Stockwinners Market Radar for April 23, 2021 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

18:40 EDT Skyworks CEO: Acquisition of Silicon Labs' I&A unit is a perfect deal for us - In an interview on CNBC's Mad Money, Liam Griffin said Skyworks (SWKS) has been very disciplined with cash and M&A, but the acquisition of Silicon Labs' (SLAB) I&A unit was a perfect fit. The deal terms were favorable for both sides and it was a "unique transaction" that was a "win win" for each company, he noted. The deal gives Skyworks positions in markets it didn't have before, Griffin added. "We've think automotive will be an incredible application for us," he said.

17:27 EDT J&J 'grateful' CDC panel voted to resume use of COVID-19 vaccine - The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices has voted to resume use of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine in persons 18 years of age and older in the U.S. population under the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Emergency Use Authorization. Paul Stoffels, M.D., Vice Chairman of the Executive Committee and Chief Scientific Officer at Johnson & Johnson said, "We are grateful to the Advisory Committee and its medical experts for the rigorous evaluation of our COVID-19 vaccine. The Committee's recommendation is an essential step toward continuing urgently needed vaccinations in a safe way for millions of people in the U.S. As the global pandemic continues to devastate communities around the world, we believe a single-shot, easily transportable COVID-19 vaccine with demonstrated protection against multiple variants can help protect the health and safety of people everywhere. We will continue to collaborate with the CDC, FDA and health authorities around the world, including the European Medicines Agency and the World Health Organization, to ensure this very rare event can be identified early and treated effectively. We remain committed to the health and safety of people worldwide."

17:14 EDT AmpliTech Group director buys 15.8K shares of common stock - In a regulatory filing, AmpliTech Group disclosed that its director Daniel Mazziota bought 15.8K shares of common stock on April 16th in a total transaction size of $101.2K.

17:02 EDT SkyWest to receive $250M under U.S. Treasury Department Payroll Support Program - SkyWest announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary SkyWest Airlines has entered into a Payroll Support Program 3 Agreement with the U.S. Treasury Department to receive a total of approximately $250M under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. SkyWest received half of the $250M and expects to receive the remaining funding during Q2. In consideration for the funding, approximately $45M will be in the form of a ten-year, low interest unsecured term loan, and SkyWest will issue to the U.S. Treasury Department warrants to purchase approximately 78,317 shares of SkyWest common stock at a strike price of $57.47. Additionally, SkyWest also announced it received an additional $35M payroll support funding on April 23 from Treasury under the Payroll Support Program Extension agreement. In consideration for the additional funding under PSP 2, approximately $10M will be in the form of a ten-year low interest unsecured term loan, and SkyWest will issue to Treasury warrants to purchase approximately 25,958 shares of SkyWest common stock at a strike price of $40.41.

16:16 EDT Hess Midstream Partners raises quarterly cash distribution to 45.26c per share - Hess Midstream announced that the Board of Directors of its general partner declared a quarterly cash distribution of 45.26c per Class A share for the quarter ended March 31. The distribution represents a 1.2% increase compared to the distribution on the Hess Midstream Class A shares for the fourth quarter of 2020, which equals a 5% increase on an annualized basis. The distribution will be payable on May 13 to shareholders of record as of the close of business on May 3.

16:10 EDT Amgen: Otezla improved measures of disease severity in Phase 3 ADVANCE trial - Amge announced Otezla improved measures of disease severity in adults with mild-to-moderate plaque psoriasis regardless of their Body Surface Area affected by the disease, according to findings from the placebo-controlled, Phase 3 ADVANCE trial. Results were presented at the American Academy of Dermatology Virtual Meeting Experience 2021.

16:02 EDT Energous CEO Stephen Rizzone to take leave of absence for health reasons - Energous announced that the company's president, and CEO, Stephen Rizzone is taking a leave of absence due to health reasons effective immediately. The company has formed an Office of the CEO, comprised of executive officers Brian Sereda, Senior Vice President and CFO, Cesar Johnston, COO and Executive Vice President of Engineering, and Neeraj Sahejpal, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Business Development. The Office of CEO will report directly to the company's board of directors.

15:57 EDT MetroCity Bankshares announces 1M share repurchase plan - MetroCity Bankshares announced that its board of directors has adopted a share repurchase program for the 2021 calendar year. Under the repurchase program, the company may repurchase up to 1M shares of its current outstanding shares of common stock. The share repurchase program has an expiration date of December 31, 2021.

15:05 EDT Ocugen trading resumes

15:00 EDT Ocugen trading halted, volatility trading pause

14:24 EDT Canada's NACI backs AstraZeneca vaccine for adults 30 and older, City News says - The National Advisory Committee on Immunization of Canada is recommending that the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine can be administered to adults 30 years and older, according to City News. Reference Link

13:07 EDT Baker Hughes reports U.S. rig count down 1 to 438 rigs - Baker Hughes reports that the U.S. rig count is down 1 from last week at 438 with oil rigs down 1 to 343, gas rigs unchanged at 94, and miscellaneous rigs unchanged at 1. The U.S. Rig Count is down 27 rigs from last year's count of 465, with oil rigs down 35, gas rigs up 9 and miscellaneous rigs down 1. The U.S. Offshore Rig Count is down 1 to 11, down 6 year-over-year. The Canada Rig Count is down 1 from last week to 55, with oil rigs unchanged at 17, gas rigs down 1 to 38. The Canada Rig Count is up 29 rigs from last year's count of 26, with oil rigs up 9, gas rigs up 20.

13:06 EDT CEL-SCI recommends itself as next Reddit target ahead of cancer data - CEL-SCI used its Twitter account to suggest its shares as the next short squeeze target for Reddit users. In a response to Twitter user saying, "Wall Street Bets put a 'short squeeze' on $GME, b/c we caught Melvin and Citadel nakedly short a decent company with leverage. We profited from punishing those financial terrorists. We have been searching for another similar situation," CEL-SCI tweeted, "Look no further than $CVM. Large short position, often a very high number of fail-to-deliver and a 10 year landmark cancer study about to announce final data. We believe!" CEL-SCI shares are up 4% to $25.44 in afternoon trading.

12:42 EDT Ledyard Financial Group increases quarterly dividend 1c to 20c per share - Ledyard Financial Group announced a 1c increase to its quarterly dividend. The dividend of 20c is payable May 28, 2021 to shareholders of record as of May 7, 2021. Ledyard said in a statement that "Ledyard's ability to navigate the organization through the pandemic and the strength in our core businesses is supporting our ability to increase the dividend this quarter to ensure our shareholders benefit from the Company's growth in earnings. The path forward remains uncertain as we continue to manage the effects to the organization from the pandemic, but we are confident we are well positioned to minimize any possible negative impacts."

12:18 EDT Hub Group begins electric truck fleet pilot - Hub Group (HUBG) began its electric truck fleet pilot with Daimler Trucks of North America (DDAIF) as part of Freightliner's Customer Experience Fleet. This will be part of a six-month test in Southern California across a variety of freight environments and conditions in both dedicated and drayage freight operations. The Freightliner eCascadia pilot will operate seven days per week over the six-month test. Hub Group engineers will analyze performance across multiple data points including range, payload, traffic conditions, charging scenarios, maintenance, and safety.

12:00 EDT Direxion Financial Bear 3x falls -4.9% - Direxion Financial Bear 3x is down -4.9%, or -$1.57 to $30.79.

