Stockwinners Market Radar for April 29, 2021 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

19:59 EDT SPDR Gold Shares holdings fall from 1,017.04MT to 1,021.70MT - This is the lowest level of holdings since April 13th, 2020.

19:14 EDT Crocs director Bickley sells 10,000 common shares - In a regulatory filing, Crocs director Ian Bickley disclosed the sale of 10,000 common shares of the company on April 29 at a price of $100.01 per share.

18:47 EDT Twitter says subscription products coming soon

18:37 EDT Domino's Pizza CEO: It was a terrific quarter for our International business - In an interview on CNBC's Mad Money, Richard Allison said, "we see a very long runway for growth." He sees an opportunity for 5,000 stores in the 15 largest markets. There is significant share to be gained since the pizza market is fragmented, he noted. Domino's is executing true autonomous delivery through Nuro, but still plans to hire a lot of delivery drivers, he added.

18:26 EDT Caterpillar CEO: Q1 was solid, despite challenging conditions - In an interview on CNBC's Mad Money, Jim Umpleby said Caterpillar had margin expansion in all sectors. He is "quite bullish" about prospects for the mining business. Umpleby believes an infrastructure bill out of Washington would be a "positive" for the company. He noted that customer demand is improving in a number of industries the company serves. Caterpillar made a conscious decision to hold more inventory than usual to help mitigate any supply chain shortages, he said. He noted that if commodities are rising, even though input costs increase, it's a "positive for us."

17:56 EDT Amazon.com says traffic driving advertising space - Says advertising has done great job in turning clicks into productive sales. Says continue to improve relevancy of ads. Says projecting continued strength across all segments. Says Prime Day is now scheduled for Q2. Comments taken from Q1 earnings conference call.

17:17 EDT Image Sensing Systems to implement holding company reorganization - Image Sensing Systems announced that its board of directors has approved the following actions: the initiation of a quarterly cash dividend to common shareholders of 12c per share of common stock on May 20 to shareholders of record at the close of business on May 10, the authorization of a stock buyback program under which it may repurchase up to 200,000 shares of common stock, the implementation of a holding company reorganization. The new holding company, Autoscope Technologies, will become the new parent company of Image Sensing Systems. Image Sensing Systems' current executive chairman, Andrew Berger, will be transitioning to Autoscope Technologies' CEO. Autoscope Technologies will focus on internal growth opportunities while seeking selective acquisitions which can leverage its existing assets and infrastructure. Under the planned holding company reorganization, existing shares of Image Sensing Systems would be automatically converted on a one-for-one basis into shares of common stock of Autoscope Technologies. Shareholders would not need to return stock certificates or otherwise take any action with respect to their shares of Image Sensing Systems common stock. It is anticipated that the holding company reorganization would be a tax-free transaction for U.S. federal income tax purposes for Image Sensing Systems and its shareholders. The public company reorganization is not expected to result in a change in the directors, executive officers, management, or business of Image Sensing Systems.

17:08 EDT Credit Acceptance CEO Brett Roberts to retire, Kenneth Booth to succeed - Credit Acceptance announced that Brett Roberts, the company's CEO and president and a member of the company's board of directors, will retire at the close of business on May 3. The board of directors has unanimously elected and appointed the company's CFO, Kenneth Booth, as the company's new CEO and president and as a director, effective May 3. Booth joined the company in January 2004 as director of internal audit. He was named chief accounting officer in May 2004 and CFO in December 2004. From August 1991 until joining us, Booth worked in public accounting, most recently as a senior manager at PricewaterhouseCoopers.

17:03 EDT Agnico Eagle backs FY21 production guidance - The company states: "Expected gold production in 2021 is unchanged at approximately 2,047,500 ounces, while total cash costs per ounce and AISC per ounce continue to be forecast in the range of $700 to $750 and $950 to $1,000, respectively."

17:01 EDT Community Healthcare raises quarterly dividend to 43c per share - Payable on May 28 to shareholders of record on May 14.

16:52 EDT Eloxx adds additional treatment arm to ongoing Phase 2 Cystic Fibrosis studies - Eloxx Pharmaceuticals announced the addition of a new study arm in the ongoing global Phase 2 clinical program for ELX-02 for the treatment of cystic fibrosis, CF, in patients with at least one G542X allele. The Phase 2 clinical program now includes a fifth treatment arm to evaluate safety of ELX-02 in combination with Kalydeco, an FDA-approved CFTR potentiator for the treatment of cystic fibrosis in patients who have at least one mutation in their CF gene amenable to ivacaftor. The Phase 2 trials are designed to evaluate the safety of ELX-02 and assess its biological activity. ELX-02 is currently in Phase 2 clinical trials in CF patients affected by nonsense mutations in the CFTR gene.

16:46 EDT Polaris announces $1.0B stock buyback - Polaris announced that its board has authorized the repurchase of up to $1B of the company's outstanding common stock. This new repurchase authorization replaces the prior board authorization.

16:41 EDT Marathon Oil reduces gross debt, raises base dividend - Marathon Oil announced that the company fully redeemed its $500M aggregate principal amount of 2.8% Senior Notes Due 2022. This transaction will reduce annual cash interest expense by $14M. Marathon Oil also announced today that the company's board of directors has declared a dividend of 4c per share on Marathon Oil common stock. The dividend is payable on June 10 to stockholders of record on May 19.

16:39 EDT Bit Digital earned 1,013.40 bitcoins in Q1 - Bit Digital announced its unaudited bitcoin production and mining asset updates for the first quarter ended March 31. The company earned 1,013.40 bitcoins in the first quarter. Treasury holdings of bitcoin increased to 581.23, with a fair market value of approximately $29.92M as of March 31. The company owned 40,965 miners as of March 31, with a maximum total hash rate of 2,264.5 PH/s, and made additional miner purchases subsequent to quarter end. Bryan Bullett, Bit Digital's CEO said, "We have continued our globalization strategy, deploying additional miners in North America, where as of April 29, 2021, we owned 8,516 miners with a further 2,130 miners currently in transit or awaiting installation. Going forward, we intend to expand our presence in North America, and expect a growing portion of our fleet to be located here."

16:37 EDT SM Energy sees Q2 production 11.8-12.2 MMBoe, 130-134 MBoe/d

16:34 EDT Phathom Phase 3 trial for H. pylori infection met primary, secondary endpoints - Phathom Pharmaceuticals announced that in PHALCON-HP, its pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial for the eradication of H. pylori infection, both vonoprazan-based regimens successfully met their primary endpoints and met all secondary endpoints. The trial studied vonoprazan in combination with amoxicillin and clarithromycin and vonoprazan in combination with amoxicillin compared to lansoprazole in combination with amoxicillin and clarithromycin. The primary endpoints in the PHALCON-HP study were non-inferiority of the H. pylori eradication rate for each of vonoprazan triple and dual therapy compared to lansoprazole triple therapy. Both vonoprazan-based regimens successfully met their primary endpoints. In the modified intent-to-treat population, H. pylori eradication rates were 84.7% with vonoprazan triple therapy and 78.5% for vonoprazan dual therapy compared to 78.8% with lansoprazole triple therapy. Vonoprazan triple therapy and vonoprazan dual therapy also met all secondary endpoints, demonstrating superior eradication rates versus lansoprazole triple therapy in all patients and patients with clarithromycin resistant strains of H. pylori. Patients with clarithromycin resistant strains comprised 20.3% of the PHALCON-HP study population. The H. pylori eradication rate of vonoprazan triple therapy was superior to that of lansoprazole triple therapy among all patients in both the mITT population, 80.8% versus 68.5%, and the per protocol population, 85.7% versus 70.0%. Both vonoprazan-based regimens were generally well tolerated with a safety profile comparable to lansoprazole triple therapy, the company said.

16:33 EDT Zendesk names Shelagh Glaser CFO - Zendesk announced the appointment of its new Chief Financial Officer, Shelagh Glaser, subject to the commencement of her employment, who is expected to join Zendesk on May 28, 2021. Over a more than 25-year career at Intel Corporation, Ms. Glaser has held a wide variety of finance and leadership roles across the organization. As previously announced, Elena Gomez will depart the company on May 5, 2021. Following Ms. Gomez's departure and until commencement of Ms. Glaser's employment, Marc Cabi, Zendesk's Deputy Chief Financial Officer, will serve as Zendesk's interim principal financial officer.

16:30 EDT Phathom Pharmaceuticals trading resumes

16:27 EDT Cabot Oil & Gas backs FY21 capital program $530M-$540M - Cabot reaffirmed its guidance for 2021. The company's operating plan for the year is expected to deliver an average net production rate of 2,350 Mmcfe per day from a capital program of $530M-$540M. Cabot has also provided its second quarter 2021 production guidance range of 2,225 to 2,275 Mmcfe per day. "Our production guidance for the second quarter implies a slight sequential decline relative to the first quarter, which is a result of lower activity levels and capital spending during the winter season," commented Dinges. "Activity levels are expected to increase in the second and third quarters, resulting in sequential growth during the second half of the year, primarily during the fourth quarter in anticipation of higher natural gas prices and the in-service of the Leidy South expansion project."

