regulatory approvals and approvals of Meridian and Independent shareholders.

16:11 EDT Independent Bank, Meridian Bancorp sign merger agreement - Independent Bank Corp. (INDB) and Meridian Bancorp (EBSB) have signed a definitive merger agreement for Independent to acquire Meridian and Rockland Trust to acquire East Boston Savings Bank. The merger agreement provides that each Meridian stockholder will receive 0.2750 of a share of Independent common stock for each share of Meridian common stock. The transaction is intended to qualify as a tax-free reorganization for federal income tax purposes and to provide a tax-free exchange for Meridian stockholders for the Independent common stock consideration they receive. Independent anticipates that: the transaction will (i) be approximately 7.9% immediately accretive to tangible book value per share; (ii) be approximately 23% accretive to its 2022 earnings per share, assuming fully phased-in cost saves; and, (iii) generate an internal rate of return of approximately 16%. Combined merger-related charges are expected to be approximately $64 million before tax, in the aggregate, incurred in 2021. The boards of directors of each company have unanimously approved the transaction. The transaction is subject to certain conditions, including the receipt of required regulatory approvals, approval by the stockholders of both Meridian and Independent, and other customary conditions. Meridian's directors and executive officers who currently own, in the aggregate, about 3.5% of Meridian Bancorp, Inc.'s outstanding shares have signed voting agreements pursuant to which they have agreed to vote their shares in favor of the merger.

16:08 EDT Silicon Labs to sell I&A business to Skyworks for $2.75B in cash - Silicon Labs (SLAB) announced the company has entered into a definitive asset purchase agreement to sell its Infrastructure & Automotive business to Skyworks Solutions (SWKS) for $2.75B in all-cash consideration. The transaction includes Silicon Labs' power/isolation, timing and broadcast products, intellectual property and associated employees. Silicon Labs and Skyworks will collaborate to ensure a seamless transition for customers, suppliers and employees. Silicon Labs expects to receive an estimated $2.3B in net proceeds after taxes and transaction fees. The company intends to return approximately $2B to shareholders through a combination of special dividends and/or share repurchases after the transaction closes. The boards of directors of both companies have approved the transaction, which is expected to close in the third quarter of 2021 subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals in various jurisdictions. The company does not believe this transaction will require regulatory approval in China. The proceeds provide an ideal opportunity for Silicon Labs to return value directly to its shareholders, while also increasing the ability to fully participate in the strong, expected IoT market growth. With the investments Silicon Labs is making in the IoT business, the company expects to drive sustainable growth and deliver long-term 20%-25% non-GAAP operating margin, demonstrating the inherent leverage potential as a standalone IoT-focused company.

16:06 EDT Silicon Labs to sell I&A business to Skyworks for $2.75B in cash

16:00 EDT Meridian Bancorp trading halted, news pending

15:26 EDT GlaxoSmithKline confirms FDA approval for Jemperli - GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) announced that the US Food and Drug Administration has approved Jemperli, a programmed death receptor-1 blocking antibody, based on the company's Biologics License Application. Jemperli is indicated for the treatment of adult patients with mismatch repair-deficient, or dMMR, recurrent or advanced endometrial cancer, as determined by an FDA-approved test, that have progressed on or following prior treatment with a platinum-containing regimen. This indication is approved under accelerated approval based on tumor response rate and durability of response. Continued approval for this indication may be contingent upon verification and description of clinical benefit in a confirmatory trial(s), the company noted. GSK is also studying Jemperli for endometrial cancer in earlier treatment lines and in combination with other therapeutic agents for patients with advanced solid tumors or metastatic cancer, the company noted. Jemperli was discovered by AnaptysBio (ANAB) and licensed to Tesaro under a collaboration and exclusive license agreement signed in March 2014, GSK noted. "The collaboration has resulted in three monospecific antibody therapies that have progressed into the clinic. These are: Jemperli, a PD-1 antagonist; cobolimab, a TIM-3 antagonist; and GSK4074386, a LAG-3 antagonist. GSK is responsible for the ongoing research, development, commercialization, and manufacture of each of these products under the agreement," GSK said.

15:23 EDT Biden Administration pushing electric vehicle charging infrastructure - The White House has announced new progress on the Administration's "goal to accelerate and deploy electric vehicles and charging stations, create good-paying, union jobs, and enable a clean transportation future." According to a statement, "The Department of Transportation announced guidance on how grants can be used to deploy charging infrastructure and newly designated alternative fuel corridors; The Department of Energy announced new funding and partnerships for charger-related research and development; and The General Services Administration announced progress on the goal to transition the federal fleet to zero-emission vehicles. In March, the United States passed the milestone of 100,000 public chargers (as recorded by the Department of Energy's Alternative Fuel Data Center) and these new actions will accelerate deployment to make driving an electric vehicle convenient in every part of the country." "President Biden's American Jobs Plan includes a transformational $15 billion investment to fund this vision and build a national network of 500,000 charging stations. Through a combination of grant and incentive programs for state and local governments and the private sector, it will support a transformational acceleration in deployment of a mix of chargers in apartment buildings, in public parking, throughout communities, and as a robust fast charging along our nation's roadways," the statement reads. "The Department of Energy announced new research funding opportunities on three EV charging related topics: $10 million to research, develop, and demonstrate innovative technologies and designs to significantly reduce the cost of electric vehicle supply equipment for DC Fast Charging that will be needed in large number to support high volumes of EVs; $20 million to accelerate the adoption of commercially-available plug-in electric vehicles and supporting infrastructure through community-based public-private partnerships that demonstrate PEV technologies and infrastructure in various innovative applications and share resulting data, lessons learned and best practices with a broader audience.... $4 million to encourage strong partnerships and new programs to increase workplace charging regionally or nationally which will help increase the feasibility of PEV ownership for consumers in underserved communities." Publicly traded companies in the space include Tesla (TSLA), Nikola (NKLA), Xpeng (XPEV), Li Auto (LI), Workhorse (WKHS), Lordstown (RIDE), Fisker (FSR), Blink Charging (BLNK), General Motors (GM), and ChargePoint (CHPT). Reference Link

15:02 EDT Phillips 66, Southwest sign MOU to collaborate to advance sustainable fuel - Phillips 66 (PSX) and Southwest Airlines (LUV) announced they have signed a memorandum of understanding, or MOU, to advance the commercialization of sustainable aviation fuel, "focusing on public awareness and research and development." The memorandum of understanding also sets the framework to explore a future supply agreement involving Phillips 66's Rodeo Renewed project in California and "highlights the commitment by both companies to a sustainable energy future," Phillips 66 and Southwest stated.

14:37 EDT Blink supports bi-partisan efforts towards zero-emission vehicles by 2035 - Blink Charging said it supports the call for the establishment of a regulatory framework to enhance the transition to zero-emission vehicles as presented in a letter delivered to the Biden Administration in advance of today's White House Climate Summit. The letter, signed by the Governors of: California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island and Washington, calls for supportive federal policy to regulate and accelerate the move to clean vehicles, and specifically asks for the setting of standards to ensure that all new passenger cars and light-duty trucks sold are zero-emission no later than 2035. "The number of E.V.s on the road today represents a small but growing percentage of the driving public, and it is very exciting to see a bipartisan group of governors come together to request a federal framework to accelerate E.V. adoption and the establishment of E.V. infrastructure. As the White House spotlights the environmental and climate challenges that face our country and the world, it is fitting that these governors are calling for a focus on clean transportation, whether passenger cars, school buses, light duty trucks or entire fleets," remarked Michael D. Farkas, CEO of Blink Charging. "The transition to zero-emission vehicles will not only result in cleaner air and promote the health of communities across the U.S., this evolution also provides the opportunity for job creation as car manufacturers pivot to expanding their E.V. offerings. Also, electric vehicles can be run on 100% domestically produced energy, lessening the U.S. dependence on imported oil and creating quality energy sector jobs domestically," said Farkas. "As these Governors commit to a zero-emission transportation future, Blink stands ready to provide fast, reliable, and accessible charging infrastructure that will be meeting. We look forward to making E.V. charging accessible and that E.V. drivers can find convenient charging locations as they travel the country," concluded Farkas.

14:13 EDT EA working on two new 'Battlefield' games, including one for mobile - Electronic Arts said in a blog post that it is working on two new games in the "Battlefield" franchise, including a console and PC game expected to come out this Holiday season. In addition, EA said it is working with Industrial Toys to develop a new "Battlefield" game for smartphones and tablets set to come out in 2022. "Make no mistake, this is a standalone game," the company said about the mobile title. "A completely different game from the one we're making for console and PC, designed specifically for the mobile platform. It's being built from the ground up by iToys to make Battlefield-on-the-go a reality and you can expect a fully-fledged, skill-based experience. This mobile game is now entering a testing period ahead of launching next year, so expect more details to come." Reference Link

13:52 EDT Codiak BioSciences Inc trading resumes

13:47 EDT Codiak BioSciences Inc trading halted, volatility trading pause

13:18 EDT Markets drop after Bloomberg report on capital gains tax increase - The markets sold off after Bloomberg reported that President Biden will propose to boost the capital gains tax rate to 39.6% for those earning $1M or more from the current base rate of 20%, When coupled with the 3.8% tax on investment income that funds the Affordable Care Act, federal tax rates for investors could be as high as 43.4%, sources told Bloomberg.

13:01 EDT SoCalGas to convert 200 new field service trucks to run on renewable natgas - SoCalGas, a subsidiary of Sempra Energy, announced it will convert 200 new Ford F-250 service pickup trucks to run on renewable natural gas - a renewable form of energy produced from a variety of waste streams. The service trucks will be outfitted with the newest Landi Renzo Eco Ready equipment, a California Air Resource Board certified ultra-low emissions vehicles system. Equipping these 200 service vehicles to run on RNG is expected to reduce over 2,000 metric tons of CO2 equivalent per year which is equivalent to removing 1,800 passenger vehicles from our roads for one year. With the addition of these 200 new net-zero emissions service trucks, nearly 40 percent of SoCalGas' service vehicles will run on clean fuels. "This project is one of the many decarbonizing initiatives we're implementing here at SoCalGas as we continue to move towards a net zero future," said Sandra Hrna, vice president of supply chain and operations support at SoCalGas. "In order to achieve our sustainability goals, we work to build strong relationships with innovative partners to help us continue delivering technologies to further decarbonize the transportation sector."