12:00 EDT BIT Mining Limited falls -12.5% - BIT Mining Limited is down -12.5%, or -$2.12 to $14.82.

12:00 EDT RLX Technology rises 11.9% - RLX Technology is up 11.9%, or $1.25 to $11.75.

11:52 EDT Frontier Communications sees emergence from Chapter 11 on April 30 - Frontier Communications provided an update on the company's strategic transformation as it accelerates its journey to become a leading technology company. As previously announced, Frontier has received all necessary regulatory approvals and now expects to emerge from Chapter 11 on April 30. "Frontier is ready to set a new course as a revitalized public company. Through the restructuring process, the Company has stabilized its business and recapitalized its balance sheet, while making significant progress on the early stages of implementing our initial fiber expansion plan," said John Stratton, incoming Executive Chairman of the Board. "Frontier's success with the Fiber-to-the-Home pilot program, which upgraded more than 60,000 locations from copper to fiber optic service in 2020, is just one example of the important work already underway. Frontier's future is bright. I'm eager to work closely with our new Board, our CEO Nick Jeffery, and the rest of the leadership team to build the new Frontier." In connection with the completion of its financial restructuring, Frontier Communications will form a new eight-member Board of Directors, effective upon emergence from bankruptcy, comprised of John Stratton as Executive Chairman of the Board, CEO Nick Jeffery and six independent directors. Frontier's new common stock is expected to commence trading on the NASDAQ stock exchange on May 4, 2021 under the ticker FYBR

11:37 EDT CDC says 3 deaths, 7 hospitalized after TTS seen following J&J vaccine - In slides for a COVID-19 Vaccine Safety Technical, or "VaST," Work Group assessment being presented as part of the FDA Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices on April 23, the CDC noted three deaths, that seven remain hospitalized with four in the ICU, and that five have been discharged home following Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome, or TTS, seen with administration of the Janssen COVID-19 vaccine. The same CDC slides for the advisory committee meeting state that the "risk of TTS appears to be highest in female under 50 years" and that VaST "will continue to monitor TTS, thromboembolic disease, and thrombocytopenia in all available vaccine safety surveillance systems" and "will update the ACIP COVID-19 vaccines workgroup, ACIP secretariat and ACIP on a regular basis." Reference Link

11:04 EDT 3M says MA MicroGrind wheels found to infringe on German Utility Model - The German District Court of Mannheim, Germany has ordered that certain grinding wheels made by Germany based MA MicroGrind GmbH infringe 3M's German Utility Model DE 20 2016 004,274. The Utility Model and the parallel European Patent EP 3,231,558 relate to 3M's Precision Grinding & Finishing technology and protect green bodies of a certain composition. The court order comprises an injunction that - if enforced - requires MicroGrind to stop the manufacture, sale, and offer for sale of MicroGrind's infringing grinding wheels and compensate 3M for its economic losses and expenses for rights of protection. The judgement was handed down on March 5, 2021. The judgment is not final and may be appealed to the Upper District Court of Karlsruhe, Germany. MicroGrind has filed a revocation action against the Utility Model that is pending. The parallel EP 3,231,558 was issued over 3rd party objections by MicroGrind, but no opposition was filed.

10:48 EDT Casey's General Stores appoints Paul Suarez as CISO - Casey's General Stores (CASY) announced that Paul Suarez has joined the company as chief information security officer. This is a newly created role that will lead the cybersecurity team. Suarez will report to CIO Adrian Butler. He most recently served as the CISO of Walmart International (WMT) in Bentonville, Arkansas.

10:36 EDT AnaptysBio granted conditional marketing authorization for JEMPERLI - AnaptysBio (ANAB) announced that the European Commission has granted conditional marketing authorization for JEMPERLI for use in women with mismatch repair deficient/microsatellite instability-high recurrent or advanced endometrial cancer who have progressed on or following prior treatment with a platinum containing regimen. The approval makes dostarlimab the first anti-PD-1 therapy available for endometrial cancer in Europe. JEMPERLI was generated by AnaptysBio using its proprietary somatic hypermutation antibody platform and subsequently developed by TESARO, Inc., now a part of GSK (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 regulatory approval. JEMPERLI is indicated as a monotherapy for treatment of adult patients with recurrent or advanced dMMR/MSI-H endometrial cancer, who have progressed on, or are being dosed following, prior treatment with a platinum-containing regimen, and is the first indication approved by the European Commission for JEMPERLI. AnaptysBio has earned a $10M milestone payment as a result of this approval.

10:23 EDT Allegiance Bancshares appoints Raimundo Riojas to board of directors - Allegiance Bancshares announced the addition of Raimundo Riojas to Allegiance's Board of Directors. Mr. Riojas also will serve on Allegiance's Compensation Committee. Riojas is currently the CEO of Grupo Duwest, a group of international companies dedicated to the manufacture and distribution of agricultural inputs.

10:15 EDT Sanofi announces presentation of Dupixent analyses on safety, efficacy - New analyses from Dupixent trials evaluated infection incidence reduction and reinforced the need for no laboratory monitoring in patients six years and older with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis. Additional analyses evaluated response rates across a broad population, and the impact of Dupixent on disease extent and severity, quality of life, and itch. These and other data from real-world settings and clinical trials, including the Dupixent open-label extension trials, will be presented at the American Academy of Dermatology, April 23-25, and at the 20th European Society for Pediatric Dermatology Annual Meeting, May 12-14. Results from a subgroup analysis of the Phase 2 study evaluating rilzabrutinib, an investigational oral Bruton's tyrosine kinase inhibitor for the treatment of pemphigus vulgaris, include the rates of control of disease activity in patients with moderate-to-severe disease. These data will be presented as a late-breaking abstract oral presentation at AAD VMX 2021. PV is a rare, debilitating autoimmune disease that causes blistering of the skin and mucus membranes.

10:11 EDT Navigator Holdings awarded four handysize timecharter contracts - Navigator Holdings announced it has agreed four 12 month timecharter contracts with Mitsui & Co. Energy Trading Singaporeto be used for Pembina Pipeline Corporation's new LPG export facility at Prince Rupert, British Columbia, Canada. The four semi-refrigerated handysize vessels are expected to commence their charters to Mitsui from the second half of May 2021. Navigator's semi-refrigerated vessels are capable of loading ambient propane from the rail-supplied export terminal, negating the need for capital intensive on-shore chillers. The vessels will provide an essential part of the Canadian LPG value chain from production to final customer. Navigator will connect the last leg of this value chain by delivering safe, reliable and efficient seaborne transportation services connecting the export terminal to customers across the Pacific Ocean. The vessels, together with Pembina's new export terminal in Prince Rupert, and Mitsui's trading network in the global LPG market, will enable Canadian produced LPG to be exported outside the traditional North American markets.