16:25 EDT Helmerich & Payne sees exiting Q3 at between 120-125 contracted rigs - Helmerich & Payne said: "We expect North America Solutions operating gross margins to be between $65-$75M. We expect to exit the quarter at between 120-125 contracted rigs. We expect International Solutions operating gross margins to be between ($1M)-($3M) , exclusive of any foreign exchange gains or losses Offshore Gulf of Mexico. We expect Offshore Gulf of Mexico operating gross margins to be between $6M-$9M.

16:17 EDT Evertec names Diego Viglianco as new COO - EVERTEC announced management changes, including the addition of Diego Viglianco as Chief Operating Officer and naming Philip Steurer, formerly Evertec Chief Operating Officer, as Chief Strategy Officer. Diego Viglianco most recently served as the CEO of Interbanking, S.A, a digital financial ACH/Real Time payments company headquartered in Argentina. Previously, Viglianco has held senior management positions with Prisma Medios De Pago S.A in Argentina, MasterCard in Argentina and Miami, USA, and Promocion y Operacion S.A. de C.V. in Mexico. Viglianco holds an MBA in Economy and Business Administration from ESEADE University, Argentina and a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from University of Salvador, Argentina. Philip Steurer most recently served as Chief Operating Officer and joined Evertec in 2012. Before joining the Company, Steurer worked for over 11 years at First Data Corporation, where he last served as Senior Vice President, Latin America and Caribbean. Steurer holds an MBA in Finance from Indiana University and a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Finance from the University of Notre Dame.

16:15 EDT Rogers Corporation names Ram Mayampurath as CFO, effective May 1 - Rogers Corporation announced that Ram Mayampurath has been appointed to serve as the company's new Senior Vice President, CFO and Treasurer effective May 1, 2021. Mayampurath is replacing Michael Ludwig as CFO, whose retirement was previously announced. udwig will remain with the ompany for a transition period prior to his retirement.

16:14 EDT Wrap Technologies sees headwinds through at least 1H21 - "We continue to expect near-term headwinds to our growth as international travel remains limited.," said Smith. "We expect this to continue through at least the first half of 2021, then soften as we proceed through the second half of 2021. Accordingly, near-term growth rates may differ from historical norms."

16:13 EDT Pebblebrook Hotel unable to provide outlook for 2021 at this time

16:12 EDT Texas Roadhouse sees FY21 capital expenditures $210M-$220M - Sees FY21 store openings 25-30. Sees FY21 commodity cost inflation 4%. The company said, "To the extent that state and local guidelines begin to significantly reduce capacity and/or re-close dining rooms, the Company could pull back on development and reduce capital spend accordingly."

16:09 EDT Twitter sees FY21 CapEx $900M-$950M - Stock-based compensation expense is expected to be approximately $600 million. Twitter said: "We are attracting more great people to Twitter than ever before and investing in our highest priorities to deliver on our long-term goals across consumer product, revenue product, and platform. As a result, we now expect headcount growth to more closely mirror expense growth in 2021, with headcount -- and total costs and expenses -- growing 25% or more on a year-over-year basis in 2021, ramping in absolute dollars over the course of the year. As a reminder, SBC expense is closely tied to headcount, the timing of grants, and vesting, and we typically see a significant sequential increase in Q2 driven by the timing of refresh grants in the early part of the year. As such, we expect to report a sequential increase in SBC expense of $60 million or more in Q2. Expected full-year SBC expense has also increased to approximately $600 million, from our previous range of $525 million to $575 million, reflecting increased hiring and retention grants. We continue to expect total revenue to grow faster than expenses in 2021, assuming the global pandemic continues to improve and that we see modest impact from the rollout of changes associated with iOS 14.5. How much faster will depend on various factors, including our execution on our direct response roadmap and macroeconomic factors."

16:07 EDT Twitter reports Q1 average mDAU 199M vs. 166M last year - Average monetizable daily active users were 199 million for Q1, compared to 166 million in the same period of the previous year and compared to 192 million in the previous quarter. Average US mDAU were 38 million for Q1, compared to 33 million in the same period of the previous year and compared to 37 million in the previous quarter. Average international mDAU were 162 million for Q1, compared to 133 million in the same period of the previous year and compared to 155 million in the previous quarter.

16:04 EDT Amazon.com jumps 5% after Q1 earnings, sales beat expectations - Amazon shares are up $179.54, or 5%, to $3,650.85 in after-hours trading.

16:00 EDT Phathom Pharmaceuticals trading halted, news pending

14:50 EDT Virgin Orbit announces selection by Brazilian Space Agency and Air Force - The Brazilian Space Agency and Brazilian Air Force announced that Virgin Orbit has been selected to bring orbital launch capability to Brazil, a country which has never successfully completed a domestic launch to orbit, the company announced. "Thanks to the unique mobility and small footprint of Virgin Orbit's air-launched system architecture, launches to a wide range of orbital inclinations could quickly become possible without the need for new permanent infrastructure, nor the expansion of existing facilities. Launches would occur from the Alcantara Launch Center on Brazil's northern coast, located just two degrees south of the equator," the company said. Reference Link

14:16 EDT NY AG investigates toxic substances found in baby food sold in NY - New York Attorney General Letitia James launched a probe this week into several manufacturers of baby food regarding high levels of inorganic arsenic found in infant rice cereal products. In response to widespread concern regarding toxic metals found in baby food, Attorney General James requested information from the companies that make Gerber, Beech-Nut, Earth's Best Organic, and HappyBABY brands, to examine whether the infant rice cereal products that are sold in New York contain arsenic at levels exceeding the legal maximum under the law. Attorney General James is also seeking information about the advertising and promotion of the products to assess their compliance with New York's consumer protection laws. "No child should be exposed to toxic substances in their food," said Attorney General James. "Baby food manufacturers have a legal and moral obligation to ensure the safety of their products, and provide peace-of-mind to the parents who rely on their products every day. Through this probe, I am committed to protecting the health and wellness of the next generation." The Fly notes Gerber is a Nestle (NSRGY) brand, Earth's Best Organic is a Hain Celestial (HAIN) brand, and HappyBABY Brands is owned by Danone (DANOY). Reference Link

13:50 EDT Nucor VP Napolitan sells over $409K in shares - Nucor VP Raymond Napolitan sold 5,000 shares of company stock at $81.96 per share on April 28 for a total consideration of $409,791.

13:22 EDT Gray Television trading resumes

13:11 EDT Southern Company 'minimally impacted' during harsh winter weather - Says has "reliably" provided energy to customers amid pandemic. Says was "minimally impacted" during harsh winter weather in the south. Comments taken from Q1 earnings conference call.

13:03 EDT Brunswick raises quarterly dividend 24% to 33.5c per share - The board of directors of Brunswick declared a quarterly dividend on its common stock of 33.5c per share, an increase of 24% to the current dividend. The dividend will be payable on June 15 to shareholders of record at the close of business on May 18. "Our strong financial profile, exceptional earnings and cash flow generation affords us the opportunity to significantly increase our dividend earlier in the year than we have in past years, reflecting the continued confidence we have in our outlook and strategy" said Dave Foulkes, Brunswick Corporation CEO.

12:44 EDT Gray Television trading halted, news pending

12:12 EDT Cementos Pacasmayo trading resumes

12:00 EDT Coeur Mining falls -12.8% - Coeur Mining is down -12.8%, or -$1.23 to $8.38.

12:00 EDT Peabody Energy falls -15.5% - Peabody Energy is down -15.5%, or -67c to $3.62.

12:00 EDT Realogy rises 13.8% - Realogy is up 13.8%, or $2.10 to $17.35.

11:36 EDT Microsoft to increase PC game developer share on Microsoft Store to 88% - Microsoft said in a blog post that it is updating its Microsoft Store terms for PC game developers. "As part of our commitment to empower every PC game creator to achieve more, starting on August 1 the developer share of Microsoft Store PC games sales net revenue will increase to 88%, from 70%," said Matt Booty, head of Xbox Game Studios. "A clear, no-strings-attached revenue share means developers can bring more games to more players and find greater commercial success from doing so." Reference Link

10:15 EDT Cementos Pacasmayo trading halted, news pending

10:00 EDT Resolute Forest falls -10.4% - Resolute Forest is down -10.4%, or -$1.62 to $13.94.

10:00 EDT Nokia rises 13.7% - Nokia is up 13.7%, or 57c to $4.78.

10:00 EDT Vereit rises 18.3% - Vereit is up 18.3%, or $7.55 to $48.81.