12:53 EDT Southwest still sees YE business travel 50%-60% lower than pre-pandemic levels

12:44 EDT Southwest not experiencing disruption due to some 737 MAX being out of service

12:34 EDT Southwest CEO: Southwest is only airline that has avoided pay cuts, furloughs

12:33 EDT Southwest CEO: Q1 results 'a lot better than we thought they'd be' in January - Comments taken from Q1 earnings conference call.

12:00 EDT GSX Techedu falls -6.8% - GSX Techedu is down -6.8%, or -$2.03 to $27.62.

12:00 EDT Yatsen rises 14.9% - Yatsen is up 14.9%, or $1.64 to $12.61.

12:00 EDT Teradata rises 31.5% - Teradata is up 31.5%, or $12.58 to $52.46.

11:55 EDT Sony says PlayStation to start rolling out 1080p support this week - Sony said its PlayStation Now streaming service will begin rolling out support for streaming 1080p capable games this week. The rollout will occur over the next several weeks across Europe, US, Canada, and Japan, where PlayStation Now is available. Reference Link

11:34 EDT Charles Schwab still within original timeframe to achieve Ameritrade synergies

11:12 EDT Charles Schwab has seen client engagement moderate some in April - Comments taken from the company's spring business update conference call.

10:57 EDT Amarin announces Great Britain marketing authorization for Vazkepa from MHRA - Amarin Corporation plc announced that the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, or MHRA, has granted a Marketing Authorization for Vazkepa as a treatment to reduce the risk of cardiovascular events in high cardiovascular risk statin-treated adult patients who have elevated triglycerides and either established cardiovascular disease or diabetes, and at least one additional cardiovascular risk factor. "The Great Britain Marketing Authorization for Vazkepa applies to England, Scotland and Wales. Under the Brexit Northern Ireland agreement, the European centralized marketing authorization for the European Union covers Northern Ireland," Amarin said.

10:48 EDT NYSE reviewing potentially erroneous trades in NVR - NYSE said in a notice to traders: "NYSE, NYSE American, NYSE Arca, NYSE National and NYSE Chicago Equities are currently reviewing potentially erroneous trades in symbol NVR - NVR, Inc executed between 09:36:00 and 09:38:00 ET today. Customers should review their activity for potentially erroneous trades. We will update with a ruling when available." Reference Link

10:35 EDT Takung Art trading resumes

10:30 EDT Freeport McMoRan sees 2021 capital expenditures $2.3B - Says Lone Star successfully completed initial development. Says restarted Chino in Q1. Says increasing mining rates at Morenci by 10%. Says plans to ramp up Cerro Verde to pre-Covid levels. Says encouraged with scale of ramp-up at Grasberg Block Cave and DMLZ. Sees 2021 copper sales 3.85B lbs. 2022 copper sales 4.4B lbs. Sees 2023 copper sales 4.4B lbs. Sees 2021 gold sales 1.3M ozs. Sees 2022 gold sales 1.6M ozs. Sees 2023 gold sales 1.8M ozs. Sees 2021 molybdenum sales 85M lbs. Sees 2022 molybdenum sales 80M lbs. Sees 2023 molybdenum sales 80M lbs. Sees 2022 Capex $2.2B.

10:29 EDT Nikola has 'tremendous momentum,' Jeff Ubben says - Inclusive Capital Partners founder Jeff Ubben said on CNBC that there is "tremendous momentum" at Nikola. Ubben said the electric truck is "right on target." The fuel cell truck will be a 2022-2023 event, he added.

10:21 EDT Cleveland-Cliffs says no major outages planned for Q2

10:13 EDT Freeport McMoRan says outlook for copper 'has never been better' - Says working in South America to return production to pre-pandemic levels. Says remain committed to continuous improvement in sustainability. Says Americas businesses are going well. Says adopted a performance-based payout framework for increasing cash returns to shareholders. Says source of copper demand expanding. Says copper is essential to global cleaner energy future.

10:12 EDT Cleveland-Cliffs CEO says those who see steel industry demise 'completely wrong' - Cleveland-Cliffs chairman, president, and CEO Lourenco Goncalves is speaking on the company's Q1 earnings call.

10:09 EDT Spirit Airlines sees April capacity down 11%, May down 3%, June down 2%

10:09 EDT Spirit Airlines sees FY21 capacity about flat

10:08 EDT Spirit Airlines: International demand has stabilized

10:06 EDT Freeport McMoRan says Grasberg underground ramp-up proceeding 'on schedule' - Says benefited from improved pricing in Q1. Says continues to focus on maintaining low-cost position. Comments taken from Q1 earnings conference call.

10:00 EDT GSX Techedu falls -4.4% - GSX Techedu is down -4.4%, or -$1.32 to $28.33.

10:00 EDT Fisker falls -11.7% - Fisker is down -11.7%, or -$1.78 to $13.37.

10:00 EDT Equifax rises 14.0% - Equifax is up 14.0%, or $26.98 to $219.61.

09:56 EDT Freeport McMoRan sees copper volume growth of 20% in 2021 vs. 2020 - In presentation slides for its Q1 earnings call, Freeport McMoRan said it sees copper volume growth of approximately 20% in 2021 vs. 2020 and sees gold volume growth of approximately 55% in 2021 vs. 2020. Freeport sees copper volume growth of approximately 15% in 2022 vs. 2021 and sees gold volume growth of approximately 20% in 2022 vs. 2021, Freeport sees 2021 consolidated copper sales of 3.85B lbs, consolidated gold sales of 1.3M ozs and 2021 consolidated molybdenum sales of 80M lbs and 2022 consolidated molybdenum sales of 85M lbs.

09:47 EDT Argo Group falls -5.1% - Argo Group is down -5.1%, or -$2.80 to $51.80.

09:47 EDT Equifax rises 13.1% - Equifax is up 13.1%, or $25.27 to $217.90.

09:47 EDT Teradata rises 28.6% - Teradata is up 28.6%, or $11.39 to $51.27.

09:32 EDT CN sends letter to Kansas City Southern board regarding 'superior' proposal - CN (CNI) announced that it has sent a letter to the board of directors of Kansas City Southern (KSU) regarding its superior proposal to acquire KCS in a cash-and-stock transaction valued at $33.7B, or $325 per share. The letter says in part: "Rather than acknowledge the clear and substantial superiority of CN's proposal for KCS shareholders, CP (CP) has sought to distract investors and attack CN's proposal with a variety of inaccurate and unfounded assertions. CP's claims are not intended to benefit KCS shareholders, but to advance CP's own interests and to deprive KCS shareholders of the full value for their shares. As you know, the railroad regulatory approval condition that is relevant to the KCS shareholders is approval of the voting trust, and CN is proposing to use the identical voting trust that CP has proposed. CN is confident that the Surface Transportation Board will not subject CN's proposal to any different standard or scrutiny in approving the voting trust than would be applicable to CP's proposal. Both voting trusts are equally likely to be approved. CP's deliberately misleading claims to the contrary are not correct. CN's proposed combination is clearly in the public interest, and will enhance competition and produce substantial benefits for customers, communities and employees. Following the closing of the voting trust, CN is confident that it will be able to effectively address any reasonable remediation concerns and ensure that rail customers and other stakeholders benefit from the proposed combination with KCS. We look forward to sharing our views on these matters with you and your team."

09:30 EDT Terreno Realty acquires property in San Jose, CA for $8M - Terreno Realty acquired an industrial property in San Jose, California on April 21 or a purchase price of approximately $8M. The 2.2-acre improved land parcel at 560 East Gish Road is adjacent to the intersection of I-880 and US 101 and Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport. The property is 100% leased to one tenant and the estimated stabilized cap rate is 4.8%. Estimated stabilized cap rates are calculated as annualized cash basis net operating income stabilized to market occupancy divided by total acquisition cost. Total acquisition cost includes the initial purchase price, the effects of marking assumed debt to market, buyer's due diligence and closing costs, estimated near-term capital expenditures and leasing costs necessary to achieve stabilization. Terreno Realty Corporation acquires, owns and operates industrial real estate in six major coastal U.S. markets: Los Angeles; Northern New Jersey/New York City; San Francisco Bay Area; Seattle; Miami; and Washington, D.C.

09:28 EDT MyMD Pharmaceuticals gets issuance of allowance from USPTO for Supera-CBD - MyMD Pharmaceuticals announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office, USPTO, issued a Notice of Allowance for application no. 16/612,472, entitled "Synthetic Cannabinoid Compounds for the Treatment of Substance Addiction and Other Disorders." Supera-CBD is well positioned to address key unmet needs in epilepsy and chronic pain. The allowed claims cover the new molecular entity Supera-CBD as well as pharmaceutical compositions containing the compound. The USPTO found the claims patentable based in part on the compound's unexpectedly improved activity and selectivity toward inhibiting cannabinoid receptor type 2 , a key therapeutic target for neuroinflammatory and neurodegenerative diseases. "The issuance of this Notice of Allowance for our molecule, Supera-CBD, continues to demonstrate our steadfast commitment to moving forward with and protecting our entire product portfolio," said Adam Kaplin, M.D., Chief Scientific Officer of MyMD. "We are thrilled that Supera-CBD has shown strong promise in treating neuroinflammatory and neurodegenerative diseases, and is expected to be a major focus for our company as we move forward."

09:27 EDT 1st Source increases quarterly cash dividend 7.14% to 30c per share - At its April meeting, the board of directors approved an increase in the cash dividend to 30c per common share, up 7.14% from the 28c per common share declared a year ago. The cash dividend is payable to shareholders of record on May 4 and will be paid on May 14.

09:26 EDT Diana Shipping announces contract for m/v Philadelphia with Classic Maritime - Diana Shipping announced that, through a separate wholly-owned subsidiary, it has entered into a time charter contract with Classic Maritime, for one of its Newcastlemax dry bulk vessels, the m/v Philadelphia. The gross charter rate is $28,500 per day, minus a 5% commission paid to third parties, for a period until minimum March 1, 2022 up to maximum May 1, 2022. The charter commenced earlier today. The "Philadelphia" is a 206,040 dwt Newcastlemax dry bulk vessel built in 2012. The employment of "Philadelphia" is anticipated to generate approximately $8.81M of gross revenue for the minimum scheduled period of the time charter. Upon completion of the previously announced sale of one Panamax dry bulk vessel, the m/v Naias, Diana Shipping's fleet will consist of 36 dry bulk vessels. As of today, the combined carrying capacity of the company's fleet, including the m/v Naias, is approximately 4.7M dwt with a weighted average age of 10.17 years.