10:09 EDT Arcutis Biotherapeutics presents roflumilast safety, efficacy data - Arcutis Biotherapeutics announced the presentation of new data demonstrating the safety and efficacy of roflumilast foam for the treatment of scalp and body psoriasis in a late-breaking oral presentation at the American Academy of Dermatology Virtual Meeting Experience held on April 23-25, 2021. The company is also showcasing data from four additional posters during the meeting, including a presentation on the safety and efficacy of roflumilast foam in the treatment of seborrheic dermatitis and three posters related to roflumilast cream in mild-to-severe chronic plaque psoriasis, including its impact on itch and use for steroid-sensitive areas. Roflumilast cream and foam are investigational once-daily, topical formulations of a highly potent and selective phosphodiesterase-4 inhibitor. New findings from the late-breaking presentation demonstrate that roflumilast foam significantly improved both scalp and body psoriasis, with improvement as early as two weeks after treatment initiation. The primary endpoint of Scalp Investigator's Global Assessment success at week eight was achieved by 59.1% of patients receiving roflumilast foam versus 11.4% of patients receiving vehicle, with 34.3% of roflumilast foam-treated and 3.4% of vehicle-treated patients rated clear at week eight. Body IGA success at week eight was achieved by 40.3% and 6.8% of patients receiving roflumilast foam and vehicle, respectively. Roflumilast foam was well-tolerated in the study. The incidence of treatment-related adverse events, application site adverse events, and discontinuations due to AEs were low and similar to vehicle. The most common TEAEs were application site pain, diarrhea, COVID-19, sinusitis, psoriasis, and hypertension for roflumilast foam and vehicle, respectively. Discontinuation due to AEs was 2.5% for roflumilast foam and 1.9% for vehicle. In the study, no patients in either group experienced any serious AEs. Key findings from the other roflumilast foam and cream presentations include: Efficacy and Safety of Roflumilast Foam 0.3% in Patients with Seborrheic Dermatitis in a Randomized, Double-blind, Vehicle-controlled Phase 2 Study: Findings from this Phase 2 study demonstrated roflumilast foam is a safe, well-tolerated, and effective treatment in patients with seborrheic dermatitis. Treatment with roflumilast foam led to significant improvement in IGA Success, as well as erythema and scaling individually, and symptomatic improvement in itch in patients. Improvements in IGA Success were statistically significant at the first post-baseline visit at week two and continued through week eight. Rates of treatment-related AEs, discontinuations due to AEs, and application-site pain were low and similar to vehicle. Correlation of Itch Response to Roflumilast Cream with Disease Severity and Patient-Reported Outcomes in Patients with Chronic Plaque Psoriasis: The Multinational Assessment of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis survey showed that the top factor contributing to disease severity in psoriasis according to patients was itch, but according to physicians, it was location/size of lesions. Consistent with these findings, the baseline data from this Phase 2b study in patients with chronic plaque psoriasis demonstrated that patient-reported itch was not always consistent with physician-assessed disease severity and that patients with mild disease can still experience considerable itch. In this Phase 2b study, treatment with roflumilast cream resulted in rapid and robust improvement in the severity of itch, itch-related sleep loss, and quality of life in patients with chronic plaque psoriasis. Roflumilast Cream Significantly Improves Chronic Plaque Psoriasis in Patients with Steroid-Sensitive Area Involvement : Many patients with psoriasis have plaques on difficult to treat areas such as the face or intertriginous regions. Topical corticosteroids and vitamin D derivatives must be used with caution in these areas because they can cause side effects or tolerability problems, especially with long-term use. In this Phase 2b study, roflumilast cream was well-tolerated and provided significant improvements in investigator and patient-assessed outcomes in participants with steroid-sensitive area involvement in a post-hoc analysis of the face, neck, or intertriginous areas in patients with chronic plaque psoriasis. The PASI-HD Improved Precision in Measuring Disease Severity in Subjects with Mild-to-Moderate Plaque Psoriasis Treated with Roflumilast Cream, a PDE4 Inhibitor : The Psoriasis Area and Severity Index is the gold standard measure in psoriasis clinical trials, but lacks sensitivity where the affected area is less than10% body surface area. Most patients with chronic plaque psoriasis have mild-to-moderate disease, thus a higher level of discrimination for the assessment of disease severity is needed. PASI-HD is proposed as a modification to PASI to provide higher discrimination of the effects of treatment in areas with less than10% involvement. This post-hoc analysis of the Phase 2b study of roflumilast cream in patients with mild-to-moderate plaque psoriasis, demonstrated that PASI-HD is more precise as compared to PASI for scoring disease severity in areas of disease involvement less than10%.

10:07 EDT Brickell Biotech reports results from ARGYLE phase 3 study - Brickell Biotech announced results from its Phase 3 open-label, long-term safety study, which were also presented today in a late-breaking oral presentation at the American Academy of Dermatology's 2021 Virtual Meeting Experience. The ARGYLE study assessed the long-term safety and efficacy of topical, once-daily treatment with sofpironium bromide gel, 5% and 15% for 48 weeks in patients nine years and older with primary axillary hyperhidrosis, or excessive underarm sweating. With respect to studied efficacy, the 5% and 15% gel groups exhibited clinically meaningful improvement in axillary hyperhidrosis severity as measured by the Hyperhidrosis Disease Severity Measure-Axillary, a proprietary patient-reported outcome scale. For both 5% and 15% dose groups, responders with a 1-point and 2-point improvement on HDSM-Ax PRO scale showed a gradual and continual improvement in sweat severity through the 48 weeks of treatment. "Overall, the safety, tolerability and efficacy results for sofpironium bromide gel, 5% and 15% in ARGYLE were consistent with prior clinical experience and no unexpected safety findings were observed. There were no clinically significant changes in laboratory parameters or vital signs over 48 weeks of treatment," the company said. "We are pleased that the ARGYLE study results further strengthen the safety, tolerability and efficacy data previously observed in our Phase 2b study of sofpironium bromide gel." said Deepak Chadha, Brickell's Chief Research & Development Officer. "As was observed with earlier clinical studies, the majority of side effects were mild or moderate in severity and transient in nature. Sofpironium bromide gel, 5% and 15% both led to sustained improvements in sweating severity for the majority of patients through the end of 48 weeks of treatment. These data contribute to our understanding of the long-term use of sofpironium bromide gel as a potential novel treatment for the millions of patients suffering from this chronic and debilitating condition."

10:04 EDT Regeneron announces new analyses on Dupixent in patients with Atopic Dermatitis - Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (REGN) announced that new analyses of Dupixent in patients as young as 6 years with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis will be presented at the American Academy of Dermatology Annual Meeting from April 23-25, and at the 20th European Society for Pediatric Dermatology Annual Meeting from May 12-14. Regeneron and Sanofi (SNY) will present results from clinical and real-world settings including long-term data from Dupixent open-label extension trials, up to three years in adults and up to one year in adolescents and children with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis. In the adult analysis, a lower rate of overall infections was observed in the Dupixent long-term treatment group compared to the placebo group in the one-year CHRONOS trial. Additional long-term analyses on laboratory blood measures further reinforce that patients 6 years and older who take Dupixent do not require ongoing laboratory blood monitoring. Across age groups, researchers evaluated the response rates across a broad patient population, as well as the impact of Dupixent on disease extent and severity, quality of life and itch.

10:01 EDT Incyte announces new findings from pooled analyses of Phase 3 TRuE-AD program - Incyte announced findings from three pooled analyses of its randomized, double-blind, vehicle-controlled Phase 3 studies - TRuE-AD1 and TRuE-AD2 - evaluating ruxolitinib cream, an investigational JAK1/JAK2 inhibitor designed for topical application, as a treatment for patients with atopic dermatitis. These presentations will be available on demand as part of the American Academy of Dermatology Virtual Meeting Experience 2021, held virtually April 23-25, the company said. "Positive topline results from the individual TRuE-AD1 and TRuE-AD2 studies were previously reported. Efficacy and safety results from a pooled analysis of TRuE-AD1 and TRuE-AD2 were also announced and presented at the 29th European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology Congress in October 2020. The primary and secondary endpoints were met in both TRuE-AD1 and TRuE-AD2. New findings from the analyses being presented at AAD VMX add to the growing body of evidence on ruxolitinib cream as a potential treatment for AD," the company stated.

