Stockwinners Market Radar for May 05, 2021 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

19:52 EDT Asur reports April passenger traffic down 25.3% from 2019 level - Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste announced that total passenger traffic for April 2021 reported a recovery of 1.2 million passengers reaching a total of 3.5 million passengers, up from 0.2 million in April 2020. This is still below the 4.6 million passengers reported in April 2019 reflecting overall lower travel demand and restrictions in certain countries worldwide to contain the spread of the COVID-19 virus. When compared to pre-pandemic levels of April 2019, passenger traffic declined 28.1% in Mexico and 38.8% in Colombia, while traffic in Puerto Rico increased 1.7%.

19:15 EDT ADC Therapeutics' ZYNLONTA added in NCCN Guidelines in b-cell lymphomas - The company states: "ADC Therapeutics announced ZYNLONTA has been included in the latest National Comprehensive Cancer Network Clinical Practice Guidelines in oncology for B-cell Lymphomas. Specifically, the NCCN Guidelines now include ZYNLONTA as a category 2A designation as a treatment option for adult patients with relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma after two or more lines of systemic therapy."

19:02 EDT CMC Materials raises FY21 adjusted EBITDA view to $367M-$387M from $370-$390M - Sequentially, the company currently expects revenue in the third quarter of fiscal 2021 to be up mid to high single digits compared to revenue in the second quarter. Electronic Materials revenue is expected to be up mid single digits and Performance Materials revenue is expected to be up high single digits for the third fiscal quarter.

18:54 EDT Volaris reports April passengers up 3.3% y/y - Volaris reported April 2021 preliminary traffic results. In the domestic Mexican market, demand continued to recover, and we capitalized on opportunities to add capacity, ending the month with 17.8% more ASMs (Available Seat Miles) than in April 2019. International capacity decreased 16.7% versus April 2019, as a result of COVID-19 related international travel restrictions. Total capacity for the month of April measured by ASMs was 107.3% of the same month in 2019. Demand measured by RPMs (Revenue Passenger Miles) was 104.6% as compared to the same month in 2019. Volaris transported 1.9 million passengers in April 2021, 3.3% higher than April 2019, and the booked load factor was 82.4%.

18:45 EDT American Campus provides update on resumption of Disney College Program - American Campus Communities (ACC) is pleased to share that on May 3, Walt Disney World Resort announced it is relaunching the Disney (DIS) College Program in June. Participants in the program are expected to begin to occupy the company's Flamingo Crossings Village community near Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando as early as this summer. American Campus Communities is currently under construction on Flamingo Crossings Village, a 10-phase, $615M residential community for participants of the Disney College Program. As of today, four of the project's 10 phases have been completed. The company is actively communicating with Walt Disney World Resort regarding the near-term timing and pace of occupancy and will provide the market with additional details as they become finalized. The remaining phases are expected to be delivered as originally anticipated through May 2023. "Barring any unforeseen future impacts related to the COVID-19 pandemic, we now expect each phase to achieve its originally anticipated opening yield beginning in 2022."

18:28 EDT Amazon.com CEO Bezos sells about $2.5B in common stock - In a regulatory filing, Amazon disclosed that its Chairman/CEO Jeffrey Bezos sold about $2.5B in common stock in trades dated May 4th.

18:04 EDT Novavax: Phase 2b results of NVX-CoV2373 COVID-19 vaccine published in NEJM - Novavax announced the publication of results from the initial primary analysis of a Phase 2b clinical trial conducted in South Africa of its NVX-CoV2373 COVID-19 vaccine candidate in the New England Journal of Medicine. The published data provide additional detail of an initial analysis conducted in January, while more robust data from a complete analysis of the study was subsequently shared in March 2021. The data on the initial analysis will be published online ahead of print in NEJM's May 6, 2021 issue. "This data publication reinforces the encouraging safety profile and cross-protective effect across variants seen in studies of our vaccine to-date," said Gregory M. Glenn, M.D., President of Research and Development, Novavax. "It also demonstrates that ongoing evaluation of COVID-19 vaccine efficacy against SARS-CoV-2 variants is urgently needed to inform vaccine development and use." The Phase 2b randomized, observer-blinded, placebo-controlled trial conducted in South Africa evaluated efficacy, safety and immunogenicity in healthy adults, and in a small cohort of medically stable adults living with human immunodeficiency virus. The study met its primary endpoint. NVX-CoV2373 demonstrated an overall efficacy of 49% in the initial analysis, and 49% in the subsequent complete analysis. Among healthy adults without HIV, NVX-CoV2373 demonstrated efficacy of 60% in the initial analysis and 55% in the subsequent complete analysis. In the initial analysis, cases were predominantly mild-to-moderate and due to the B.1.351 variant. In the subsequent complete analysis, circulation of the B.1.351 variant continued to dominate, and all five cases of severe disease observed in the trial occurred in the placebo group.The initial analysis, now being published in NEJM, suggested that prior infection with the original COVID-19 strain did not protect against subsequent infection by the variant predominantly circulating in South Africa through 60 days of follow-up. However, with additional follow-up, the complete analysis of the South Africa trial indicates that there may be a modest protective effect of prior exposure with the original COVID-19 strain. Among placebo recipients, at 90 days of follow-up, the illness rate was 8.0% in baseline seronegative participants and 5.9% in baseline seropositive participants.

18:00 EDT E2open receives notification of regaining NYSE compliance - E2open Parent Holdings announced that it received notification from the New York Stock Exchange that it officially regained compliance with exchange listing requirements. On April 12, 2021, the Division of Corporate Finance of the Securities and Exchange Commission issued a "Staff Statement on Accounting and Reporting Considerations for Warrants Issued by Special Purpose Acquisition Companies," clarifying the accounting guidance for warrants with terms that are common for special purpose acquisition companies. The immediacy of the effective date of this new guidance generally resulted in audit firms not consenting to include their audit opinions in SEC filings until the new guidance was evaluated and reflected in an updated filing, which prevented E2open from filing an annual report that complied with SEC and NYSE rules by its extended filing deadline. E2open received notification on April 23, 2021 from the NYSE of non-compliance due to the missed annual report filing. The annual report in question related to E2open's predecessor, CC Neuberger Principal Holdings I, a SPAC, reflecting financial information for a fiscal period that ended prior to the business combination that closed on February 4, 2021.

17:45 EDT Golden Star Resources backs 2021 production view 165K-175K oz.

17:23 EDT sCimarex Energy still sees 2021 CapEx $650M-$750M

17:23 EDT Etsy sees Q2 GMS up 5%-15% to $2.8B-$3.1B

17:16 EDT Perspecta shareholders approve acquisition by Veritas Capital - Perspecta announced that, at a special meeting of stockholders held on May 5, the stockholders of the company approved a proposal to adopt the merger agreement under which Peraton, a portfolio company of leading private investment firm Veritas Capital, will acquire the company for $29.35 per share in cash.

17:13 EDT Experience Investment holders approve Blade Urban Air Mobility combination - Experience Investment Corp. announced that its stockholders approved all proposals related to the previously announced business combination with Blade Urban Air Mobility, Inc. at a special meeting of stockholders held today. The closing of the Business Combination is anticipated to occur on or about May 7, 2021. Following closing, the combined holding company will change its legal name to Blade Air Mobility, Inc. and will continue to do business as Blade Urban Air Mobility. Its class A common stock and warrants will trade on Nasdaq under the ticker symbols "BLDE" and "BLDEW", respectively. Blade expects to receive approximately $365 million in gross proceeds, after giving effect to minimal shareholder redemptions, at the time of the Business Combination, which includes $125 million in expected gross proceeds from a fully committed private placement closing concurrently.

17:11 EDT Uber maintains it can achieve EBITDA profitability by end of 2021 - Comments taken from Q1 earnings conference call.

17:07 EDT Allscripts CFO Poulton sells 75,000 common shares - In a regulatory filing, Allscripts president and CFO Richard Poulton disclosed the sale of 75,000 common shares of the company on May 4 at a price of $15.6885 per share.

17:04 EDT Gilead CCO Mercier sells nearly 20,000 common shares - In a regulatory filing, Gilead chief commercial officer Johanna Mercier disclosed the sale of 19,496 common shares of the company on May 4 at a price of $66.0929 per share.

16:58 EDT MasTec acquires INTREN for $420M in cash - MasTec announced that it has acquired INTREN. INTREN is a premier utility specialty contractor primarily providing electrical distribution network services under various multi-year master service agreements to the nation's largest utilities, municipalities, and cooperatives. INTREN is headquartered in Union, Illinois and has approximately 2,000 employees providing services in 14 states across the United States. In the transaction, MasTec acquired all the equity interests of INTREN for approximately $420M in cash plus a contingent earnout through year end 2021. At closing, INTREN is expected to have approximately $100M in tangible net worth. The acquisition will be funded from MasTec' s cash on hand and its existing senior secured credit facility and is subject to customary purchase price adjustments. Founded in 1988 by a sole female founder, INTREN has exhibited significant growth over the past ten years with a 23% compounded annual revenue growth rate. For the trailing twelve-month period ended March 2021, INTREN generated approximately $550M of revenue, with over 90% generated from its multiple master service agreements, at a double-digit EBITDA margin. MasTec anticipates that this transaction will be accretive to its earnings in 2021 and 2022.

