Stockwinners Market Radar for May 10, 2021 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

18:40 EDT Republic Services COO sells 12,788 common shares - In a regulatory filing, Republic Services COO Timothy Stuart disclosed the sale of 12,788 common shares of the company on May 10 at a price of $112.3086 per share.

18:22 EDT Microsoft CMO sells over 6,000 common shares - In a regulatory filing, Microsoft chief marketing officer Christopher Capossela disclosed the sale of 6,086 common shares of the company on May 7 at a price of $252.6636 per share.

18:01 EDT Extra Space Storage director sells 85K shares of common stock - In a regulatory filing, Extra Space Storage disclosed that its board member Spencer Kirk sold 85K shares of common stock on May 6th in a total transaction size of $12.4M, reducing his stake by about 4%.

17:36 EDT Rackspace Technology drops 12% to $21.00 after FY21 EPS view misses estimates

17:22 EDT Avanos to replace Aegion in S&P 600 at open on 5/17 - New Mountain Capital is acquiring Aegion in a deal expected to be completed soon pending final closing conditions.

17:21 EDT Aspen Technology to replace Avanos in S&P 400 at open on 5/17

17:20 EDT Ellington Financial to replace National Storage in S&P 600 at open on 5/14

17:18 EDT Charles River to replace FLIR Systems in S&P 500 at open on 5/14 - Teledyne Technologies (TDY) is acquiring FLIR Systems (FLIR) in a deal to be completed soon pending final closing conditions

17:11 EDT FDA approves Pfizer, BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for ages 12-15 - The U.S. FDA expanded the emergency use authorization for the Pfizer (PFE)-BioNTech (BNTX) COVID-19 Vaccine for the prevention of coronavirus disease 2019 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 to include adolescents 12 through 15 years of age. The FDA amended the EUA originally issued on Dec. 11, 2020 for administration in individuals 16 years of age and older. Reference Link

16:49 EDT Advanced Emissions initiates review of strategic alternatives - Advanced Emissions Solutions announced that the company has initiated a strategic review to assess a range of strategic alternatives to maximize shareholder value. "Due to our manufacturing assets, product and technology expertise, along with the strategic transactions completed during the last twelve months, we are in an advantaged positioned within the activated carbon market," said Greg Marken, interim CEO. "This unique position offers us the opportunity to evaluate the best use of our strategic assets. With our RC cash flows scheduled to cease at the end of this year and the expected elimination of our remaining term loan balance during the second quarter of this year, we feel that today's announcement is a prudent step toward ensuring we maximize shareholder value. We will remain highly focused on executing our business plan throughout this process." In connection with the strategic review process, the company has engaged Ducera Partners as its financial advisor and Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher to serve as its legal advisor to assist with the evaluation process. The intention is to complete the strategic review process in a timely fashion. However, there is no assurance that the review process will result in pursuing or completing any transaction, and no timetable has been set for completion of this process. The company will provide an update when further disclosure is necessary or appropriate.

16:44 EDT Yum! Brands board authorizes up to $2B in share repurchases - Yum! Brands Board of Directors declared a dividend of 50c per share of common stock. The quarterly dividend will be distributed June 11, 2021 to shareholders of record at the close of business on May 28, 2021. Yum's Board of Directors also approved a new share repurchase authorization which authorizes repurchases of up to $2B in shares of common stock from July 1, 2021, through December 31, 2022. The prior outstanding authorization approved in November 2019 expires on June 30, 2021. The November 2019 authorization is not expected to be fully utilized at the time of its expiration due to the temporary suspension of share repurchases in 2020 in response to the uncertainty of the impact of COVID-19.

16:39 EDT Alteryx appoints Paula Hansen as Chief Revenue Officer - Alteryxappointed Paula Hansen as Chief Revenue Officer. Hansen was recently CRO of SAP Customer Experience. Prior to joining SAP in 2019, she served as vice president of Cisco's Global Enterprise organization.

16:38 EDT Helios Technologies to acquire Joyonway assets, terms not disclosed - Helios Technologies has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire assets related to the electronic control systems and parts business of Shenzhen Joyonway Electronics & Technology Co., Ltd and its related entities. A fast-growing developer of control panels, software, systems and accessories for the health and wellness industry, Joyonway operates in two cities, Shenzhen and Dongguan, which are in the hub of electronics and software development in China. Josef Matosevic, the Company's President and Chief Executive Officer, commented, "This is an excellent demonstration of our flywheel acquisition strategy. With the addition of Joyonway, we cost effectively expand our electronic controls platform with more capabilities, strengthen our supply chain through broader geographic reach, increase our manufacturing capacity to meet growing global demand with the opportunity to improve our margins over time. Joyonway has validated its expertise with the development of intelligent products for the health and wellness market along with the respect and positive feedback from customers. We are excited about our future opportunities and look forward to welcoming the Joyonway team to the Helios family." The acquisition is subject to certain preclosing requirements and is expected to close in the third quarter of 2021 or as soon as practicable. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

16:36 EDT Academy Sports appoints Beryl Raff to board, announces other board changes - Academy Sports appointed Beryl Raff to its Board of Directors and Compensation Committee and Wendy Beck, currently a member of the Board and its Audit Committee, as a member and chairperson of the Nominating & Governance Committee. Vishal Patel and Aileen Yan, both designees of affiliates of Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, have resigned from the Board, effective immediately, following a reduction in KKR's holdings in Academy through a secondary public offering that closed. As a result of these changes, Academy's Board now comprises nine directors, including six independent directors. Raff, age 70, has spent over forty years in the retail industry. Raff has been the Chairman and CEO of Helzberg Diamonds, a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway, since 2009. From 2001 to 2009, Raff held senior merchandising positions with J.C. Penney. Patel's and Yan's departures from the Board precede that of William Simon, a member of the Board's Compensation Committee, who will not stand for re-election to the Board at Academy's Annual Meeting of Stockholders on June 3. Patel, Simon, and Yan served on the company's board of managers prior to Academy's initial public offering. Subject to stockholder approval of the director nominees standing for re-election at Academy's Annual Meeting of Stockholders on June 3, the Board is expected to be comprised of eight directors, including six independent directors.

16:36 EDT SmileDirectClub sees Q2 revenue in line with long-term targets - For Q2, without the cyber-attack, which caused disruptions to certain systems and manufacturing operations, SmileDirectClub expected revenue to be in line with its long-term targets on a sequential basis, up 5-7% over Q1 2021. While the Company is adjusting revenue expectations for Q2, its long-term revenue growth targets remain unchanged. The Company will continue to make strategic investments in the professional channel, international growth, and in penetrating new demographics to drive controlled growth, while also executing against its profitability goals. Lastly, favorable industry dynamics continue to increase with broader acceptance of telehealth and specifically teledentistry, minimal penetration against the total addressable market, and clear aligners gaining share in the overall industry.

16:34 EDT Novavax CEO says has expanded global supply chain to over 10 countries - "Novavax made great strides over the first quarter to pave the path for our COVID-19 vaccine candidate, NVX-CoV2373, notably achieving statistically significant efficacy across our Phase 3 UK and Phase 2b South Africa trials," said Stanley Erck, President and CEO, Novavax. "In parallel, we have secured additional manufacturing and supply agreements, expanding our global supply chain to over 10 countries. In the coming months, we look forward to delivering on critical milestones, including announcing final data from our PREVENT-19 Phase 3 trial, completing our regulatory submissions, evaluating NVX-CoV2373 in younger populations and continuing to develop our booster strategy to address the evolving COVID-19 pandemic. As we continue our dialogue with regulatory authorities for authorization, we remain committed to promptly delivering our vaccine globally, ensuring equitable access and expansive distribution."

16:31 EDT Repay Holdings to acquire BillingTree for $503M in cash and stock - Repay Holdings announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire BillingTree for approximately $503M. The acquisition will be financed with approximately $275M in cash from REPAY's balance sheet and $228M in newly issued shares of REPAY Class A common stock to be issued to the seller. The transaction is subject to certain customary closing conditions and is expected to close by the end of the second quarter of 2021. BillingTree, founded in 2003 and headquartered in Scottsdale, AZ, is a provider of omni-channel, integrated payments solutions to the Healthcare, Credit Union, Accounts Receivable Management, and Energy industries. In 2021, BillingTree is expected to generate $4.4B in card payment volume, $48M in gross profit, and $26M in adjusted EBITDA, excluding cost synergies and pro forma adjustments. Through processing cost reductions and operating expense rationalization, REPAY expects to realize $5M in annualized synergies. "We are thrilled to announce this acquisition, our largest to date, and look forward to further expanding our position in Healthcare, Credit Unions, and Accounts Receivable Management with the help of BillingTree's team and strong platform capabilities," said John Morris, CEO of REPAY. "BillingTree satisfies all of our acquisition investment criteria, including a large addressable market opportunity that is amid a shift away from legacy payment methods and towards the technology-first, industry-specific payment mediums in which BillingTree specializes.

16:29 EDT Cross Country Healthcare names Phillip Noe CIO - Cross Country Healthcare has appointed Phillip Noe to the role of Chief Information Officer (CIO). Noe replaces Bill Halnon who is retiring, and will report directly to Kevin C. Clark, Co-founder and CEO. He commences May 10, 2021. "Phil's appointment reflects the ongoing evolution of our digital transformation at Cross Country," said Kevin C. Clark, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Cross Country Healthcare. "His extensive experience in information technology spans every aspect of the software engineering lifecycle. Phil will ensure we utilize the best in innovative technology solutions to propel us into the future."

16:28 EDT Occidental Petroleum reports Q1 production of 1,117 Mboed from continuing ops - Reports total average global production of 1,117 thousand of barrels of oil equivalent per day, or Mboed, for the first quarter exceeded the midpoint of guidance by 17 Mboed. Rockies and Gulf of Mexico exceeded the high end of guidance with production of 296 Mboed and 151 Mboed, respectively. Permian production of 457 Mboed came in at the high end of guidance. International average daily production volumes were 213 Mboed.

16:25 EDT Callon Petroleum names Kevin Haggard as CFO, succeeding James Ulm, II - Callon Petroleum (CPE) announced that Kevin Haggard has been appointed Senior Vice President and CFO, effective May 17. Haggard brings more than 20 years of leadership experience across energy and finance. Most recently, he served as Vice President and Treasurer of Noble Energy (NBL), where he directed the company's global corporate finance and treasury operations and maintained relationships with the company's key capital providers. Haggard succeeds James "Jim" Ulm, II, who previously announced his intentions to retire. Following his retirement later this month, Ulm will remain with the company in a consulting position for an interim period to ensure a smooth transition.