10:00 EDT Kimberly-Clark falls -5.0% - Kimberly-Clark is down -5.0%, or -$6.96 to $133.37.

10:00 EDT Snap rises 7.1% - Snap is up 7.1%, or $4.05 to $61.10.

10:00 EDT Skechers rises 14.7% - Skechers is up 14.7%, or $6.55 to $51.06.

09:47 EDT AMREP falls -4.8% - AMREP is down -4.8%, or -49c to $9.76.

09:47 EDT U.S. Xpress Enterprises falls -13.1% - U.S. Xpress Enterprises is down -13.1%, or -$1.28 to $8.51.

09:47 EDT Snap rises 9.3% - Snap is up 9.3%, or $5.30 to $62.35.

09:30 EDT Honeywell says supply constraints reflected in guidance - Says supply constraints "significant." Expects constraints to abate over the course of the year. Sees semiconductor supply constraint impact throughout the year.

09:17 EDT Blink Charging deploys IQ 200 charging stations at NAYA in Portland, Oregon - Blink Charging Co. announced the deployment of IQ 200 charging stations at the Native American Youth & Family Center in Portland, Oregon, made possible with funding from the Portland General Electric Drive Change Fund through the Oregon Clean Fuels Program, and Electric Mobility Grant from Pacific Power Oregon Electric through the Oregon Clean Fuels Program.

09:10 EDT Accenture acquires Root Inc., terms undisclosed - Accenture has acquired Root Inc., a consultancy with 30 years of experience. Root joins Accenture's talent and organization / human potential team. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

08:52 EDT Honeywell says enters Q2 with 'strong momentum' - Expects recovery to continue across portfolio in Q2. Sees some supply chain constraints in Q2. Sees margin expansion overall in Q2, with highest growth in lowest margin segment (SPS). Sees Q2 effective tax rate 23%-24%.

08:42 EDT Honeywell sees 'long runway for business improvement' - Says "very pleased" with start to 2021. Says "continually evaluating" portfolio for M&A opportunities. Says integration of Sparta Systems "proceeding well." Comments taken from Q1 earnings conference call.

08:38 EDT Canadian National files letter to STB regarding Kansas City Southern proposal - CN (CNI) filed a letter with the Surface Transportation Board, or STB, regarding CN's proposal to acquire Kansas City Southern (KSU) in a cash-and-stock transaction valued at $33.7B, or $325 per share. In its letter, CN lays out why its proposal is "procompetitive and in the best interest of customers, and corrects misleading statements" submitted to the STB by Canadian Pacific (CP). The following is a copy of that letter: "I write on behalf of Canadian National Railway Company and its rail operating subsidiaries ("CN") to respond to yesterday's letter filing by the "Canadian Pacific Applicants" ("CP")...CN is confident that KCS will recognize the value of the CN Proposal and will choose to partner with CN. But that is a choice for KCS and its shareholders to make. Under the terms of the KCS-CP merger agreement, CP has the opportunity to make a competitive counteroffer if it wishes and to make its pitch to KCS for why such a counteroffer would be superior. Instead of presenting its case to KCS, however, CP resorts to a letter filing in its own transaction docket claiming that a potential CN-KCS combination would be "illusory" and would be "anticompetitive." Notably, KCS did not join CP in this filing. While this docket is plainly not the right forum to litigate the merits of a CN-KCS combination that KCS is still evaluating, CP's assertions that the CN Proposal is somehow "anticompetitive" require a response. First, the CN Proposal is a manifestly superior offer to KCS because the combined CN-KCS network can provide more public benefits by connecting the continent, promoting growth, and competing more aggressively with the trucking industry for long-haul movements. Rail customers will benefit from more seamless single-line service, but so will local communities, employees, and the environment from converting truck traffic from busy interstates and highways to rail. A combined CN-KCS route would also be shorter, faster and more direct than rail or truck competitors, resulting in improved efficiency, enhanced competition and greater options for customers. The fundamentally pro-competitive nature of the proposed CN-KCS combination, which will give customers better service options, is further enhanced by CN's commitment to address any competitive concerns under the current merger rules without seeking a waiver, as CP has done. In the 72 hours since news of the CN Proposal was made public, CN has engaged in numerous discussions with its customers and other stakeholders about the proposal and how a combined CN-KCS will deliver exceptional value and new, highly competitive single-line services. Already, customers are expressing enthusiasm about the CN Proposal, and many have expressed a desire to write letters of support that we will be sharing with the Board in the coming days. Second, a combined CN-KCS would remain only the fifth largest railroad in the United States - both on a track-mile basis and on an operating revenue basis. And as the Board is well aware, the fiercest and most aggressive "competitor" to the freight rail industry is the trucking industry, which has a dominant market share for the transportation of most commodities - including intermodal traffic. The principal public benefit from a CN-KCS transaction will be the creation of a seamless, integrated North American railway that can compete head-to-head for long-haul intermodal movements that move via truck. CP's general claim that a CN-KCS would be "anticompetitive" appears premised on both a gross overstatement of the actual competitive overlap and the assumption that not a single thing would be done to maintain rail competition for the small number of customers served by both CN and KCS. But as CP knows well, the major merger rules and Board precedent require remedies to address any reduction of competition for the handful of customer facilities that are served by both CN and KCS. Moreover, CN is committed to working with customers that are dual-served by CN and KCS to ensure that they would not become sole-served as a result of a CN-KCS transaction. CN and KCS have limited overlap-amounting to approximately 1% of their total network, and a very limited number of customers are served only by CN and KCS (so-called 2-to-1 customers). If KCS chooses to partner with CN, CN will propose effective solutions, working closely with these customers to ensure that no customer will become sole served as a result of the transaction... In sum, CN urges the STB to review any proposed acquisition of KCS under its current merger guidelines. Doing so would provide the STB and all interested stakeholders with a forum and tools to fully vet the proposed transaction. As CN argued in the Notice of Intent it filed in Finance Docket No. 36514, "mergers involving KCS should not be subject to a different set of rules."2 A truly pro-competitive transaction that is supported by detailed plans to assure service and demonstrated public interest benefits can and should be approved under the current merger rules. That is exactly the transaction that CN will present for the Board's approval if KCS and its shareholders choose to partner with CN."

08:36 EDT Nano Dimension closes DeepCube acquisition for $40M in cash, $30M in ADSs - Nano Dimension announced that is has closed the previously announced acquisition of DeepCube. Nano Dimension paid the shareholders of DeepCube approximately $40M in cash and $30M in American Depositary Shares of Nano Dimension, which are subject to stand still for various periods of up to 3 years after closing of this transaction.