16:57 EDT Regenxbio sees cash, cash equivalents sufficient into second half of 2023

16:51 EDT Fox Corp. to acquire Outkick Media, terms not disclosed - Fox Corporation announced an agreement via its subsidiary to acquire Outkick Media, a digital media platform founded and led by Clay Travis, and related assets. Outkick is an omnichannel leader in sports, opinion, politics, and pop culture content across its radio, podcasts, online and social outlets, as well as being one of the foremost sources of sports wagering information in the United States. Further, Outkick is in an exclusive marketing agreement with FOX's partner FanDuel and serves as a significant source of sports wagering referrals. Fox plans to operate Outkick as an independent brand and leverage its content across its existing platforms. Clay Travis will remain integrally involved at Outkick and serve as its President. Outkick Media is jointly owned by Clay Travis and Savage Ventures. Savage Ventures will continue having an operational role in the business going forward. Methuselah Advisors served as the exclusive financial advisor to Outkick for the transaction.

16:46 EDT FDA approves Merck's KEYTRUDA+Trastuzumab in GEJ adenocarcinoma - The company states: "Merck announced that the FDA has approved KEYTRUDA, Merck's anti-PD-1 therapy, in combination with trastuzumab, fluoropyrimidine- and platinum-containing chemotherapy, for the first-line treatment of patients with locally advanced unresectable or metastatic HER2-positive gastric or gastroesophageal junction, or GEJ, adenocarcinoma. This indication is approved under accelerated approval based on tumor response rate and durability of response; continued approval for this indication may be contingent upon verification and description of clinical benefit in the confirmatory trials. This approval is based on data from the ongoing Phase 3 KEYNOTE-811 trial, in which KEYTRUDA in combination with trastuzumab and either 5-fluorouracil plus cisplatin or capecitabine plus oxaliplatin demonstrated a statistically significant objective response rate (ORR) of 74% for patients who received the regimen with KEYTRUDA versus 52% for those who received trastuzumab and chemotherapy alone (pless than0.0001). For patients who received the regimen with KEYTRUDA, the complete response rate was 11% and the partial response rate was 63%. For patients who received trastuzumab and chemotherapy alone, the complete response rate was 3.1% and the partial response rate was 49%."

16:45 EDT PDC Energy backs FY21 capital investment guidance of $500M-$600M - PDC is confident it can complete its 2021 operating program within the stated guidance range and is committed to demonstrating capital discipline and adjusting its operating cadence to stay within the range should service cost inflation and/or increases to expected non-operated activity warrant.

16:44 EDT Barrett Business sees FY21 gross billings growth of 5%-7% - Barrett Business sees gross billings growth of 5% to 7%, increased from 2% to 5% in the prior outlook

16:40 EDT Uber says Delivery continues to exceed expectations - Says improved our market positions in several international markets. Says broadening Delivery beyond food. Says on track to reach Delivery EBITDA profitability by year-end. Comments taken from Q1 earnings conference call.

16:32 EDT Costco reports April net sales up 33.5% to $15.21B - Costco Wholesale reported net sales of $15.21 billion for the retail month of April, the four weeks ended May 2, 2021, an increase of 33.5% from $11.39B last year. For the thirty-five weeks ended May 2, 2021, the Company reported net sales of $126.58 billion, an increase of 17.6 percent from $107.64 billion last year.

16:30 EDT Costco reports April total SSS ex gas/ FX up 24.2%

16:28 EDT Essential Utilities sees EPS CAGR of 5%-7% for 2020-2023

16:27 EDT Conduent announces CFO Brian Webb-Walsh leaving company - Conduent also announced that Chief Financial Officer, Brian Webb-Walsh, intends to pursue an external opportunity and will be leaving Conduent as of June 11, 2021. The Company's current Corporate Controller and Principal Accounting Officer, Stephen (Steve) Wood, who joined Conduent in 2020 as part of the Company's routine succession planning efforts, will be promoted to the role of Chief Financial Officer at that time. Cliff Skelton commented, "Steve was my chief financial officer before I joined Conduent and he has an impressive background as a strategic finance executive and proven business partner. He has been fully immersed in all aspects of the business since joining Conduent more than nine months ago. Brian has a new opportunity with a Fortune 100 company, and this is a natural next step for his career. He has been a trusted colleague and friend since I arrived at Conduent. Brian has dedicated 24 years to the organization as part of Xerox and then Conduent and, over the last two years, he has worked with me to improve the foundation of the Company. Given this improved foundation and our succession preparedness, I'm confident this will be a smooth transition. I am grateful for his contributions and I wish him the best in his next chapter." Steve Wood has served in his current role since August 2020. Prior to joining Conduent, he spent 15 years at Fiserv Inc. in finance and accounting leadership positions, including most recently as the Chief Financial Officer of Fiserv Output Solutions. He is a Chartered Global Management Accountant with an MBA with distinction from Warwick Business School.

16:25 EDT Camping World to acquire Hilmerson RV, terms not disclosed - Camping World Holdings, Inc. announced the expansion of its business presence in the Minnesota market with an agreement to acquire Hilmerson RV in Little Falls. The acquisition is expected to close in early summer 2021. "With a history of top-notch customer service for over 37 years, Hilmerson RV is one of the best dealerships in America," said Marcus Lemonis, CEO and Chairman of Camping World. "I've been in this business for almost 20 years and this team simply runs one of the strongest operations I've ever seen."

16:24 EDT GoDaddy names Michele Lau as Chief Legal Officer, Mark McCaffrey as CFO - GoDaddy announced Michele Lau will assume the role of GoDaddy's Chief Legal Officer effective July 12, and Mark McCaffrey will assume the role of GoDaddy's CFO, effective June 2. Both will report to GoDaddy CEO Aman Bhutani. Lau and McCaffrey replace CLO Nima Kelly and CFO Ray Winborne, who both announced their intent to retire earlier this year. With close to 20 years of legal experience, Lau most currently served as Senior Vice President, Corporate Secretary and Associate General Counsel, Corporate, Governance and Transactions at McKesson Corporation (MCK). McCaffrey spent more than 20 years as a Partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP in Silicon Valley, and most recently served as the head of PwC's US Technology, Media & Telecom Sector.

16:19 EDT PayPal added 14.5M NNAs, ended Q1 with 392M active accounts

16:19 EDT PayPal reports Q1 TPV of $285B, up 50%, and 46% on FX-neutral basis

16:15 EDT Allied Motion raises quarterly dividend 25% to 2.5c per share - Allied Motion Technologies announced that its Board of Directors, at its meeting today, approved a quarterly cash dividend payment of $0.025 per share, up 25% from the previous rate of $0.02 per share. The dividend rates reflect the three-for-two stock split, distributed after the close of trading on April 30, 2021. The dividend will be payable on June 2, 2021 to stockholders of record as of the close of business on May 19, 2021. Allied Motion has approximately 14.7 million shares outstanding.

16:13 EDT Conformis sees Q2 product revenue $14M-$14.5M - The company guided: "We expect our second quarter product revenue to improve sequentially from the first quarter and to be in the range of $14.0 million to $14.5 million. We believe elective procedure volumes will improve in the third quarter and approach 2019 levels in the fourth quarter as vaccines become more widely available."

16:12 EDT WW says Q1 end of period digital subscribers up 16% - End of Period Subscribers in Q1 2021 were down 1.5% versus the prior year period, driven by declines in End of Period Workshops + Digital subscribers, partially offset by increases in End of Period Digital Subscribers in all major geographic markets. Q1 2021 End of Period Digital Subscribers were up 16.0% and End of Period Workshops + Digital Subscribers were down 47.1% versus the prior year period.

16:10 EDT Uber revenue reduced by $600M for classification of drivers in U.K. - Uber Revenues and Mobility Revenues were reduced by a $600M accrual made for the resolution of historical claims in the U.K. relating to the classification of drivers, the company said in its earnings release.