09:21 EDT Archer Daniels opens new plant-based Singapore lab to advance protein innovation - "ADM celebrated the opening of its new cutting-edge, plant-based innovation lab, located in ADM's Biopolis research hub in Singapore. The lab will develop next-level, on-trend and nutritious products to meet growing food and beverage demand in the Asia-Pacific region.," the company said in a statement. "ADM is a pioneer in plant-based nutrition innovation, and this new facility will enhance our ability to meet rapidly growing consumer demand in the Asia-Pacific region and bring exciting new products and solutions to the market," said Leo Liu, ADM president, Asia-Pacific. "Protein continues to be a focus for consumers who are experimenting with plant-based options to meet their health and nutrition, sustainability and convenience preferences, and with Asia being home to 60 percent of the world's population, Singapore is a critical hub of innovation and growth around plant-based alternatives. This lab will help ADM deliver advanced customer solutions in this area while also creating jobs and offering development opportunities for young talent in the Asia-Pacific region."

09:20 EDT Micron releases annual sustainability report - Micron Technology released "Fast Forward: Micron's 2021 Sustainability Report," underscoring the company's commitment to advance innovation, people, communities and manufacturing while demonstrating resilience in extraordinary times. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Micron has driven progress on sustainability programs, including making initial investments towards its goal to spend approximately $1 billion on environmental initiatives by 2028. These include reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 75% versus 2018, as well as achieving 75% water conservation and 95% waste diversion globally in 2030. The company also targets sourcing 100% renewable energy across its U.S. manufacturing operations by the end of 2025. Micron decreased 2020 GHG emissions per unit of production by 36% versus 2018. In addition, Micron increased its material and waste reuse, recycling and recovery to 84% in calendar year 2020, up three percentage points from the year prior. Micron also made meaningful progress in its diversity, equality and inclusion commitments. The company achieved comprehensive global pay equity for all underrepresented groups in total employee compensation across base pay, bonuses and stock rewards. To support development of underserved communities, Micron allocated over $250 million in cash and cash equivalents to be managed by minority-owned financial firms. Additionally, Micron increased representation of females on its board. As of February 2021, women represent 50% of Micron's board members. Micron also saw an 84% growth in overall employee resource group membership in 2020. These employee-led ERGs are driven by volunteers, focusing on people with shared identities or experiences and their allies. ERGs are key to promoting inclusion within Micron and the communities where its employees live and work.

09:17 EDT Ocean Power deploys PB3 PowerBuoy for enel green power in Chile - Ocean Power Technologies announced the deployment of a PB3 PowerBuoy for Enel Green Power off the coast of Las Cruces, Chile to support the country's transition to clean energy. OPT's PB3 PowerBuoy converts wave motion into "clean, reliable electricity to supply continuous and autonomous power and enable secure collection and transmission of data from the sea," the company said. The autonomous offshore platform will eventually power a suite of oceanographic sensors and transmit real-time environmental data to a dedicated shore station studying the potential effect of marine energy under real-world sea conditions with minimal carbon footprint. OPT will continue to monitor the operational performance of the PB3 PowerBuoy and provide remote diagnostics and support as needed.

09:15 EDT ImmunityBio dosed 100th patient with proprietary 'Natural Killer' cells - ImmunityBio announced it has administered its proprietary Natural Killer cells to more than 100 patients. The cells were administered as part of combination therapies in trials across multiple indications, including pancreatic, triple-negative breast, and Merkel Cell Carcinoma cancers. The 100th patient to receive ImmunityBio's NK cells is participating in the company's QUILT 88 trial for pancreatic cancer. To support that scale of testing, the company has manufactured more than 5 trillion clinical-grade, off-the-shelf NK cells since 2017 and has more than 2.7 trillion cryopreserved cells in storage, representing a pipeline of 1,400 doses for our clinical trials. Over the last six months, ImmunityBio has invested in substantial upgrades to its cell therapy production equipment, as well as in process improvements, resulting in a 400% increase in process performance. "We believe ImmunityBio is the first natural killer cell therapy-based company to accomplish manufacturing, storage and administration of cryopreserved NK cells at this scale," said ImmunityBio CEO Richard Adcock. "As a result of developing increased efficiencies and driving best manufacturing practices, we will be able to accelerate the development of our cell therapy platforms and immunotherapies to deliver better outcomes for patients in their fight against cancer and infectious diseases."

09:12 EDT STMicroelectronics joins mioty Alliance - STMicroelectronics announced support for the mioty standard, which enables highly scalable, long-range, and extremely low-power wireless connections. Joining the mioty Alliance, which maintains the specifications and promotes the technology, ST has announced availability of a protocol stack from ST Authorized Partner Stackforce that allows customers to create mioty devices using the STM32WL wireless System-on-Chip.

09:11 EDT AeroVironment awarded $13.01M Army contract order - AeroVironment announced it received a $13.01M cost-plus-fixed-fee contract order on March 24 from the U.S. Army for Switchblade 300 tactical missile systems contractor logistics support. The contract has a total potential value of $40.85M for which funding was authorized via a DoD-approved Joint Urgent Operational Need Statement. Logistics support services are scheduled to be delivered through March 2024.

09:09 EDT Redwood Trust makes minority equity investment in Churchill Finance - Redwood Trust announced a minority preferred equity investment in Churchill Finance, a vertically-integrated real estate finance company based in New York. Operating since 2014, Churchill focuses on the origination, aggregation, and asset management of real estate credit products backed by residential, multifamily and commercial properties.

09:08 EDT Blucora holder Ancora issues statement regarding outcome of election - Ancora Holdings,a sizable stockholder of Blucorai ssued the following statement: "We thank our fellow stockholders for their engagement and support in recent weeks. Although we are disappointed with the outcome of this contest, we are committed to remaining an engaged stockholder of Blucora. We urge the Board of Directors to reflect on the pressing issues at hand and objectively assess all paths to unlocking value. In light of the strategic interest in the company, as recently reported by Bloomberg News, we expect the Board of Directors to thoroughly evaluate any bonafide offers for the company (in whole or its parts)."

09:07 EDT Canoo appoints Executive Chairman Tony Aquila as CEO - Canoo appointed Tony Aquila, its Executive Chairman and one of the company's largest investors, to the added role of CEO. In this position, Aquila will lead the company in its focused strategy of bringing the company's electric vehicles to the public. Along with Aquila's appointment as CEO, the company announced the opening of executive offices in Dallas. California will remain the home of the Company's concept development, including design and engineering. Aquila succeeds Ulrich Kranz, who has resigned effective April 30. Aquila will forego any additional cash compensation and instead take the added compensation in Canoo stock. Aquila, through a controlled investment vehicle, invested in Canoo in August and December 2020. The company has also appointed Hector Ruiz as General Counsel. Ruiz succeeds Andrew Wolstan, who resigned effective April 30. Ruiz was promoted following his tenure as VP Global Strategy, Tax Counsel, and Treasury. Aquila joined the Canoo board as Executive Chairman on December 21, 2020. He was previously elected chairman on October 19, 2020.

09:06 EDT Flex commits to cutting operational emissions in half by 2030 - Flex announced its commitment to cut operational emissions in half by 2030 as part of the company's new long-term sustainability strategy. In partnership with suppliers and customers, Flex has set bold environmental goals to combat climate change. Aligning scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions reduction targets, the company has joined the Science Based Targets initiative, the global movement of leading companies working to reach the Paris Agreement's goal of limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees C above preindustrial levels. Flex conducted an exhaustive data analysis of each of the 15 categories of scope 3 emissions as part of its acceptance into the SBTi.

09:02 EDT China XD Plastics receives Nasdaq notice on late filing of Form 10-K - China XD Plastics Company announced that it has received a Notice from the NASDAQ Stock Market on April 16, 2021 notifying the Company that, because its Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020 was not filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission by the required due date of March 31, 2021 and the extended filing date of April 15, 2021, the Company is therefore not in compliance with the periodic filing requirements for continued listing set forth in NASDAQ Listing Rule 5250(c)(1) The delay of filing the Company's 2020 10K was primarily due to lockdown ordered by the local government in response to the resurgence of COVID-19 outbreak early this year in Heilongjiang province, where the executive office and group accounting staff is based. As a result, the Company's audit process has been interrupted. The Company has resumed operation since February 25, 2021 and is working with its auditor to complete necessary process and preparation of the 2020 10-K. In the Notice, Nasdaq indicated that the Company has 60 calendar days from the date of the Notice to submit a plan to regain compliance with Nasdaq's continued listing requirements. If such a plan is timely submitted by the Company, the Nasdaq staff may grant the Company up to 180 calendar days from the due date of the Form 10-K, or until October 12, 2021, to regain compliance.

09:00 EDT Pfizer declares 39c per share cash dividend, says dividend won't be cut - Pfizer (PFE) announced that its board of directors declared a 39c second-quarter 2021 dividend on the company's common stock, payable June 4 to holders of the common stock of record at the close of business on May 7. The board has decided to maintain Pfizer's quarterly dividend at its current rate despite the planned declaration of a dividend payment by Viatris Inc. (VTRS) that would be payable to those Pfizer shareholders that have elected to continue holding Viatris shares received from the combination of Upjohn and Mylan. "This decision results in an increased dividend income to those shareholders continuing to own shares of both Pfizer and Viatris," the company stated earlier. "We are pleased to be in a position to return capital to our shareholders as a result of our expected strong financial performance. Our ability to fulfill our purpose and create meaningful value for patients is behind our expected strong financial performance and will remain a core focus," stated Dr. Albert Bourla, Pfizer Chairman and CEO. Previously, on December 11, 2020, Pfizer had said: "It is expected that Viatris will begin paying a quarterly dividend in the second quarter of 2021, at which time Pfizer's quarterly dividend will be reduced such that the combined dividend dollar amount received by Pfizer shareholders, based upon the combination of continued Pfizer ownership and approximately 0.124079 shares of Viatris which were granted for each Pfizer share in the spin-off, will equate to Pfizer's dividend amount in effect immediately prior to the initiation of the Viatris dividend."

08:56 EDT D.R. Horton sees Q3 gross margin 24.6%-25% - Says had 95% increase in earnings in Q2. Says housing market conditions remain very robust. Says expects Q3 gross margin to be similar or slightly better than Q2. Says increased housing inventory due to demand. Says has seen erratic behavior on the land front, but it has not been consistent nor impactful. Says incredibly well positioned on lot supply. Says efficient in delivering houses. Says expects to sell two multi-family rental projects in FY21. Comments taken from Q2 earnings conference call.