16:19 EDT Cohen & Steers reports preliminary AUM $92.8B as of April 30 - An increase of $5.8B from assets under management at March 31. The increase was due to net inflows of $821M and market appreciation of $5.2B, partially offset by distributions of $200M.

16:18 EDT Summit Materials backs FY21 adjusted EBITDA view $490M-$520M - For the full year 2021, Summit has not made any changes to its outlook for Adjusted EBITDA of approximately $490 million to $520 million, but expects to revisit this forecast as the year progresses. The Company continues to expect 2021 capital expenditure guidance of approximately $200 million to $220 million including approximately $25 million to $35 million for greenfield projects.

16:14 EDT Veracyte names Marc Stapley CEO - Veracyte announced its executive leadership succession plan, with industry veteran Marc Stapley to succeed Veracyte cofounder, Bonnie Anderson, as chief executive officer. Ms. Anderson will move into an active executive chairman role, serving as a trusted advisor to Mr. Stapley, for the next few years to ensure a smooth transition, and will continue to serve on the board. Mr. Stapley will also join Veracyte's board. The CEO succession is effective June 1, 2021, with Mr. Stapley joining the board after Veracyte's 2021 Annual Meeting of Stockholders on June 7, 2021. "Since Veracyte's beginning, we have set out on an ambitious vision to become a global genomic diagnostics enterprise that leverages deep insights to transform care at every step of the patient's journey, from early detection of cancer and other diseases, to diagnosis and treatment decisions," said Bonnie Anderson, Veracyte's chairman and chief executive officer. "Today, the pieces are in place to execute and further build upon that vision. Our broad menu of current and pipeline tests span the care continuum across a wide range of diseases. Further, with exclusive access to our best-in-class diagnostics platform, we are uniquely poised to bring our highly differentiated and clinically impactful tests to benefit patients globally.

16:12 EDT Surgalign sees FY21 revenue growth of 5% - 10% - "The Company continues to anticipate full year revenue to grow in the range of 5% - 10% compared to the prior year's global spine revenue of approximately $102 million. Our guidance continues to assume that global procedure volumes return to normal levels during the second quarter of 2021. Based on these revenue levels, the Company continues to anticipate full year adjusted EBITDA loss will be in the range of $35 - $40 million," said the company

16:08 EDT Brooks Automation targeting completion of separation by end of 2021 - Brooks Automation announced its intention to separate its business into two independent, and publicly-traded companies. Current Brooks CEO, Steve Schwartz will lead the standalone life sciences company; current Brooks CFO, Lindon Robertson, will serve as CFO. The company will be comprised of Brooks' Life Sciences business. Following the separation, Dave Jarzynka, current President of the Semiconductor Solutions Group business, will be named CEO of the new Brooks Automation; current Brooks Corporate Controller and Principal Accounting Officer, Dave Pietrantoni, will be named CFO. The company will be comprised of Brooks' Semiconductor Solutions business, which includes the collaborative robotics and multi-market automation business acquired on April 29, 2021. The transaction is planned to be a pro rata distribution of shares to Brooks shareholders in a tax-efficient manner. Brooks is targeting completion of the separation by the end of calendar year 2021. Completion of the separation is subject to customary market, regulatory, and other conditions. Further details on the separation will be included in future filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The separation will not require a shareholder vote. There can be no assurance regarding the form and timing of the separation or its completion.

16:07 EDT Brooks Automation to separate into two independent, publicly-traded companies - Brooks Automation announced its intention to separate its business into two independent, and publicly-traded companies. The transaction is intended to be structured as a pro-rata distribution of shares to Brooks shareholders in a tax-efficient manner and will establish: A pure-play life sciences company with market-leading sample-based solutions and genomics services. The company will be renamed before the separation is completed to reflect its strategic focus. This business generated revenue of $449M in the twelve months ending March 31, 2021. A highly innovative automation technology company with significant expertise in semiconductor manufacturing solutions and meaningful white space to expand into multi-market automation. The company will retain the Brooks Automation name, a testament to the legacy it has built over the years. This business generated revenue of $553M for the last twelve months ending March 31, 2021.

16:02 EDT Amgen's romosozumab granted FDA orphan designation for osteogenesis imperfecta - Amgen's romosozumab was granted FDA orphan designation for osteogenesis imperfecta, according to a post to the agency's website. Reference Link

14:32 EDT Bioventus Inc (Class A Stock) trading resumes

13:22 EDT ServiceNow sees growing to '15B+ company' - ServiceNow CEO Bill McDermott said during his opening remarks for the company's Financial Analyst Day that he sees the company growing into a "$15B+ company." Consensus for the company's revenue in the current fiscal year is $5.74B. Shares of ServiceNow are down $4.87, or 1%, to $478.64 in afternoon trading as the virtual analyst day is ongoing.

13:18 EDT RMR engaging with 'handful' of real estate private equity M&A targets

13:04 EDT Trulieve Cannabis to acquire Harvest Health & Recreation for $2.1B in shares - Earlier, Trulieve Cannabis (TCNNF) and Harvest Health & Recreation (HRVSF) announced they have entered into a definitive arrangement agreement pursuant to which Trulieve will acquire all of the issued and outstanding subordinate voting shares, multiple voting shares and super voting shares of Harvest. Under the terms of the arrangement agreement, shareholders of Harvest will receive 0.1170 of a subordinate voting share of Trulieve for each Harvest subordinate voting share held, representing total consideration of approximately $2.1B based on the closing price of the Trulieve shares on May 7, the companies announced this morning. Under the terms of the arrangement agreement, Trulieve will acquire all of the issued and outstanding Harvest shares, with each Harvest shareholder receiving 0.1170 of a Trulieve Share for each Harvest Share, implying a price per Harvest Share of $4.79, which represents a 34% premium to the May 7 closing price of the Harvest shares. After giving effect to the transaction, Harvest shareholders will hold approximately 26.7% of the issued and outstanding pro forma Trulieve shares. Upon completion of the transaction, as well as the closing of other previously announced acquisitions by Harvest and Trulieve, the combined business will have operations in 11 states, comprised of 22 cultivation and processing facilities with a total capacity of 3.1M square feet, and 126 dispensaries serving both the medical and adult-use recreational cannabis markets. "Today's announcement is the largest and most exciting acquisition so far in our industry, creating the most profitable public multi-state operator. Importantly, our companies share similar customer values with a focus on going deep in core markets. This combination offers us the opportunity to leverage our respective strong foundations and propel us forward with an unparalleled platform for future growth. Harvest provides us with an immediate and significant presence in new and established markets and accelerates our entry into the adult use space in Arizona," stated Kim Rivers, CEO of Trulieve. The transaction has been unanimously approved by the boards of directors of each of Trulieve and Harvest. Harvest shareholders holding more than 50% of the voting power of the issued and outstanding Harvest shares have entered into voting support agreements with Trulieve to vote in favor of the transaction. The arrangement agreement provides for certain customary provisions, including covenants in respect of non-solicitation of alternative transactions, a right to match superior proposals, $100M reciprocal termination fees under certain circumstances and reciprocal expense reimbursement provisions in certain circumstances.

12:56 EDT Novo Nordisk granted orphan designation for hemophilia A treatment - The FDA granted Novo Nordisk orphan designation for its treatment of hemophilia A. Reference Link

12:24 EDT FDA to hold advisory committee meeting on pediatric COVID vaccine use on June 10 - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research will convene a virtual meeting of the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee on June 10, 2021, via webcast, to provide a status update on its approach to emergency use authorization for COVID-19 vaccines intended for use in individuals 12 through 17 years of age. The committee will also discuss the data needed to support an EUA and a biologics license application for a COVID-19 vaccine intended for use in children less than 12 years of age. "The committee will not discuss any specific products," the FDA stated. Peter Marks, M.D., Ph.D., director of the FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, said: "Vaccines continue to be an important public health measure in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. To date, the FDA has authorized three COVID-19 vaccines for emergency use that have met our rigorous standards for quality, safety, and effectiveness - two are authorized for individuals 18 and older, and one is authorized for individuals 16 and older. We recognize that the next critical step is having vaccines available for use throughout the pediatric population. As with the initial COVID-19 vaccine authorizations, we want to ensure that the public has a clear understanding of our expectations for the data and information needed to support requests for emergency use authorization and biologics license applications for vaccines intended to prevent COVID-19 in this pediatric age range." Companies with approved COVID-19 vaccines or working on such vaccines include Pfizer (PFE), BioNTech (BNTX), Moderna (MRNA), AstraZeneca (AZN), Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), Novavax (NVAX), Inovio (INO), Vaxart (VXRT) and CureVac (CVAC). Reference Link

12:11 EDT Ford to unveil all-electric 'F-150 Lightning' on May 19 - Ford announced that its "smartest, most innovative truck yet" will be all-electric and called F-150 Lightning. "The all-new F-150 Lightning will be revealed May 19 at Ford World Headquarters in Dearborn and livestreamed for millions to watch. The F-150 Lightning brings stunning innovation, technologies and capabilities to the F-Series, America's best-selling vehicle, combined with the power, payload and towing capability that is the hallmark of all Built Ford Tough trucks," Ford stated in an announcement of the upcoming event. Reference Link

12:01 EDT Velocity Financial falls -12.2% - Velocity Financial is down -12.2%, or -$1.53 to $10.97.

12:01 EDT Onion Global falls -16.6% - Onion Global is down -16.6%, or -$1.16 to $5.84.

12:00 EDT Peabody Energy rises 16.3% - Peabody Energy is up 16.3%, or 83c to $5.96.

11:52 EDT Apple awards Corning $45M to expand precision glass manufacturing capacity - Apple (AAPL) said it is awarding $45M from its Advanced Manufacturing Fund to Corning Incorporated (GLW), a supplier of precision glass for iPhone, Apple Watch, and iPad. The funding will expand Corning's manufacturing capacity in the U.S. and drive research and development into innovative new technologies that support durability and long-lasting product life, Apple said. Corning has already received $450M from Apple's $5B Advanced Manufacturing Fund over the last four years. Apple said its investment helps support more than 1,000 jobs across Corning's US operations in Kentucky and other facilities. The investment has also helped facilitate research and development into state-of-the-art glass processes, which led to the creation of Ceramic Shield, a new material that is tougher than any smartphone glass. "Apple and Corning have a long history of working together to accomplish the impossible," said Jeff Williams, Apple's chief operating officer. "From the very first iPhone glass, to the revolutionary Ceramic Shield on the iPhone 12 lineup, our collaboration has changed the landscape of smartphone cover design and durability. Ceramic Shield is a prime example of the technologies that are possible when deep innovation meets the power of American manufacturing. We're so proud to work alongside Corning, whose 170-year-old legacy is a testament to the ingenuity of the US workforce." Reference Link

11:04 EDT WynnBET announces partnership with Memphis Grizzlies - The Memphis Grizzlies and WynnBET announced the details of their multi-year marketing partnership. The Grizzlies WynnBET partnership will heavily leverage the Grizzlies' digital footprint, including social media, web and mobile applications. There will also be a physical space at FedExForum for all fans to The digital-first approach between the Grizzlies and WynnBET will be anchored to some of the most popular digital and broadcast programs offered by the Grizzlies and Grind City Media, an on-demand media platform and digital content studio. WynnBET will become presenting partner of the Chris Vernon Show, a daily sports and entertainment show hosted by Grind City Media's Chris Vernon. WynnBET will also become presenting partner of the Odds Couple, a sports betting show breaking down the best matchups in college football, NFL, college basketball and more including betting lines, favorites and guest interviews hosted by Grind City Media's Rob Fischer and Lang Whitaker along with Jon Roser & CJ Hurt. WynnBET is also set to become the official advertising partner of the GCM Podcast Network with advertising inclusion on all GCM Podcasts.