16:09 EDT Baker Hughes, Bloom Energy to collaborate on low carbon power-generation - Baker Hughes (BKR) and Bloom Energy (BE) have announced and agreed to collaborate on the potential commercialization and deployment of integrated, low carbon power-generation and hydrogen solutions to advance the energy transition. Baker Hughes and Bloom Energy will begin collaborating on potential customer engagements immediately, with the objective of launching pilot projects over the next 2-3 years and fully commercializing and scaling applications, products and solutions shortly thereafter. The companies will focus efforts in three areas: Integrated power solutions: By leveraging Bloom Energy's solid oxide fuel cell technology (SOFC) and Baker Hughes' light-weight gas turbine technology, the companies intend to provide efficient, resilient, and cost-effective solutions for cleaner energy generation, waste heat recovery, and grid independent power for customers. Bloom Energy's efficient and low emissions SOFCs, Baker Hughes' efficient and flexible NovaLT gas turbines - which can run on up to 100% hydrogen - along with heat recovery turbines can create resilient microgrids ideal for large-scale applications. Integrated hydrogen solutions: The companies will explore opportunities to pair Bloom Energy's solid oxide electrolyzer cells (SOEC) that can produce 100% clean hydrogen with Baker Hughes' compression technology for efficient production, compression, transport, and delivery of hydrogen. Waste heat utilization for steam generation will also be assessed to further increase efficiency and cost effectiveness of hydrogen production. The companies will target applications such as blending hydrogen into natural gas pipelines, as well as on-site hydrogen production for industrial use. These efforts are geared toward accelerating the transition to the hydrogen economy. Bloom Energy's SOEC technology coupled with Baker Hughes' compression technology could facilitate faster adoption of hydrogen in process industries such as steel refining, where the use of heat recovery from the steel-making process could deliver higher overall system efficiencies and customer value. Mutual technical collaborations: The companies will assess opportunities to leverage Baker Hughes' broad technology portfolio and Bloom Energy's SOFC and SOEC solutions. In addition to hydrogen and clean power, areas of collaboration may include carbon capture and emissions monitoring technologies, digital solutions, and additive manufacturing capabilities.

16:08 EDT Rocket Companies sees Q2 gain on sale margins 2.65%-2.95% - Sees closed loan volume of between $82.5 billion and $87.5 billion and net rate lock volume of between $81.5 billion and $88.5 billion.

16:02 EDT Booking Holdings CEO saw 'encouraging signs of improving booking trends' in Q1 - "We saw encouraging signs of improving booking trends in the first quarter that continued into April with notable strength in the U.S. While we expect there will be continued volatility in the recovery of global travel demand, our teams across Booking Holdings will continue their hard work to strengthen the positioning of our company and execute against our key strategic priorities," said Glenn Fogel, CEO of Booking Holdings.

15:42 EDT Philip Morris appoints Calantzopoulos as Executive Chairman, Olczak as CEO - Earlier, Philip Morris International announced that Jacek Olczak was appointed CEO following the company's 2021 annual shareholders meeting. Olczak - most recently the company's Chief Operating Officer - was also elected to the board of directors. Andre Calantzopoulos, who served as PMI's CEO from 2013, was appointed Executive Chairman of the Board prior to the meeting. Lucio Noto stepped down from his role as interim Chairman of the Board and was reelected to the board of directors. The appointments follow the announcement of PMI's leadership transition in December 2020.

15:04 EDT NVR announces $500M share repurchase plan - NVR announced that its Board of Directors has authorized the repurchase of $500M of its outstanding common stock. The company indicated that the authorization is a continuation of the stock repurchase program that began in 1994 and is consistent with NVR's strategy of maximizing shareholder value.

14:19 EDT Everest Re exec Doucette sells 5,000 common shares - In a regulatory filing, Everest Re president CEO of its Reinsurance Division John Doucette disclosed the sale of 5,000 common shares of the company on May 3 at a price of $278.2898 per share.

14:06 EDT S&P upgrades GameStop to 'B' from 'B-,' takes ratings off watch - S&P Global Ratings raised its issuer credit rating on GameStop to "B" from "B-" and removed the ratings from CreditWatch, where it placed them with positive implications on April 5." The upgrade reflects our view of reduced financial risk following the $550 million gross equity issuance and redemption of $216 million secured notes. We expect performance to improve in 2021 following weak operating results in 2020. We associate that with the coronavirus pandemic and the cyclical effects of an elongated video game console release cycle giving way to pent-up demand. Our view also considers its recent equity issuance and debt repayment, and solid credit protection measures. We expect low adjusted leverage of less than 2x with all adjusted debt compromising operating lease obligations. The equity offering provides additional liquidity, which we believe will partially fund its transformational efforts. These actions come amid significant management turnover and continued long-term operational risks because of changing technologies and customer habits in the video game industry. Despite these risks, we revised our financial risk profile to intermediate from aggressive given the reduction in debt. We expect significant growth in sales and adjusted EBITDA this year following volatile performance in 2020," S&P stated.

13:58 EDT twitter makes improvements to offensive tweet warnings - Twitter said in a blog post that, based on feedback and learnings from test prompts that encouraged people to reconsider "potentially harmful or offensive" posts on the platform, it has made improvements to the systems that decide when and how these reminders are sent. Starting today, the comapny is rolling out these improved prompts across iOS and Android, beginning with accounts that have enabled English-language settings. "We began testing prompts last year that encouraged people to pause and reconsider a potentially harmful or offensive reply - such as insults, strong language, or hateful remarks - before Tweeting it," Twitter said. "Once prompted, people had an opportunity to take a moment and make edits, delete, or send the reply as is. In early tests, people were sometimes prompted unnecessarily because the algorithms powering the prompts struggled to capture the nuance in many conversations and often didn't differentiate between potentially offensive language, sarcasm, and friendly banter. Throughout the experiment process, we analyzed results, collected feedback from the public, and worked to address our errors, including detection inconsistencies. These tests ultimately resulted in people sending less potentially offensive replies across the service, and improved behavior on Twitter." Reference Link

13:30 EDT North American rail traffic rose 25.8% in week ended May 1, AAR says - The Association of American Railroads or AAR, reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending May 1, as well as volumes for April. "A number of U.S. rail traffic categories have completely recovered ground lost during the pandemic or are very close to doing so," said AAR Senior Vice President John T. Gray. "For example, April set a new all-time record for intermodal, driven by surging international trade and strong consumer spending. Meanwhile, carloads of grain, food, lumber, paper, scrap metal and several other categories were higher in April 2021 than they were in both April 2020 and in April 2019. Carloads of chemicals and steel in April were much higher than last year and just shy of April 2019 levels."Total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 540,667 carloads and intermodal units, up 29.6% compared with the same week last year.Total carloads for the week ending May 1 were 240,858 carloads, up 27.2 percent compared with the same week in 2020, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 299,809 containers and trailers, up 31.6% compared to 2020. North American rail volume for the week ending May 1, on 12 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 341,400 carloads, up 26.4% compared with the same week last year, and 385,743 intermodal units, up 25.2% compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 727,143 carloads and intermodal units, up 25.8%. North American rail volume for the first 17 weeks of 2021 was 11,842,622 carloads and intermodal units, up 9.3% compared with 2020. Publicly traded companies in the space include CSX (CSX), Canadian National (CNI), Canadian Pacific (CP), Genesee & Wyoming (GWR), Kansas City Southern (KSU), Norfolk Southern (NSC) and Union Pacific (UNP). Reference Link

13:12 EDT Carnival's Holland America Line to restart cruising from Greece in August - Holland America Line, a division of Carnival Corporation and plc, announced that it has received approval to restart cruising from Piraeus, Athens in August with four departures aboard Eurodam. Bookings for these cruises will open May 6, Holland America announced.

12:53 EDT Kemper names Joseph Lacher, Jr. as chairman, Robert Joyce as lead director - Kemper Corporation announced that its Board of Directors elected Joseph P. Lacher, Jr., Kemper's president and CEO and current director, to the additional role of chairman of the board, effective immediately. Lacher succeeds Robert J. Joyce, who has shifted from the role of non-executive chairman to independent lead director. "Over the last five-plus years as president and CEO, Joe has demonstrated strong leadership in establishing a clear vision and strategy for Kemper's long-term growth, which makes him well qualified to serve as chairman," said Joyce. "Joe has built an experienced leadership team that enables us to meet the evolving needs of our customers and positions Kemper to succeed amidst the changing nature of the industry. The board has full confidence in the strategy that Joe is executing and his ability to lead the board."

12:13 EDT Facebook begins testing Neighborhoods feature - Facebook said it is starting to test Facebook Neighborhoods, a single destination to "build and strengthen local communities on Facebook." Facebook Neighborhoods is a dedicated space within the Facebook app designed to help users connect with their neighbors, participate in their local community and discover new places nearby. "Facebook Neighborhoods is a section of the Facebook app dedicated to your neighborhood, with a Neighborhoods profile that's different from your main Facebook profile," the company said. "To join, you'll need to be 18 years or older and confirm your neighborhood. You can choose to join just your own neighborhood or, in addition, you also have the option to join your Nearby Neighborhoods to see neighbors and posts from your surrounding neighborhoods. When you create your Neighborhoods profile, you can choose to add interests, favorite places and a bio so people can get to know you within the Neighborhoods Directory. You can write a post to introduce yourself, participate in discussions on posts from fellow neighbors and answer Neighborhoods Questions in the dedicated feed. People can also take on roles within Neighborhoods, including socializers who spark friendly conversations." This feature is currently available in Canada, and will begin to roll out to select U.S. cities soon. Reference Link

12:07 EDT Humanigen reports publication of results from Phase 3 COVID-19 lenzilumab trial - Humanigen announced that results from the lenzilumab Phase 3 study in hospitalized COVID-19 patients, referred to as "LIVE-AIR," were published online. The results section of the abstract shared by the company states: "Lenzilumab significantly improved SWOV in hospitalized, hypoxic subjects with COVID-19 pneumonia over and above treatment with remdesivir and/or corticosteroids. Subjects with CRP less than150 mg/L and age less than 85 years demonstrated an improvement in survival and had the greatest benefit from lenzilumab." Reference Link

12:01 EDT Systemax falls -13.9% - Systemax is down -13.9%, or -$5.95 to $36.74.