08:54 EDT Novocure announces FDA approval for IDE application to initiate KEYNOTE-B36 - Novocure announced that the FDA has approved its investigational device exemption, or IDE, application to initiate the KEYNOTE-B36 trial, conducted in collaboration with MSD. The KEYNOTE-B36 trial will evaluate Tumor Treating Fields together with pembrolizumab for first-line treatment of locally advanced or metastatic intrathoracic, PD-L1 positive non-small cell lung cancer.

08:50 EDT Waitr Holdings signs new national delivery agreement with BJ's Restaurants - Waitr Holdings (WTRH) announced it has signed a new national delivery agreement with BJ's Restaurants (BJRI). The new partnership expands Waitr and Bite Squad's delivery of BJ's Restaurants' casual brewhouse-inspired dining options and craft beers from select local locations to a nation-wide affiliation.

08:47 EDT Zagg partners with Eden Reforestation Projects - ZAGG Brands announced a partnership with Eden Reforestation Projects, one of the most prolific tree planting organizations that has planted more than 485 million trees since 2005. To support these efforts globally during 2021, ZAGG Brands will donate funds to Eden Reforestation Projects with every Gear4 protective case sold.

08:46 EDT American Airlines to return all aircraft to active service by the summer

08:43 EDT Skye Bioscience completes CMC, GLP production for THCVHS lead program - Skye Bioscience has established its Chemical, Manufacture and Controls procedures for the production of THCVHS drug product suitable for Good Laboratory Practice non-clinical research. This is a key step in advancing the Company's planned Phase 1 study for its lead drug candidate, THCVHS, a novel prodrug of THC for the treatment of glaucoma. Additional Updates on the THCVHS Program: Preclinical pharmacology studies of THCVHS in rabbits has been completed. These studies compared THCVHS' effect on intraocular pressure versus netarsudil and latanoprost and evaluated the potential additive and synergistic effects of THCVHS with these agents. A manuscript is being drafted to summarize this data and the company looks forward to reporting results before the end of the quarter. Regulatory requirements for the neuroprotection study being conducted by the CRO, Experimentica UAB, have been received. The company is in the process of shipping drug material, which will allow for the CRO to initiate the study imminently. A genotoxicity study underway will validate that THCVHS has no effect on the genetic material of cells that may lead to mutations that could cause cancer. This is another data set required by the Australian TGA, as well as the US FDA, before receiving regulatory clearance to conduct human clinical trials. The company plans to initiate its first-in-human Phase 1 study of THCVHS for the treatment of glaucoma before the end of the year.

08:42 EDT American Airlines: Domestic flights to comprise 85% of seat capacity this summer

08:41 EDT American Airlines: Daily net bookings reached 2019 levels this week - Daily net bookings reached 2019 levels on a rolling 7-day average this week, the company said.

08:40 EDT OSI Systems renews GPO contract with Premier - OSI Systems announced that its Healthcare division, Spacelabs Healthcare has renewed its group purchasing contract to provide patient monitoring systems to Premier,. Deepak Chopra, OSI Systems CEO, commented, "We are pleased to continue our partnership with Premier and look forward to providing its members our latest patient monitoring and connectivity solutions."

08:39 EDT ProPhase Labs to provide COVID-19 testing for Oyster Bay Township in New York - ProPhase Labs announced that it has been awarded and signed a contract with The Town of Oyster Bay, New York, to provide reliable COVID-19 testing. This partnership will help bring COVID-19 testing to thousands of Oyster Bay residents. The Town of Oyster Bay will offer ProPhase Labs' saliva-based, viral RT-PCR multiplex-testing, a type of test proven to quickly detect and identify COVID-19 and any of its 17+ current viral mutations. With labs in both Garden City, New York and Old Bridge, New Jersey, ProPhase Labs has the capacity to provide test results to individuals within 24 hours from the time when one of its labs receives and accepts a specimen. The roll out will begin with a focus on testing for school students and faculty. ProPhase Labs will also provide testing for major school events this year, such as graduations, proms, and homecomings. Additionally, testing will be offered to municipal employees and the general public in the weeks ahead.

08:38 EDT AT&T says cheaper ad-supported HBO Max coming in June

08:38 EDT Axon and RapidSOS partnering in real time data for first responders - Axon and RapidSOS announced a partnership to provide emergency first responders and 911 telecommunicators access to critical emergency incident information from Axon devices being used by law enforcement officers. Through this partnership, Emergency Communication Centers across the U.S. will be eligible to access the location of officers, real-time alerts resulting from developing situations, and streaming video through Axon Respond devices such as Axon body-worn cameras, Axon Fleet in-car cameras, and Axon Air connected drones. Additionally, emergency intelligence data from more than 350 million connected devices recognized as RapidSOS Ready will be available to dispatchers and first responders via Axon Respond.

08:37 EDT AT&T CEO says 'our execution has been sharp, we have momentum' - Says transformation initiatives driving efficiencies and freeing up growth capital. Says continues to monetize non-core assets. Says subscriber momentum is strong and company is taking share. Says encouraged by momentum across the board. Comments taken from Q1 earnings conference call.

08:37 EDT American Airlines CEO: 'No doubt' pace of recovery is acclerating - Comments taken from Q1 earnings conference call.

08:36 EDT GreenBox partners with Elliptic for anti-money laundering monitoring systems - GreenBox announced it has partnered with Elliptic to implement anti-money laundering monitoring systems for cryptoassets. "Ensuring safe, instant settlement across the currency spectrum is of the utmost importance to GreenBox POS," said Fredi Nisan, CEO of GreenBox. "By integrating with Elliptic's crypto monitoring and compliance solutions, we add yet another layer of protection and accountability to our blockchain based ecosystem."

08:35 EDT LiveXLive Media and Queens Gaming Collective enter content partnership - LiveXLive Media announced its newest content partnership with Queens Gaming Collective, the first women-driven, gaming lifestyle organization. The deal will start with a slate of original series created and produced in partnership with Queens. Queens Gaming Collective and LiveXLive's partnership will focus on creating and producing long and short-form original shows and events that span across a variety of categories including music, pop culture, sports, food, and of course gaming. All content created will be distributed across LiveXLive's portfolio and via Twitch and YouTube and LiveXLives' owned and operated platforms from mobile to linear channels.

08:34 EDT Sterling Construction awarded $20.8M highway project in Nevada - Sterling Construction announced that its subsidiary, Road and Highway Builders, has been awarded a $20.8M heavy civil contract by the Nevada Department of Transportation, NDOT, for the reconstruction of 25 miles of I-80 in Pershing County, Nevada. The reconstruction of this stretch of I-80 consists of asphalt paving, along with eight bridge widenings to reduce traffic congestion and improve safety. "We are glad to have the opportunity to help NDOT reduce congestion and improve the safety of I-80," stated Joe Cutillo, Sterling's CEO. "I-80 is a critical commercial shipping route for cross-country travel and cannot be hindered for long periods of time. Our selection was driven by our ability to handle fast-tracked jobs and meet the aggressive time frame required by NDOT. This is yet another example of our focus of bringing added value to our customers and our efficacy to win jobs."

08:33 EDT Magellan Midstream sells partial interest in Pasadena marine terminal JV - Magellan Midstream has sold nearly half of its membership interest in its Pasadena marine terminal joint venture, MVP Terminalling to an undisclosed financial buyer for $270M. The sale closed on April 19. Magellan now owns approximately 25% of MVP Terminalling and remains the operator of the facility. MVP Terminalling owns a refined petroleum products marine storage terminal along the Houston Ship Channel in Pasadena, Texas. The terminal currently includes over five million barrels of storage, two ship docks and truck loading facilities, with space to nearly double its current capacity.

08:31 EDT Zogenix presents data on FINTEPLA in children, young adults with LGS - Zogenix announced new data showing the impact of treatment with FINTEPLA oral solution on everyday executive function for children and young adults with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome. FINTEPLA is being investigated for the treatment of seizures associated with LGS, a rare, severe epilepsy that is one of the most challenging developmental and epileptic encephalopathies to manage due to the high seizure frequency and significant neurodevelopmental impairment patients experience. The data, presented in an oral presentation and fireside chat at the virtual American Academy of Neurology Annual Meeting this week, was the first presentation of FINTEPLA's impact on LGS patients' abilities to self-regulate behavior, emotions, and cognition. These new data complement earlier Phase 3 trial data demonstrating FINTEPLA's ability to significantly reduce drop seizure frequency and, especially, generalized tonic-clonic seizure frequency for many LGS patients. The objective of this post-hoc analysis was to assess the impact of FINTEPLA on everyday executive function as captured using the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function as part of the Zogenix 14-week randomized Phase 3 clinical trial of children and young adults with LGS. The BRIEF assessments were completed by caregivers or parents as part of the trial, which included a total of 263 LGS patients aged 2-35 years. After a 4-week baseline, patients were randomized to placebo or one of two fenfluramine doses. Treatment continued for a combined 14-week titration and maintenance period. Age-appropriate versions of the BRIEF were administered at baseline and end of study. This analysis included 137 patients that had both baseline and end of-study BRIEF assessments, mapping the BRIEF ratings to the current BRIEF(R) 2 parent form, a shorter, 63-item version, which incorporates a large, 1,400-sample size normative population and statistics to support interpretation. This analysis did not include patients over 18 years of age because normative population data in adults is not yet available. The BRIEF 2 analysis utilizes the Reliable Change Index for Behavior, Emotion, Cognition, and Global scores that represent a degree of confidence that the change represents a real effect, and therefore is clinically meaningful. Associations between change in BRIEF 2 scores and combined active versus placebo treatment groups were evaluated in cross tabulations using Somers' D statistic. Mean age of patients in the FINTEPLA vs. placebo groups was 12 +/- 3.6, with 44% of the FINTEPLA patients being female vs. 53% in the placebo group. The frequency of clinically elevated T-scores at baseline, defined as a T-score greater than or equal to65, was substantial, suggesting frequent impairment in executive function, as would be expected for children with LGS. Subjects with greater improvement in seizure control were more likely to show clinically meaningful improvements in executive functioning after the 14-week study duration. More patients on FINTEPLA than placebo showed improvement in each of the four BRIEF 2 indexes. Improvement was significantly greater for the CRI and GEC scores, indicating clinically meaningful improvement in the FINTEPLA-treated patients.

08:29 EDT Travelzoo expects Q2 to achieve 'significantly higher revenue' - "We see a trend of recovery of our revenue. We have been able to reduce our operating expenses, and we believe we can contain many of the lower costs in the foreseeable future," the company said.