10:56 EDT Perma-Pipe International announces contract award in excess of $4.5M - Perma-Pipe International Holdings announced it has been awarded a contract for a district heating and cooling network for a healthcare infrastructure project in Eastern Canada valued at over $4.5M. The project will utilize Perma-Pipe's premier engineered Multi-Therm high temperature pre-insulated pipe system. The Multi-Therm system consists of a galvanized and insulated steel carrier pipe enclosed by an outer insulated steel pipe protected by a fiberglass reinforced outer jacket. The project will begin execution in Perma-Pipe's facility in Lebanon, Tennessee in Q2 2021.

10:41 EDT ADM to build soy crushing facility in North Dakota - ADM announced its plan to build a North Dakota soybean crushing plant and refinery to meet fast-growing demand from food, feed, industrial and biofuel customers, including producers of renewable diesel. Based in Spiritwood, ND, the approximately $350M crush and refining complex will feature state-of-the-art automation technology and have the capacity to process 150,000 bushels of soybeans per day. Strategically located in a major soybean producing area, ADM's global logistics network will enable the facility to access both domestic and global markets for soybean oil and meal. The facility is expected to be complete prior to the 2023 harvest.

10:33 EDT Churchill Capital Corp II says CFIUS finds no unresolved concerns with deal - In a regulatory filing after the close on May 7, Churchill Capital Corp II disclosed that on May 3 Churchill received notice from the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, or "CFIUS," that it has concluded all action under Section 721 of the Defense Production Act of 1950 and all rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, including those codified at 31 C.F.R. Parts 800 and 801, and determined that there are "no unresolved national security concerns" with respect to the previously disclosed investment pursuant to the subscription agreement, dated as of October 12, 2020, by and among Churchill, Churchill Sponsor II LLC and MIH Edtech Investments B.V. and the previously disclosed acquisition pursuant to the agreement and plan of merger, dated as of October 12, 2020, by and among Churchill, Magnet Merger Sub, Inc., and Albert DE Holdings Inc. Churchill Capital Corp II is a special purpose acquisition company that has entered into a definitive agreement to merge with Skillsoft and a definitive agreement to acquire Global Knowledge Training following its acquisition of Skillsoft. On March 3, Churchill said Skillsoft remains on track to complete its previously announced business combination with Churchill Capital Corp II in the second quarter of 2021.The combined company is expected to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol "SKIL."

10:13 EDT 44 attorneys general urge Facebook to abandon Instagram for children - New York Attorney General Letitia James sent a letter to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg urging him to abandon plans to launch a version of Instagram for children under the age of 13. A coalition of 44 attorneys general contends that social media "can be detrimental to children for myriad reasons and that Facebook has historically failed to protect the welfare of children on its platforms," James said in a statement. "Without a doubt, this is a dangerous idea that risks the safety of our children and puts them directly in harm's way," said James. Reference Link

10:04 EDT Schlumberger, NOV collaborate for automated drilling solutions - Schlumberger and NOV announced a collaboration to accelerate automated drilling solutions adoption by oil and gas operators and drilling contractors. The agreement will enable customers to combine Schlumberger surface and downhole drilling automation solutions with NOV's rig automation platform to deliver superior well construction performance. This integrated offering enables the automation of manual workflows, improving safety, decision making, consistency, and efficiency in drilling operations. The combined solution leverages advanced AI from the Schlumberger DrillOps on-target well delivery solution, while NOV's NOVOS process-automation platform controls all NOV rig equipment within the operational envelope. The two technologies will work seamlessly together to manage compliance to procedure and to reach best-in-class operational performance. The family of DrillOps solutions includes open and modular technologies that leverage Schlumberger's deep drilling domain knowledge and advanced machine learning applications to execute the digital drilling plan consistently and to automate drilling tasks, attaining higher levels of efficiency.

10:03 EDT GE, Current Lighting Solutions announce collaboration agreement - Current Lighting Solutions and GE announced they have signed a collaboration agreement on small-size Potassium Fluorosilicate, or "PFS/KSF," phosphor for MiniLED and MicroLED applications for improved display technologies. This agreement builds on the existing relationship between Current and GE that is focused on the licensing, manufacture and sale of PFS/KSF phosphors, the companies said. "GE is excited to move into this chapter of PFS/KSF phosphor invention for next-generation display technologies with our trusted manufacturing partner, Current Lighting Solutions. This collaboration will drive significant benefits to our customers for years to come," said Patrick Patnode, President of GE Licensing.

10:02 EDT SiriusXM, Pandora, Stitcher Advertising organizations unite as SXM Media - Sirius XM Holdings announced that it is establishing a new combined advertising sales organization spanning its SiriusXM, Pandora, and Stitcher audio entertainment platforms and services. The new group, which will operate under the name SXM Media, will create a unified sales team, powering the audio advertising experience across its three listening platforms, the company said in a statement.

10:00 EDT Tyson Foods says cattle supply 'ample' into 2H22

10:00 EDT Velocity Financial falls -9.2% - Velocity Financial is down -9.2%, or -$1.15 to $11.35.

10:00 EDT Alpha Metallurgical Resources rises 10.9% - Alpha Metallurgical Resources is up 10.9%, or $1.45 to $14.80.

10:00 EDT TimkenSteel rises 14.1% - TimkenSteel is up 14.1%, or $1.84 to $14.88.

09:47 EDT LCI Industries falls -6.1% - LCI Industries is down -6.1%, or -$8.89 to $137.54.

09:47 EDT Coty falls -9.3% - Coty is down -9.3%, or -96c to $9.38.

09:47 EDT Aluminum Corp. of China rises 9.5% - Aluminum Corp. of China is up 9.5%, or $1.46 to $16.77.

09:40 EDT Parsons appoints Jason Yaley as CCO - Parsons Corporation has named Jason Yaley as the company's new chief communications officer, effective May 17. Yaley joins Parsons from Advanced Concepts and Technologies International, where he served as chief management officer. He will report to Carey Smith, Parsons' president and COO.

09:30 EDT Coeur Mining announces investment in Victoria Gold Corp. - Coeur Mining announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire 11,067,714 of the outstanding undiluted common shares of Victoria Gold) from Orion Co-V at price of C$13.20 per share which reflects a 5% discount to the trailing 30-day volume weighted price for the period ending May 7, 2021. In connection with the transaction, Orion will receive 12,785,485 shares of Coeur common stock (based on the trailing 30-day volume weighted price of $9.17 per share, for the period ended May 7, 2021, representing aggregate consideration of approximately $117.2 million. Orion's sales of Coeur shares will be subject to certain restrictions. The transaction is expected to close on or about May 11, 2021, subject to closing conditions.

09:25 EDT Cryo-Cell announces two ongoing COVID-19 related trials - Cryo-Cell's Medical Director, Dr. Joanne Kurtzberg and her research team at The Marcus Center for Cellular Cures at Duke University School of Medicine are currently conducting two major studies: MASC Phase 1/2 & MISTIC Phase 1 to treat, respectively, COVID-19 related Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome and COVID-19 associated Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children. Clinical Study MASC: MASC is a randomized, controlled study of safety and efficacy of cord tissue derived mesenchymal stromal cells in COVID-19 related Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome. Phase 1 is already completed and Phase 2 is currently enrolling. MASC has a sample size of 50 patients; the first 10 patients participated in the Phase 1 with the next 40 patients enrolling in the Phase 2 randomized, blinded, placebo-controlled trial 2:1:1 using cells manufactured at Duke University or at the University of Miami. Clinical Study MISTIC: MISTIC is a Phase 1 pilot study of the safety of infusions of allogeneic human cord tissue mesenchymal stromal cells in children with Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome. Phase 1 is currently in the enrollment process. Both studies use human cord tissue mesenchymal stromal cells to treat the ARDS and MIS-C following COVID 19 infections.

09:22 EDT Castor Maritime announces $18M debt financing - Castor Maritime announces the closing and drawdown, through two of its ship-owning subsidiaries, of a $18.0 million senior term loan facility with a European bank, secured by two of its tanker vessels. The Company intends to use the net proceeds from the $18.0 Million Financing for general corporate purposes, including supporting the Company's growth plans. The $18.0 Million Financing has a tenor of four years and bears interest at LIBOR plus 3.20% per annum.

09:20 EDT MediaAlpha highlights disclosures in White Mountains Insurance Group 10-Q - MediaAlpha announced that, in connection with White Mountains Insurance Group, Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission White Mountains was required to disclose certain summarized preliminary financial information for MediaAlpha's fiscal quarter ended March 3, as set forth below: Total revenues of $173.6M;Total expenses of $173.4 M ; Net income of $0.2M;Total assets of $241.7M; Total liabilities of $331.1M ; As of March 31, MediaAlpha is a significant investee of White Mountains and accordingly, White Mountains presents certain summarized financial information of MediaAlpha within the notes to its financial statements. As of March 31 White Mountains. The summary financial information of MediaAlpha that is included in White Mountains' quarterly report is preliminary and may be revised in MediaAlpha's Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31. The summary financial information also may not be indicative of trends in other financial or operating metrics, including Adjusted EBITDA. MediaAlpha undertakes no obligation to update or supplement the information provided above until the Company releases its results of operations for the fiscal quarter ended March 31.

09:19 EDT Fat Brands expands plant-based options for limited time at Johnny Rockets - FAT Brands debuts expansive new plant-based options for a limited time - the Impossible Original, Craig's Vegan Shakes, and dairy-free Daiya Cheddar Style Slices at Johnny Rockets. "The Johnny Rockets environment and menu delivers a piece of nostalgic Americana at locations around the globe," said Andy Wiederhorn, CEO of FAT Brands. "While that will always be the most evident and fun part of the Johnny Rockets experience, we also acknowledge the future, which is plant-based. FAT Brands' longstanding relationships with Impossible Foods, Daiya, and Craig's Vegan has proven that these items integrate seamlessly into classic American menus, and we're very happy to partner with brands that are centered around providing high-quality and great tasting products like we are. These product offerings have performed well to date at other concepts of ours, and we hope to incorporate as long-standing menu additions at Johnny Rockets as well."