08:34 EDT CN files letter with Surface Transportation Board on KCS proposal - CN (CNI) filed a letter with the Surface Transportation Board regarding CN's superior proposal to acquire Kansas City Southern (KSU) in a cash-and-stock transaction valued at $33.7B, or $325 per share. The letter read, in part, "I write on behalf of Canadian National Railway Company and its rail operating subsidiaries to respond to yesterday's letter filing by the "Canadian Pacific Applicants" (CP). As the Board is aware, on April 20, CN submitted a proposal to the Board of Directors of Kansas City Southern proposing a combination of CN and KCS. KCS is currently evaluating that proposal under the terms of its merger agreement with CP, which explicitly contemplated a process under which KCS could consider superior offers made by other bidders. CN is confident that KCS will recognize the value of the CN Proposal and will choose to partner with CN. But that is a choice for KCS and its shareholders to make. Under the terms of the KCS-CP merger agreement, CP has the opportunity to make a competitive counteroffer if it wishes and to make its pitch to KCS for why such a counteroffer would be superior. Instead of presenting its case to KCS, however, CP resorts to a letter filing in its own transaction docket claiming that a potential CN-KCS combination would be "illusory" and would be "anticompetitive." Notably, KCS did not join CP in this filing. While this docket is plainly not the right forum to litigate the merits of a CN-KCS combination that KCS is still evaluating, CP's assertions that the CN Proposal is somehow "anticompetitive" require a response. First, the CN Proposal is a manifestly superior offer to KCS because the combined CN-KCS network can provide more public benefits by connecting the continent, promoting growth, and competing more aggressively with the trucking industry for long-haul movements. Rail customers will benefit from more seamless single-line service, but so will local communities, employees, and the environment from converting truck traffic from busy interstates and highways to rail. A combined CN-KCS route would also be shorter, faster and more direct than rail or truck competitors, resulting in improved efficiency, enhanced competition and greater options for customers. The fundamentally pro-competitive nature of the proposed CN-KCS combination, which will give customers better service options, is further enhanced by CN's commitment to address any competitive concerns under the current merger rules without seeking a waiver, as CP has done...Second, a combined CN-KCS would remain only the fifth largest railroad in the United States - both on a track-mile basis and on an operating revenue basis. And as the Board is well aware, the fiercest and most aggressive "competitor" to the freight rail industry is the trucking industry, which has a dominant market share for the transportation of most commodities - including intermodal traffic. The principal public benefit from a CN-KCS transaction will be the creation of a seamless, integrated North American railway that can compete head-to-head for long-haul intermodal movements that move via truck...Finally, the Board should disregard CP's suggestion that it would be compelled to pursue a merger with another Class I railroad if KCS chose to combine with CN. Over the past decade, it is CP that has made multiple attempts to merge with different Class I railroads. CP's effort to acquire KCS is their latest such effort. If CP in the future finds a willing Class I partner, the current merger rules plainly would apply and provide the STB with the opportunity to ensure that any such transaction would be in the public interest. CN's confidence about its ability to prove that its transaction is pro-competitive is demonstrated by its willingness to comply with the current merger rules, including the requirement that applicants demonstrate enhanced competition. CP apparently is not. CP instead has resisted the application of those rules-despite comments from multiple leading shipper associations requesting that the new rules be applied. CP wants older, less demanding rules to apply to its merger, but if KCS chooses instead to pursue a combination with CN, then CP claims that greater scrutiny is required. The STB should instead provide a level playing field."

08:32 EDT iFresh announces delivery partnership with HungryPanda - iFresh announced it has established a partnership with HungryPanda. The two parties entered into a service agreement on April 20, pursuant to which the partners have agreed to jointly launch an online perishable goods delivery service in New York. Through this partnership with HungryPanda, shoppers can order iFresh's perishable goods via the HungryPanda mobile app, where shoppers will have the choice to have the items home delivered on demand or through scheduled delivery. The delivery service is expected to be available by the end of April 2021 through the chain stores of iFresh in New York. The delivery service is expected to be extended to cover other regions that iFresh has operating stores as well.

08:23 EDT Beam Global announces San Diego deployed two EV ARC charging systems - Beam Global announced that the City of San Diego has deployed two EV ARC solar-powered charging systems to fuel the city's growing fleet of electric vehicles and provide emergency preparedness assets. "This program allows the City to continue making progress on our Climate Action Plan while saving taxpayer dollars," Mayor Todd Gloria said. "The EV ARC solar EV charging stations will allow the City to take advantage of San Diego's most plentiful natural resource and reduce emissions from City operations that harm human health and contribute to the climate crisis. Technology like Beam's can help the City more effectively adopt electric vehicles and protect our environment for the next generation."

08:17 EDT CHF Solutions expands access to ultrafiltration therapy in Texas hospitals - CHF Solutions announced Aquadex SmartFlow is now available at two new pediatric hospitals in Texas.

08:15 EDT Inovio sinks after Department of Defense stops vaccine trial funding - Shares of Inovio are sinking after the Department of Defense decided to stop funding the company's Covid-19 vaccine trial in the U.S. The Department of Defense Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense told Inovio that it will discontinue funding for the Phase 3 segment of the INNOVATE trial, while continuing to fund the completion of the ongoing Phase 2 segment. In correspondence, JPEO informed Inovio: "The decision results from the changing environment of COVID-19 with the rapid deployment of vaccines. This decision is not a reflection of the awardee or product, rather a fast-moving environment associated with the former Operation Warp Speed on decisions related to future products." The decision does not impact other work that Inovio does with the U.S. government and is neither a result of the partial clinical hold nor a reflection of the data generated to date for INO-4800 vaccine, the company said in a statement. The company is planning for a predominantly outside the U.S. Phase 3 trial based on upcoming evaluation of Phase 2 safety and immunogenicity data. Inovio shares in premarket trading are down 23%, or $2.13, to $7.00.

08:12 EDT MicroVision jumps another 7% in pre-market on WallStreetBets focus - Shares of Microvision are up another 7% in pre-market trading at $14.10 after rising as high as $14.89 in yesterday's trading. TheFly notes that the stock has been gaining focus as a short squeeze candidate on the WallStreetBets sub-reddit. Reference Link

08:11 EDT Purple Biotech announces dosing of first patient in Phase 1b/2 trial of CM24 - Purple Biotech announced that the first patient has been dosed in a Phase 1b/2 clinical trial of CM24, a monoclonal antibody blocking CEACAM1, for the first time in combination with nivolumab, a PD-1 inhibitor, in advanced cancer patients, with expansion cohorts in subjects with non-small cell lung cancer and pancreatic cancer. The study is a Phase 1b/2 clinical trial with expansion cohorts in subjects with NSCLC and pancreatic cancer. CM24 will be dose escalated from 10mg/kg, targeting a 20mg/kg dose, in combination with nivolumab in Phase 1b, in patients with NSCLC, pancreatic cancer, ovarian carcinoma, colorectal adenocarcinoma, melanoma or thyroid carcinoma, with the primary objective of evaluating safety, PK and determining the recommended Phase 2 dose. In the Phase 2 component, patients with NSCLC will be treated with CM24 and nivolumab after first-line immuno-oncology failure, and patients with metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma will be treated with CM24, nivolumab and nab-paclitaxel after first-line therapy failure, with study endpoints being safety and preliminary efficacy. CEACAM1 level of expression, as well as a number of other immune and adhesion-related molecules, will be evaluated as potential biomarkers in the study.

08:09 EDT Athleta announces long-term partnership with Simone Biles - Athleta, a Gap brand, announces a long-term partnership with Simone Biles in a shared vision designed to empower women and girls. Biles joins Athleta in a wide-reaching partnership that will bring to life the brand's mission of fostering community, igniting activity, and inspiring the next generation to be the best version of themselves. Biles and Athleta will work together on initiatives with a particular focus toward Athleta Girl - encouraging millions of girls to rise and own their limitless potential. Biles will collaborate with Athleta's design team in development of signature products for aspiring athletes, including plans for multiple capsule collaborations for Athleta Girl.