08:26 EDT Radius Health says FDA Type C meeting for RAD011 scheduled for June - The company said, "FDA Type C meeting is scheduled to take place in June, 2021. This meeting will review and discuss our proposed Phase 3 protocol for PWS. A recent advisory board meeting provided us with additional insights and considerations for the proposed pivotal trial. Beyond PWS, the Company is critically assessing additional orphan indications that might be applicable for the RAD011 molecule. Several disease specific opportunities will be considered for clinical advancement over the course of the next 12 months. The upcoming PWSA/USA Virtual Medical and Scientific Meeting will take place on June 23 and 24. The Company's abstract "Preliminary results from a randomized, placebo-controlled Phase 2 trial using synthetic cannabidiol oral solution in 7 individuals with Prader Willi Syndrome," has been accepted. Results will be presented during an oral presentation."

08:24 EDT Radius Health completes study to assess TD sterile patch - The company said, "Study completed to assess commercial sterile patch pharmacokinetic performance compared to the initial Phase 3 product. The results of the study were positive and passed the strict FDA bioequivalence criteria. This will enable a transition of all remaining patients in our wearABLe Phase 3 study from the current product to the sterile commercial product. Final human factors studies were also completed, and the results were positive. This enables us to proceed to summative studies and would be an integral component in an anticipated abaloparatide-TD NDA submission."

08:23 EDT Magna commits to carbon neutrality in global operations by 2030 - Magna "enters a new era in the company's sustainability journey with its announcement to achieve carbon neutrality in its operations by 2025 in Europe and by 2030 globally," the company said. "While sustainability has long been ingrained in Magna's culture, this decade will be our most decisive yet as we accelerate our efforts to protect the planet for future generations," said Magna CEO Swamy Kotagiri. "We believe achieving carbon neutrality is both a social responsibility and a business imperative in the fight against climate change. This ambitious - and achievable - goal is rooted in a science-based approach that aligns with the Paris Climate Accord and places us among industry leaders in Europe and North America." Magna has also signed on as the founding sponsor of the XPrize Abundant Energy Alliance.

08:22 EDT Radius Health expects TYMLOS revenues to normalize throughout balance of 2021 - The company said, "Patient growth increased by 14% in Q1, 2021 vs. Q4, 2020. For the first quarter, patient adds were strong in January, weakened in the short and weather impacted month of February, and rebounded in March. To date for the month of April, the new patient numbers appear robust. Within the first quarter, there were seasonally driven headwinds for the net revenue totals. These are consistent with previous years, although Q1 2020 - as a comparator - was an unusual quarter given the underlying patient and HCP activity-based volatility resulting from COVID-19. We also experienced reasonable destocking within our distribution channel for the quarter. We expect net revenues will normalize throughout the balance of 2021."

08:20 EDT Onconova announces first patient dosed in phase 2 study of Rigosertib - Onconova Therapeutics announced that the first patient has been dosed in an investigator-initiated Phase 2 study to assess the efficacy and safety of rigosertib in patients with recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa, or RDEB, -associated locally advanced/metastatic squamous cell carcinoma, or SCC. The patient was dosed at the EB House Austria, a center of expertise for epidermolysis bullosa at the University Hospital Salzburg, Austria. Additional sites are anticipated to be opened in the UK and in the US to study this disease. In this open-label investigator-initiated study, 12 patients will receive either oral or intravenous rigosertib at the clinician's discretion given the various clinical manifestations of the disease, which may dictate the need for either oral or intravenous administration of rigosertib. Patients will receive either oral rigosertib in four-week cycles for up to 13 cycles, with 560 mg of oral rigosertib in the morning and again in the afternoon, for a total of 1,120 mg/day. Alternatively, patients will receive intravenous rigosertib as a 72-hour IV infusion on days 1, 2 and 3 of eight 2-week cycles, and on days 1, 2 and 3 of nine 4-week cycles thereafter, with each 24-hour infusion consisting of 1,800 mg of rigosertib. The study has two primary endpoints. The first is to determine the anti-tumor activity of rigosertib in RDEB patients with advanced SCC who have failed prior standard of care through the overall response rate, defined as the proportion of patients who achieve either a complete response or a partial response. The second primary endpoint is to evaluate the safety and tolerability of rigosertib in this population. Secondary study endpoints include quality of life and a biomarker analysis performed on archival tissue from all patients. Patients will be dosed for up to one year, with trial duration anticipated to be approximately two-and-a-half years.

08:18 EDT OTC removes Hometown International from market effective immediately - OTC Markets Group announced the following statement on Hometown International: "OTC Markets Group has determined that Hometown International Inc. does not meet the requirements of our OTCQB Market. HWIN has been removed from OTCQB effective immediately and may not reapply for a period of at least 90 days." In accordance with its Caveat Emptor policy, OTC Markets Group has also determined that a "public interest concern" exists for Hometown International and has added the Caveat Emptor designation to the stock. The Caveat Emptor designation will remain until OTC Markets Group "believes there is no longer a public interest concern." Shares of Hometown International closed Wednesday up 32c to $13.07.

08:17 EDT Nasdaq launches Nasdaq-100 Micro Index options - Nasdaq announced the launch of options on the Nasdaq-100 Micro Index, which "expands access for Main Street investors to the Nasdaq-100 index in a seamless and cost-efficient way," the company said. These new index options are now listed on the Nasdaq PHLX options exchange, and are available on many trading platforms that support index options. "Option investor engagement is at an important inflection point, with newer participants embracing the options market like never before," said Greg Ferrari, Vice President and Head of U.S. Options for Nasdaq. "The Nasdaq-100 Micro Index Options address this evolving demographic by providing individual investors with a more precise and manageable way to access innovative Nasdaq-100 companies. Our work continues to encourage broader participation in the market and helps investors recognize the benefits that exist when utilizing index options in a portfolio."

08:15 EDT Freeport McMoRan expects to produce 3.85B pounds of copper in FY21 - Consolidated sales volumes for FY21 are expected to approximate 3.85B pounds of copper, 1.3M ounces of gold and 85M pounds of molybdenum, including 975M pounds of copper, 330,000 ounces of gold and 21M pounds of molybdenum in Q2.

08:15 EDT Ocuphire Pharma to present data from pre-clinical studies of APX3330 - Ocuphire Pharma announced that data from pre-clinical studies and pharmacokinetic modeling of the Company's proprietary APX3330 drug candidate will be presented on Sunday, May 2, 2021 during the upcoming Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology virtual Annual Meeting, May 1 - 7, 2021. Details of the abstract and presentation are as follows: Title: Oral APX3330 treatment reduces L-CNV lesions in preclinical mouse model and confirms Phase 2 DR/DME clinical dose with sufficient distribution to human retina using PBPK modeling. Data from this pre-clinical study showed that oral administration of APX3330 was effective in reducing laser-induced choroidal neovascularization in a mouse model, which is a widely validated model for studying antiangiogenic therapies. Additionally, new data will be presented from PBPK modeling that confirmed the dosing strategy for the ongoing ZETA-1 Phase 2 trial in patients with diabetic retinopathy and diabetic macular edema.

08:13 EDT Aemetis selects Axens Vegan technology for Carbon Zero project - Aemetis announced that Aemetis has selected Axens Vegan Renewable Hydroprocessing technology for its "Carbon Zero 1" production plant in Riverbank, California. The Axens scope will include technology license, basic engineering, catalyst supply, and proprietary equipment for the conversion of ultra-low carbon intensity, non-edible vegetable and other non-edible oils along with renewable cellulosic hydrogen to produce a flexible mix of sustainable aviation fuel and renewable diesel fuel. The Aemetis "Carbon Zero 1" plant has a planned capacity of 45 million gallons per year and will be located at the 142-acre Riverbank Industrial Complex, a former US Army ammunitions plant in Riverbank, California.

08:12 EDT ManTech earns AWS Migration, DevOps Competencies - ManTech announced that it has achieved the Amazon Web Services Migration and DevOps Competencies.

08:11 EDT Nucor CEO says Q1 'the most profitable quarter in our company's history' - "The first quarter of 2021 was the most profitable quarter in our company's history. We are clearly reaping the rewards from our prior investments and the more strategic approaches we are taking to our key end-use markets," said Leon Topalian, Nucor's President and CEO. "It is gratifying to see such strong performance across all of Nucor." Topalian continued, "We expect earnings for the second quarter of 2021 to exceed our first quarter results, setting a new record for quarterly earnings. Most of the end-use markets we serve remain strong and inventories remain lean across supply chains. We believe the current favorable demand environment will continue through the rest of 2021. I want to thank our customers for allowing us the opportunity to earn your business and the more than 26,000 Nucor teammates whose dedication makes extraordinary results like these possible."

08:10 EDT Nikola and TravelCenters partner in hydrogen fueling infrastructure - Nikola (NKLA), through its Nikola Energy division, and TravelCenters (TA) have agreed to collaborate on the installation of hydrogen fueling stations for heavy-duty trucks at two existing TA-Petro sites. This collaboration is a first step for the parties to explore the mutual development of a nationwide network of hydrogen fueling stations. The collaboration is subject to negotiation and execution of definitive documentation acceptable to the parties. The first two stations will be constructed at existing TA-Petro locations in California and are targeted to be commercially operational by Q1 2023. The launch stations will enable operations of zero-emission heavy-duty commercial vehicles in and around the greater Los Angeles region and north through California's Central Valley.

08:09 EDT Union Pacific reports Q1 operating ratio 60.1%, up 110 basis points - First quarter business volumes, as measured by total revenue carloads, decreased 1% compared to 2020 driven by declines in industrial and bulk shipments, partially offset by strength in premium carloads. In addition, for the first quarter 2021 compared to 2020: Quarterly freight revenue declined 5%, as core pricing gains were more than offset by a less favorable business mix, decreased fuel surcharge revenue, and volume declines. Union Pacific's 60.1% operating ratio increased 110 basis points, negatively impacted by weather and rising fuel prices in the quarter.