12:01 EDT Rayonier Advanced Materials falls -19.3% - Rayonier Advanced Materials is down -19.3%, or -$1.76 to $7.35.

12:00 EDT KAR Auction rises 17.8% - KAR Auction is up 17.8%, or $2.58 to $17.09.

10:57 EDT Cardlytics announces completion of acquisition of Bridg - Earlier, Cardlytics announced the completion of its acquisition of Bridg, as previously announced on April 13. Cardlytics acquired Bridg for approximately $350M in cash at closing. In addition, Cardlytics has agreed to make two potential earnout payments in cash and stock on the first and second anniversary of the closing based on Bridg's U.S. annualized revenue run rate. Cardlytics expects these payments could equal approximately $100M to $300M in the aggregate, the company said. "With the loss of third-party cookies on the horizon, now more than ever it's imperative for brands to have trusted partners who take a privacy-first approach while also delivering deep, robust first-party consumer insights. Not only does Bridg give Cardlytics' advertisers the ability to understand consumer purchase behavior down to the product level, but it does so with shared consumer privacy best practices at the forefront," said Lynne Laube, CEO and co-founder of Cardlytics.

10:41 EDT General Motors CEO sees personal autonomous cars by end of decade

10:40 EDT Diginex's Digivault announces crypto partnership with Torstone Technology - Torstone Technology announced earlier today that it has partnered with Digivault, a digital asset custody provider and custodial arm of Diginex, to provide Digivault's clients with "enhanced post-trade services while enabling Torstone Technology's customers access to digital asset custody solutions," the company said. "The partnership with Digivault will leverage the Torstone Technology cross-asset platform including cryptocurrencies and tokenised assets, giving clients the flexibility to handle all of their crypto trading in a single post-trade solution leveraging Digivault for digital asset custody. This partnership will provide Digivault clients with an institutional-grade book-of-records functionality which is critical for regulatory compliance, and auditors," the company added.

10:32 EDT GM to operate through traditional summer shutdown in Q3 at select plants

10:19 EDT General Motors sees 2H 'similar to or better than' 1H

10:15 EDT General Motors: VIP platform to be on 7M vehicles by end of 2023

10:08 EDT General Motors CEO Barra says GM has cut development time of most EVs in half - Comments taken from Q1 earnings conference call.

10:03 EDT Docebo announces promotion of Alesso Artuffo to role of president - Docebo announced the promotion and appointment of Alessio Artuffo as president in addition to his current role as Chief Revenue Officer. Alessio joined Docebo in 2012 and has spent more than 14 years in the e-learning and knowledge management industry.

10:01 EDT Team falls -13.3% - Team is down -13.3%, or -$1.40 to $9.12.

10:00 EDT Rayonier Advanced Materials falls -14.2% - Rayonier Advanced Materials is down -14.2%, or -$1.29 to $7.82.

10:00 EDT Medifast rises 15.6% - Medifast is up 15.6%, or $35.10 to $260.10.

10:00 EDT Hayward rises 21.1% - Hayward is up 21.1%, or $4.10 to $23.49.

09:59 EDT Peloton recalls about 125,000 Tread+ treadmills after one child died - Peloton is recalling about 125,000 Tread+ treadmills with model number TR01. The treadmill was launched as the Peloton Tread in 2018 but renamed Tread+ in September 2020. A 6-year-old child recently died after being pulled under the rear of the treadmill. In addition, Peloton has received 72 reports of adult users, children, pets and/or objects being pulled under the rear of the treadmill, including 29 reports of injuries to children such as second- and third-degree abrasions, broken bones, and lacerations. Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled Tread+ and contact Peloton for a full refund until November 6, 2022. This product is different than the Peloton Tread that is also subject to a voluntary recall in cooperation with the CPSC on May 5, 2021 because the console on the Tread can detach and fall, posing a risk of injury to consumers.

09:47 EDT Rayonier Advanced Materials falls -9.5% - Rayonier Advanced Materials is down -9.5%, or -87c to $8.24.

09:47 EDT Belden rises 11.7% - Belden is up 11.7%, or $5.02 to $48.10.

09:47 EDT Hayward rises 20.7% - Hayward is up 20.7%, or $4.01 to $23.40.

09:40 EDT Correct: Pool raises dividend to 80c, share repurchase program by $450M - Pool Corp. announced that its board of directors has declared a quarterly cash dividend of 80c per share, a 38% increase over the previous quarterly dividend amount of 58c per share. The dividend is payable on May 28 to stockholders of record on May 17. As of May 3, there were 40,131,408 shares of common stock outstanding. The company also announced that the board has authorized an additional $450M under its existing share repurchase program for the purchase of the company's common stock in the open market at prevailing market prices. This amount adds to the $107.4M remaining under its existing authorization as of May 4, bringing its total authorization available to $557.4M.

09:35 EDT McAfee Corporation trading resumes

09:26 EDT Hoth and Virginia Commonwealth University expand COVID-19 research agreement - Hoth Therapeutics has expanded its sponsored research agreement with Virginia Commonwealth University for a potential COVID-19 treatment. Based on positive preclinical results against COVID-19 using live virus inhibition assays, Hoth has amended its original scientific agreement with VCU and has agreed to further develop novel peptide COVID-19 Therapeutic, HT-002. Hoth Therapeutics has an exclusive license to this novel peptide COVID-19 therapeutic. The expanded research agreement will focus on investigating the potential of HT-002 to inhibit SARS-CoV-2 virus variants.

09:21 EDT iHeartMedia launches private podcast marketplace for brands - iHeartMedia announced the launch of a new, first-of-its-kind Private Marketplace. The new Private Marketplace will provide advertisers with programmatic buying access to distribute their marketing to audiences across the most diverse and comprehensive library of shows in the world from the iHeartPodcast Network - the No. 1 podcast publisher globally - which has more than 30 million US monthly uniques and 257 million global downloads and streams.This new technology allows brand advertisers to create their own unique, tailored marketplaces -- composed of their specific audience targets and pricing, to dial up and down across each year as their marketing needs require -- across iHeart's mass reach podcast network,

09:17 EDT Rocky Brands expands made in America capabilities with Rock Island factory - Rocky Brands has expanded its offering of made in America product with the 45,000 square-foot Rock Island factory that produces Servus footwear it acquired as part of the purchase of Honeywell's lifestyle and performance footwear business in March 2021. Located in northwest Illinois, the Rock Island facility manufactures approximately 1.6 million pairs of Servus boots per year.

09:13 EDT Flex jumps 5% to $17.86 after Q4 results, FY22 guidance top estimates

09:11 EDT Qualys names Allan Peters Chief Revenue Officer - Qualys appointed Allan Peters as Chief Revenue Officer. Peters spent more than 20 years in executive sales positions across a range of technology and cybersecurity companies. He joins Qualys on May 10 from Trustwave, a provider of cybersecurity threat detection and response solutions, where he served as CRO. Previously, Allan held executive sales leadership positions in public and private growth companies BigFix, Conga, SecurityFocus, CA, IBM and Symantec.

09:10 EDT Medtronic announces new mobile app, online platform called CareGuidePro - Medtronic announced CareGuidePro, a mobile application and web portal that serves as a virtual guide for patients throughout their Medtronic spinal cord stimulation therapy journey. The patient's care team, including physicians and Medtronic, may also use the CareGuidePro platform to help manage and support the patient's experience with spinal cord stimulation. Patients also have the ability to record their pain relief and other feedback directly into the app, providing detailed Patient Reported Outcomes to ensure timely, essential information is recorded and accessible even outside of in-person office visits. Medtronic is currently enrolling patients for the app's limited commercial release, with a full United States release expected in late summer. CareGuidePro is available on iOS and Android devices.

09:09 EDT SS&C partners with Broda to enhance risk calculations - SS&C announced an exclusive partnership with Broda to provide Broda's high dimensional Sobol sequence generators to financial services firms. Sobol sequence generators are used in the risk and insurance domains to enable faster and more accurate calculations. SS&C has embedded BRODA's Sobol sequence generators within the SS&C Algorithmics suite of solutions to optimize risk performance.

09:08 EDT Comtech awarded $9.2M in orders from the U.S. Army - Comtech Telecommunications announced , that during its third quarter of fiscal 2021, its Government Solutions segment was awarded $9.2M of additional funding on the Army's previously announced award to provide ongoing system refurbishments, sustainment services and baseband equipment. To-date, the U.S. Army has funded $20.7 million of the $57.9 million base year ceiling. This most recent funding continues to support the sustainment of the Army's AN/TSC-198 Secret Internet Protocol Router and Non-secure Internet Protocol Router (Access Point family of ground satellite terminals, to include spare parts, repairs, upgrades, refurbishments, logistics and engineering services, and training. "These orders further illustrate that Comtech is making an important contribution to the mission of our U.S. Army customer by delivering reliable, secure communications systems," said Fred Kornberg, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Comtech Telecommunications Corp.