08:05 EDT Inovio planning for ex-U.S. global Phase 3 trial for INO-4800 - Inovio announced that it is planning for a predominantly ex-U.S. Phase 3 trial for its COVID-19 vaccine candidate, INO-4800. Given the increasing availability of vaccines authorized for emergency use, the Department of Defense Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense in coordination with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs and the Defense Health Agency, will discontinue funding for the Phase 3 segment of the INNOVATE trial, while continuing to fund the completion of the ongoing Phase 2 segment. In correspondence, JPEO informed Inovio: "The decision results from the changing environment of COVID-19 with the rapid deployment of vaccines. This decision is not a reflection of the awardee or product, rather a fast-moving environment associated with the former Operation Warp Speed on decisions related to future products."

08:01 EDT AbbVie receives positive CHMP opinion for VENCLYXTO combination therapy - AbbVie announced that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use of the European Medicines Agency adopted a positive opinion for VENCLYXTO in combination with hypomethylating agents for the treatment of adult patients with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia who are ineligible for intensive chemotherapy. The positive CHMP opinion is a scientific recommendation for marketing authorization to the European Commission, which is expected to deliver its final decision on VENCLYXTO combination therapy for use in AML in the first half of 2021.

07:41 EDT Kimberly-Clark drops 5% to $134 after Q1 results miss, FY21 guidance cut

07:36 EDT Knight Therapeutics to acquire regional rights to Exelon - Knight Therapeutics (KHRTF) announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement under which Knight will acquire the exclusive rights to manufacture, market and sell Exelon in Canada and Latin America, as well as an exclusive license to use the intellectual property and the Exelon trademark, from Novartis (NVS) within the Territory. Exelon is a prescription product that was first approved in 1997 and is currently registered and sold in approximately 90 countries. Exelon is indicated for the symptomatic treatment of mild to moderately severe dementia in people with Alzheimer's disease. At closing, Knight will pay $168M in cash and an additional milestone payment of up to $12M upon the achievement of certain conditions. Exelon had annual revenues for 2020 of approximately $47M for Canada and Latin America. The closing of this transaction is subject to anti-trust clearance in Brazil. In conjunction with closing, Knight will enter into a transition service agreement until transfer of marketing authorization, on a country by country basis during which Knight will receive a net profit transfer. Knight will begin distributing Exelon upon transfer of marketing authorization, on a country by country basis.

07:22 EDT Bitfarms partners with Foundry Digital to expand bitcoin mining fleet - Bitfarms (BFARF), and Foundry Digital jointly announce Bitfarms' purchase of 2,465 Whatsminer M30S Bitcoin mining machines through Foundry's services, among other updates. Of the 2,465 machines, the first 1,465 were previously installed in Bitfarms' Sherbrooke facility in Q3 2020 for hosting. With the purchase of these machines, Bitfarms has ended its last hosting agreement and returned 100% of installed power capacity for its own Bitcoin production. Collectively, these machines have increased Bitfarms' operating hashrate by 133 PH/s. The global chip shortage and Bitcoin's rising price continue to squeeze the supply of Bitcoin mining machines. Standard lead times for orders of latest generation machines currently range from 8 - 12 months and require down payments of 50-100% of the purchase price. In light of this, Foundry, the market leader has formed strategic partnerships with the Bitcoin mining manufacturing companies to secure earlier access to machines for its clients. Foundry has already helped to procure nearly half of the Bitcoin mining machines installed in North America in 2020. The purchase and financing of the first 1,465 machines through Foundry's financing services enabled Bitfarms to immediately increase its operating hashrate by 11% with only a 10% down payment of approximately $1M. With current hardware prices being at record highs, financing has become a crucial component for Bitfarms to grow its operating hashrate with minimal cash outflows. With prevailing economics, Bitfarms expects to recover its initial deposit in under a month, and this equipment is expected to generate positive cash flows for another 3 to 5 years. Under similar terms, Bitfarms will obtain financing to purchase an additional 1,000 Whatsminer M30S machines. These machines will produce 90 PH/s and are scheduled to be delivered in three shipments of 300-400 units in September, October and November. In addition, Foundry commits to providing Bitfarms with a $10M equipment financing credit facility in early 2022 to help finance the acquisition of new machines. Bitfarms is also pleased to join the Foundry USA Pool. In addition to providing the same amount of revenue for Bitfarms via a full-pay-per-share model, the pool also has a number of powerful management, auditing and reporting capabilities which will give Bitfarms greater insight and control over its most precious asset, its hashrate. On April 16th, Bitfarms announced the start of a 'miner rehabilitation program' for 80 PH/s of older and mid-generation Bitcoin mining machines. Bitfarms is pleased to announce that over half of those machines have now been repaired, restoring over 40 PH/s and increasing Bitfarms' installed operating hashrate to 1.38 EH/s - the largest currently reported in North America by a public company.

07:11 EDT Castle Biosciences to present DecisionDx-Melanoma, DecisionDx-SCC data - Castle Biosciences announced it will present data at the American Academy of Dermatology's Virtual Meeting Experience. The company has two poster presentations highlighting its DecisionDx-Melanoma and DecisionDx-SCC genomic tests. DecisionDx-Melanoma is Castle's 31-gene expression profile test that uses an individual patient's tumor biology to predict risk of cutaneous melanoma metastasis or recurrence, as well as sentinel lymph node, or SLN, positivity, independent of traditional staging factors. Data were analyzed from 852 patients diagnosed with Stage I cutaneous melanoma according to the American Joint Committee on Cancer staging guidelines and a median follow-up of 3.8 years, who also had DecisionDx-Melanoma test results. Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analyses were used to assess recurrence-free survival, or RFS. Prognostic accuracy was assessed by comparing outcomes for Class 1A to outcomes for Class 2B. The study demonstrated that along with staging factors, a DecisionDx-Melanoma Class 2B result was a significant, independent predictor of recurrence in the stage I population. A Class 2B DecisionDx-Melanoma result among these patients was associated with a recurrence rate of 20.4%, compared to the overall stage I population's recurrence risk of 4.6%. DecisionDx-SCC is Castle's prognostic 40-gene expression profile test for patients diagnosed with high-risk cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, or SCC, designed to use a patient's tumor biology to predict individual risk of metastasis for patients with SCC and one or more risk factors. This analysis evaluated the impact of DecisionDx-SCC's risk stratification as enrollment criteria into trial design involving adjuvant therapy for SCC. Using data from 420 validation cases, Brigham and Women's Hospital T2a-T3 stage SCC patients with or without DecisionDx-SCC results of Class 2A/B or 2B were used for two-arm sample size calculations. Metastasis rates for cases with BWH T2a-T3 tumors were 20% without DecisionDx-SCC results and 27% or 57% when selecting for cases with Class 2A/B or 2B results, respectively. In the absence of DecisionDx-SCC results, 1,234 T2a-T3 patients would be required for randomization in a trial to provide 80% power to detect a hazard ratio of 0.7 with at least three years of follow-up, correlating with studies using the addition of radiation to surgery. However, sample size could be reduced to 915 or 432 patients by focusing enrollment on T2a-T3 patients with a DecisionDx-SCC Class 2A/B or 2B result, respectively. Use of DecisionDx-SCC could be applied to improve trial inclusion criteria as it has demonstrated additive value for patient stratification in other risk assessment methods such as AJCC staging, NCCN risk groups, and individual risk factors. Overall, the study demonstrated that incorporation of DecisionDx-SCC testing into trial design to identify patients who are at the highest risk for metastasis could facilitate selection of those who are most appropriate for adjuvant therapy, expedite time to trial completion and optimize healthcare costs. Among all stage I melanoma patients, those with a Class 2B DecisionDx-Melanoma result had seven times the odds of experiencing a recurrence than patients with a Class 1A result. In the subgroup of patients with a confirmed negative sentinel lymph node biopsy, those with a Class 2B DecisionDx-Melanoma result had five times the odds of experiencing a recurrence than patients with a Class 1A result. Although the stage I population has a low aggregate risk of recurrence, the study demonstrated that DecisionDx-Melanoma identified patients within that population who may experience recurrence and benefit from increased management intensity.