08:06 EDT Vaxart announces results of survey on COVID-19 vaccine pill - Nearly 19M more American adults - about a third of those now refusing to get vaccinated - would get vaccinated if they could take a pill instead of getting a shot, according to a poll conducted by Quadrant Strategies and commissioned by Vaxart, Inc. The survey found that 23% of respondents said they do not plan to get vaccinated but nearly a third of them said they would if the vaccine were available as a pill instead of by a needle injection. The results suggest that about half of the additional vaccinated group would be drawn from minority populations, communities that have disproportionately not been vaccinated. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report only 12% of Hispanics, 9% of Blacks, and 6% of Asians have received vaccines as of April 21, 2021. Nearly a quarter of respondents said they are afraid of needles and that fear is found among all groups. The national survey of 1,500 Americans over the age of 18, conducted by Quadrant Strategies between March 17 and 24, also found that: 7 in 10 said they'd prefer taking a vaccine pill rather than getting injected with a vaccine. 7 in 10 said they'd prefer taking a pill at home rather than going somewhere to get vaccinated. 8 in 10 support speeding up the development of new vaccines that can respond more quickly to new virus strains as they appear. An overwhelming majority are worried that current vaccine development can't keep up with the new strains. This survey's findings come as the government has reported newer and more variants of Covid-19 in the United States. Vaxart recently completed the Phase 1 study of its oral tablet coronavirus vaccine: The study reached primary and secondary endpoints of safety and immunogenicity, respectively. VXA-CoV2-1 induced potent CD8+ T-cell responses that are potentially protective against the original as well as new and emerging Covid-19 strains.

08:06 EDT Metromile announces appointment of Regi Vengalil as Chief Financial Officer - Metromile (MILE) announced Regi Vengalil will join the company as Chief Financial Officer on May 24. Vengalil will be responsible for Metromile's financial management, including financial planning and operations, treasury, investor relations, reinsurance and corporate development. Vengalil most recently served as CFO of Egencia, Expedia Group's (EXPE) corporate travel division. He is also currently a member of the board of directors of Porch Group (PRCH).

08:05 EDT Vail Resorts raises 9-month income and EBITDA outlook - Vail Resorts updated its guidance range for the nine month period ending April 30. The company now expects net income to be $258M-$280M and Resort Reported EBITDA to be $636M-$650M. CEO Rob Katz said, "We are increasing our guidance primarily as a result of stronger than expected performance in March and April. (...) Our ancillary lines of business continued to be negatively impacted by COVID-19 related limitations and restrictions but revenue still outperformed expectations in March and April due to the improved visitation trends in Colorado and Utah. (...) We are very pleased with the response to our season pass sales launch. The pace of sales has been strong over the first month of the selling period, and we are seeing great guest enthusiasm for the enhanced value proposition of our products".

07:57 EDT Aslan Pharmaceuticals expects cash to fund operations into 2023 - Cash and cash equivalents totaled $14.3 million as of 31 December 2020, including $7.4 million raised from at-the-market offerings in 2020, compared to $22.2 million as of 31 December 2019. The cash balance as of year-end 2020 excludes proceeds from the additional financing activities completed in the first quarter of 2021 which raised combined gross proceeds of approximately $101 million. With the additional financing activities in the first quarter of 2021, management believes that its cash and cash equivalents will be sufficient to fund operations into 2023.The weighted average number of ADSs outstanding for the year 2020 was 38.4 million compared to 32.5 million for 2019. One ADS is the equivalent of five ordinary shares.

07:55 EDT Fifth Wall Acquisition Corporation I (Class A Stock) trading halted, news pending

07:47 EDT Minim, Irdeto expand Trusted Home platform in Europe - Zoom Telephonics announced the expansion of the AI-driven Trusted Home platform with new data centers in Amsterdam and Moscow. The expansion will deliver faster AI-driven services and improved reliability for Trusted Home, developed by Minim and Irdeto. The Russia addition was catalyzed by Irdeto's partnership with Microimpuls, an established software developer for Internet Protocol TV and over-the-top provider that serves Russian operators and 10 million subscribers.

07:45 EDT nCino announce Boston Private is live on the nCino banking operating system - nCino (NCNO) announced that Boston Private (BPFH) is now live on the nCino Bank Operating System. With the implementation of the nCino Commercial Banking Solution, Boston Private was able to "integrate its banking systems, dramatically increasing efficiency and streamlining client onboarding, loan origination and in-branch deposit account opening," the companies said. The nCino platform will help Boston Private "accelerate its digital transformation, streamline its banking operations, and provide greater transparency and convenience to its employees and clients," the companies added. The nCino Bank Operating System will also support in-branch deposit account opening.

07:42 EDT Vitalhub enters partnership with PointClickCare Technologies - VitalHub announces that it is now a listed partner of the PointClickCare Marketplace. As a result of this integration, VitalHub's DOCit customers will benefit from several interoperability features such as synchronization of resident admissions, hospital leaves, internal transfers, discharge/deceased activity, and more.

07:40 EDT Akari to present on Phase II bullous pemphigoid disease, Phase III trial design - Akari Therapeutics announced that it will present a poster at the American Academy of Dermatology Association Virtual Meeting Experience taking place April 23-25, 2021. Poster Details: Title: "Disease Remission During a Short-term Treatment Phase II Study of Nomacopan in Mild-to-moderate Bullous Pemphigoid". The poster describes results from the completed Phase II study of nomacopan for treatment of bullous pemphigoid, with a specific focus on the disease control recorded at each clinical visit during the short-term treatment period. Disease control is an important variable, as it will be used to decide when to taper the adjunct oral corticosteroid dose in the upcoming 24-week nomacopan treatment Phase III BP randomized controlled trial whose design is also presented in the poster. The Phase III trial in moderate to severe BP patients was refined following successful end of Phase II meetings with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency. The trial is anticipated to open for recruitment in the U.S. and Europe mid-2021. Earlier this month, Akari announced that the FDA investigational new drug application is now open in the U.S. for the BP Phase III trial.

07:38 EDT Accuray's ClearRT imaging approved in Japan, CE Mark expected in June - Accuray's ClearRT helical fan-beam kVCT imaging capability received Shonin approval from the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare in March, following FDA 510(k) clearance in December 2020; CE Mark in the European Union is expected in the company's Q4 ending June 30. The imaging technology will now be available in Japan and the U.S. ClearRT imaging is expected to be accessible to EU customers following receipt of the CE Mark. Customers residing in other areas of the world where either FDA 510(k) or CE Mark are required for commercial distribution will have access to ClearRT once the appropriate regulatory clearance is met. Accuray has shipped the first commercially released ClearRT imaging system in the U.S. and expects full production release by June 30. ClearRT has now been in clinical use for over two months, and is on track to expand into other markets. The Willis-Knighton Cancer Center in Shreveport, Louisiana has treated the first cancer patients in the world using the Radixact System and ClearRT imaging, integrated helical radiation delivery and imaging systems.

07:36 EDT MediWound announces enrollment of first patient in phase 2 study of EscharEx - MediWound announced it has enrolled the first patient in its phase 2 pharmacology study of EscharEx, its next-generation enzymatic debridement agent under development for chronic wounds, with data expected in the second half of 2021. The pharmacology study, to be conducted in 2-3 U.S. clinical sites, is a phase 2 prospective, open label, single arm study. The objective of the study is to evaluate the clinical performance, safety, and pharmacology effect of EscharEx in debridement of lower leg ulcers in up to 15 patients. Data collection includes the effects on biofilm burden and wound inflammation, as well as the impact of EscharEx on wound healing progression. "Chronic wounds represent a significant unmet medical need for many patients, and EscharEx, with its positive safety and efficacy results generated in our previous phase 2 studies, can have a meaningful impact on chronic wound management, offering significant benefits for patients, healthcare professionals and payers," said Sharon Malka, CEO of MediWound. "We anticipate data from the pharmacology study in the second half of this year, in addition to the interim assessment in our EscharEx phase 2 adaptive design study."

07:33 EDT Watsco continues to 'aggressively invest' in technologies - A.J. Nahmad, Watsco's President said: "We have continued to make progress toward our long-term goal of scaling Watsco's technologies for more and more HVAC/R contractors. As customers adapt to the digital age, we believe that Watsco has the industry's most sophisticated tools to help customers grow and operate with speed. We are especially excited about the progress of our newer platforms like OnCall Air and CreditForComfort, which make it possible for contractors to win more frequently with homeowners. Our horizon remains long-term, and we believe we are merely scratching the surface of what is possible."

07:30 EDT Pool Corp. trading resumes

07:26 EDT Armstrong Flooring CEO says business transformation 'remains on track' - CEO Michel Vermette said, "Our business transformation remains on track. During the first quarter, we completed several initiatives under the three pillars of our transformation plan: expanding customer reach, simplifying product offerings and operations, and strengthening our core capabilities. As it relates to expanding customer reach, the expansion of our go-to-market strategy continued with the introduction of Armstrong Flooring Pro for the homebuilder and multi-family channels. In addition, we introduced Armstrong Flooring Signature, a segmented product portfolio for our distributor partners, and we accomplished several key wins in our Asia healthcare channel. Pertaining to simplifying product offerings and operations, we executed on the long-standing efforts to monetize our non-core assets and completed the sale of our South Gate facility announced earlier in the quarter. In terms of strengthening our core capabilities, through several internal initiatives we continued to improve organizational alignment between our supply chain, customer service and procurement organizations. In addition, we officially opened our Technical Center in Lancaster to house our research and development teams in a unique space designed for collaboration and innovation. Notably, this is the first of three buildings we will open in 2021 as part of the headquarters relocation we announced in 2020. While there is more work to be done, all these key steps among others completed in 2020 and ongoing initiatives, have firmly planted the foundation of our transformation plan."

07:24 EDT Alaska Air reports Q1 traffic down 49.4% y/y, capacity down 32.1% y/y - Load factor was down 17.7 pts.

07:22 EDT Vivid Seats to become public through Horizon Acquisition transaction agreement - Vivid Seats has entered into a definitive transaction agreement with Horizon Acquisition and certain other parties thereto, that will result in Vivid Seats becoming a public company. The new company, which will be led by Vivid Seats CEO Stan Chia, will continue to be managed by its management team, including CFO Lawrence Fey. Todd Boehly, chairman and CEO of Horizon and Eldridge, will join the Vivid Seats board. Institutional investors have committed to a private investment of $225M in Class A common stock of the combined company that will close concurrently with the business combination. Horizon has $544M of cash in its trust account, of which $155M was previously invested by sponsor. Existing Vivid Seats shareholders will roll 100% of their equity into the new company, with all proceeds from this transaction being used for debt repayment and capital structure optimization. It is anticipated that the combined company will have an equity market capitalization at closing of approximately $1.95B. The transaction will provide approximately $769M of gross proceeds to Vivid Seats, including a $225M fully committed common stock PIPE at $10.00 per share provided by institutional investors. The respective boards of Vivid Seats and Horizon have approved the proposed business combination. Completion of the proposed business combination is expected in the second half of 2021. The transaction will be effected pursuant to the terms and conditions of the Transaction Agreement entered into by Vivid Seats, Horizon, and the other parties thereto, which contains customary closing conditions, including, without limitation, the registration statement being declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission and approval by the shareholders or members, as applicable, of Vivid Seats and Horizon.