09:07 EDT Fair Isaac sells Collection and Recovery business to Constellation Software - Fair Isaac Constellation Software (FICO) and Constellation Software (CNSWF) have entered into a binding agreement for the purchase and sale of FICO's Collection and Recovery business to Constellation's Jonas Software operating group, a provider of enterprise management software solutions. Completion of the acquisition remains subject to mutually agreed closing conditions. FICO Collection and Recovery products automate the lifecycle of consumer collections and recovery. Following the closing of the transaction, the senior leadership team dedicated to the Collection and Recovery business will remain as executive management of the business under Jonas Software's ownership. The Collection and Recovery products represent less than 10% of FICO revenue. FICO expects the divestiture to have an immaterial impact on future operating profits.

09:07 EDT Facebook board upholds Trump suspension, says tweets 'severely violated' rules - The Oversight Board of Facebook upheld the company's decision on January 7 to restrict then-President Donald Trump's access to posting content on his Facebook page and Instagram account. "However, it was not appropriate for Facebook to impose the indeterminate and standardless penalty of indefinite suspension. Facebook's normal penalties include removing the violating content, imposing a time-bound period of suspension, or permanently disabling the page and account," the board said in a statement. The board "insists that Facebook review this matter to determine and justify a proportionate response that is consistent with the rules that are applied to other users of its platform." Facebook must complete its review of this matter within six months of the date of this decision, it said. The board also made policy recommendations for Facebook to implement in developing "clear, necessary, and proportionate policies that promote public safety and respect freedom of expression." The board found that the two posts by Trump on January 6 "severely violated" Facebook's Community Standards and Instagram's Community Guidelines. "We love you. You're very special" in the first post and "great patriots" and "remember this day forever" in the second post violated Facebook's rules prohibiting praise or support of people engaged in violence, the board said. Shares of Facebook are down 1c to $318.35 in premarket trading. Reference Link

09:05 EDT Amgen announces FDA accepts for review sNDA for Otezla - Amgen announced that the U.S. FDA has accepted for review the supplemental New Drug Application for Otezla for the treatment of adults with mild-to-moderate plaque psoriasis who are candidates for phototherapy or systemic therapy. The FDA has set a Prescription Drug User Fee Act action date of December 19, 2021.

09:04 EDT Wix.com acquires customer engagement platform Rise.ai - Wix acquired Rise.ai, a gift card and customer re-engagement solution provider for online brands. The acquisition will extend the Wix eCommerce platform, providing a solution for merchants to manage customer re-engagement activities aimed at increasing customer spending and repurchases, including gift cards, loyalty programs, rewards and referrals. In 2020, Wix users processed over $5.4B in online transactions on the Wix platform, an increase of 126% over 2019.

09:04 EDT Genprex gets centralized IRB approval for Acclaim study - Genprex announced that the Company has received centralized Institutional Review Board approval of the clinical trial protocol for its upcoming Acclaim-1 clinical trial in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Acclaim-1 is an open-label, multi-center Phase 1/2 clinical trial that combines the Company's lead drug candidate, REQORSA immunogene therapy, with AstraZeneca's Tagrisso in patients with late-stage NSCLC with mutated epidermal growth factor receptors, whose disease progressed after treatment with Tagrisso. "The purpose of IRB review is to assure that appropriate steps are taken to protect the rights and welfare of individuals participating as subjects in clinical research," said Rodney Varner, President and Chief Executive Officer of Genprex. "With this centralized IRB approval, we have achieved another significant clinical milestone. We remain focused on completing our preparations for the Acclaim-1 clinical trial, and look forward to its commencement."

09:03 EDT ADT Inc. president, chief development officer Jim Boyce to retire on May 31 - Jim Boyce, President, Chief Business Development Officer, has announced his decision to retire effective May 31, 2021. Boyce will continue to advise the company's President and CEO Jim DeVries on a consultative basis. With Boyce's retirement, Jeff Likosar has been named Chief Financial Officer and President, Corporate Development, and will assume responsibility for corporate strategy, business development, partnerships, and communications, in addition to his current responsibilities as CFO. Supporting Likosar will be company veteran Ken Porpora, who has been promoted to Executive Vice President, Finance. Keith Holmes will join ADT later this month as Executive Vice President and Chief Revenue Officer, reporting directly to DeVries. Holmes comes to ADT from Cox Communications, Inc., where he served most recently as Executive Vice President, Head of Cox Business. At ADT, Holmes will lead go-to-market activities and teams, including marketing, sales execution, offer development, and pricing - all key drivers of the company's long-term revenue growth. Don Young, who was serving as the company's Chief Information Officer and Executive Vice President, Field Operations, has been named Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. In this role, he will now also oversee all aspects of service delivery to customers.

09:01 EDT FactSet increases quarterly dividend 6.5% to 82c per share - FactSet announced that its Board of Directors approved a 6.5% increase in the regular quarterly cash dividend from 77c per share to 82c per share. The 5c per share increase marks the twenty-second consecutive year the company has increased dividends on a stock split adjusted basis. The cash dividend will be paid on June 17, 2021, to holders of record of FactSet's common stock at the close of business on May 31, 2021.

08:45 EDT Horizon Therapeutics sees Q3 being highest Tepezza net sales quarter of FY21 - Horizon Therapeutics CFO Paul Hoelscher said on the company's Q1 earnings call: "For Tepezza, we continue to expect full year 2021 net sales of greater than $1.275B, representing year-over-year growth of more than 50%. As [CEO Tim Walbert] mentioned, given the unique dynamic of both disrupted patients resuming treatment, at the same time, new patients are starting therapy, we expect an unusual quarterly net sales progression, with the third quarter expected to be the highest net sales quarter of the year." Responding to an analyst question, Hoelscher added: "When you look at initial dosing being less vials, you add that all up, and that drives a significant bolus that will clear through in the third quarter. So that is what's driving the commentary that we did around Tepezza. And certainly, as we continue to drive new paths, we'll be well positioned to drive ongoing growth from that point on." CEO Walbert said on the call: "We're highly confident in the growth prospects for Tepezza and continue to expect peak annual global net sales of more than $3.5B."

08:40 EDT General Motors sees 'strong' 1H, with EBIT-adjusted around $5.5B

08:38 EDT EVO Payments general counsel Steven de Groot to transition to new role - EVO Payments announced that Steven de Groot, who has served as executive VP, general counsel and secretary of the company since 2011, will transition to become special counsel to the CEO effective October 1. Kelli Sterrett, who has served as senior VP and deputy general counsel since 2018, has been appointed as de Groot's successor. Sterrett has served as EVO's senior VP and deputy general counsel since 2018.

08:36 EDT NLS Pharmaceutics issued European patent for mazindol formulation - NLS Pharmaceutics has been granted a patent by the European Patent Office for oral formulations containing immediate-release and sustained-release layers of mazindol for use in treating attention deficit disorders , related deficit of alertness or decline of vigilance, or excessive daytime sleepiness in particular in children, adolescents and adults.

08:33 EDT Veru announces presentation of Phase 2 clinical data of enobosarm - Veru announced that the clinical results from the Phase 2 clinical study of enobosarm, an oral selective androgen receptor targeting agonist, in heavily pretreated women with AR+ER+HER2- advanced breast cancer including further efficacy data and an analysis of patients who have failed both estrogen blocking agents and CDK 4/6 inhibitors, will be presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology Breast Cancer Virtual Congress 2021 to be held May 05-08, 2021. The subset analysis of patients from the Phase 2 study who were heavily pretreated with estrogen blocking agents and chemotherapy with an average of 3 prior lines of therapy in the metastatic setting and had tumor progression on a CDK 4/6 inhibitor prior to receiving enobosarm. Enobosarm treatment in evaluable patients with measurable metastatic AR+ER+ breast cancer who had progressed following treatment with an estrogen blocking agent and CDK 4/6 inhibitor resulted in a clinical benefit rate at 24 weeks of 50% and a best objective tumor response of 30% including 2 complete responses and 1 partial response. The overall mean radiographic progression free survival for the 9mg dose was 10 months. The 9mg dose of enobosarm was selected for the Phase 3 ARTEST study that is anticipated to commence in June 2021.

08:27 EDT Atlas Corp.'s APR Energy secures contract with California's IID - APR Energy, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Atlas Corp., announced that it has secured a contract with California's Imperial Irrigation District to utilize three gas turbines to place power dense distributed generation capacity over three sites during the 2021 summer months. APR's fast-track power solution will assist in maintaining frequency and provide needed backup capacity within IID's service territory, which covers 6,471 square miles, including all of Imperial County and parts of Riverside and San Diego counties. APR's services will serve as an integral part of IID's commitment to maintaining capacity reserve margins and grid stability within its large system during the summer peak demand. APR's services for utilities and power providers offer a critical and turnkey solution for peak season generation requirements. APR's power plants protect utilities and customers from increasingly frequent stresses on critical infrastructure, which can trigger loss of electricity. APR expects California's IID solution to become operational during June and conclude in the beginning of the fourth quarter.