09:57 EDT FDA says working towards ban on menthol cigarettes, flavored cigars - The Food and Drug Administration announced it is committing to "advancing two tobacco product standards to significantly reduce disease and death from using combusted tobacco products, the leading cause of preventable death in the U.S." The FDA said it is working toward issuing proposed product standards within the next year to ban menthol as a characterizing flavor in cigarettes and ban all characterizing flavors in cigars. "This decision is based on clear science and evidence establishing the addictiveness and harm of these products and builds on important, previous actions that banned other flavored cigarettes in 2009," the FDA said in a statement. Today, the FDA granted a citizen petition requesting that the agency pursue rulemaking to prohibit menthol in cigarettes. The 2009 Tobacco Control Act did not include menthol in its ban on characterizing flavors in cigarettes, leaving menthol cigarettes as the only flavored combusted cigarettes still marketed in the U.S., the agency noted. Publicly traded companies in the tobacco space include Altria Group (MO), British American Tobacco (BTI), Imperial Brands (IMBBY) and Philip Morris (PM). Reference Link

09:47 EDT Resolute Forest falls -10.6% - Resolute Forest is down -10.6%, or -$1.65 to $13.91.

09:47 EDT Alliance Data rises 8.4% - Alliance Data is up 8.4%, or $9.03 to $116.87.

09:47 EDT Vereit rises 18.6% - Vereit is up 18.6%, or $7.67 to $48.93.

09:41 EDT Citius Pharmaceuticals reports strong clinical engagement for Mino-Lok - Citius Pharmaceuticals announced updates delivered during its third Mino-Lok Phase 3 trial-related webinar. Mino-Lok, the company's lead product candidate, is an antibiotic lock therapy designed to salvage central venous catheters in patients with catheter related bloodstream infections or central line associated blood stream infections. The webinar, led by Dr. Alan Lader, PhD, Vice President of Clinical Operations at Citius Pharmaceuticals was attended by investigators, clinical trial staff and referring physicians from trial sites participating in the Mino-Lok Phase 3 clinical trial. "We are encouraged to see strong and growing interest within the clinical community in Mino-Lok as a potential treatment option for patients with CRBSI/CLABSI. There are currently no FDA approved therapies to salvage infected CVCs," stated Dr. Myron Czuczman, Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of Citius Pharmaceuticals. "We believe Mino-Lok has the potential to become the gold standard in CRBSI/CLABSI care, and the first and only FDA approved treatment option for salvaging catheters in patients with CRBSI/CLABSI," added Myron Holubiak, President and CEO.

09:25 EDT MasterCard: U.S. airline spend roughly doubled in last 4 weeks

09:24 EDT MasterCard has several crypto partnerships approved for launch this quarter

09:22 EDT Chicken Soup for the Soul's Crackle Plus signs agreement with TransUnion - Chicken Soup for the Soul (CSSE) announced Crackle Plus has signed an agreement with TransUnion (TRU), a global information and insights company. With this agreement, Crackle Plus will utilize TransUnion's identity and audience solutions to allow the AVOD industry leader to "better serve more relevant advertising to their audiences and thus provide a higher value to agency and brand partners," the company said. With the agreement, Crackle Plus will have access to TransUnion's audience insights, automation tools for onboarding advertiser first-party data, modeling and custom audience building.

09:20 EDT PerkinElmer's Oxford Immunotec announce T-SPOT COVID-19 kit used in DIRECT study - Oxford Immunotec, a diagnostics company part of PerkinElmer, announced that its T-SPOT Discovery SARS-CoV-2 kit will be used for T cell testing in the DIRECT study. Oxford Immunotec is collaborating with researchers at the University of Leicester on DIRECT. The study, funded through the National Core Studies group, is actively recruiting healthcare workers in Leicester for detailed analysis of their immune response to infection and / or vaccination. This analysis, together with information collected through online questionnaires, will enable researchers to understand whether there are differences in the immune response in different ethnic minority groups, including whether there are differences in the magnitude and duration of this response. The custom version of the T-SPOT Discovery SARS-CoV-2 kit will be used to assess if the vaccination induces a T cell response in study subjects. The kit uses the T-SPOT technology platform, which allows for the standardized and reproducible measurement of T cells reactive to SARS-CoV-2. Testing for an immune response using T cells may offer several advantages over conventional antibody testing due to the limitations reported with antibodies, such as antibodies not being present after infection and antibodies waning over time.

09:19 EDT SS&C updates increased offer on Mainstream Group acquisition - SS&C has amended the Scheme Implementation Deed with Mainstream Group to provide for an acquisition by SS&C of 100% of the shares and outstanding equity rights in Mainstream for A$2.35 per security pursuant to a scheme of arrangement. In the absence of a superior proposal, and subject to independent expert review, the board of directors of Mainstream intends to support the revised scheme of arrangement on that basis. SS&C has agreed to increase the consideration payable under the scheme after receipt by Mainstream of a non-binding indicative cash offer of $2.35 per security from a third party. Mainstream has terminated any discussions with such third party. Mainstream is a provider of investment administration, middle office, fund accounting, superannuation administration, share registry and unit registry services to fund managers and superannuation funds. The company serves clients globally through its offices in Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Ireland, Malta, Isle of Man, the Cayman Islands and the U.S. Terms of the proposed acquisition imply an enterprise value for Mainstream of approximately $270M. The purchase is expected to close in Q3.

09:16 EDT ImmunityBio announces MHRP launch of IL-15 trial in Thailand - ImmunityBio announced that the U.S. Military HIV Research Program, or MHRP, at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research has launched a Phase 2 clinical trial in Thailand to evaluate ImmunityBio's interleukin-15, or IL-15, superagonist Anktiva administered in combination with antiretroviral therapy, or ART, during acute HIV infection as an experimental therapy to target and inhibit early establishment of HIV 'reservoirs' in infected individuals. Researchers will compare levels of HIV RNA and DNA in lymph node samples pre- and post-treatment and evaluate the therapy's effects on CD8+ T and natural killer, or NK, immune cells. The study is being conducted at the Thai Red Cross AIDS Research Centre in Bangkok. The trial's participants are being recruited through MHRP's acute HIV infection cohort, which identifies individuals in the earliest post-infection stages. The cohort serves as a foundation to help researchers conduct investigations into long-term remission of HIV and to understand ways to suppress HIV without long-term antiretroviral treatment.

09:15 EDT Brainsway announces launch of noninvasive treatment for smoking addiction - BrainsWay announced the distribution of its first 10 Deep Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation devices for smoking addiction to practices across the United States. The recently FDA-cleared aid for short-term smoking cessation offers a noninvasive treatment that administers electromagnetic pulses using BrainsWay's patented H4-coil through a cushioned helmet, stimulating neurons in brain structures associated with addiction. "Tobacco smoking is one of the leading causes of preventable disease and death throughout the world," said Christopher von Jako, Ph.D., President and CEO of BrainsWay. "We have seen lives drastically changed after undergoing Deep TMS treatment and are eager to bring this same hope to those who desire to quit smoking. Research shows that there is often comorbidity between tobacco use and mental disorders, and the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated both. Many patients have given up trying to quit, but now, with a noninvasive option like Deep TMS, we are hopeful they are able to take that step."

09:14 EDT Jack in the Box names new Chief People and Information Officers - Jack in the Box has named Steve Piano as Chief People Officer and Carlson Choi as Chief Information Officer. Piano, who most recently served as head of human resources for GNC Holdings, was previously executive VP of HR at MoneyGram. Choi joins the company from Jollibee Foods, a $4B global restaurant operator, where he was global chief digital officer and chief information officer. Prior to that, Choi served as a global VP in the digital initiatives group at Mattel .

09:14 EDT Comtech awarded $1.6M NG911 contract from Toronto Paramedic Services - Comtech announced that during Q3 it was awarded a next generation 911, or NG911, services contract to provide its Guardian call management solution to the Toronto Paramedic Services, the largest municipal paramedic service in Canada. The Toronto Paramedic Services is Comtech Solacom's latest customer in that region, joining the Toronto Police Services which also recently awarded a contract to Comtech Solacom. The new system award, including multiple optional years of support, is worth $1.6M.

09:12 EDT Rackspace Technology announces strategic investment in Platform9 - Rackspace Technology announced it has made a strategic investment in Platform9, the leading SaaS Managed Kubernetes provider for distributed clouds, and launched Rackspace Managed Platform for Kubernetes. Driven by a shared multicloud vision, both companies will collaborate and deeply align on products, technologies, and go-to-market activities.

09:11 EDT GE adds Verizon 5G to testbed for energy, healthcare, aviation cases - GE Research, the technology development arm of the General Electric Company (GE), is collaborating with Verizon Business (VZ) to create a cross industry testbed powered by Verizon 5G Ultra Wideband.

09:10 EDT Esports Technologies partners with gaming software developer Spinomenal - Esports Technologies has partnered with Spinomenal, a gaming software developer that provides its products to online casino operators around the world. The game provider agreement allows Esports Technologies to offer casino games on its international direct-to-consumer platform, Gogawi.com. The expanded offerings allow esports and sports bettors to place wagers on both casino games and esports tournaments and matches on any device. Spinomenal's Aggregation Platform grants access to more than 2,000 different games from many third-party providers.

09:09 EDT Fortinet announces FortiGate 7121F, FortiExtender 511F-5G - Fortinet announced the new FortiGate 7121F and FortiExtender 511F-5G to further secure and accelerate 5G adoption. Powered by Fortinet's proprietary SPU ASICs, the FortiGate 7121F delivers the highest-performing security necessary for 5G networks and enterprise Zero Trust Access, while FortiExtender 511F-5G provides wireless WAN connectivity for SD-WAN and SASE solutions.