09:19 EDT OneSpan issues letter to stockholders regarding upcoming annual meeting - OneSpan issued a letter to its stockholders describing its engagement with Legion Partners and detailing the progress made executing the company's strategic plan. The letter said, "At OneSpan's 2021 annual meeting of stockholders, which is scheduled to be held on June 9, 2021, stockholders will make an important choice about the future of OneSpan. One of our stockholders, Legion Partners Holdings, LLC (together with its affiliates, "Legion"), wants to replace half of the independent directors on OneSpan's Board with Legion's four nominees because Legion claims we have not implemented enough of its ideas and we have not sufficiently refreshed our Board. In fact, our management team and Board have engaged extensively with Legion, heard its ideas and implemented many of them when it made sense to do so. Some of Legion's ideas were based on a misunderstanding of our business. Some ideas were thoughtful but implementing them would have been premature given the state of our business. And other ideas were grounded in assumptions that were not correct and, if implemented, may have been value destructive. That said, we have engaged with Legion more than 40 times over that past three years and objectively considered every one of its suggestions. Legion has had good ideas. In fact, we had many of those ideas ourselves, too. But whether by coincidence or engagement with Legion (and our other stockholders), the fact is that we have implemented a number of changes that should have proven to Legion that we are all working hard to improve the value of OneSpan. As our business evolved, we: Adjusted our disclosures and increased transparency; Refreshed our Board, adding six directors in the last two years to ensure greater expertise in the newer areas of our business strategy (five of these six continue to serve on our Board); Held an Investor Day; Authorized stock repurchases; Increased sell-side coverage and attended more investor conferences; Reformed our executive compensation programs to match the evolving drivers of our business; and Conducted a comprehensive review of our business configuration and ran a process, with an independent financial advisor, to explore the sale of one of our product lines. As importantly, under the guidance of a new CEO and our refreshed Board, the Company has evolved over the last three years from a hardware-centric technology company into a modern software-based solutions provider with a critical hardware authentication component. This evolution was not easy. The Board and management team had to take action, including to: Reconfigure our product offerings; Hire and train dozens of new sales people; Effectively price and market our new offerings; Cross-sell to our existing customer base; Create professional support teams for installation, configuration and operation of cloud-based software; Hire a new Chief Technology Officer and invest in R&D and product development; and Acquire important technologies...Today, Legion appears to have two ideas they would like us to implement. First, they believe that having more "cloud-first" directors would help our Board guide the Company better. However, we have already added four new directors over the last two years who have deep operating experience in software and cloud-based business models - a product leader of a large cloud-based software company (Marianne Johnson), a CFO of a cloud-based business (Al Nietzel), the Chief Revenue Officer of a cloud-based software business (Marc Boroditsky) and a P&L leader of a cloud-based business (Garry Capers). Our current directors thus possess significant product, finance, sales and general management experiences gained at successful, respected cloud businesses. Notably, despite Legion's suggestion that we add additional cloud experience to the Board, Legion has only nominated one candidate with cloud-based software product experience. Legion's other current idea is that we should sell our economic rights in, or the entire, hardware component of our authentication business. We do not believe that is practical or value creating. We have explored potential strategic alternatives with respect to our hardware solutions. However, the fact is that 19 of our 20 largest customers buy our hardware-based authentication solutions. Our business with these important customers also involves other products and services, some of which, such as mobile security, use the same server software or cloud authentication software as our hardware tokens. Selling the "economic rights" as Legion advocates is not a feasible or common approach in the security software business, where our server software runs multiple end-point solutions and sits inside our customers' networks. Legion's desire to see a "rerating" of our stock - which Legion believes will occur if we announce we have exited the hardware business - is nothing more than financial engineering, disconnected from the practical reality of managing a complex global business driven by customer requirements and on-the-ground marketing and client support. We continue to own and sell our proprietary hardware tokens, which are integrated with our software authentication solutions and their combined server and cloud-based software, because that is how our customers want us to do business..."

09:17 EDT Infrastructure and Energy Alternatives appoints Hunting to board of directors - Infrastructure and Energy Alternatives (IEA) announced the appointment of Theodore Bunting to the company's board of directors, effective immediately after the company's annual meeting of shareholders on May 13. Bunting will be designated a Class I director and meets the Nasdaq independence standards. With Bunting's appointment, IEA's Board of Directors will be at nine members. In addition to IEA, Bunting serves on the board of directors of Unum Group (UNM), The Hanover Insurance Group (THG), and is the Chair of the Audit Committee for NiSource (NI).

09:14 EDT Kymera Therapeutics presents preclinical data on IRAK4 degrader KT-474 - Kymera Therapeutics presented late-breaking preclinical data demonstrating the IRAK4 degrader KT-474's superiority compared to a clinically active small molecule IRAK4 kinase inhibitor across a wide variety of immune-inflammatory preclinical in vivo models. The late-breaking data are being presented at the American Association of Immunologists' Virtual IMMUNOLOGY2021 annual meeting, taking place from May 10-15. Data highlights include: KT-474's efficacy and superiority to IRAK4 small molecule inhibitors were demonstrated across multiple mechanistic and disease models of inflammation; in mouse models of skin inflammation induced by either IL-33 or IL-36 and an IL-33 intraperitoneal challenge model, KT-474 dose-dependently reduced IRAK4 levels in blood cells and inhibited skin inflammation and/or systemic as well as local cytokine production to the same extent as a potent corticosteroid and more potently than an IRAK4 small molecule inhibitor; and in a mouse model of Th17-mediated multiple sclerosis, KT-474 was superior to IRAK4 kinase inhibition and similar to FDA-approved fingolimod in significantly reducing clinical disease scores.

09:12 EDT Thor Explorations announces resolution passed at Special Meeting - Thor Explorations announces that the resolution put to shareholders at a Special Meeting held on April 30, 2021, was duly passed as a Special Resolution.

09:10 EDT Tyson Foods sees 'challenging second half ahead' - Expects inflation, margin pressures in 2H21. Comments taken from Q2 earnings conference call.

09:09 EDT Comtech awarded $3M order for maintenance of downrange tracking station - Comtech Telecommunications announced , that during its third quarter of fiscal 2021, its Space & Component Technology Group, which is part of Comtech's Government Solutions segment, was awarded a $3M order from an overseas agency for ground station maintenance and support. "We are pleased that our customer continues to place its faith in our Ground Stations Group for support and maintenance of their downrange tracking stations," said Fred Kornberg, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Comtech Telecommunications Corp.

09:07 EDT Proofpoint and Relativity partner for archive and surveillance solution - Proofpoint and Relativity, a global legal and compliance technology company, announced a partnership to integrate Proofpoint's Enterprise Archiving and Compliance with Relativity's AI-powered communication surveillance platform Relativity Trace. The Relativity Trace and Proofpoint partnership helps ensure customers can manage surveillance data within one single source with an archiving and compliance platform. Following the integration, Relativity Trace will consume data directly from the cloud-based Proofpoint Enterprise Archive solution, allowing all compliance information for the population under surveillance to reside in one place. The integrated solution will be available to joint customers in late Spring of 2021.

09:06 EDT Surgalign submits premarket notification of its digital surgical guidance system - Surgalign Spine Technologies announced it has submitted a premarket notification 510k to the Food & Drug Administration for its digital surgical guidance system. Surgalign is seeking its first FDA clearance for a hardware and software system that provides visualization of the patient's internal anatomy and real-time surgical guidance based on intraoperative 3D scans. Intraoperative 3D digital imaging is transferred to the Surgalign system to create a patient-specific, color-coded "intelligent" model of scanned anatomy that is displayed to the surgeon using augmented reality placed directly over the patient. The system quickly identifies the patient's anatomy to help the surgeon for case planning and pedicle screw placement including the location, size, angle, and trajectory in the AR display.

09:04 EDT Amgen partner AstraZeneca submits BLA for asthma candidate to FDA - Amgen's (AMGN) partner AstraZeneca (AZN) submitted a Biologics License Application to the FDA for tezepelumab, a potential first-in-class medicine in severe asthma. The submission is supported by positive clinical trial results from the Pathfinder clinical program including the pivotal Navigator Phase 3 trial, which demonstrated a statistically significant and clinically meaningful reduction in the annualized asthma exacerbation rate in patients with severe, uncontrolled asthma compared to placebo. Tezepelumab targets and blocks the action of an epithelial cytokine called thymic stromal lymphopoietin which plays a key role across the spectrum of asthma inflammation. In Navigator, tezepelumab demonstrated exacerbation rate reduction irrespective of baseline eosinophil count and improvements in lung function measurements, asthma control and health-related quality of life compared to placebo. These results support the FDA Breakthrough Therapy Designation granted to tezepelumab in September 2018 for patients with severe asthma, without an eosinophilic phenotype.

09:00 EDT Box responds to Starboard statement, provides update on review - Box issued the following statement in response to Starboard Value: "The Box Board of Directors does not believe the changes to the Board proposed by Starboard are warranted or in the best interests of all stockholders. The Box Board has been consistently responsive to feedback from all of its stockholders, including suggestions from Starboard, and open-minded toward all value enhancing opportunities. Furthermore, Starboard's statements do not accurately depict the progress Box has made. Specifically, Box has taken decisive action to: Deliver profitable growth, with 11% revenue growth, non-GAAP operating margin of over 15% in fiscal 2021, a 1,400 basis point margin increase over the prior year, and a $127 million increase in free cash flow in fiscal 2021; Implement a series of proactive corporate governance enhancements, including the addition of six independent directors since 2018, who have significant public company experience serving as directors and C-suite executives of multi-billion dollar publicly traded SaaS and enterprise software companies; and Conduct a comprehensive review of a wide range of strategic options to enhance stockholder value, resulting in a $500 million investment to be led by KKR and the addition of John Park, KKR's Head of Americas Technology Private Equity, to the Board, providing the perspective of a significant stockholder. The Box Board has been unified and unwavering in its commitment to acting in the best interests of all stockholders... Demonstrating the Board's commitment to enhancing stockholder value, the Board formed a Strategy Committee of four independent directors, including the three directors who were appointed in 2020 in conjunction with the agreement with Starboard. This Committee, with the support of financial and legal advisors, undertook a multi-month comprehensive review of a wide range of strategic options to determine the best possible path forward for Box and its stockholders. As a result of this review, in April 2021, the Board unanimously agreed that the KKR-led transaction and a share repurchase through a "Dutch auction" self-tender for up to $500 million of Box's common stock is in the best interests of the company's stockholders. Box's Board concluded that this transaction and partnership with KKR, along with the repurchase of shares, will best position the company to deliver value to Box stockholders in both the near- and long-term. The transaction provides the ability for stockholders to elect to either monetize their investment or participate in any upside potential with KKR as a committed partner that believes in the growth strategy that the Box Board and management team are executing. The Board continues to be open to feedback from all of its stockholders, including Starboard, to drive long-term value. The Board and management have made significant progress in the past year, including incorporating suggestions from Starboard and other stockholders. For example, two of the new independent directors added to the Box Board in the last year were approved by Starboard, and one of these directors has been appointed as Chair of the Board, and the other has been appointed as Chair of the Audit Committee. Furthermore, many of the actions undertaken by the company in the past year have been overseen by one of two newly formed committees, the Operating Committee and the Strategy Committee, both of whose members include directors that were approved by Starboard and who unanimously support the actions the company has taken. The Box Board has been unified and unwavering in its commitment to acting in the best interests of all stockholders and will continue to do so."