08:22 EDT HireQuest increases quarterly cash dividend to 6c per share - HireQuest announced that its board of directors has declared an increased quarterly cash dividend of 6c per share, representing an annualized dividend yield of 1.3% based on the closing price of the company's common stock on May 4. The dividend will be paid on June 15. The record date is June 1.

08:17 EDT WPP and Microsoft to collaborate on content production through cloud deal - WPP (WPP) and Microsoft (MSFT) have announced a partnership to transform creative content production, beginning with the launch of Cloud Studio, an innovative cloud platform that allows creative teams from across WPP's global network to produce campaigns for clients from any location around the world. Cloud Studio is the advertising industry's first bespoke platform for virtual production that arms creatives with the technology to collaborate and create impactful work for clients, moving content creation, production and editing out of on-premises environments and into the cloud. Over the next three years, WPP will roll out Cloud Studio to 5,000 employees across its network, notably within WPP's creative production operation Hogarth, giving them the ability to access production tools and services from standard internet-connected devices via Azure without the need for traditional hardware or physical equipment. Longer term, WPP has plans to expand the platform more broadly, with a potential deployment of up to 25,000 users. "Digital technology is rapidly transforming every aspect of the media and advertising industry, including how content is produced," said Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft. "Together with WPP, we will apply the power of Azure's scalable, intelligent infrastructure to support next-generation content production and ensure thousands of WPP employees remain agile, collaborative and creative from anywhere."

08:14 EDT Valmont to acquire Prospera Technologies for $300M - Valmont Industries announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Prospera Technologies. The transaction, valued at approximately $300M, is expected to close in Q2 of 2021. Since 2019, Valmont and Prospera have integrated AI technologies with center pivot irrigation to develop real-time crop analysis and anomaly detection solutions. Grower adoption is expected to double in 2021 with greater acceleration in the near-term. Valmont will invest approximately $300M to fully acquire Prospera and the transaction will be financed through a combination of funds from available cash and the company's revolving credit facility. Restricted stock retention awards will be granted to Prospera employees. The transaction, which is subject to customary closing conditions, is expected to close in Q2 and will be reported within Valmont's Irrigation segment.

08:13 EDT Neoleukin Therapeutics announces initiation of Phase 1 NL-201 trial - Neoleukin Therapeutics announced dosing the first patient in a Phase 1 trial of NL-201 for advanced solid tumors. NL-201 is a de novo protein designed to mimic the therapeutic activity of natural cytokines IL-2 and IL-15. The Phase 1 study will be conducted at multiple sites in Australia and North America. The first patient was dosed in Australia. The Phase 1 study is planned to enroll up to 120 patients with advanced, relapsed, or refractory solid tumors. Patients will receive monotherapy, intravenous NL-201 and may continue treatment until disease progression. The trial will assess safety, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, immunogenicity, and antitumor activity. When the recommended dose and schedule are determined, Neoleukin expects to enroll indication-specific expansion cohorts of patients with renal cell carcinoma and melanoma.

08:12 EDT Borqs Technologies starts construction of Huzhou, China facilities - Borqs Technologies reported that the company has started construction with matching funds from the Huzhou South Taihu New Development Authorities 5G Industrial Park Project for a R&D center and manufacturing facilities to be completed within the second calendar quarter of 2021. Construction and renovation activities which began in January 2021 kicked off the first phase of cooperation between Borqs and the Huzhou 5G Project that was signed on November 28 last year, in which the company will be provided a rent-free facility of 5,500 sq.mtr. for 2.5 years. Borqs will recruit engineers and technicians for the facilities beginning in June 2021. Once completed, the company will aim to reduce operational costs by gradually bringing in-house at Huzhou manufacturing activities that are currently outsourced.

08:10 EDT Catalyst Biosciences announces first patient dosed in Phase 3 SQ MarzAA study - Catalyst Biosciences announced the dosing of the first patient in the Crimson 1 Study, the Company's Phase 3 registration trial of Marzeptacog alfa - or MarzAA, the Company's subcutaneously administered next-generation engineered recombinant coagulation Factor VIIa. "Dosing the first patient in our pivotal Phase 3 study of MarzAA is an important milestone for Catalyst given the significant challenges encountered in conducting clinical trials during the ongoing global Covid-19 pandemic," said Nassim Usman, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of Catalyst. "MarzAA is the only SQ-delivered therapy in development for the episodic treatment of bleeding events and if successful, could fundamentally change patients' lives. We look forward to providing further updates on the MAA-304 study, the associated Phase 1/2 study in other rare bleeding disorders, and in our growing complement pipeline later this year."Crimson 1 is an open-label, global, multi-center, randomized, cross-over study, designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of SQ MarzAA for episodic treatment of spontaneous or traumatic bleeding episodes, in adults and adolescents with congenital Hemophilia A or B with inhibitors, compared with standard of care. The study will assess the effectiveness of SQ MarzAA, using up to three doses to treat a bleeding episode, compared with IV FEIBA or up to three doses of IV rFVIIa. Catalyst anticipates the submission of its first report to the Data and Safety Monitoring Board in 2021.

08:08 EDT Apple awards II-VI $410M to expand capacity, accelerate delivery - Apple (AAPL) announced a new $410M award from its Advanced Manufacturing Fund for II-VI (IIVI). The award builds on an initial $390M awarded from Apple's Advanced Manufacturing Fund in 2017. The expansion will create additional capacity and accelerate delivery of future components for iPhone, with 700 jobs in Sherman, Texas; Warren, New Jersey; Easton, Pennsylvania and Champaign, Illinois. II-VI manufactures vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers, or VCSELs, that help power Face ID, Memoji, Animoji and Portrait mode selfies. Apple also works with II-VI to manufacture lasers used in the LiDAR Scanner.

08:07 EDT Atlas Air sees FY21 CapEx $110M-$120M - The company said: "For the full year in 2021, we continue to expect aircraft maintenance expense to be lower than 2020, and depreciation and amortization to total about $270 million. In addition, core capital expenditures, which exclude aircraft and engine purchases, are projected to total approximately $110 to $120 million, mainly for parts and components for our fleet. Given ongoing economic and market-related uncertainties, including COVID-19, new variants of the virus, surges in cases globally, travel restrictions, low international passenger travel and other factors, we are providing a second-quarter outlook, but not issuing a full-year 2021 earnings outlook at this time."

08:05 EDT Atlas Air 'off to a very good start' in 2021, CEO says

08:01 EDT Nemaura Medical announces order for 200,000 sugarBEAT sensors - Nemaura Medical announced receipt of a purchase order for 5,000 sugarBEAT transmitters and 200,000 sugarBEAT sensors from its U.K. licensee, DB Ethitronix Ltd, with an additional rolling monthly purchase order forecast for the next 24 months of 15,000 transmitters and 2.1 million sensors, with an option to increase volumes based on customer response. This order follows positive feedback from DB Ethitronix's soft launch of the sugarBEAT non-invasive glucose monitoring device in the U.K.

07:57 EDT MassRoots enters into letter of intent to acquire Empire Services - MassRoots announced that it has executed a Letter of Intent (the with Empire Services. Pursuant to the LOI, the Company plans to acquire all equity of Empire in a primarily stock-based transaction with the estimated value of approximately $14 million. "We believe this acquisition will be transformative for our Company and its shareholders - upon closing, for the first time in our history, we expect MassRoots will be generating significant revenue and positive cash flows from operations," stated Mr. Isaac Dietrich, Chief Executive Officer of MassRoots. "This deal is a new beginning for MassRoots and I could not be more excited to work with our team to execute on our strategic business objectives." "We intend to build MassRoots into a diversified conglomerate of profitable businesses as we focus on creating long-term shareholder value," stated Mr. Danny Meeks, President of Empire. "I look forward to establishing strong corporate governance and operating procedures that will facilitate our continued growth. I believe this will be the first of many acquisitions and asset purchases."

07:51 EDT Atlantic Union Bankshares announces $125M share repurchase authorization - The board of directors of Atlantic Union Bankshares has authorized the repurchase of up to $125M worth of the company's common stock through June 30, 2022. Shares of common stock may be purchased under the Repurchase Program periodically in open market transactions or privately negotiated transactions at prevailing market prices, including pursuant to a trading plan in accordance with Rule 10b5-1 and/or Rule 10b-18 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. The actual means and timing of any purchases, target number of shares and prices or range of prices under the Repurchase Program will be determined by the company in its discretion and will depend on a number of factors, including the market price of the company's common stock, share issuances under company equity plans, general market and economic conditions, and applicable legal and regulatory requirements. The Repurchase Program may be modified, amended or terminated by the board of directors at any time. There is no assurance that the company will purchase any shares under the Repurchase Program.

07:39 EDT General Motors 'highly confident' in FY21 guidance - The company stated, "General Motors Co. today reported first-quarter earnings driven by strong price and mix performance in North America, strong credit and residual value performance at GM Financial, and the industry recovery in China. The company is highly confident in its full-year 2021 guidance outlined earlier this year as it works to manage through the semiconductor shortage, which is impacting automakers globally. Based on information available today, the company expects to be at the higher-end of the EBIT-adjusted range."