09:07 EDT Fortinet announces new FortiGate 7121F, FortiExtender 511F-5G to secure 5G - Fortinet announced the new FortiGate 7121F and FortiExtender 511F-5G to further secure and accelerate 5G adoption. Powered by Fortinet's proprietary SPU ASICs, the FortiGate 7121F delivers "the highest-performing security necessary for 5G networks and enterprise Zero Trust Access, while FortiExtender 511F-5G provides wireless WAN connectivity for SD-WAN and SASE solutions," the company said. John Maddison, EVP of Products and CMO at Fortinet said, "Fortinet has heavily invested in the development of its 5G security portfolio. Delivering the world's fastest NGFW, we help service providers secure radio and Internet interfaces at price performance numbers 10 times today's benchmarks. Additionally, the new 5G FortiExtender provides more WAN connectivity options and is fully integrated into the FortiGate SD-WAN policy engine."

09:05 EDT MasterCard expects domestic travel to progress throughout the year - Comments taken from Q1 earnings conference call.

09:04 EDT McDonald's sees Q2 U.S. two-year stack similar to Q1

09:04 EDT Verisk reports 29 insurers contributed to ISO Statistical Database last year - A record number of insurers are gaining access to analytics that are critical to their operations by joining the growing and increasingly diverse roster of insurers contributing premium and loss records to Verisk. Last year 29 insurers decided to contribute to Verisk's ISO Statistical Database, which contains aggregated data from across the industry. This was the highest number of new participants in a single year over the last 10 years.

09:02 EDT Qualys names Sumedh Thakar as CEO - Qualys announced that its Board of Directors has named Sumedh Thakar as President and CEO. Sumedh, long-standing Qualys executive and chief product officer, was previously Interim CEO. Sumedh has been with Qualys for nearly 20 years in various positions starting as a software engineer.

08:58 EDT Haemonetics announces IMPACT trial results published in Transfusion journal - Haemonetics announced that the full peer-reviewed results of the IMproving PlasmA CollecTion, or IMPACT, trial have been published in Transfusion, the journal for transfusion medicine related research. The publication expands upon the IMPACT trial data presented in October 2020 in a plenary session at the AABB conference. IMPACT, a multicenter, prospective and double-blinded study, is one of the largest randomized controlled trials of plasmapheresis. The trial involved 3,443 donors who underwent 23,137 plasma donations.

08:56 EDT WPD Pharmaceuticals announces application for management cease trade order - WPD Pharmaceuticals, the Company announces that it has made an application to the British Columbia Securities Commission to approve a temporary management cease trade order under National Policy 12-203 - Management Cease Trade Orders, which, if granted, will prohibit trading in securities of the Company by certain insiders of the Company, whether direct or indirect. The Company is seeking the MCTO as it is unable to file it Annual Filings within the deadline as required under National Instrument 51-102 - Continuous Disclosure Obligations. The Company anticipates that it will be a position to file the Annual Filings on or about May 10, 2021. The MCTO will be in effect until the Annual Filings are filed. The Company confirms that it will comply with the alternative information guidelines included in NP 12-203 so long as the Annual Filings are outstanding.

08:55 EDT Verus International CEO calls class action lawsuit claims 'meritless; - Verus International released a corporate update letter from its CEO Andy Dhruv. The letter read in part, "I have spent my first two months as CEO of Verus International behind the scenes, working to understand the issues and opportunities, and tackling some of the tasks required to move us forward in 2021. Now that much of that heavy lifting is complete, I thought this would be a good time to introduce myself and provide you with a better understanding of the direction I will be taking the Company in the future...I am sharing this history with you today, because my strategy at Verus will be rooted in my approach to selling -- which begins with identifying timely, high profit-margin products that generate above-average inventory turns. When your business journey encompasses the entire path from a $200/month clerk to an owner-operator and then a distributor, you tend to know every nook and cranny of your customers' operations and what it takes to gain your spot on that precious shelf or counter....First, I would like to address the proposed class action lawsuit against the Company, which surfaced on Friday, April 23rd. We consider these claims to be meritless and intend to vigorously defend our Company against the allegations set forth in this complaint. In the meantime, we will be moving forward with our turnaround plans and strategy. All turnarounds start in the same place -- and that is with cost rationalization. In recent months, we let go of business units that had high ongoing and future capital expenses, downsized our corporate footprint, and combed through every line item we could rationalize so that profitability became more than just a distant concept. To put this in perspective, getting out from under pending professional sports licensing payments and long-term lease obligations alone will save us over $700,000 in recurring annual expense - commitments that had to be paid whether we sold a single product. These steps were necessary to restart our growth, but just as importantly, they removed some potentially deal-killing commitments from our financials that were unattractive to new M&A candidates. You saw the first results of our cost-rationalization efforts in our last quarterly report and we will carry that theme into the following quarter and beyond...I know many of you are wondering about the M&A that we were pursuing prior to our reverse stock-split. We felt that it was important to streamline the Company before moving in that direction, out of fairness to both our existing shareholders and any potential new partners. Given our valuation, that has proven to be the right decision. Our goal is to only enter into M&A that enhances shareholder value, so that is the starting point as we reengage on these partnership opportunities. We are prioritizing next steps and will be able to provide better guidance within our next update, but suffice it to say that we are pursuing whatever brings the best value - which as of today, looks like a combination of organic growth and M&A."

08:53 EDT McDonald's sees FY21 systemwide sales growth in the mid-teens - The company expects 2021 Systemwide sales growth, in constant currencies, in the mid-teens, and expects net restaurant unit expansion to contribute about 1% to 2021 Systemwide sales growth. The company expects operating margin percent to be in the low-to-mid 40% range. The company expects full year 2021 selling, general and administrative expenses of approximately 2.4% of Systemwide sales. *Based on current interest and foreign currency exchange rates, the company expects interest expense for the full year 2021 to decrease about 1% to 3% due primarily to lower average debt balances as the company expects to pay down current debt levels to return to pre-COVID-19 leverage ratios. The company expects the effective income tax rate for the full year 2021 to be in the 21% to 23% range. The company expects 2021 capital expenditures to be approximately $2.3B, about half of which will be directed towards new unit expansion across the U.S. and International Operated Markets.

08:52 EDT Capitala Group announces recapitalization of United Air Temp - Capitala Group is pleased to announce the recapitalization of United Air Temp, Air Conditioning and Heating, a provider of residential heating, ventilation, and air condition services, in partnership with Summit Park, Pareto & Company, and the UAT management team.

08:51 EDT McDonald's expects U.S. margins to moderate 'somewhat'

08:49 EDT Quantum-Si appoints Dr. Michael Mina as Chief Medical Advisor - Quantum-Si Incorporated, announced the appointment of Michael Mina, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Epidemiology, Immunology, Infectious Diseases and Pathology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Harvard Medical School, as Chief Medical Advisor for the company."As we create the next generation of protein sequencing and proteomics to transform how we study and diagnose disease, moving from the analog to the digital world and allowing a level of sensitivity, precision and understanding never before possible, Dr. Mina's expertise will be invaluable in guiding Quantum-Si's application efforts, and especially as we apply our technology to help our customers in the revolution occurring in immuno-oncology and immunology-related diagnostics and therapeutics," said Dr. Jonathan Rothberg, Founder of Quantum-Si. "Next-generation DNA sequencing transformed our understanding of cancer, and working with Dr. Mina, I'm convinced next-generation protein sequencing will have an equally profound impact on immunology."

08:49 EDT PCSB Financial raises quarterly dividend to 6c per share - On April 21, 2021, the Board of Directors declared a regular quarterly cash dividend of $0.06 per share, an increase of 50% from the prior quarter. The dividend is payable on or about May 28, 2021 to shareholders of record as of the close of business on May 14, 2021.

08:46 EDT West Bancorp raises quarterly dividend to 24c per share - On April 28, 2021, the Company's Board of Directors declared a regular quarterly dividend of $0.24 per common share, an increase of $0.02 from the prior quarter and representing a record high quarterly dividend for the Company. The dividend is payable on May 26, 2021, to stockholders of record on May 12, 2021.

08:44 EDT McDonald's: New chicken sandwich exceeding company's expectations

08:43 EDT McDonald's: Chicken category 'competitive,' but seeing strong unit movement

08:42 EDT Communications Systems sells transition network business to Lantronix for $25M+ - Communications Systems, (JCS) announced that it entered into a definitive securities purchase agreement with Lantronix (LTRX) to sell the Company's Transition Networks and Net2Edge businesses to Lantronix for a base price of $25M to be paid at closing, subject to a working capital adjustment following the closing, plus up to an additional $7M in earnout payments based on revenue milestones for the Transition Networks and Net2Edge businesses in the two 180-day periods after closing of the sale. The sale of these businesses requires CSI shareholder approval and is also subject to customary closing conditions. Assuming CSI's shareholders approve the transaction, it is expected to close in June 2021. The Transition Networks and Net2Edge businesses represent substantially all of the assets of the Company's Electronics & Software segment, which had 2020 revenues of $34.5 million. Concurrently with the closing of the Purchase Agreement, CSI and Lantronix will enter into a Transition Services Agreement under which CSI will perform administrative and IT services and license office, warehouse and production space at its Minnetonka, MN facility for the transferred businesses for up to twelve months. "While we do not yet know the exact amount and timing of the cash dividends, related to this transaction, we intend to distribute $3.50 per share or approximately $35.0 million consisting of proceeds from the sale of the Transition Networks and Net2Edge businesses and other available cash after closing the sale of these businesses, but prior to the closing of the CSI-Pineapple merger. We will provide more information about the payment of dividends in the future."