08:58 EDT FSD Pharma submits FSD201 IND to FDA - FSD Pharma announced that it has submitted to the FDA an investigational new animal drug application, or IND, for the use of FSD201 to treat Gastrointestinal enteropathy in dogs. The application has been accepted for review. The proposed trial design is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover, trial comparing FSD201 dosed twice daily for 30 days to placebo for the treatment of canine inflammatory bowel disease. The primary endpoint will be a validated diarrhea score, evaluated by both treating veterinarian and dog owner. The trial will be conducted at 5-10 sites in the USA, and will enroll up to 200 dogs.

08:53 EDT Great Lakes Dredge announces private offering of senior notes - Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation announced that, subject to market conditions, it plans to offer $325 million aggregate principal amount of fixed-rate, unsecured senior notes in a proposed private offering that will not be registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. Great Lakes intends to use the net proceeds from the offering, together with cash on hand, to redeem $325 million aggregate principal amount of its outstanding 8.000% Senior Notes due 2022.

08:51 EDT Marriott sees pace of global recovery continuing to accelerate

08:48 EDT Bioceres in pact with Havanna to offer consumers HB4 wheat-based goods - Bioceres Crop Solutions has entered into a definitive agreement with Havanna, a food production and retail company with a chain of over 300 stores across the America's and Europe, to offer its customers HB4 wheat-based sustainable products. The new agreement will give Havanna customers in Brazil and Argentina the option to choose food products with a significantly reduced carbon footprint and other environmental positive externalities that help fight climate change and preserve native ecosystems. Importantly, the farm-to-fork identity preserved process structured under the ongoing Generation HB4 program will enable partnered products to include field-specific information, climate facts and other key data of potential interest to consumers, all secured on blockchain technology. On October 8 , Bioceres received regulatory approval from Argentina's Ministry of Agriculture for the Company's HB4 Wheat 'event' for growth and consumption. Argentina is Latin America's largest wheat producer and the world's first country to adopt HB4 drought tolerance technology for this staple crop. Bioceres is committed to pursuing the development and commercialization of sustainable products and this agreement with Havanna represents the Company's first consumer application.

08:47 EDT Workhorse Group executes development agreement with J.B. Poindexter's EAVX - Workhorse Group announced that it has entered into a strategic development agreement with EAVX, a subsidiary of J.B. Poindexter, to expand Workhorse's product line and create solutions for new customer segments. "Workhorse and EAVX will be developing a next-generation delivery vehicle that leverages Workhorse's leadership in last-mile delivery EVs, controls software and drone technology as well as the EAVX and the J.B. Poindexter & Co group of companies' decades of experience with vehicle body engineering, construction, and assembly," the company said.

08:46 EDT Organogenesis appoints Jon Giacomin to board of directors - Organogenesis announced the appointment of Jon Giacomin to the company's board of directors, effective May 7. The company also announced that Wayne Mackie resigned as a member of the company's board of directors effective May 7. Giacomin currently serves as the CEO of U.S. Anesthesia Partners.

08:44 EDT Oak View Group names Verizon official 5G, technology partner - Oak View Group is partnering with Verizon to "bring the power of 5G Ultra Wideband to select world-class OVG venues and give these arenas the ability to utilize next gen solutions to innovate public safety, access, concessions, crowd management and immersive fan experiences," the company said. The multi-year partnership with OVG makes Verizon the exclusive 5G and wireless partner to three OVG arenas, including New York UBS Arena, Seattle Climate Pledge Arena and Coachella Valley Arena. UBS Arena, Climate Pledge Arena and Coachella Valley Arena are three of the new locations added to the list of stadiums and arenas with Verizon's 5G Ultra Wideband network. Verizon 5G Ultra Wideband is available in parts of more than 70 cities, 11 airports, and 50+ stadiums and arenas.

08:42 EDT Atara Biotherapeutics names Cokey Nguyen, Ph.D. as Chief Scientific Officer - Atara Biotherapeutic named cell therapy and oncology expert Cokey Nguyen, Ph.D. as Chief Scientific Officer. "With his passion for serving patients and a deep commitment to delivering results, we're very excited for Cokey to join our team as Chief Scientific Officer," said Jakob Dupont, M.D., Head of Global Research & Development. "Bringing significant experience to Atara in research and development of cell therapies as well as oncology drug discovery and development, Cokey is eager to both advance our existing programs and further expand our pipeline."

08:41 EDT Aleafia Health completes clinic assets transaction with Myconic - Aleafia Health is pleased to announce that its wholly-owned subsidiaries, Canabo Medical Corporation and GrowWise Health Limited have closed a transaction with Myconic Capital Corp. whereby the Vendors sold certain of their respective clinic assets to Myconic. Additionally, Canabo has agreed to continue to staff and generally operate the clinics for the benefit of Myconic for a period of ten years, through a Clinic Services and License Agreement between Canabo and Myconic, ensuring that there will be no interruption to medical services offered to existing patients. Pursuant to an Asset Purchase Agreement, the Vendors sold to Myconic certain clinic leases, inventory, equipment and contracts, all relating to clinic operations. As consideration for the Purchased Assets, Canabo and GrowWise were issued and delivered an aggregate of 7,000,000 common shares in the capital of Myconic, issued at an issue price of $1.50 per share, in satisfaction of a purchase price of $10.5 million, on the closing of the Transaction. The Consideration Shares are subject to a contractual lockup whereby the Consideration Shares will be released and become freely tradeable in several tranches over a period of 12 months following closing. No finder's fees are payable as a result of the Transaction. As previously announced due to the COVID-19 pandemic, since March 2020 the Company's clinic network has conducted 100 per cent of cannabis patient consultations virtually and will continue to provide best-in-class cannabinoid therapy to patients under the virtual-only model through the clinics and other Purchased Assets licensed from Myconic. Under the Services Agreement, Canabo will provide such services as are necessary to maintain the operation of the Clinics in respect of medical cannabinoid education, therapy and treatment substantially consistent with past practice (the "Services"). Canabo will pay Myconic a licensing fee for the use of the Purchased Assets in connection with the Services as it will retain certain third party revenue generated from the performance of the Services. Additionally, Canabo will receive a fee from Myconic for performing the Services. Myconic intends to expand the services offered at the purchased clinics to include a broader scope of mental health treatments, including ketamine-assisted psychotherapy. In addition, Aleafia Health and Myconic have entered into a nomination rights agreement, which provides Aleafia with, among other things, the right to nominate or appoint one of the five members of Myconic's board of directors following closing and will be entitled to exercise this right at each of annual meetings of shareholders provided it continues to own, control or direct at least 1,000,000 common shares of Myconic.

08:39 EDT Urban Tea accepting crypto-currency in its stores - Urban Tea announced acceptance of crypto-currency payment, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Dogecoin, in all of its stores managed by 39 Pu Tea in China and all the restaurants managed by Guokui Management in the U.S starting from this week. The company decided to start operations in blockchain technology research and cryptocurrency mining. Management anticipates utilizing a new subsidiary in China to conduct research and development of blockchain-based software and applications and the commercialization of such application as well as cryptocurrency mining.

08:39 EDT Marriott: Group bookings continuing to pick up in U.S., Canada

08:37 EDT Marriott: Over 95% of hotels open, worldwide occupancy improving every month - In March, Marriott said it saw the largest month-over-month sequential increase in global occupancy since the beginning of the pandemic. Occupancy reached 45%, up 9 percentage points vs. February, Marriott said. Global RevPAR in March was down 53% vs. March 2019, while April RevPAR declined roughly 50% vs. April 2019.

08:36 EDT BIO-keyintroduces new mobile app to provide protected user experience - BIO-key International introduced its new mobile app, BIO-key MobileAuth with PalmPositive the latest among over sixteen strong authentication factors available for BIO-key's PortalGuard Identity-as-a-Service platform. While multi-factor authentication is an essential part of any IAM strategy, organizations such as NIST and the FBI have warned that traditional MFA methods such as passwords and phone-based methods remain vulnerable to social engineering and cyberattacks. "BIO-key MobileAuth with PalmPositive offers a different way to authenticate, eliminating the inconvenience, security risks, and costs of traditional authentication methods by introducing the new category of Identity-Bound Biometrics, which are well-suited for everyday use cases including remote workforces, third-party access, Customer IAM, and passwordless workflows," the company said.

08:33 EDT AbbVie's Allergan Aesthetics to acquire Soliton for $22.60 per share in cash - Allergan Aesthetics, an AbbVie company (ABBV) and Soliton (SOLY) announced a definitive agreement under which Allergan Aesthetics will acquire Soliton and RESONIC, its Rapid Acoustic Pulse device which recently received U.S. FDA 510(k) clearance and is a non-invasive treatment for the short-term improvement in the appearance of cellulite. The acquisition of Soliton expands and complements Allergan Aesthetics' Body Contouring treatment portfolio which includes CoolSculpting Elite. Under the terms of the transaction, Allergan Aesthetics will pay $22.60 per share in cash for each outstanding share of Soliton. Soliton's enterprise value for the transaction is approximately $550M and was approved by the Boards of Directors of both companies. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including clearance by the U.S. antitrust authorities under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act and approval of Soliton's shareholders. Guggenheim Securities served as financial advisor to Soliton and Hogan Lovells served as legal counsel to Soliton. RESONICTM has also received FDA 510(k) clearance for use in conjunction with laser for tattoo removal and has demonstrated clinical results in fibrotic scars.