07:36 EDT Cerner board authorizes new $3.75B share repurchase program - "The new repurchase program reflects the Board of Directors' and our entire leadership team's belief in Cerner's long-term potential and emphasizes our ongoing commitment to returning capital to shareholders," said Mark Erceg, executive vice president and chief financial officer. "With our strong balance sheet and anticipated future cash flow, we are well-positioned to continue making investments in growth while also executing a balanced capital allocation strategy."

07:32 EDT CDW CFO Collin Kebo to retire - CDW announced that Collin Kebo, CFO, plans to retire to devote more time to his family and other interests upon completion of a search and transition process for his successor. Kebo will remain engaged as CFO and participate in the process to evaluate a full slate of candidates.

07:29 EDT Replimune Group provides updates for CERPASS and IGNYTE trials - Replimune Group (REPL) announced a clinical development update for CERPASS, its registration-directed global randomized Phase 2 clinical trial of RP1 in combination with Libtayo versus Libtayo for the treatment of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, and for IGNYTE, its registration-directed single arm clinical trial in combination with Opdivo for the treatment of anti-PD1 failed melanoma. CERPASS trial. Under the modified clinical trial protocol for CERPASS, Replimune plans to add complete response, or CR, rate as an additional independent primary endpoint, in addition to overall response rate, or ORR, and to reduce target enrollment from 240 patients to 180 patients. Secondary endpoints will continue to include duration of response, progression-free survival, or PFS, and overall survival, or OS. Replimune is maintaining its guidance to expect initial data in 2022. Replimune plans to submit the amended CERPASS clinical trial protocol to the Food and Drug Administration in the first half of the year. Libtayo is a registered trademark of Regeneron (REGN). IGNYTE trial. Replimune recently held a Type B meeting with the FDA to discuss the design of the 125-patient, single-arm cohort in the IGNYTE clinical trial which is currently enrolling patients with anti-PD1 failed cutaneous melanoma, with registrational intent. The FDA expressed that while a randomized controlled trial would always be preferred to support licensure, that in this population if the data generated were sufficiently compelling, then the data could be considered for submission by the FDA under the accelerated approval pathway. The FDA also confirmed that a confirmatory trial would be needed as is required under the accelerated approval pathway. The design of the confirmatory trial is intended to be discussed with the FDA prior to a Biologics License Application submission. Opdivo is a registered trademark of Bristol Myers Squibb (BMY).

07:25 EDT NeoGenomics to acquire remainder of Inivata for $390M - Inivata announces that NeoGenomics,has agreed to acquire Inivata. The acquisition follows a $25M minority equity investment by NeoGenomics in Inivata in May 2020, at which time NeoGenomics was granted a fixed price option to purchase the remainder of Inivata for $390M.

07:21 EDT Anavex names Adebayo Laniyonu as SVP for nonclinical development - Anavex Life Sciences announced the appointment of Dr. Adebayo Laniyonu, as Senior Vice President for Nonclinical Development. Dr. Laniyonu has over 24 years' experience with the US Food and Drug Administration.

07:20 EDT Cerecor doses first patient in Phase 1b proof-of-concept trial of CERC-007 - Cerecor announced that it has dosed its first patient in a Phase 1b open-label dose-escalation clinical trial of CERC-007 in patients with adult onset Still's disease, or AOSD. The Phase 1b clinical trial is a global multi-center, open-label trial of CERC-007 that will enroll approximately 12 subjects with active adult onset Still's disease. The primary objective of the study will be to determine the safety and tolerability of CERC-007 in AOSD patients. Key secondary endpoints include assessing pharmacokinetic profile of CERC-007 and determining the effect of CERC-007 on systemic clinical manifestations and systemic markers of inflammation in subjects with AOSD. The company anticipates initial data to be reported in the third quarter of 2021.

07:15 EDT Passage Bio announces anticipated upcoming milestones - Anticipated upcoming milestones: host R&D day focused on FTD-GRN, May 17; open CMC research and development site in Hopewell, NJ, by the end of Q2; report initial safety and 30-day biomarker data from Phase 1/2 PBGM01 trial in Q4; dose first patient in Phase 1/2 FTD-GRN trial in 2Q/3Q21; report initial safety and 30-day biomarker data in 1H22; dose first patient in Phase 1/2 Krabbe trial in 3Q21; report initial safety and 30-day biomarker data in 1H22; continue to advance preclinical programs for PBML04, PBLA05. and PBCM06 and an undisclosed adult CNS program.

07:14 EDT Radcom wins tender at top-tier LATAM operator - Radcom announced it was selected for its 4G and 5G assurance capabilities by a leading, top-tier operator in LATAM following a thorough tender process that evaluated multiple vendors. This new order expands RADCOM's deployment at this top-tier operator to its mobile network. This new order covers assurance for this top-tier operator's 4G network while expecting to expand to their 5G network in the future. RADCOM ACE will monitor critical mobile services such as the operator's cloud-based VoLTE offering. The insights provided by RADCOM ACE will enable the operator to optimize and troubleshoot its end-to-end network performance from RAN to the core, proactively highlighting when degradations occur across the entire network. Typical VoLTE service concerns such as poor voice quality are monitored and detected, which will help the operator deliver top-quality VoLTE services nationwide.

07:11 EDT Bladex announces $60M share repurchase plan - Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S.A. announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a repurchase program of up to $60M of the Bank's common stock. The Bank may, in the sole discretion of its Board of Directors, terminate the repurchase program at any time while it is in effect.

07:09 EDT Sundial Growers to acquire Inner Spirit for $131M - Sundial Growers and Inner Spirit Holdings are pleased to announce that they have entered into an arrangement agreement pursuant to which Sundial will acquire all of the issued and outstanding common shares of Inner Spirit for total consideration of approximately $131M. The combined company will continue to focus on providing quality cannabis to consumers through a responsible and disciplined approach while creating enduring value for shareholders. Under the terms of the Agreement, Inner Spirit's shareholders will receive, for each Inner Spirit common share held, (i) $0.30 in cash and (ii) 0.0835 of a Sundial common share (representing $0.09 per Inner Spirit common share based on the 10-day volume-weighted average price ("VWAP") of Sundial common shares on the Nasdaq Capital Market), for total consideration of $0.39 per Inner Spirit common share. The purchase price of $0.39 per Inner Spirit common share represents a premium of 54.8% to the 10-day VWAP of Inner Spirit common shares on the Canadian Securities Exchange and a premium of 62.5% to the closing price of Inner Spirit common shares on the CSE on May 4, 2021. The Transaction has been unanimously approved by the Boards of Directors of Sundial and Inner Spirit and is expected to close early in the third quarter of 2021. The Transaction is expected to provide modest synergies and economies of scale due to the different business models of Sundial and Inner Spirit.

07:09 EDT Alico sees FY21 net income $33M-$38.5M, adjusted EBITDA $21.7M-$25.7M

07:06 EDT Amryt Pharma to acquire Chiasma in all-stock combination - Amryt (AMYT) announces that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Chiasma (CHMA) in an all-stock combination. "The combined company will be a global leader in rare and orphan diseases with three on-market commercial products, a global commercial and operational footprint and a significant development pipeline of therapies with the financial flexibility to execute its growth plans," the companies stated. The transaction has been approved and recommended by the Boards of both Amryt and Chiasma. Under the terms of the transaction, each share of Chiasma common stock issued and outstanding prior to the consummation of the transaction will be exchanged for 0.396 Amryt American Depositary Shares, or "ADSs," each representing five Amryt ordinary shares. As of the close of trading on May 4, Amryt's ordinary shares on AIM were $2.78 per share and Amryt's ADS's on Nasdaq were $12.95 per ADS. Based on the fixed exchange ratio, Amryt shareholders prior to the transaction will own approximately 60% of Amryt post transaction and Chiasma shareholders prior to the transaction will own approximately 40% of Amryt post transaction. Chiasma's existing royalty interest financing agreement is expected to be fully repaid on closing, "delivering a high margin unencumbered asset to Amryt's portfolio." The transaction is subject to the approval of Amryt and Chiasma shareholders and other customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals. Subject to the satisfaction or waiver of closing conditions, the transaction is expected to close in Q3 2021.

07:04 EDT Scotts Miracle-Gro sees FY Hawthorne sales up 30%-40% - The company now expects Hawthorne sales to increase 30 to 40 percent for fiscal 2021. While it reaffirmed its sales outlook for the U.S. Consumer segment of 4 to 6 percent growth, the company said sales growth in the segment continues to trend above that level and believes upside to be possible on a full-year basis. The gross margin rate is now expected to decline 175 to 225 basis points with the added downward pressure due to higher commodity and distribution costs. All other aspects of its fiscal 2021 guidance were reaffirmed, although management said it expected to provide an update on its full-year expectations in early June.