08:41 EDT Muscle Maker now accepting bitcoin - Muscle Maker (GRIL) announced it will start accepting bitcoin (BTC) as an alternative to cash, credit or debit forms of payment. Bitcoin payments will be rolled out on each level of the business individually, starting with accepting bitcoin for initial franchise fees for new franchisees, then expanding to online meal plan subscriptions with Superfit Foods, and eventually companywide for everyday food purchases at individual locations and online orders.

08:39 EDT McDonald's: Restrictions in Europe slowly recovering

08:38 EDT McDonald's CEO: Delivery in 75% of global footprint

08:37 EDT McDonald's 'laser-focused' on goals laid out in Accelerating the Arches plan - Comments taken from Q1 earnings conference call.

08:34 EDT Caterpillar sees Q2 operating margin 'moderately below' Q1 level - Comments taken from Q1 earnings conference call.

08:33 EDT Green Plains announces additional locations for Carbon Capture project - Green Plains announced that all four of its Nebraska biorefineries and its Shenandoah, Iowa biorefinery have entered into a long term carbon offtake agreement with Summit Carbon Solutions, a subsidiary of Summit Agricultural Group. The agreement is part of an announced pipeline expansion into Nebraska of the SCS carbon capture and sequestration project that will develop the infrastructure to capture and transport CO2 for long-term deposit into geologic storage. Green Plains will connect its biorefineries in Shenandoah, Iowa, Atkinson, Neb., Central City, Neb., Wood River, Neb., and York, Neb. bringing its total commitment to 658 million gallons of annual capacity, or nearly 70% of its platform. Green Plains' biorefineries in Obion, Tenn., Mount Vernon, Ind. and Madison, Ill. are all candidates for direct carbon dioxide injection into geologic storage and are being considered for future non-pipeline projects. Green Plains' expanded annual commitment is approximately 1.9 million metric tons of carbon dioxide, the same amount of carbon sequestered by 2.3 million acres of U.S. forests in a year, according to the EPA. The expanded project is anticipated to begin operation in 2024.

08:29 EDT Pyxis Tankers to acquire modern product tanker for $20M - Pyxis Tankers announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement with an unaffiliated third party to purchase a medium range product tanker of approximately 47,000 dwt built in 2013 at Hyundai Mipo shipyard in South Korea. The purchase price of $20 million is expected to be funded by a combination of bank debt and cash. It is anticipated that the acquisition, which is subject to customary closing conditions, will be completed during the summer of 2021.

08:29 EDT Nemaura Medical issues shareholder letter following update call - Nemaura Medical issues a Letter To Shareholders from CEO Dr. Faz Chowdhury summarizing its Shareholder Update call held yesterday, April 28, 2021. This letter is to help clarify the content from the call in which there may have been intermittent audio issues. The letter read in part, "Following our December launch of our BEATdiabetes program via our BEATdiabetes website, Nemaura has been in a constant state of corporate growth, preparing for new product launches, shoring up our management and staff and preparing the way both for our recently announced product launch in Europe as well as for the full product launch in the United States. As we are on the precipice of multiple game-changing milestones, I thought that this call would provide us an opportunity to take a closer look at all we've accomplished in the last nearly six months and discuss the path forward. I'd like to begin with our December launch in the US of the BEATdiabetes program via the BEATdiabetes website and smartphone app. Keep in mind the BEATdiabetes program is a clinically validated program that uses proven methodologies to help people better manage their health habits including diet, exercise and other lifestyle elements that either increase the risk of or exacerbate Type 2 diabetes. The use of our program, which includes an AI-based interface that interacts personally with users, has been shown to help them better manage weight and other risk factors to either improve or prevent or even reverse Type 2 diabetes. Following our December launch, we've already commenced a pilot program which will comprise approximately 200 users in the US, and we expect multiple additional pilots with various parties over the course of the year. In the UK our licensee reports that its soft launch has led to plans to hire 10 full-time registered general nurses to help facilitate the one-on-one counseling aspect of the program, which occurs when users pair the sugarBEAT sensor with the app, providing real-time data. We are already hearing anecdotal reports of significant improvements of those that have been using the sugarBEAT sensor. As we begin to proliferate the program in the US and via our licensee in the UK, the need to increase our production of sugarBEAT sensors and devices has increased, and we have begun to ramp up production to meet what we believe will be a significantly increased demand in the coming months. Importantly, as a result of these successful outcomes both in the UK and the U.S., I'm very happy and proud to report that we now expect to recognize revenue in relation to this in Qtr 2 of the current financial year. This will mark a significant milestone for us as a business as we become revenue generating...With all of the activity I've already mentioned, I think it worthwhile to remind you that we have achieved a great deal in a short amount of time while maintaining very strong fiscal control over costs and closely managing our balance sheet and cash position. Whilst we have engaged in fundraising over the last year, the bulk of it has been non-dilutive and this has resulted with us holding cash on balance sheet for the financial year ended March 31st, 2021 of approximately $31.8m, obviously this is still subject to audit. The strong focus on cost and cash management will continue to be a focus for the business, and our recent cash burn rate has been less than $2m per quarter though we expect this to increase slightly as we ramp up operations. It is worth mentioning that during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic we observed an extremely favorable market environment that has since slowed. Whilst many other companies are experiencing new challenges, Nemaura has not participated in any dilutive funding, preserving shareholder value. Our strong cash position also allowed us to continue to develop our product offerings to go beyond the diabetes space and into related areas, including metabolic health, with some strategic adjustments to our current technology. We have already made considerable progress in developing our technology for this application, and we anticipate providing updates to our shareholders on this progress soon."

08:26 EDT Enphase Energy, Palomar collaborate further to improve home energy technology - Enphase Energy announced Palomar Solar expanded its Enphase Storage business and made contributions to the companies' long-standing collaboration on home energy technology and new-product testing and feedback. "I want to thank the team at Palomar Solar for their continued partnership and collaboration, both of which contribute to our ability to drive customer-led innovation in Enphase Storage products," said Dave Ranhoff, chief commercial officer at Enphase Energy. "Every home is unique, and the feedback and testing data we receive from Palomar allow us to evaluate and design for corner cases, which helps Enphase design an extraordinarily robust solar-plus-storage system. As the first Enphase Platinum installer in San Diego, Palomar's homeowner customers benefit from the deep product knowledge Palomar takes into the field, and enjoy an outstanding customer experience."

08:22 EDT Caterpillar sees 'normal seasonality' for Q2 - In Q2 expects: Sales to users to improve in Construction Industries, led by North America; Improving end-user demand in Resource Industries in both Mining as well as Heavy Construction and Quarry and Aggregates; Sales in Energy & Transportation to increase vs prior year 2Q; Operating margin to moderate in 2Q vs 1Q. Comments taken from investor presentation slides for Q1.

08:21 EDT Quanta's Medolife Rx breaks ground on lab facility in Dominican Republic - Medolife Rx announced it has broken ground on its lab facility in the Dominican Republic as well as increased the quantity of scorpions on the reservation, in preparation for mass production of its pharmaceutical and nutraceutical product lines. The reservation is located in a remote area of the DR and is the ideal climate and terrain to support the healthy cultivation of various scorpions. Certain peptides found in scorpions are used in the formulation of many of the Company's pharmaceutical and nutraceutical products. The facility, which is currently under construction on the reservation, will be approximately 250 square meters and is expandable as needed in order to meet any increases in demand. It will serve as the Company's cGMP- and ISO-certified research lab where it will extract the peptides and conduct ongoing research and development on the clinical and wellness applications of Escozine and other formulations. Its addition will decrease the cost of venom production, enabling the Company to lower the final cost of its products, which will increase margins and the marketability of the products. This expansion will increase the reservation's capacity ten-fold and the Company's goal is to be able to produce one million doses of Escozine per month in the near term. As the Company furthers its clinical trials and nutraceutical sales of Escozine, it anticipates that demand will increase exponentially. As such, it has worked with the Ministry of Environment in the DR to secure the appropriate licensing and approvals for the expansion of the reservation and the building of the lab facility.