08:32 EDT U.S. District Court issues favorable decision for IQVIA against Veeva - Iqvia (IQV) announced that the U.S. District Court of New Jersey issued a favorable decision in its litigation with Veeva Systems, Inc. (VEEV). The Court ruled on IQVIA's motion for sanctions, finding Veeva engaged in massive destruction of evidence, engaged in a cover-up of its wrong-doing, and repeatedly lied about its actions. The court sanctioned Veeva five separate times in the decision to punish Veeva for its violations of rules in the litigation, including multiple adverse jury instructions, limitations on the use of evidence at trial and an award of legal fees and costs. Specific language from the decision includes: Engaging Fraud & Destruction of Evidence "IQVIA has made a prima facie showing that Veeva was engaging or intended to engage in a crime or fraud at the time the DataDestroyed Spreadsheet was created and that the DataDestroyed Spreadsheet was used in furtherance of the alleged crime or fraud - namely, the spoliation of evidence."

08:32 EDT Cellectar Biosciences sees cash runway into 3Q23 - As of March 31, 2021, the company had cash and cash equivalents of $53.6 million compared to $57.2 million at December 31, 2020.

08:29 EDT BioVie announces amended terms for acquisition of NeurMedix - BioVie announced amendments to certain terms for the previously announced acquisition of the biopharmaceutical assets of NeurMedix. The pivotal Phase 3 trial in Alzheimer's Disease is expected to begin this summer. Under the amended terms of the agreement, the upfront consideration BioVie will pay to NeurMedix remains unchanged. Payment of additional stock consideration as various significant clinical, regulatory, and commercial milestones are met has been amended to be made in fixed share amounts as follows. Payments at closing 8,361,308 newly issued BioVie and shares pproximately $3.0M in cash. An additional $7.3M cash payment payable upon the pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial for NeurMedix's Alzheimer's drug candidate has met its primary endpoint and the successful raise of $50M of new capital. Amended contingent payments in additional BioVie shares upon achievement of significant milestones; 4.5M shares upon hitting endpoints in a pivotal trial; 4.5M shares upon FDA acceptance of NDA filing; 4.5M shares upon FDA approval of NDA; and 4.5M shares upon achieving $1B trailing 12-month net sales. The transaction is expected to close in June 2021.

08:28 EDT Crowdstrike and Google Cloud extend strategic partnership - CrowdStrike (CRWD) and Google (GOOG) Cloud announced a series of product integrations to deliver joint customers defense-in- depth security, comprehensive visibility and workload protection at scale across hybrid cloud environments. These integrations will enable more seamless sharing of telemetry and data between the two security platforms, helping maintain high levels of security across a customers' entire cloud or hybrid environment. Under this expanded partnership, CrowdStrike will tightly integrate its CrowdStrike Falcon platform with Google Cloud's suite of security products including Chronicle, VirusTotal Enterprise, and Google Cloud Security Command Center , helping security teams increase visibility of threats across cloud and hybrid deployments, and enabling them to act much more quickly to address them. "The past year forced organizations to push their digital transformation forward at record pace to support remote workforces. However, digital transformation cannot be done without security transformation, in order to protect organizations' cloud presence," said Amol Kulkarni, chief product officer of CrowdStrike. "That is why we are proud to expand our partnership with Google Cloud and deliver deeper integrations with their security capabilities. These integrations are powered by our best-in-class, AI-powered telemetry to provide contextual and actionable intelligence that accelerates incident response to better protect cloud workloads from sophisticated threat activity."

08:26 EDT Vera Bradley partners with Lana Condor to introduce new recycled collection - Vera Bradley is partnering with actor and producer Lana Condor to launch its new Recycled Cotton collection. Consciously crafted from 50% recycled and 50% conventional cotton - and for the first time, available in solid colors. The Recycled Cotton collection is in new patterns including new Rain Forest Canopy and seven vibrant solid colors: Climbing Ivy Green, Rich Orchid, Citronella Glow, Turquoise Sky, Summer Rain, Desert Flower Pink and Black. The collection also features six brand-new Utility silhouettes, including a Sling Backpack, Crossbody, Small Crossbody, Tote, Backpack and Travel Bag. The Utility collection includes the limited-edition Lana Utility Backpack.

08:25 EDT Voya Financial to acquire Benefit Strategies, terms undisclosed - Voya Financial announced that it has entered into an agreement to purchase Benefit Strategies, a third-party administrator of health savings and spending accounts. Benefit Strategies provides administrative services for COBRA, direct billing, flexible spending accounts, health savings accounts, health reimbursement arrangements and other services to more than 3,400 employers and nearly 370,000 participant accounts throughout the U.S. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The transaction is expected to close in Q3 and is subject to customary closing conditions. Approximately 150 Benefit Strategies employees, including Smith, will join Voya after the transaction closes.

08:23 EDT Verizon, RingCentral announce new partnership to deliver cloud-based solutions - Verizon Business (VZ) announced a new partnership with RingCentral (RNG), which will bring cloud-based enterprise communication solutions with integrated team messaging, video meetings, and a cloud phone system to enterprise businesses, setting the foundation for a new workplace experience and giving employees the ability to work and collaborate from anywhere. The solution developed through this partnership adds to Verizon's robust unified communications and collaboration portfolio, complementing other services and offerings already in-market. Together Verizon Business and RingCentral will develop a new innovative co-branded service, RingCentral with Verizon. Enterprises will now have one solution, relationship, contract, support center, and implementation team for their deployments.

08:21 EDT Sachem Capital appoints William Haydon as Chief Investment Officer - Sachem Capital (SACH) announced that William Haydon has been appointed Chief Investment Officer and Director of Investor Relations earlier this month. In this new role, Haydon is responsible for managing the company's liquid reserves and securities portfolio, as well as Sachem's underwriting team. Haydon is a senior finance and capital markets executive with over 25 years of experience in financial services and investment banking. Prior to joining Sachem Capital in 2021, he served as a Portfolio Manager and Branch Manager at Wells Fargo Advisors (WFC) Financial Network from 2011.

08:20 EDT Honeywell awarded contract to expand energy infrastructura at U.S. Air Base - Honeywell is starting the next phase of an infrastructure modernization project to improve energy resiliency at Kunsan Air Base, a U.S. Air Force Base in Gunsan, South Korea. The $23M project will improve fuel supply reliability through the installation of natural gas service on the base. Honeywell will modernize heating systems in 25 buildings on Kunsan Air Base, including the living quarters. A distribution network will be installed to deliver natural gas. Over time, the base plans to expand its use of natural gas to additional buildings. The current project is the next phase of a 25-year energy savings performance contract awarded to Honeywell in 2018 by Kunsan Air Base and the Air Force Civil Engineer Center and Defense Logistics Agency-Energy, with a total project value of $52M.

08:19 EDT SciPlay reports Q1 payer conversion rate of 8.1% - In Q1: Payer conversion rate reached an all-time high of 8.1%.Average Monthly Revenue Per Paying User increased 11.0% to $92.80 from the prior year period. Average Revenue Per Daily Active User grew 36.7% from the prior year period to $0.67. Mobile penetration increased 300 bps from the prior year period to 88%.

08:18 EDT Inovio's COVID-19 DNA vaccine candidate meets Phase 2 immunology endpoint - Inovio announced positive safety, tolerability and immunogenicity data from its placebo-controlled and blinded Phase 2 segment of its Phase 2/3 INOVATE clinical trial in the U.S. evaluating INO-4800, its DNA vaccine candidate for COVID-19. Preliminary results show in a larger population that INO-4800 was generally safe, well-tolerated and immunogenic in all studied age groups. Safety endpoints included systemic and local administration site reactions through 8 weeks post-dose one. Immunology endpoints included antigen-specific binding antibody titers, neutralization titers, and antigen-specific interferon-gamma cellular immune responses after two doses of the vaccine. Vaccine administration was generally safe and well-tolerated. The majority of adverse events were Grade 1 and Grade 2 in severity and did not appear to increase in frequency with the second dose. The geometric mean fold rise of binding and neutralizing antibody levels were statistically significantly greater in the 2.0 mg dose group versus the 1.0 mg dose group. The T cell immune responses were also higher in the 2.0 mg dose group compared to the 1.0 mg dose group. The preliminary Phase 2 results showed that INO-4800 was safe, well-tolerated and immunogenic in all tested age groups. INOVIO plans to file preliminary Phase 2 results and device data with the FDA. Following the submission and FDA concurrence to proceed, the company plans to conduct a global Phase 3 clinical trial for INO-4800.

08:15 EDT Rubius Therapeutics announces anticipated 2021 catalysts, objectives - Anticipated 2021 Catalysts and Operational Objectives: Present additional clinical data from the RTX-240 solid tumor Phase 1 clinical trial; Select specific solid tumor types that will be pursued in the Phase 2 expansion cohort of RTX-240; Report initial clinical data from the Phase 1 arm of the RTX-240 clinical trial in relapsed/refractory AML; Initiate the Phase 1 clinical trial of RTX-240 in combination with anti-PD-1 therapy in advanced solid tumors in the second half of 2021; Report initial Phase 1 clinical data from RTX-321 for the treatment of HPV 16-positive cancers by the first quarter of 2022; and Submit an Investigational New Drug Application for RTX-224 by year-end.

08:14 EDT Color Star Technology expects registered users to reach 5 million in Q3 - Color Star Technology released forward-looking guidance for the first half year 2021. In Q1, the company signed cooperation agreements with multiple companies that aim to complement Color Star's own development, application of AI and entertainment technologies. The company expects the number of registered users to reach 5 million in the 3rd quarter of 2021, and the number of hits to exceed 50 million. In the future, Color Star will leverage its entertainment industry advantages to continue researching and developing on NFT products. The company aims to build the world's first intelligent copyright trading platform, where through NFT, authors will be able to trade their copyrighted works on the platform. The company is also seeking to extend cooperation with global real estate companies, automobile manufacturers, and shopping malls to allow members to shop in the virtual world. Through AR and AI technologies, watching online concerts will be comparable to watching them live.

08:11 EDT CymaBay appoints Lewis Stuart as Chief Commercial Officer - CymaBay Therapeutics (CBAY announced that Lewis Stuart has joined the company as Chief Commercial Officer. Stuart most recently served as Vice President and Prostate Cancer Franchise Leader for Myovant Sciences (MYOV). In this role he led the company's Prostate Cancer Launch Readiness team of commercial, medical, legal, and manufacturing functions.

08:09 EDT Landsea Homes acquires 182 waterfront homesites in Alameda, California - Landsea Homes announced the acquisition of 182 homesites at the Alameda Marina master-planned community in Alameda, California that will celebrate the regions historic Marina Waterfront. Landsea Homes will offer a total of 182 townhomes for sale in two different neighborhoods. Sales are expected to begin for Landsea Homes' "island" inspired homes in summer 2022.