07:20 EDT Verano Holdings enters agreements for equity interests in Agri-Kind, Agronomed - Verano Holdings announced it has entered into definitive agreements for all of the issued and outstanding equity interests in Agri-Kind, LLC, Agronomed Holdings Inc. and Agronomed Biologics, LLC, which collectively will add the equity in two cultivation licenses and the equity in a permit to add six dispensaries in Pennsylvania. Closing on the foregoing transactions is subject to customary conditions, contingencies, and approvals, including regulatory approvals. Verano has entered into definitive agreements for two transactions, which include an active 62,000 sq. ft. cultivation facility, the equity in a permit for six dispensaries and an additional cultivation facility that is currently under construction through Pennsylvania's Clinical Registrant program. Agri-Kind. Subject to the terms of the agreement, Verano has agreed to a transaction for all of the issued and outstanding equity interests in Agri-Kind, a 62,000 sq. ft. grower/processor located in Chester, and in Agronomed Holdings Inc. for $66,000,000 in cash consideration, $49,500,000 in stock on an as-converted basis, subject to adjustment, and an earnout of $31,500,000 based upon certain performance metrics. Agri-Kind's management team is expected to remain with the company. Agronomed Biologics. Subject to the terms of the agreement, Verano has agreed to a transaction for all of the issued and outstanding equity interests in Agronomed Biologics, a research joint venture between Agronomed Pharmaceuticals, LLC and The Healing Center for $60,000,000 in a combination of cash and stock, in addition to earnouts and other adjustments. Agronomed is committed to advancing the medical cannabis industry through the research and development of products that provide the best possible medical efficacy. Through Pennsylvania's Chapter 20 Clinical Research Program, Agronomed is a Phase II Approved Clinical Registrant, and therefore is permitted to open a medical marijuana growing and processing facility, as well as six dispensaries, to conduct medical marijuana research in partnership with Drexel University College of Medicine.

07:18 EDT Yumanity Therapeutics announces data from Phase 1a MAD study of YTX-7739 - Yumanity Therapeutics reported that its lead product candidate, YTX-7739, in development for the treatment of Parkinson's disease, demonstrated dose-dependent decreases in target fatty acids, which can be interpreted as evidence of in vivo target engagement, in a Phase 1a multiple ascending dose clinical trial in healthy volunteers. Inhibition of stearoyl-CoA desaturase has been shown to improve motor function and other disease markers in transgenic mouse models of PD. YTX-7739 was also observed to be generally well tolerated in the Phase 1a study. YTX-7739 was discovered through Yumanity's target discovery and drug development platform that is designed to identify disease-modifying therapeutics against newly identified targets for neurodegenerative diseases. Preclinical work has shown that SCD inhibition by YTX-7739, an orally available, brain penetrant small molecule, can overcome the toxicity of pathogenic alpha-synuclein, a known risk factor for PD, both in vitro and in animal models. Further, the fatty acid desaturation index which measures the ratio of SCD's product to its substrate has demonstrated utility as a biomarker to gauge SCD inhibition in animals treated with YTX-7739. This part of the Phase 1, placebo-controlled, randomized, double-blind study, investigated the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics of once daily oral administration of two doses of YTX-7739 for 14 to 28 days in 16 healthy male and female volunteers. The study included two cohorts of eight subjects each, randomized to treatment or placebo in a 6:2 ratio. YTX-7739 was observed to be generally well tolerated in this part of the study. There were no serious adverse events and all treatment emergent adverse events were either mild or moderate in severity. Plasma pharmacokinetics support once daily dosing, and relevant drug concentrations were measured in the cerebrospinal fluid. Target engagement was achieved, as evidenced by dose dependent decreases in the plasma FA-DI, within the range associated with restoration of motor function in animal models of Parkinson's disease.

07:17 EDT Gilat Satellite receives over $5M for cellular backhaul expansion in Japan - Gilat Satellite Networks announced that it received over $5M for cellular backhaul over satellite expansion from Tier-1 Mobile Network Carrier in Japan. The Mobile Carrier will utilize Gilat's SkyEdge II-c platform to expand coverage to rural zones that are lacking fiber access, as well as to provide emergency response in the case of earthquakes or other natural disasters. A deployment schedule was put in place to fulfil the carrier's requirements. "The leading Mobile Carrier, required Gilat's proven cellular backhaul solution to meet its aggressive deployment schedule and to meet interoperability standards," said Abhay Kumar, Regional Vice President, APJ at Gilat. "This win adds on to other Japanese and worldwide Tier-1 operators who are benefitting from Gilat's leading cellular backhaul technology, with a joint vision of delivering connectivity to people in the most remote regions, as well as to providing the essential emergency response readiness in a disaster-prone country such as Japan."

07:15 EDT Bio-Path announces publication on prexigebersen in Biomedicines - Bio-Path Holdings announced the publication of an analysis highlighting the potential of prexigebersen within the antisense oligonucleotide drug delivery landscape in the peer-reviewed journal, Biomedicines. The article, titled "The Challenges and Strategies of Antisense Oligonucleotide Drug Delivery," describes the "challenges facing the antisense oligonucleotide drug delivery landscape, including stability in the bloodstream, delivery to target sites, and cellular uptake. In addition, the authors outline why prexigebersen, a liposome-incorporated antisense oligodeoxynucleotide targeted against the Grb2 mRNA, has the potential to overcome these challenges," the company said.

07:14 EDT Bausch Health announces IDP-126 trial results statistically significant - Bausch Health announced statistically significant topline results from a second pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial evaluating its investigational medicine IDP-126, a combination retinoid, anti-bacterial and antibiotic topical, to treat acne vulgaris in patients nine years of age and older. If approved, IDP-126 would be the first-in-class with this triple combination. The second Phase 3 study confirmed the findings of the first Phase 3 study, which met all of its co-primary endpoints. This second Phase 3 study achieved all three co-primary endpoints at week 12 with statistical significance, including: absolute change from baseline in inflammatory lesion count; absolute change from baseline in non-inflammatory lesion count and percentage of patients who achieved treatment success. Treatment success was 50.5% and 20.5% for IDP-126 and its vehicle, respectively. The data also demonstrated a benefit for patients as early as two weeks.

07:14 EDT Glaukos says global pact with Intratus to include Presbyopia treatment - Glaukos announced that it has entered into an amended licensing agreement with Intratus, Inc. under which Intratus has granted Glaukos a global exclusive license to research, develop, manufacture and commercialize Intratus' patented, non-invasive drug delivery platform for application in the treatment of presbyopia. The addition of presbyopia expands upon the existing agreement between the two parties announced on July 22, 2019, under which Glaukos secured a global exclusive license to research, develop, manufacture and commercialize the Eyelid Drug Delivery Platform for use in the treatment of dry eye disease, glaucoma and other corneal disorders, such as allergy, blepharitis, conjunctivitis and related conditions. Additionally, the amendment includes a mechanism to further expand the existing agreement to other indications, applying the active pharmaceutical ingredients being advanced by Glaukos in glaucoma, corneal disorders and presbyopia to new ophthalmic fields.

07:11 EDT U.S. GSA grants 10-year contract for Renalytix AI KidneyIntelX testing - Renalytix AI announced that the United States Government has granted the company a 10-year Governmentwide Acquisition Contract to provide KidneyIntelX early-stage kidney disease bioprognostic testing services. The contract, offered through the General Services Administration, covers laboratory testing services that can be provided through more than 140 U.S. government departments, agencies and affiliates, including the U.S. Veterans Administration, Department of Defense military branches, and Indian Health Services. The contract is effective as of April 15, 2021 and has a five-year term with a five-year extension option, and is structured as an Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity contract providing for an unlimited quantity of services over the contract term. Under the contract, KidneyIntelX pricing is set at $950 per reportable result. With the GSA contract in effect, KidneyIntelX testing is now available through the Federal Supply Schedule. Individual physicians operating within government sponsored healthcare programs can now order KidneyIntelX testing for their patients with diabetic kidney disease. Details about the GSA award and how to order the test can be found here.

07:10 EDT CareDx to present multicenter data on AlloSure Lung - CareDx announced that experts will be presenting 22 clinical abstract presentations at the International Society of Heart and Lung Transplantation Annual Meeting & Scientific Sessions, to be held between April 24-28, 2021. Abstracts will focus on AlloSure Lung, the company's unique and proprietary surveillance technology for lung transplant patients. The new research, many from large multicenter prospective studies, demonstrates the validity and use of CareDx's AlloSure in lung transplantation. These important studies extend this technology for donor derived cell-free DNA that has already been proven in heart and kidney transplant patients. The new data will be presented during virtual abstract sessions and a virtual symposium by leaders in the field of lung transplantation.

07:09 EDT Farmmi subsidiary wins multi-product order from Japanese customer - Farmmi subsidiary Zhejiang Forest Food won a multi-product order for export from an existing customer based in Japan for the company's dried mushrooms, and dried black fungus.

07:07 EDT SolarWinds appoints Mike Adler as Chief Technology and Product Officer - N-able, formerly SolarWinds MSP, has named Mike Adler to serve as its new chief technology and product officer. Adler, who has previously held executive leadership positions at RSA, Constant Contact, and Symantec, will be responsible for leading the N-able global technology and product organizations. Adler most recently served as the chief product officer, Security at RSA.

07:06 EDT Cleveland-Cliffs sees FY21 adjusted EBITDA $4B - The company has increased its FY21 adjusted EBITDA guidance to approximately $4B, up $500M from its previous guidance of approximately $3.5B. The full-year revision is based on better-than-expected contractual renewals and the assumption that the US HRC index price averages $1,100 per net ton for the last nine months of the year. The company's Q2 adjusted EBITDA expectation is $1.2B. Goncalves added: "As the year progresses, it will become abundantly clear that the pricing environment we are in - and will continue to benefit from going forward - is not a consequence of luck. Our expectation of $4 billion in adjusted EBITDA for the full-year is predicated on conservative pricing expectations relative to today's pricing and the current forward curve. This will allow us to generate record levels of free cash flow and pay down a substantial amount of debt, allowing us to reach leverage of less than 1x by the end of the year."