08:19 EDT Leisure Acquisition says Ensysce receives IND allowance for PF614-MPAR - Ensysce Biosciences, a special purpose acquisition company formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, acquisition or similar business combination, announced that Ensysce has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration allowance for an Investigational New Drug application for PF614-MPAR, a two-step extended-release oxycodone prodrug which is designed to provide abuse deterrent and overdose protection properties. PF614-MPAR is designed as an extended-release oxycodone prodrug with both trypsin-activated abuse protection and overdose protection through multi-pill abuse resistance. TAAP chemical modification inactivates the active ingredient in PF614 and provides abuse deterrence, and the combination with the trypsin inhibitor, nafamostat, in MPAR is designed to provide the additional layer of overdose protection. The MPAR overdose protection technology has been demonstrated in animals and the Phase 1 study with PF614 is being conducted to further validate the MPAR overdose protection technology. Ensysce believes its TAAP prodrugs and MPAR products are differentiated from current marketed opioid technologies due to their ability to reduce the potential for abuse as well as overdose and, therefore, make the products safer to keep in the medicine cabinet.

08:16 EDT Freddie Mac reports Q1 EPS 12c, consensus 0c - Reports Q1 net revenue $5.3B, two est. $2.95B. "Freddie Mac continued to support homebuyers and renters, providing $377 billion of liquidity for home purchases, refinancings, and the multifamily market in the first quarter of 2021. We have also helped hundreds of thousands of families stay in their homes through our foreclosure and eviction prevention programs. We are proud of our role in maintaining a vibrant housing market while providing critical assistance to borrowers and lenders during the pandemic," said Christian M. Lown, Chief Financial Officer.

08:15 EDT Glory Star New Media in talks for launch of CheerCar application - Glory Star New Media Group announced that it has entered into discussions with major new energy vehicles manufacturers in China for the launch of CheerCar, its in-vehicle audio and video content mobile application, onto their Internet of Vehicle platforms.

08:11 EDT Soliton receives FDA clearance of special 510(k) for RESONIC device - Soliton announced the U.S. FDA clearance of the company's special 510(k) for modifications to its RESONIC device.

08:09 EDT Lowe's to host National Hiring Day to hire more than 50,000 store sssociates - Lowe's will host a National Hiring Day to make it as easy as possible for anyone to start a part-time job or a full-time career. Lowe's is hiring more than 50,000 seasonal, part-time and full-time U.S. store associates. Candidates can apply in-person at Lowe's stores nationwide from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on May 4. They will have the opportunity to meet hiring managers, speak with associates and receive on-the-spot offers.

08:06 EDT MasterCard started the year with 'good' momentum, CEO says - "We started the year with good momentum, delivering positive net revenue growth this quarter, and are encouraged by the return of domestic spending levels to pre-pandemic trends," said Michael Miebach, Mastercard CEO. "We continued to execute against our strategic objectives, as we signed notable new deals and broadened existing relationships with key global partners. We've made strong progress in delivering on our multi-rail strategy, as we integrate the Finicity and Nets corporate services teams. And, we continue to invest for the long-term, adding to our trust and digital identity capabilities with the planned acquisition of Ekata."

08:04 EDT Morphic expects cash to fund requirements until the end of 2024 - As of March 31, 2021, Morphic had cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities of $448.3 million, compared to $228.3 million as of December 31, 2020. The increase was primarily due to the closing of the public offering of common stock in March. Morphic believes its cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities as of March 31, 2021, will be sufficient to fund operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements until the end of 2024.

08:04 EDT Ceridian to acquire Ideal, an intelligence software provider - Ceridian announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Ideal. "This acquisition is anticipated to optimize Ceridian's talent management offering once Ideal's capabilities are integrated into the Dayforce platform," the company said. The acquisition is expected to close on April 30. "Through the power of artificial intelligence-driven talent capabilities, Ideal's talent intelligence products enhance recruiting processes, including screening, shortlisting, and matching top candidates. Dayforce customers will also have access to Ideal's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion intelligence system, enabling employers to meet diversity head-on by ensuring that objectivity and inclusion happen up-front in the talent acquisition and management processes," the company said.

08:03 EDT Royal Caribbean: 2H booking activity aligned with cruising resumption - Booking activity for the second half of 2021 is aligned with the Company's anticipated resumption of cruising. Pricing on these bookings is higher than 2019 both including and excluding the dilutive impact of future cruise credits. Cumulative advance bookings for the first half of 2022 are within historical ranges and at higher prices when compared to 2019. This was achieved with minimal sales and marketing spend which the Company believes highlights a strong long-term demand for cruising. Since the last business update, approximately 75% of bookings made for 2021 are new and 25% are due to the redemption of FCCs and the "Lift & Shift" program. The Company continues to provide guests on suspended sailings with the option to request a refund, to receive an FCC, or to "lift & shift" their booking to the following year. As of March 31, 2021, the Company had approximately $1.8 billion in customer deposits, in line with its December 31, 2020 balance. Approximately 45% of the customer deposit balance is related to FCCs. Since the suspension of guest operations on March 13, 2020, approximately 50% of the guests booked on cancelled sailings have requested cash refunds.

07:59 EDT Adverum Biotechnologies discloses suspected adverse reaction in ADVM-022 trial - Yesterday evening following a halt in trading, Adverum Biotechnologies announced a "Suspected Unexpected Serious Adverse Reaction of hypotony in its INFINITY clinical trial evaluating ADVM-022 gene therapy for the treatment of diabetic macular edema. This event occurred 30 weeks after randomization in one patient treated with a single intravitreal injection of the high dose of ADVM-022 who has developed hypotony, with panuveitis and loss of vision in the treated eye. In the interests of patient safety, Adverum has decided to immediately unmask the INFINITY Phase 2 study to better understand this event and to help identify and manage any similar potential risk to other patients in this study, which completed patient dosing in December 2020. Additionally, the company is conducting a thorough review of data from the ADVM-022 program and plans to report its findings as the analysis progresses." Shares of the stock are down over 53% in pre-market trading.

07:55 EDT Brooklyn ImmunoTherapeutics acquires icense for mRNA technology platform - Brooklyn ImmunoTherapeutic announced it has acquired an exclusive license for mRNA gene editing and cell therapies technology of Factor Bioscience Limited and Novellus Therapeutics Limited pursuant to an exercise of a previously announced option. The license includes use of an extensively patented process to develop gene editing compounds using mRNA, which preclinical data suggest demonstrate a high degree of efficiency, as well as being non-immunogenic and non-mutagenic. The licensed platform includes mRNA cell reprogramming, which is considered to be the highest efficiency and footprint-free technology that can be applied to both allogeneic and autologous cells, and is combined with mRNA-based gene editing - along with a proprietary gene editing protein - to eliminate off-target effects. It also includes the proprietary ToRNAdo lipid delivery system that provides efficient delivery of mRNA ex vivo and in vivo to skin, brain, eye and lung tissue. "As a result of the license acquisition, Brooklyn is now poised to become a key player among companies exploring gene editing for cell therapies. This mRNA gene editing technology has the potential to be disruptive given its high efficiency and relatively low manufacturing costs. We look forward to continuing the work begun by Factor Bioscience and Novellus with this platform and to reporting our progress as our products advance towards the clinic," commented Howard J. Federoff, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer and President of Brooklyn. "Our licensing of this technology represents a significant advancement in our approach to treating cancers, blood and other disorders, and transforms us from a single therapeutic company with multiple potential indications to a platform company with multiple products in a pipeline of next-generation engineered cellular medicines."

07:52 EDT AtriCure announces FDA approval of EPi-Sense System - AtriCure announced FDA approval of the EPi-Sense System to treat patients diagnosed with long-standing persistent Afib. The CONVERGE trial demonstrated superiority in the hybrid AF therapy arm compared to endocardial catheter ablation alone. In patients diagnosed with long-standing persistent Afib, the hybrid therapy arm showed a 29% absolute difference in efficacy at 12-months and an absolute difference of 35% at 18 months. There was also a 33% absolute difference in Afib burden reduction in favor of the hybrid AF therapy at 12 months, which increased to 37% at 18 months.

07:48 EDT Aptinyx reports 'positive' data from Phase 2 study of NYX-783 - Aptinyx presented additional data from its exploratory Phase 2 study of NYX-783 in patients with post-traumatic stress disorder at the Society of Biological Psychiatry Annual Meeting being held virtually April 29 - May 1. The Phase 2 study evaluated NYX-783 in 153 patients with PTSD. The study consisted of two four-week treatment stages comparing once-daily oral dosing of NYX-783-10mg or 50mg-to placebo. This initial exploratory study was powered based on clinical, and not statistical, considerations to detect signals of efficacy. Nonetheless, statistically significant separation from placebo was observed on some measures. The prespecified combined analysis of stages 1 and 2 revealed a numerical benefit on the CAPS-5 Total score and a statistically significant benefit on the Arousal and Reactivity symptom cluster score for the 50 mg dose compared to placebo. The results from stage 1, which reflect all patients enrolled in the study, provide the greatest insights into the potential effects of NYX-783 for future studies and, therefore, are the primary focus of the poster being presented at SOBP.