08:09 EDT Tattooed Chef announces the expansion of product line - Tattooed Chef (TTCF) announced it has expanded its product line into a new category with the launch of multi-serve meals. Five new 20oz plant-based multi-serve meals are now available for purchase at Target (TGT) stores nationwide. The new foods include: Cauliflower Spaghetti with Plant-Based Bolognese, Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Plant-Based Butter & Sage, Cauliflower Gnocchi Quattro Formaggi, Chickpea Pasta with Plant-Based Sausage Ragu, and Riced Cauliflower Burrito Blend.

08:08 EDT Bed Bath & Beyond launches 'Simply Essential' line of products - Bed Bath & Beyond launched Simply Essential, a new line of more than 1,200 hard-working essential items, thoughtfully designed for every room of the home, all delivered at great value and available only at Bed Bath & Beyond. As the company's first full-line assortment at opening price points and third Owned Brand launched this year, Simply Essential underpins Bed Bath & Beyond's commitment to appeal to a wide range of customer needs with new value-led options that eliminate gaps in lower price brackets.

08:07 EDT Optical Cable Corporation, CommScope enter cross-license patent agreement - Optical Cable Corporation (OCC) announced that OCC and CommScope (COMM) have entered into a long-term agreement to cross-license portions of their patent portfolios. The cross-license agreement relates to certain copper data communication connectivity patents of both OCC and CommScope, in addition to OCC's in-building wireless patents. Both companies can access and implement the other company's licensed patents and technologies under the agreement. This agreement follows a 2004 agreement under which CommScope and SMP Data Communications, a company acquired by OCC in 2008, cross-licensed various copper data communication connectivity technologies of OCC and CommScope, including complementary core technologies of both companies that achieve Cat 6 and Cat 6A RJ45 connector performance.

08:07 EDT Medtronic launches SonarMed airway monitoring system in U.S. - Medtronic announced the U.S. commercial launch of the SonarMed airway monitoring system. The first and only device of its kind, the SonarMed airway monitoring system utilizes acoustic technology to check for endotracheal tube obstruction and verify position in real-time, giving clinicians vital information required to make more informed, life-saving decisions for their smallest patients.

08:05 EDT Bonanza Creek, Extraction Oil & Gas to combine in all-stock merger of equals

08:05 EDT Choice Hotels says impact of COVID-19 'still unknown' - The company is not providing formal guidance for second quarter or full year 2021 given that the precise impact of COVID-19 on the company's future results is still unknown. For the month of April, the company's RevPAR declined by approximately 4.2% versus April 2019 while occupancy levels increased by 80 basis points from April 2019, marking near returns to 2019 RevPAR levels. The company currently expects RevPAR change for the remainder of 2021, as compared to both 2019 and 2020, to outperform first quarter 2021 results as compared to both 2019 and 2020.

08:04 EDT Kansas City Southern receives unsolicited TRC Capital mini-tender offer - Kansas City Southern received notice of an unsolicited mini-tender offer by TRC Capital to purchase up to 500,000 shares, or approximately 0.55%, of KCS's outstanding common stock at a price of $285.00 per share in cash. As TRC Capital's own offer document acknowledges, the offering price is approximately 2.47% below the closing price per share of KCS on April 30, the last trading day before the mini-tender offer was commenced. KCS does not endorse TRC Capital's mini-tender offer and recommends that KCS shareholders reject this unsolicited offer and not tender their shares in response to the offer. KCS also recommends that any shareholders who have tendered shares to TRC Capital withdraw those shares by providing the written notice described in the offering documentation before the expiration of the offer, which is currently scheduled on June 2. KCS is not associated with TRC Capital, its mini-tender offer or the mini-tender offer documentation.

08:03 EDT Replimune Group appoints Tanya Lewis as Chief Development Operations Officer - Replimune Group (REPL) announced the appointment of Tanya Lewis to a newly created position of Chief Development Operations Officer effective May 10. Lewis previously served on Replimune's board of directors and resigned on May 7th in order to join the executive team. Lewis joins from Karyopharm Therapeutics (KPTI) where she served as Executive Vice President, Chief Regulatory Strategy and Strategic Operations Officer and was responsible for project management and portfolio review including navigating the approval of XPOVIO. As Chief Development Operations Officer, Lewis will work with Replimune's senior leadership team to execute an integrated clinical, regulatory and CMC strategy to facilitate multiple potential BLA filings and product registrations.

07:59 EDT PowerFleet selected by Israel Police to manage fleet of 7,500 vehicles - PowerFleet announced that its operating subsidiary, Pointer Telocation, is set to provide a range of technological services for more than 7,500 police vehicles of the Israel Police fleet for the next four years. The fleet is comprised of 61 different vehicle types including two-wheelers. The Israel Police has the option to extend the tender for an additional four years. Included in the services to be provided, Pointer will implement a fleet management and driver identification solution to identify the police officer or other authorized official who is driving the vehicle and approve the journey. The solution will provide travel logs, using geo-tracking, to record all vehicle events including, engine on/off status, location, vehicle movement, route, speed, time spent parked, battery status etc. "The police will become one of the largest organizations in Israel to manage a fleet of vehicles from a systemic and tactical point of view. The police will be able to send select forces to deal with specific incidents in real-time, utilizing key data for improved command and control as well as cost-efficiencies. The fleet management solution will serve as an efficient investigative tool and can reconstruct response situations to implement future improvements," the company said.

07:58 EDT Vanstar says IAMGold secures drill rig to complete program on Nelligan - Vanstar Mining Resources is pleased to announce its joint venture partner IAMGOLD Corporation has secured a drill rig to complete a drill program on the Nelligan joint venture project located 60 km southwest of Chibougamau, Quebec. The program is expected to begin in the month of June and the plan is to drill 9,000-10,000 m and will include both definition drilling in the main resource area as well as step-out drilling with a focus on the west extension of the known mineralization. This drilling will support the completion of a future updated resource estimate. In addition, exploration activities will also continue to identify and evaluate new targets. Preliminary results from a partial glacial till sampling survey completed in November 2020 and from an IP survey executed this winter have been received and have defined new exploration targets elsewhere on the joint venture property. Additional till sampling is planned and the defined targets will be field-checked this summer in conjunction with a detailed geological and structural mapping program.

07:56 EDT Diffusion Pharmaceuticals reports results from Phase 1b study of TSC - Diffusion Pharmaceuticals announced final results from the Phase 1b study evaluating trans sodium crocetinate in hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Data from the open-label study were reviewed by an independent Safety Monitoring Committee. Topline results based upon analyses of primary endpoint data from the trial were announced in February 2021, indicating that TSC was safe and well-tolerated when administered on a more frequent dosing regimen than previously tested in a clinical trial setting. The Company and the SMC have concluded analyses of the trial's planned secondary and exploratory endpoints, which included time to improvement in WHO ordinal scale by day 7 and through day 29, time on oxygen supplementation, and hospital length of stay. While this study was not designed or powered to evaluate efficacy, the Company and SMC observed that patients receiving the 1.5 mg/kg dose had improved outcomes in these secondary and exploratory endpoints compared to those receiving lower doses. In addition, no patients required dialysis or developed acute kidney injury and there were no reports of pulmonary embolism or deep vein thrombosis. One death was reported during the study, a patient who received the lowest dose and which was determined by the SMC to be not drug related. The SMC went on to recommend the Company consider additional preliminary work before initiating a registrational study, including the testing of higher TSC doses and a continuous intravenous infusion. Of note, the first of the Company's three planned Oxygenation Trials, the TCOM study, tested TSC at doses up to 2.5 mg/kg. The trial enrolled 24 patients divided into four sequential cohorts of six patients, with each patient in a dose cohort receiving the same intravenous doses of 0.25 mg/kg, 0.5 mg/kg, 1.0 mg/kg, or 1.5 mg/kg, depending on the patient's cohort. All patients were administered intravenous doses of TSC every six hours for a minimum of five days and up to 15 days. Diffusion has initiated a series of three short-term Oxygenation Trials in the United States in 2021, funded with cash-on-hand. The first of these studies, the TCOM Trial, initiated, enrolled, and completed dosing in March 2021. TCOM Trial: This trial was a randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled, pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic study of TSC that enrolled and dosed 30 healthy volunteers. Trial participants were randomized into one of six subgroups, each of which received a single intravenous dose of placebo or one of five different doses of TSC ranging from 0.5 mg/kg to 2.5 mg/kg. All trial participants received supplemental oxygen during equivalent monitoring periods before and after TSC or placebo was administered while being continuously monitored with TCOM sensors applied to the lower extremity. The primary endpoint evaluates the relative change in TCOM readings from baseline after TSC administration. Diffusion anticipates that the ongoing collection and analyses of the TCOM trial data will be completed and announced by the end of the second quarter of 2021. Induced Hypoxia Trial: This trial will be a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study which will evaluate the effects of TSC on maximal oxygen consumption, or VO2, and partial pressure of blood oxygen, or PaO2, in normal healthy volunteers subjected to incremental levels of physical exertion while exposed to hypoxic and hypobaric conditions. The study will be statistically powered to evaluate the difference in effect of TSC versus placebo on oxygen availability and consumption. DLCO Trial: This trial will be a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study which will evaluate the effects of TSC on the diffusion of carbon monoxide through the lungs in patients with previously diagnosed interstitial lung disease who have a baseline DLCO test result that is abnormal. DLCO will act as a surrogate measure of oxygen transfer efficiency, or uptake, from the alveoli of the lungs, through the plasma, and onto hemoglobin within red blood cells. The study will be statistically powered to evaluate the difference in effect of TSC versus placebo on improvement in DLCO. Diffusion anticipates initiating and completing the DLCO Trial and Induced Hypoxia Trial in the second half of 2021, with topline results from each study available within two months of their respective completion. The Company believes positive data from any one or more of the three Oxygenation Trials, if obtained, would provide evidence of a definitive effect of TSC on oxygenation. If such positive data are obtained, the Company expects to announce in the fourth quarter of 2021 the hypoxia-related indications in which TSC would be studied as part of its clinical development strategy aimed at supporting regulatory approval and commercialization. Diffusion intends to initiate clinical studies in the identified indications during the first quarter of 2022.