07:05 EDT American Airlines reduced cash burn rate to $27M per day in Q1 - Reduced its average cash burn rate to approximately $27 million per day in the first quarter. This includes approximately $9 million per day in regular debt principal and cash severance payments. For the month of March, the Company's estimated average daily cash burn rate was approximately $4 million. Excluding approximately $8 million per day of regular debt principal and cash severance payments, the Company's cash burn rate turned positive in March.

07:04 EDT Hartford Financial board unanimously rejects two additional Chubb proposals - The Hartford (HIG) announced the receipt of two additional unsolicited proposals from Chubb Limited (CB) to acquire the company. In a letter dated March 30, 2021, Chubb said it was prepared to offer "in excess of $67 per share" if The Hartford would engage in "meaningful discussion and due diligence." The Hartford received another letter, dated April 14, 2021, in which Chubb said it was willing to increase its offer to "$70 per Hartford share, the top end of our range," payable approximately 60% in cash and 40% in Chubb stock. "The Hartford's board of directors, after consultation with its financial and legal advisors, unanimously rejected both proposals, determining that entering into discussions regarding a strategic transaction would not be in the best interests of the company and its shareholders. The board also unanimously reaffirmed its conviction and confidence in The Hartford's strategic business plan," Hartford stated.

07:03 EDT Hartford Financial increases share repurchase authorization to $2.5B - The Hartford's Chairman and CEO, Christopher Swift, said, "With our impressive outlook for financial performance and strong capital position, we are increasing the share repurchase authorization to $2.5B through 2022 and accelerating initial buyback plans, expecting to utilize $1.5B by year-end. As a result, we expect to achieve a return on equity of 13-14% in 2022 and 2023, enhancing value creation for all our stakeholders."

06:58 EDT Pool Corp. trading halted, news pending

06:56 EDT VF Corp. names Matt Puckett as CFO, succeeding Scott Roe - VF Corporation announced that it has appointed Matt Puckett to the position of Executive Vice President and CFO. He will report to VF's CEO, Steve Rendle, and serve on the company's Executive Leadership Team. Puckett recently marked his 20th anniversary with VF. He joined the company in 2001 as a Senior Accountant in the finance organization. Puckett succeeds Scott Roe who announced his retirement from VF to pursue other opportunities. Roe spent 25 years with VF, the last six of which were in the CFO position.

06:54 EDT Avery Dennison raises quarterly dividend 10% to 68c per share - The dividend for the second quarter is payable on June 16 to shareholders of record as of June 2.

06:51 EDT Southwest reports Q1 economic fuel costs $1.70 per gallon vs. $1.90 last year - The company said, "The Company's first quarter 2021 operating revenues decreased 51.5 percent, year-over-year, to $2.1 billion, as a result of negative impacts to passenger demand and bookings due to the pandemic. First quarter 2021 operating revenue per ASM (RASM, or unit revenues) was 8.86 cents, a decrease of 26.0 percent, primarily driven by a passenger revenue yield decrease of 28.4 percent and a load factor decline of 3.4 points, all year-over-year. The Company began first quarter 2021 experiencing stalled demand and bookings in January, driven by a high level of COVID-19 cases, coupled with typical seasonal weakness. In mid-February 2021, the Company began experiencing a modest improvement in leisure passenger demand and bookings that accelerated in March 2021. Passenger fares improved throughout March as close-in leisure demand held steady. Beach and other nature-inspired destinations continued to outperform other regions in first quarter 2021. Beginning in March 2021, demand improvement was system-wide."

06:45 EDT AT&T CEO says 'another strong quarter of postpaid phone net adds' - "We continued to excel in growing customer relationships in our market focus areas of mobility, fiber and HBO Max," said John Stankey, AT&T CEO. "We had another strong quarter of postpaid phone net adds, higher gross adds, lower churn and good growth in Mobility EBITDA. We also continue to increase penetration in markets where we offer fiber broadband and we're moving quickly to deploy more fiber. HBO Max continued to deliver strong subscriber and revenue growth in advance of our international and AVOD launches planned for June."

06:38 EDT AT&T reports 2.7M total domestic HBO Max and HBO subscriber net adds in Q1 - WarnerMedia: 2.7M total domestic HBO Max and HBO subscriber net adds; total domestic subscribers of 44.2M and nearly 64M globally. Domestic HBO Max and HBO ARPU8 of $11.72. Direct-to-Consumer subscription revenues up about 35%. Total revenues up 9.8% to $8.5B.

06:36 EDT AT&T reports 235,000 AT&T Fiber net adds - Consumer Wireline: 235,000 AT&T Fiber net adds; penetration more than 35%, up about 600 basis points; IP broadband revenues up 4.6% with ARPU growth of 3.2%.

06:35 EDT Credit Suisse sees residual impact of CHF0.6B from hedge fund matter in Q2 - Credit Suisse said: "Overall, we would expect market volumes to return to lower, and more normal, levels in the coming quarters. We expect a residual impact of approximately CHF 0.6 bn from the US-based hedge fund matter in 2Q21, aswe have now exited 97% of the related positions. In Wealth Management, we anticipate broadly stable net interest income and improving recurring commissions and fees benefiting from higher levels of AuM. For the Investment Bank, we would expect the second quarter to reflect a slowdown in market activity, as well as the adverse impact from the US-based hedge fund matter, particularly from the resizing of our Prime Services business. Signs of recovery in the global economy could allow us to progressively release part of our allowance for credit losses under the CECL accounting methodology that was built in the early months of the COVID-19 crisis last year. Additionally, we expect the effective tax rate to remain significantly elevated for the remainder of the year.Including the benefit of the MCN-related capital raise as well as other proactive capital actions, weintend to achieve a CET1 ratio of approximately 13% and a minimum 4% CET1 leverage ratio."

06:24 EDT Infosys, BP sign MoU to develop Energy-as-a-Service offering - Infosys (INFY) and BP (BP) announced that they have signed a memorandum of understanding, or MoU, under which both companies intend to work together to develop an integrated Energy-as-a-Service, or EaaS, offering that will provide management of a customers' energy assets and services. Together, the companies intend to explore opportunities using BP's energy and mobility expertise and Infosys' digital capabilities to manage energy assets, provide low carbon power, low carbon heating/cooling, and low carbon mobility to campuses, driven by an AI-based digital platform. BP's integrated energy offer draws on technologies and businesses in solar and wind together with gas for power, fuels, electric vehicle charging, battery swapping and advanced mobility solutions. The integrated Energy-as-a-Service solution aims to enable Infosys campuses to access reliable low carbon energy and mobility options, use energy more efficiently, and to optimize supply and demand across multiple users and assets, without having to invest in additional energy infrastructure. Following a pilot at Infosys' Pune campus, the companies intend to extend the offer to other Infosys campuses and explore opportunities to manage energy and reduce emissions at industrial and business parks as well as cities.

06:19 EDT Align Technology to open manufacturing facility in Poland - Align Technology announced plans to open a new manufacturing facility in Poland to address the market opportunity in the Europe, Middle East and Africa - EMEA - region. The new Wroclaw plant will be Align's first in the EMEA region and its third plant worldwide, joining Juarez, Mexico and Ziyang, China. The new facility is expected to begin supplying customers in the EMEA region in early 2022.

06:16 EDT Cathie Wood fintech analyst finds Venmo 'least competitive' crypto trading app - Maximillian Friedrich, a top fintech analyst for Cathie Wood, found PayPal's (PYPL) Venmo is the "least competitive" crypto trading app. After comparing key features of Cash App, Venmo, and Coinbase (COIN), the analyst said via Twitter that Venmo is the least appealing app because it offers fewer currencies and has higher fees. "Venmo seems least competitive given mostly higher fees than Cash App/Coinbase while offering signific. less currencies than Coinbase," Friedrich said.Reference Link

06:13 EDT TRI Pointe sees Q2 home deliveries 1,500-1,600 - For the second quarter, the company anticipates delivering between 1,500 and 1,600 homes at an average sales price between $630,000 and $640,000. The company expects its homebuilding gross margin percentage will be in the range of 22.0% to 23.0% for the second quarter of 2021 and anticipates its SG&A expense as a percentage of homes sales revenue will be in the range of 10.0% to 10.5%. Lastly, the company expects its effective tax rate for the second quarter of 2021 will be approximately 25.0%. For the full year, the company expects to open approximately 70 new communities and end the year with between 120 and 130 active selling communities. In addition, the company anticipates delivering between 6,000 and 6,300 homes at an average sales price between $620,000 and $630,000. The company expects homebuilding gross margin percentage to be in the range of 22.0% to 23.0% for the full year and anticipates its SG&A expense as a percentage of homes sales revenue will be in the range of 9.8% to 10.3%. Finally, the company expects its effective tax rate for the full year to be approximately 25%.

06:09 EDT Chemours announces investment in Family Forests Program - The Chemours Company announced a partnership with the American Forest Foundation to preserve and enhance family-owned forest lands in West Virginia to help combat climate change. Chemours, through its Vibrant Communities Initiative, will provide a $260,000 grant to help fund the expansion of the Family Forest Carbon Program into West Virginia. Chemours funding will enable incentives to enroll 6,500 acres of family-owned forest land - one acre for each of Chemours' 6,500 employees -- to implement management practices to grow the economic and environmental value of their forested properties over time.

06:03 EDT Dow Inc. CEO says entered Q2 with 'increasing momentum' - "Dow entered the second quarter with increasing momentum," said CEO Fitterling. "We expect the broadening economic recovery, aided by vaccine distribution progress and tight market fundamentals, to continue to benefit our businesses. Our near-term incremental capital investments will further support growth across our consumer-led portfolio. With our differentiated feedstock flexibility, geographic scale, advantaged cost positions, top-quartile cash generation, and our leadership in high-growth end-markets, Dow is well positioned for continued value creation through 2021 and beyond."

06:02 EDT Deluxe to acquire First American Payment Systems in $960M cash transaction - Deluxe announced an agreement to acquire First American Payment Systems for $960M in cash, subject to customary adjustments. This transaction is expected to accelerate the company's transformation into a leading payments technology company as part of its One Deluxe strategy. First American is a privately owned, industry-leading, large-scale payment processor. Upon close of the transaction, the First American management team will join the Deluxe Payments team, and Randel will become Managing Director, Merchant Services. The transaction, which is subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals, is expected to close in the second quarter of 2021. The transaction is not subject to any financing condition. Deluxe will finance the acquisition with a combination of secured and unsecured debt. Following completion, the company's expected net debt to adjusted EBITDA ratio is expected to be approximately 4.0x, with a long-term target leverage ratio of approximately 3.0x, or below.