07:44 EDT WisdomTree expands digital assets range with Ethereum ETP launch - WisdomTree has announced the expansion of its digital assets range with the launch of a physically-backed ether ETP. The WisdomTree Ethereum ETP, or ETHW, listed today on Borse Xetra and SIX, the Swiss Stock Exchange. WisdomTree now offers the lowest priced physically-backed ether and bitcoin ETPs in Europe, both with a total expense ratio of 0.95% and passported across the European Union. Jason Guthrie, Head of Capital Markets and Digital Assets, said: "The expansion of our digital assets range is a significant milestone and further demonstrates our commitment to delivering innovative digital asset solutions for institutional investors. ETHW is a best-in-class ETP, complementing our market leading bitcoin ETP, and launched at a time when interest in digital assets is at its highest. With this increase in popularity, institutional investors are doing their due diligence on the most liquid cryptocurrencies and we expect the pace of adoption across these to ramp up as the opportunity in digital assets becomes more compelling."

07:43 EDT Kinross Gold to redeem $500M in senior notes on June 1 - Kinross Gold Corporation announced it will redeem all of the outstanding 5.125% Senior Notes due September 1, 2021, which have an aggregate principal amount of $500 million, on June 1, 2021. The Notes will be redeemed at a redemption price equal to the principal amount of the outstanding Notes plus accrued and unpaid interest to, but not including, the Redemption Date, in accordance with the terms of the Notes. Interest on the Notes will cease to accrue from and after the Redemption Date. After the Notes are redeemed, $1,250 million in aggregate principal amount of Kinross Senior Notes will remain outstanding, with the next maturity date on March 15, 2024 for $500 million in aggregate principal amount.

07:42 EDT XPO Logistics announces Maryclaire Hammond as Chief Human resources as GXO - XPO Logistics announced that Maryclaire Hammond will become the chief human resources officer of GXO Logistics, the intended spin-off of XPO's logistics business. She will be responsible for GXO's human resources organization when the planned separation is complete. Hammond's priorities will include a focus on employee engagement, as well as diversity, equity and inclusion. She will be based at GXO headquarters in London. Hammond joined XPO in 2019 as senior vice president, human resources - Americas and Asia Pacific and oversees the employment culture of more than 22,000 employees in XPO's logistics business.

07:38 EDT Alliance Data reports March net charge offs 5.3% vs. 5.2% last month - Reports March delinquency ratio 3.8% vs. 4.3% last month.

07:34 EDT Cowen Group raises quarterly dividend 25% to 10c - Cowen Group increased its quarterly cash dividend payable on its common stock by 25% to 10c per common share. The dividend will be payable on June 15 to stockholders of record on June 1.

07:31 EDT Pluristem reports Phase I results studying PLX-R18 in humans - Pluristem Therapeutics reported "positive" results in its first study to evaluate the safety and exploratory efficacy of PLX-R18 in humans. The company's Phase I, open-label, dose-escalation study is evaluating the safety and exploratory efficacy of intramuscular injections of PLX-R18 in subjects with incomplete hematopoietic recovery following Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation. The study enrolled 21 patients in the U.S. and Israel, who were at least three months after the HCT procedure, and had low blood counts in at least one blood cell lineage. They were assigned to one of three treatment arms: 1 million cells/kg, 2 million cells/kg or 4 million cells/kg. Each patient received two treatments of the assigned dose. The results demonstrate that PLX-R18 has the potential to stimulate the implanted hematopoietic cells to realize their therapeutic potential and generate improved blood counts over the long term in all three blood cell lineages at once - a meaningful advantage over other existing and proposed treatments. Available data1 at six-month follow-up demonstrates: PLX-R18 was well-tolerated with a favorable safety profile; statistically significant improvement from baseline counts was observed in all cohorts for hemoglobin and platelet counts; the patients in the high dose arm exhibited statistically significant improvements in all three blood cells lineages; approximately 60% of patients exhibited improvements in all three blood cell lineages: hemoglobin, neutrophil and platelet counts, that are above the initial criteria for inclusion in the study; 13 patients were transfusion dependent at baseline, 6 of those became transfusion independent at six-month follow up.

07:28 EDT Cara Therapeutics announces results from KARE phase 2 trial of KORSUVA - Cara Therapeutics announced results from its KARE Phase 2 dose-ranging clinical trial of Oral KORSUVA for the treatment of moderate-to-severe pruritus in mild-to-severe atopic dermatitis patients. The trial enrolled 401 patients at multiple clinical sites across the United States. The KARE Phase 2 trial was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Oral KORSUVA for moderate-to-severe pruritus in 401 adult subjects with atopic dermatitis. Patients were stratified across treatment groups by disease severity. Subjects were randomized to three tablet strengths of Oral KORSUVA: 0.25 mg, 0.5 mg and 1 mg taken twice daily versus placebo for 12 weeks followed by 4 weeks of an active extension phase. KARE's primary efficacy endpoint was change from baseline in the weekly mean of the daily 24-hour Itch NRS score at week 12 of the treatment period. Although no dose group met this endpoint, a statistically significant improvement from baseline was evident as early as week 1 for the 1 mg dose group which was sustained through 75% of the treatment period. In a prespecified analysis, a statistically significant change in the primary efficacy endpoint was observed in the mild-to-moderate patient population which was evident at week 1 and sustained through the treatment period. The key secondary endpoint for KARE was the assessment of the proportion of patients achieving an improvement from baseline of greater than or equal to4 points with respect to the weekly mean of the daily 24-hour Itch NRS score at week 12. No dose group met this endpoint for the ITT population. Prespecified analysis by disease severity indicated a statistically significant improvement in the 4-point Responder Analysis in the mild-to-moderate patient population with 32% of KORSUVA-treated patients achieving a greater than or equal to4 point reduction in NRS at Week 12 versus 19% in the placebo group. A statistically significant improvement was also achieved for the 0.5 mg dose. Oral KORSUVA was generally well-tolerated across all doses. Overall, the incidence of treatment-emergent adverse events was generally similar across KORSUVA and placebo groups. The most common treatment-emergent AEs reported in greater than 5% of patients in any KORSUVA group and greater than placebo were abdominal pain, nausea dry mouth, headache, dizziness and hypertension.

07:23 EDT BioXcel Therapeutics launches 'Boiling Point' education campaign - BioXcel Therapeutics announced the launch of its "Boiling Point" Campaign to educate emergency medical and psychiatric professionals on the full spectrum and severity of agitation symptoms and the importance of a prompt, non-invasive approach to care for patients with schizophrenia and bipolar disorders.

07:22 EDT Kirby sees 2021 free cash flow $230M-$310M - Kirby expects 2021 capital spending to range between $125 to $145 million, with the midpoint representing a year-on-year reduction near 10%. Approximately $15 million is associated with the construction of new inland towboats, and approximately $95 to $110 million is associated with capital upgrades and improvements to existing inland and coastal marine equipment and facility improvements. The balance of approximately $15 to $20 million largely relates to new machinery and equipment, facility improvements, and information technology projects in distribution and services and corporate. Overall, Kirby expects to generate net cash provided by operating activities of $375 million to $435 million, with free cash flow of $230 million to $310 million in 2021.

07:20 EDT Sonic Automotive raises quarterly dividend 20% to 12c per share - Payable on July 15 to all stockholders of record on June 15.

07:16 EDT CN says proposal to combine with KCS receiving 'overwhelming support' - CN (CNI) announced that its proposal to combine with Kansas City Southern (KSU) in a cash-and-stock transaction valued at $33.7B "continues to receive overwhelming support from customers, suppliers, elected officials and other stakeholders because of its extensive pro-competitive benefits." CN announced it has received more than 200 additional letters in favor of CN's proposed combination with KCS with the Surface Transportation Board. "This brings the total number of support letters CN has received to more than 600 in just over a week since its proposal was made public, far exceeding the number of letters that Canadian Pacific Railway Limited (CP) has received in over five weeks," CN said.

07:11 EDT Taylor Morrison sees Q2 average active community count 330 - Sees Q2 home closings 3,200-3,400. Sees Q2 effective tax rate 23%.

07:09 EDT ConnectOne Bancorp board increases quarterly dividend 22.2% to 11c per share - ConnectOne Bancorp announced that its board of directors declared a cash dividend on its common stock of 11c per share. This cash dividend represents a 2c, or a 22.2% increase from the prior common dividend declared on January 28. The dividend will be paid on June 1 to shareholders of record on May 17.

07:07 EDT Kraft Heinz sees Q2 mid-single-digit percentage increase in revenue - The Company continues to expect it will deliver 2021 financial performance ahead of its strategic plan. For the second quarter of 2021, and based on performance to date, the Company currently expects a mid-single-digit percentage increase in both Organic Net Sales and Constant Currency Adjusted EBITDA(2) versus the comparable 2019 period. The Company views comparison to the 2019 period to be more meaningful than the comparable 2020 period given the exceptional, COVID-19-related consumer demand changes experienced in the 2020 period. This outlook is, therefore, equivalent to a low-single-digit percentage decline in Organic Net Sales(2 and a mid-single-digit percentage decline in Constant Currency Adjusted EBITDA versus the comparable 2020 period.