07:09 EDT Accolade to acquire PlushCare for up to $450M - Accolade announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire PlushCare. Together, the two companies intend to provide more seamless consumer access to care for acute, chronic, and preventive health needs with highly rated physicians whether delivered through a virtual setting with PlushCare, or through Accolade's advocacy and navigation solutions that support in-person consultation. The addition of a primary care team will extend Accolade's ability to improve clinical health outcomes for its members and deliver additional cost savings for employers. Accolade's primary care physicians will be backed by Accolade's full portfolio of services, including the engagement platform that forms the backbone of Accolade's current success in driving better utilization of healthcare services and ROI for its customers. Further, Accolade's primary care physicians will have access to a best-in-class data set to better diagnose and treat members, including a 360-degree view of the member's health, full visibility into the member's benefits programs, access to AI-driven care recommendations through Accolade's Intelligent Provider Matching platform, access to the best expert medical opinion network of specialists and the full support and scale of Accolade's Frontline Care Teams. For the calendar year ended December 31, 2020, PlushCare reported unaudited revenues of approximately $35M. Accolade expects PlushCare to be accretive to its revenue growth rate and intends to provide guidance for the combined entity on its first earnings call following the close of the transaction. The transaction is expected to close in early June, subject to customary closing conditions. Under the terms of the agreement, the purchase price of up to $450M will consist of $40M in cash, $340M in Accolade common stock, and up to an additional $70M of value payable upon the achievement of defined revenue milestones following the closing.

07:07 EDT Accolade has signed a definitive agreement to acquire PlushCare - Accolade announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire PlushCare. Together, the two companies intend to provide "more seamless consumer access to care for acute, chronic, and preventive health needs with highly rated physicians whether delivered through a virtual setting with PlushCare, or through Accolade's advocacy and navigation solutions that support in-person consultation," the company said. "Healthcare is personal, and the connection between physician and patient is the single most important factor in improving outcomes. PlushCare has successfully built a market-changing, direct-to-consumer model with virtual capabilities that extend Accolade's member engagement deeper into the healthcare experience," said Rajeev Singh, CEO, Accolade. "Our mission is to reinvent healthcare, and this acquisition represents another important step towards realizing that goal. By expanding our clinical team of physician medical directors, nurses, specialists, and benefits experts to include primary care doctors and mental health experts, we are responding to customers who are asking Accolade to expand our capacity to serve their employees at every step of their care journey. Equally important, we extend our capacity to deliver measurable value for employers seeking coordinated, longitudinal care at scale for their workforce."

07:06 EDT Roche reports CHMP recommends EU approval of Enspryng - Roche announced that the European Medicines Agency's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use, or CHMP, has recommended the approval of Enspryng as "the first subcutaneous treatment option" for adults and adolescents from 12 years of age living with anti-aquaporin-4 antibody seropositive neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder, or NMOSD, as a monotherapy or in combination with immunosuppressive therapy. "AQP4-IgG are present in around 70-80% of people with NMOSD, who tend to experience a more severe disease course," Roche stated.

07:05 EDT American Express reports Q1 Global Consumer Services net income $665M - The company said, "Global Commercial Services reported first-quarter pretax income of $665 million, compared with $19 million a year ago. Total revenues net of interest expense were $2.7 billion, down 14 percent from $3.1 billion a year ago, primarily reflecting a decline in Card Member spending. Provisions for credit losses resulted in a benefit of $162 million, primarily reflecting a portion of the previously mentioned reserve releases and lower net write-offs, compared with a provision expense of $762 million a year ago, which primarily reflected significant reserve builds. Total expenses were $2.1 billion, down 7 percent from $2.3 billion a year ago. The decrease primarily reflected lower client incentives and other customer engagement costs due to a decline in Card Member spending, partially offset by marketing investments to rebuild growth momentum."

07:04 EDT Canaan announces partnership with Cathay to launch AI recognition in Japan - Canaan announced that it has entered into a partnership with Cathay Tri-Tech to introduce its AI facial recognition module, which utilizes its Kendryte K210 AI chip, to the Japanese market. Since establishing the partnership, Canaan's international customer base now covers the United States, Japan, South Korea, Germany, Israel, and other countries across the globe. Canaan's AI facial recognition module uses the company's Kendryte K210 AI chip, which was designed specifically for processing machine vision tasks, such as facial and image recognition, as well as different areas of audio processing. "Due to its small size and low power consumption, Canaan's AI facial recognition module maintains a variety of application scenarios, including facial recognition vending machines, smart access controls, smart door locks, and elevator control systems," the company said. The company's Kendryte K210 AI chip and AI facial recognition module will be the first edge computing, C-series of AI products sold by Cathay. To develop the C-series edge computing AI products, Cathay will provide EVB evaluation boards, SDKs, and reference circuit designs.

07:03 EDT Enthusiast Gaming appoints Richard Sherman to board of directors - Enthusiast Gaming Holdings announced that NFL superstar, Silicon Valley advisor and community leader, Richard Sherman has been appointed to its Board of Directors. Richard was most recently captain of the San Francisco 49ers defensive unit.

07:01 EDT Sun Life Financial to acquire PinnacleCare for $85M - Sun Life Financial announced that it has agreed to acquire Pinnacle Care, a U.S. medical intelligence and health-care navigation provider. Based in Maryland, PinnacleCare has more than 170 employees and 20 years of experience helping people access an initial or second medical opinion to make critical, informed treatment decisions for complicated diagnoses. PinnacleCare will become part of Sun Life's U.S. Stop-Loss & Health business, the largest independent stop-loss provider in the country. Sun Life will acquire PinnacleCare for a purchase price of $85M. The transaction is expected to close in mid-2021, subject to satisfaction of customary closing conditions, including receipt of regulatory approval.