07:03 EDT PSEG to sell Solar Source portfolio to affiliate of LS Power - Public Service Enterprise Group announced that it has entered into an agreement to sell its PSEG Solar Source LLC portfolio to Quattro Solar, LLC, an affiliate of LS Power. The sale includes the 467-megawatt-dc Solar Source portfolio of 25 solar facilities located in various states and related assets and liabilities. The sale of this non-core generation portfolio is part of PSEG's Strategic Alternatives process to explore options for PSEG Power's non-nuclear generating fleet which, in addition to Solar Source, includes more than 6,750 megawatts of fossil generation. The PSEG Solar Source transaction is expected to close in the second or third quarter of 2021, subject to customary regulatory and other closing conditions. As a result of today's announcement, the assets and liabilities of Solar Source will be classified as Assets Held for Sale beginning in the second quarter of 2021. The net carrying value of the assets and liabilities to be sold is approximately $500M as of March 31, 2021.

06:56 EDT Genasys receives $18.3M order for LRAD 450XL systems from the U.S. Army - Genasys announced an $18.3M follow-on order from the Army for LRAD 450XL Systems. With this and previously received FY21 orders, the company has already exceeded total FY20 bookings. CEO Richard Danforth said that the company is "well-positioned for record fiscal year revenues and bookings". (R).

06:52 EDT Primo Water announces new $50M share repurchase program - Primo Water announced that its board of directors authorized a new $50M share repurchase program and declared a quarterly dividend. Primo also announced the results of voting for directors at its annual and special meeting of shareowners held on May 4. The board of directors authorized a new $50M share repurchase program which commences on May 10 and expires on May 9, 2022.

06:49 EDT ODP Corporation plans tax-free spinoff of B2B solutions provider unit - The ODP Corporation announced that its board of directors has unanimously approved a plan to pursue a separation of the company into two independent, publicly traded companies, each with a unique and highly focused strategy and investment profile - ODP: a provider of retail consumer and small business products and services distributed via approximately 1,100 Office Depot and OfficeMax retail locations; and "NewCo": a Business-to-Business solutions provider, including ODP's Business Solutions Division contract business, Grand & Toy and ODP's independent regional office supply distribution businesses, serving small, medium and enterprise level companies. NewCo will also own the company's newly formed B2B digital platform technology business, including BuyerQuest, as well as the company's global sourcing office and its other sourcing, supply chain and logistics assets. The separation is expected to occur through a distribution of shares of NewCo as a tax-free dividend to ODP's shareholders as of a record date to be determined by the directors of ODP, after which ODP shareholders will own 100% of the equity in both of the publicly traded companies. The separation is intended to be completed during the first half of 2022, subject to customary conditions, including final approval by the Company's Board of Directors, opinions from tax counsel and the favorable ruling by the IRS on the tax-free nature of the transaction to the Company and its shareholders, the filing and effectiveness of a registration statement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the approved listing of NewCo's common stock on a national securities exchange, and the completion of any necessary financings. The separation will not require a vote of ODP shareholders. There can be no assurances regarding the ultimate timing of the separation or that the transaction will be completed at all. While ODP and NewCo will be separate, independent public companies, they will share commercial agreements that will allow them to continue to leverage scale benefits in such areas as product sourcing and supply chain. Additional details of the separation are expected to be announced in the coming months, including Board and management leadership of both companies. It is anticipated that both companies will be capitalized to provide the financial flexibility to take advantage of future strategic opportunities. "We believe creating two focused, pure-play companies will unlock significant opportunities by improving our ability to meet the needs of our customers, while better matching assets and investment profiles of both companies to generate greater value for our shareholders. Maximizing the strategic focus and financial flexibility of each entity and aligning their go-to-market strategies and capital investments will enable us to meet customer demand. In addition, positioning their respective growth trajectories and shareholder specific return profiles will achieve appropriate market valuations. The separation will also provide exciting opportunities for our employees, whose dedication and talent will enable both companies to realize their full potential," said Gerry Smith, CEO of The ODP Corporation.

06:47 EDT ODP Corporation plans tax-free spinoff of B2B solutions provider unit

06:42 EDT Watts Water sees Q2 organic revenue up 19%-24% y/y - Sees Q2 adjusted operating margin 13.5%-14.5%.

06:41 EDT Watts Water sees 'strong' y/y performance in Q2 - Sees "easy" Covid comparison y/y, continued freeze benefit. Comments taken from Q1 earnings conference call presentation slides.

06:39 EDT Stellantis confirms FY21 guidance, adjusted operaing marin 5.5%-7.5% - Sees Adjusted Operating Income Margin of 5.5% - 7.5%; assumes no significant COVID-19 related lockdowns.

06:22 EDT Cathie Wood's ARK Investment discloses 3.07M shares of Skillz bought on Tuesday

06:16 EDT Hilton CEO says 'pleased' with Q1 results - Christopher Nassetta, President & CEO of Hilton, said, "We are pleased with our first quarter results. While rising COVID-19 cases and tightened travel restrictions, particularly across Europe and our Asia Pacific region, weighed on demand in January and February, we saw meaningful improvement in March and April. We expect this positive momentum to continue as vaccines are more widely distributed and our customers feel safe traveling again. We continue to grow our portfolio of hotels in exciting destinations throughout the world, giving our guests more options than ever before to make a Hilton hotel a part of their plans as travel resumes."

06:15 EDT Hilton reports Q1 system-wide comparable RevPAR decreased 38.4% - System-wide comparable RevPAR decreased 38.4% on a currency neutral basis for the first quarter from the same period in 2020. Approved 21,900 new rooms for development during the first quarter, bringing Hilton's development pipeline to 399,000 rooms as of March 31, 2021. Added 16,500 rooms to Hilton's system in the first quarter, contributing to 13,100 net additional rooms during the period and approximately 5.8% annualized net unit growth from March 31, 2020. As of April 28, 2021, 97% of Hilton's system-wide hotels were open.

06:11 EDT CDPQ to acquire 30% stake in ATC Europe - American Tower and Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec announced that CDPQ will acquire a 30% stake in ATC Europe as part of a new long-term strategic partnership through a transaction valued at over EUR1.6B, implying an enterprise value of more than EUR8.8B for ATC Europe. Pursuant to the partnership agreement, American Tower will retain managerial and operational control, as well as day-to-day oversight of ATC Europe, while CDPQ will obtain seats on ATC Europe's Board of Directors, along with certain governance rights. The transaction will position American Tower and CDPQ to jointly benefit from sustainable, long-term secular wireless growth trends in select European markets as 5G deployments and demand for communications infrastructure accelerate. ATC Europe's portfolio, pro forma for the closing of American Tower's pending Telxius acquisition, will consist of nearly 30,000 communications sites. The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter, subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals.

06:09 EDT Red Cat signs letter of intent to acquire LuGus Studios - Red Cat announced the signing of a letter of intent to acquire LuGus Studios, the developer of Liftoff, a flight simulation platform for drone pilot training. Liftoff enables student pilots to test and learn how to fly drones in a simulated environment without the cost and risk of flying a real drone. LuGus Studios is a team of software developers that produce on-line games which can be leveraged beyond just entertainment to provide educational and development applications for business. LuGus is planning to launch Liftoff Academy, a more expansive training platform which will teach drone pilots how to fly in various industrial environments including oil and gas pipelines, cell towers, and automotive manufacturing plants. The signing of a letter of intent does not represent a binding transaction and there are no assurances that the transaction will be consummated. Completion of the transaction is subject to due diligence, preparation of legal documents and other normal closing conditions.

05:39 EDT GAP Airports reports April traffic down 15.7% - GAP Airports announced preliminary terminal passenger traffic figures for the month of April. For April 2021, the total number of terminal passengers at GAP's 12 Mexican airports decreased by 15.7%, compared to the same period of 2019. The Tijuana airport presented an increase in passenger traffic of 7.1%, while the Los Cabos, Guadalajara and Puerto Vallarta airports presented a decrease of only 12.7%, 21.5% and 32.9%, respectively, which demonstrate a positive trend in its main airports.

05:25 EDT Celyad receives transparency notice from Tolefi SA - Celyad announced that it has received a transparency notification from Tolefi SA. Tolefi SA has notified that its 2.295.701 shares benefit from a double voting right as of May 3 and that its shareholding has crossed above the threshold of 25%.

05:13 EDT Cedar Fair commences business optimization program - The company has commenced a business optimization program as part of its long-range strategic plan, which is designed to drive growth in the business. Over the next two to three years, once fully executed, the company expects its optimization efforts to generate an incremental $50M in annual run-rate benefit once the business returns to historical attendance levels under normal operating conditions. The business optimization efforts will focus on capturing cost efficiencies and driving incremental revenues through more data-driven decision making, as well as enhancements to the guest experience to meet changing consumer behaviors and preferences. These efforts represent an intentional evolution of the company's business approach, which will in part result in the further build-out of shared-service capabilities, freeing the park teams from time consuming administrative responsibilities so they can focus on the long-term objectives of broadening and enhancing the guest experience. The company expects to realize approximately one-third of the business optimization benefits through reductions in fixed costs that are independent of attendance levels. The balance of the benefits is expected to be realized through incremental revenue opportunities and variable cost savings.