07:06 EDT Bristol-Myers falls over 2% to $64.66 after Q1 earnings miss

07:04 EDT Genocea expects initial efficacy data from GEN-011 Phase 1/2a trial in Q4/Q1 - GEN-011 is in development to treat checkpoint inhibitor-refractory patients. Genocea believes using patient T cells taken from easily accessible peripheral blood and expanding the T cells only on tumor neoantigens prioritized by our ATLAS platform may give GEN-011 efficacy, accessibility and cost advantages over other T cell therapies. The TITAN study is designed to explore safety, biomarkers of activity and anti-tumor efficacy. During the first quarter, Genocea continued to add clinical sites and accrue patients. The company expects to have initial efficacy data from a patient subset late in the fourth quarter of 2021 or the first quarter of 2022.

07:02 EDT McDonald's reports Q1 U.S. SSS up 13.6% - In Q1: Global comparable sales increased 7.5%, reflecting positive comparable sales across all segments: 13.6% in the U.S.; 0.6% in the International Operated segment; and 6.4% in the International Developmental Licensed segment.

06:57 EDT PBF Energy provides business update amid COVID-19 pandemic - The company said, "Employee and operational safety continue to be an ongoing priority in our pandemic response. We implemented a number of necessary safety protocols and social distancing requirements, issued personal protective equipment to all employees and enhanced facility cleaning, with these efforts focused on protecting our dedicated front line employees who have remained on the job throughout the current crisis. As a result of our efforts, our operating facilities have remained fully-staffed by our essential workforce throughout the pandemic, and we continue supplying our critical products to our valued customers. In response to the effects of the global pandemic, we undertook a number of measures to ensure the safety and reliability of our operations. We successfully reconfigured our East Coast refining system to maintain the most profitable elements of two refineries while reducing costs and improving our competitive position. In all of our locations, we focused on creating sustainable cost reductions that we expect will make each of our assets more regionally competitive, and continue to review our operations in order to drive profitability. In addition to focusing on our core refining operations, we are exploring opportunities to participate in the burgeoning renewable fuels market. We previously announced a potential project to be co-located at the Chalmette refinery. This project is expected to use certain idled assets, including an idle hydrocracker, along with a newly-constructed pre-treatment unit to establish an 18,000 to 20,000 barrel per day renewable diesel production facility. We believe that with the utilization of currently idled assets, and its strategic location on the Mississippi River, our project will have a shorter time to market and reduced construction costs compared to similar greenfield projects. We are currently in advanced discussions with potential partners and expect to provide further updates in the coming months. Consistent with our previous guidance, our refining capital spending program for the first half of 2021 is expected to be approximately $150 million. Our overall market outlook for the second half of 2021 remains constructive, with continued gradual improvement in demand, and our full-year capital expenditures are expected to be approximately $400 to $450 million. Should market conditions change from our current expectations, we expect that we will review our capital requirements and adjust as needed. We operated our refineries at reduced rates during the first quarter and, based on current market conditions, we expect to continue to operate our refineries in response to demand for our products. In the second quarter we expect to run at higher rates in every region with total expected throughput regionally as follows: East Coast to average 225,000 to 245,000 barrels per day (bpd); Mid-Continent to average 135,000 to 145,000 bpd; Gulf Coast to average 175,000 to 185,000 bpd; and West Coast to average 290,000 to 310,000 bpd."

06:48 EDT Tempur Sealy increases share repurchase program to $400M - Tempur Sealy announced that its board has increased the authorization under the company's share repurchase program to a total of $400M. In Q1, Tempur Sealy utilized approximately $300M under its existing authorization to repurchase approximately 8.4M shares. The company expects to repurchase at least 6% of shares outstanding in 2021.

06:34 EDT Airbus targets to achieve EBIT adjusted of at least EUR 2B - The company targets to at least achieve in 2021: Same number of commercial aircraft deliveries as in 2020; EBIT Adjusted of EUR 2B; Breakeven free cash flow before M&A and customer financing.

06:26 EDT NatWest Group backs outlook provided in 2020 Annual Results

06:24 EDT Iron Mountain names as Global Chief DEI Officer - Iron Mountain announced that Charlene Jackson has joined the company as Global Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer. In her role, Jackson will lead Iron Mountain's DEI strategy, practice and programs, including its Employee Resource Groups. She joins Iron Mountain from Girls Inc., where she was the National Director of Affiliate Services.

06:09 EDT M.D.C. Holdings sees FY21 home deliveries 10,000-11,000 - Sees active subdivision count goal of at least 10% growth during 2021.

06:02 EDT Logitech announces up to $1B share buyback authorization - Logitech's board of directors has approved an increased share buyback authorization up to $1B. This expands the company's current $250M, three-year share buyback authorization. To date, the company has repurchased $165M of shares in the current program. Following approval from the Swiss Takeover Board, the increase will give a total authorization of $835M for repurchases over the remaining 27 months of the program through July 2023.

05:58 EDT Angion Biomedica, Vifor announce completion of enrollment for AKI-002-15 study - Vifor Pharma and Angion Biomedica announced completion of enrollment for Angion's AKI-002-15 study, a phase-II trial of ANG-3777 in patients at risk of cardiac-surgery associated acute kidney injury, or CSA-AKI. This indication is part of the ANG-3777 license agreement both parties signed in November 2020.

05:43 EDT Atea Pharmaceuticals announces first patient dosed in MORNINGSKY trial - Atea Pharmaceuticals (AVIR) announced that the first patient has been dosed in the Phase 3 MORNINGSKY trial, a multicenter trial evaluating AT-527 in mild or moderate COVID-19 patients in an outpatient setting. The trial, which is anticipated to enroll approximately 1,400 non-hospitalized adults and adolescents with mild to moderate COVID-19, is currently enrolling patients at clinical trial sites outside the United States. MORNINGSKY is expected to have an extensive global footprint and will include a large number of clinical sites worldwide, including Japan. AT-527 is an orally administered, direct-acting antiviral in development and derived from Atea's purine nucleotide prodrug platform. Under a strategic collaboration, Roche (RHHBY) and Atea are jointly developing AT-527 for the treatment of COVID-19.

05:26 EDT Chubb, Marsh collaborate with WHO and Gavi on COVAX insurance coverage - Chubb (CB) and Marsh (MMC) announced a collaboration with the World Health Organization, or WHO, and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, that has secured insurance coverage for a program that will offer eligible individuals in 92 lower-income countries and economies a process to receive compensation for rare but serious adverse events associated with vaccines distributed through COVAX up to June 30, 2022. The COVAX No-fault Compensation Program is the first and only vaccine injury compensation mechanism operating on an international scale. Co-convened by Gavi, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, or CEPI, and WHO, working in partnership with UNICEF as an implementing partner, COVAX was created to accelerate the development and manufacture of COVID-19 vaccines, and to guarantee their fair and equitable access for every country in the world. Through Chubb's and Marsh's collaboration, up to $150M in insurance is provided for the COVAX No Fault Compensation Program to cover compensation payments to eligible individuals in the 92 lower-income countries and economies, known as the Gavi COVAX Advance Market Commitment eligible economies. Insurance broker Marsh led the global placement of the bespoke solution. Chubb is the lead insurer, supported by a further 10 insurers located in the U.S., U.K., Germany, Ireland, Switzerland and Bermuda.

05:18 EDT Accenture to acquire Openminded, terms undisclosed - Accenture has entered into an agreement to acquire Openminded, a France-based cybersecurity services company that provides advisory, cloud and infrastructure security, cyber defense, and managed security services. Financial terms of the transaction are not being disclosed. Founded in 2008, and powered by a security operations center, Openminded helps clients anticipate and reduce cybersecurity risks, detect and respond to cyber incidents, and implement best practices in regulatory compliance. Once completed, the acquisition would bring approximately 100 cybersecurity professionals to Accenture Security's workforce of nearly 7,000 professionals globally and extend Accenture's cybersecurity presence and capabilities in France and in Europe. The acquisition requires prior consultation with the work council and would be subject to customary closing conditions.

05:10 EDT Trinseo, ETB to collaborate on development of purified bio-based 1,3-butadiene - Trinseo (TSE) and ETB have signed a letter of intent to collaborate on the development of purified bio-based 1,3-butadiene. This will see the two companies combine their respective technology and process expertise to accelerate the development of viable, renewably sourced material solutions. Under the partnership, the companies will jointly explore opportunities to scale up ETB's single-stage process to produce bio-based 1,3-butadiene from ethanol using polyfunctional catalyst technology. The collaboration will initially focus on demonstrating the viability of sustainable ethanol-based synthetic rubber in support of green tire production. To underline this mutual commitment, Trinseo, with ETB's support, will conduct a feasibility study to explore the construction of a dedicated bio-based 1,3-butadiene pilot plant in Europe. Once operational, it is intended that the pilot plant will include a purification unit to achieve a purity target of 99.7%. Bio-based butadiene is considered a first component in the value chain for enabling the replacement of fossil-based raw materials with renewable sources, thereby reducing the environmental footprint of consumer products, such as performance tires throughout their lifecycle. It is anticipated that the pilot plant evaluation study will be completed by the close of 2021. Both companies share the long-term ambition of scaling up live production globally.