06:54 EDT Schlumberger 'encouraged by constructive macroeconomic drivers' - Schlumberger CEO Olivier Le Peuch commented, "Looking ahead, we continue to be encouraged by constructive macroeconomic drivers. While the world is still grappling with COVID-19 infection rates, vaccination programs and fiscal stimulus packages are expected to support a rebound of economic activity and oil demand recovery through the year. Industry analysis estimates 5-6 million bbl/d of oil demand will be added by the end of the year as demand recovery is projected to improve in the second quarter, exiting the year just 2 million bbl/d short of 2019 levels. With the gradual return of oil demand, we anticipate North America activity to level off at production maintenance levels, while international activity is poised to ramp up through year-end 2021 and beyond. We expect to significantly benefit from this anticipated shift to increased international activity due to the strength and breadth of our international franchise. Consequently, we are increasingly confident that our international revenue will see double-digit growth in the second half of 2021 as compared to the same period last year, which implies potential upside to the already robust growth that is anticipated in 2022 and beyond. There is an increasingly positive sentiment in the industry outlook as the recovery strengthens despite the lingering concerns regarding the COVID-19 crisis. The strategic pivot we initiated two years ago has proven effective and positions us to outperform in this vastly different landscape that presents new imperatives and opportunities that play to our strengths. Building on the strength of our Well Construction and Reservoir Performance Divisions, we are accelerating our digital offerings, positioning the company to lead in the production and recovery market, and building our New Energy portfolio to embrace the energy transition-all fully aligned with our customers. A new growth cycle has finally commenced, and we are prepared to deliver growth and returns that outperform the market."

06:53 EDT Becton Dickinson to provide rapid COVID-19 testing to USA Track & Field - USA Track & Field, or USATF, and Becton Dickinson have partnered to provide rapid COVID-19 testing for USATF athletes at Journey to Gold meets to help get USATF professional athletes back to competition safely through the use of the BD Veritor Plus system.

06:48 EDT Cathie Wood's ARK Investment discloses another 1.2M shares of Skillz bought - Shares of Skillz are up 5.5% in the pre-market after the the disclosure by Cathie Wood's ARK Investment that the fund bought another 1.2M shares of common stock in yesterday's session.

06:41 EDT Roche announces FDA approval of VENTANA MMR RxDx panel - Roche (RHHBY) announced U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval of the VENTANA MMR RxDx Panel for advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer patients. MMR is a molecular mechanism that functions to correct certain errors that can spontaneously occur during DNA replication. Testing can identify patients eligible for treatment with Jemperli monotherapy, an anti-PD1 immunotherapy from GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) that was approved by the FDA on April 22, 2021.

06:03 EDT Regions Financial CEO says 'our investments are producing solid results' - "Our ability to continue to deliver value in the first quarter is a testament to both the investments we've made as well as our associates' unwavering commitment to our customers and communities. With a 14 percent increase in total revenue compared to the first quarter of 2020, it is clear that our investments are producing solid results," said John Turner, president and CEO. "We have remained committed to prudent credit risk management across all our portfolios. The resiliency of our credit metrics reflects our clear and deliberate strategy which includes a focus on client selectivity as we are committed to generating appropriate risk-adjusted returns," Turner added. "We're pleased with the strength of our pipelines and the increase in business activity across industries. We're also encouraged by vaccination rates and rebounding employment across our footprint. While we are all still dealing with the lingering effects of the pandemic, our ongoing conversations with customers reflect optimism about further economic recovery and growth. We'll continue to deepen our relationships with customers by providing personalized solutions and financial guidance combined with technology solutions that make banking easier."

05:39 EDT Galapagos partner submits additional filgotinib indication application to PMDA - Galapagos (GLPG) reported that their collaboration partner Gilead (GILD) and Eisai (ESALY) announced that Gilead submitted an application to Japan's Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency, or PMDA, for approval of filgotinib for an additional indication to treat patients with moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis, or UC. Filgotinib is a new oral Janus kinase, or JAK, inhibitor approved in Japan in September 2020 for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.

05:34 EDT Daimler AG reports Q1 group sales 728,609 units vs. 644,316 units last year

05:25 EDT Tencent Music announces long-form audio strategy at press conference in Beijing - Tencent Music held a press conference in Beijing, where it shared first-year highlights and new strategies for its long-form audio business, following the acquisition of Lazy Audio in March. At the conference, the company announced the launch of Lazy Changting, a new brand formed by the integration of Lazy Audio and Kuwo Changting. TME has built a two-pronged long-form audio strategy in an effort to tap into the long-form audio market. It integrated long-form audio tabs and content sections on QQ Music, Kugou Music and Kuwo Music, and also launched a standalone platform Kuwo Changting, which now has been integrated with Lazy Audio and rebranded as Lanren Changting, to create visual and audio experience through comics, surround sound and bullet chats. Within just a year, as of the end of 2020, the number of TME long-form audio users has reached over 100M, up more than 230% year-over-year and surpassing the average growth rate for the industry. The company has built up a long-form content library covering categories including audiobooks, audio drama, Chinese comedy, history, relationships, parenting, among other types of audio program. In addition, to promote Chinese heritage and traditional culture, TME jointly produces an audio program with the Forbidden City Academy of the Palace Museum, attracting experts and artists. Finally, TME is also leveraging its relationship with movie stars, singers and other celebrities to create talk shows hosted by these personalities.

05:15 EDT Signature Bank COO Mark Sigona to retire, Eric Howell to succeed - Signature Bank announced several management appointments, promotions and transitions. After 21 years of service, Mark Sigona, Senior executive VP and COO, announced his retirement, effective June 30. Sigona, a founding member of the executive management team, joined as senior VP and CFO. He served in this capacity until 2004 at which time he was appointed COO. Eric Howell, senior executive VP-corporate and business development since 2013, will assume the COO role, including his current duties overseeing certain of the Bank's national businesses and West Coast operations. Howell has been with Signature Bank since its inception, during which time he held roles of increasing responsibility. Peter Quinlan, executive VP and treasurer, also announced his retirement, effective June 30. In this capacity, Quinlan managed the Bank's investment portfolio, interest rate risk and liquidity management functions since 2003. He joined the Bank in 2002 as investment manager. Kevin Hickey, senior VP and chief risk officer for the past five years, will return to the treasury department as senior VP-chief investment officer and treasurer. Keisha Hutchinson has been named senior VP and chief risk officer, effective June 1, joining Signature Bank from KPMG in Short Hills, New Jersey, where she was audit partner for five years. Executive VP and CFO Vito Susca will move into the newly created post of EVP and chief administrative officer, and assume various operational responsibilities, including overseeing risk and compliance, facilities, security and special projects as well as serving as a liaison for internal audit and regulators. He was SVP and CFO from 2013-2021, after serving as SVP and controller since he began his employment with the bank in 2004. Stephen Wyremski, senior VP and controller since joining the Bank in 2015, will be promoted to senior VP and CFO, managing all financial-related activities, effective June 30. Prior, he spent eight years at KPMG in New York City. Catherine Donald-Grove, senior VP and director of product management services, was promoted to chief products officer, also a newly established position for the Bank. Donald-Grove will be responsible for furthering product capabilities as well as advancing sales efforts and fee income initiatives, including cash management, foreign exchange, credit cards and money market funds. Donald-Grove has been part of the Signature Bank team since 2010.

05:03 EDT China Online Education to acquire Kaola Reading through private placement - China Online Education announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire 100% equity interest in Beijing Xiangyue Education Technology, or Kaola Reading, a developer and provider of Chinese reading ability assessment systems and reading training systems in China, by issuing Class A ordinary shares of the company through private placement. The transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2021 in accordance with customary closing conditions. Founded in 2016, Kaola Reading developed a graded Chinese reading standard, the Enjoy Reading, or ER, Framework, in collaboration with the Machine Learning Laboratory of Peking University. Kaola Reading uses AI and machine learning technologies to assess and rate reading skills and make learning course recommendations based on each student's reading ability and interest. In May 2017, Kaola Reading launched its online Chinese learning app.