07:53 EDT ALX Oncology announces first patient dosed in ASPEN-03 phase 2 study of ALX148 - ALX Oncology (ALXO) in partnership with Merck (MRK) announced the first patient has been dosed in the Phase 2 ASPEN-03 study evaluating the combination of ALX148, a next generation CD47 blocker, with KEYTRUDA, Merck's anti-PD-1 therapy, for the treatment of patients with advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. ASPEN-03 is an open-label, randomized phase 2 multi-center study of the anti-tumor efficacy of ALX148 plus pembrolizumab in patients with first line metastatic or unresectable, recurrent PD-L1 positive HNSCC. This study is being conducted in collaboration with Merck and is based upon promising clinical data reported from the ASPEN-01 Phase 1 study, which provided the basis for ALX148's Fast Track designation in HNSCC granted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

07:50 EDT Enthusiast Gaming closes acquisition of Icy Veins for EUR 7M in cash, stock - Enthusiast Gaming announced it has closed the previously-announced acquisition of Vedatis SAS, which owns Icy Veins, for EUR 7,000,000 million in cash and stock, plus an Earn-out subject to certain conditions described below. Upon closing of the acquisition, the company made a cash payment of EUR 3,500,000 and issued 226,563 common shares in the capital of the company for an aggregate value of EUR 5,000,000. At the option of the company, EUR 750,000 of the EUR 2,000,000 balance of the Purchase Price, which is payable on the first anniversary of the closing date, may be settled by way of issuing additional Common Shares. The Common Shares are subject to a contractual lock-up with 33.33% released six months following the closing date, 33.33% released twelve months following the closing date, and 33.33% released eighteen months following the closing date. In addition, the vendors are eligible to an Earn-out payment, subject to certain conditions, equal to the sum of EBITDA of the purchased business, for the four best consecutive calendar quarterly periods within the sixteen consecutive calendar quarterly periods immediately following the closing date.

07:46 EDT Myconic Capital acquires clinical assets from Aleafia Health - Myconic Capital announced that the Company has executed and closed an asset purchase agreement for the acquisition of certain clinical assets as an investment from Canabo Medical Corporation, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Aleafia Health. The Company intends to expand the services offered through the network of 14 national medical cannabis clinics to include a broader scope of mental health treatments including intravenous ketamine treatments, ketamine-assisted psychotherapy and the administration of esketamine nasal spray. During 2020, the Clinics generated approximately $3.5 million in revenues for Aleafia, which has since increased on an annual run-rate basis due to providing treatments related to the mental health effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Pursuant to the terms of the Purchase Agreement, Myconic will acquire certain assets relating to the Clinics in exchange for 7,000,000 common shares of the Company at a deemed price of $1.50 per common share of the Company as at the closing dates. The Consideration Shares are subject to a lock-up period of 12 months on issuance, with 5% of the Consideration Shares released at closing, one fourth of the Consideration Shares released at intervals of four, six and nine months and the remaining 20% released on the first anniversary following the closing of the acquisition, as required in the Purchase Agreement. In connection with the completion of the transaction, the Company has issued 500,000 common shares to an arm's-length third party that assisted in the facilitation of the Asset Purchase. To ensure the stability of the current cash flow stream being acquired, Myconic and Canabo have entered into a services agreement pursuant to which Canabo will provide the services necessary to maintain the current operations of the Clinics. In consideration for the Services, Myconic will pay a fee equal to Canabo's cost of performing the Services plus a 5.0% margin. The Services Agreement has a term of 10 years and shall be renewable at Aleafia's option. The Company's planned conversion of the Clinics is not expected to negatively impact the Clinics' existing revenue streams. Based on the Clinics' established stream of cash flows, the Company believes that the Asset Purchase can provide a clear path to profitability with relatively low-risk business opportunities available to build upon current operations. The Company intends to retain key team members to assist with the Clinics' management as Myconic seeks to expand the Clinics' offerings.

07:42 EDT Heat Biologics appoints Anthony Manning as chief scientific officer - Heat Biologics announced the appointment of Anthony Manning, Ph.D. as Chief Scientific Advisor. Dr. Manning will be responsible for strategic initiatives to accelerate the development of Heat Biologics' product portfolio. Most recently, Dr. Manning served as Chief Scientific Officer and Head of Research at Momenta Pharmaceuticals. At Momenta, Dr. Manning provided leadership to all research activities, including the discovery and development of three novel autoimmune drug candidates.

07:41 EDT Voyager Therapeutics announces anticipated milestones - Upcoming Presentations and Updates: The Company recently announced that it will have eight presentations and posters at the ASGCT 24th Annual Meeting, taking place May 11-14, 2021. Oral presentations are expected to highlight data from Voyager's novel capsid, preclinical and manufacturing efforts. The Company also intends to host an Industry Sponsored Symposium titled "Advancing AAV Gene Therapy for CNS Disease," at this year's ASGCT Meeting. Details of the presentation schedule can be found here. At an upcoming virtual investor and analyst event planned for July 2021, the Company expects to provide additional updates on multiple platform and program advances on the planned VYTAL Phase 1/2 clinical trial for Huntington's disease, the novel capsid program, and the preclinical pipeline.

07:38 EDT Authentic Brands Group and SPARC to acquire Eddie Bauer - Authentic Brands Group, a brand owner, marketing and entertainment company, and SPARC Group, a joint venture between Simon Property Group and ABG, have announced a definitive agreement to purchase Eddie Bauer, the American outdoor brand, from PSEB Group, an operating company owned by Golden Gate Capital. ABG will own Eddie Bauer's intellectual property and the brand's core operating business will become a part of the SPARC portfolio of brands. Following the close of the transaction, SPARC's operating platform will include Eddie Bauer, Brooks Brothers, Lucky Brand, Nautica, Aeropostale and Forever 21, which collectively generate nearly $8.6B in systemwide retail sales annually. The closing is subject to certain standard closing conditions including certain U.S. and Canadian anti trust filings and approvals. The transaction is expected to close by June 1, 2021. No financial terms were disclosed. Reference Link

07:36 EDT Starboard Value nominates director candidates for election to Box's board - Starboard Value, one of the largest stockholders of Box, with an ownership interest of approximately 8% of the company's outstanding shares, announced in an open letter to Box stockholders that it has nominated a slate of highly qualified director candidates for election to Box's Board of Directors at the company's 2021 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. Reference Link

07:35 EDT TellBio announces new leadership, closing of a $5M series A financing - TellBio, TellDx, and TellRx, announced the closing of a $5M Series A financing. Concurrent with the close, the company announced the appointments of Pritesh Gandhi, PharmD, as CEO and Annie Partisano, PharmD, MS, as Senior Vice President and Head of Operations; an exclusive license of the TellDx platform to Genetron Holdings (GTH) for its development in the Chinese market; and signing of an agreement to deploy the TellDx platform to ARUP Laboratories, Inc, a nationwide reference laboratory in the U.S. The $5M Series A round was led by Crocker Ventures, Genetron Holdings Limited, ARUP Laboratories, the National Foundation for Cancer Research, and included participation of several angel biotech investors. Proceeds from the Series A will fund further deployment of the revenue-generating TellDx platform globally and advance TellRx therapeutic programs currently in early-stage development. Prior to joining TellBio, Dr. Gandhi was General Manager at Alnylam (ALNY) where he effectively led cross-expertise area teams to bring forward a rare disease medicine from development to global commercialization. Prior to joining TellBio, Dr. Partisano was Vice President, Medical Operations at Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals (KNSA). Concurrent with the financing and executive appointments, the company signed strategic TellDx agreements with Genetron and ARUP Laboratories, Inc., which will accelerate the global deployment of the TellDx platform. Under the terms of an exclusive license, Genetron will be the distributor of TellDx within greater China and will collaborate with TellBio on enhancements to the platform. Separately, ARUP Laboratories plans to implement the TellDx platform across several research programs in the U.S. and joins other centers of excellence that have already adopted the TellDx platform.

07:34 EDT Biohaven Pharmaceutical provides 2021 pipeline milestones - Biohaven is continuing to support the launch of NURTEC ODT and develop its product candidates through clinical and preclinical programs in a number of common and rare disorders. The Company expects to reach significant pipeline milestones with its CGRP receptor antagonists, glutamate modulators, and myeloperoxidase inhibitors. Biohaven expects to: Continue to advance the commercialization of NURTEC ODT (rimegepant) for the acute treatment of migraine. Prepare rimegepant toward potential commercialization for the preventive treatment of migraine in the second quarter of 2021, if U.S. FDA approval is received. Report topline of intranasal zavegepant in the acute treatment of migraine in the second half of 2021. Report topline of verdiperstat for the treatment of MSA in the third quarter of 2021. Complete enrollment of verdiperstat for the treatment of ALS in the fourth quarter of 2021. Report topline of troriluzole in Spinocerebellar Ataxia in the fourth quarter of 2021 or early 2022. Report topline of troriluzole in OCD in 2022.

07:25 EDT Benson Hill to become publicly listed through combination with Star Peak Corp II - Benson Hill,, a food technology company that said it is "unlocking the natural genetic diversity of plants," announced that it will become publicly listed through a business combination with Star Peak Corp II (STPC). Upon closing of the transaction, the combined company will be named "Benson Hill, Inc." and is expected to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the new ticker symbol "BHIL". Matt Crisp, CEO of Benson Hill, will lead the combined company. "Benson Hill's proprietary CropOS technology platform uses predictive analytics to simulate tens of millions of genetic outcomes for plants, referencing an ever-expanding and unmatched data library. The technology has the potential to shave years off the traditional crop breeding process, shortening the time to market, and decreasing development costs for new food and ingredient products," the company stated. Following the close, Benson Hill will have a pro forma enterprise value of approximately $1.35B based on the $10.00 per share price of Star Peak common stock and assuming no redemptions by Star Peak shareholders. The transaction will provide approximately $625M in gross proceeds to the company, assuming no redemptions by Star Peak shareholders, including an oversubscribed and upsized $225M fully committed common stock PIPE at $10.00 per share. Benson Hill intends to use proceeds from the transaction to accelerate investments in CropOS, strengthen partner development efforts, support product commercialization and expand into new agri-food markets. Benson Hill's existing shareholders will convert 100% of their ownership stakes into the new company. The transaction has been unanimously approved by the Boards of Directors of both Benson Hill and Star Peak. It is expected to close in the third quarter of 2021, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions, including the approval of Star Peak's shareholders and Benson Hill shareholders.

07:19 EDT CI Financial to acquire Dowling & Yahnke - CI Financial C and Dowling & Yahnke,a nnounced an agreement under which CI will acquire the San Diego-based registered investment advisor firm with US$5.1 billion in assets. D&Y, which does business as Dowling & Yahnke Wealth Advisors, was founded in 1991 and serves over 1,300 clients, primarily individuals, families, and non-pro?t organizations. D&Y provides comprehensive investment management and financial planning services tailored to clients' individual life and legacy goals. The firm's accolades include being named to the FT 300 Top Registered Investment Advisors list every year since the list's inception in 2014. Additionally, Chief Executive Officer Dale Yahnke was ranked No. 23 on the Barron's 2020 list of Top 100 Independent Financial Advisors, the 14th time he has made the list, and was named to the Barron's Advisor Hall of Fame in 2019.

07:18 EDT BioNTech has developed comprehensive strategy to address Covid variants

07:17 EDT BioNTech sees manufacturing more than 3B Covid-19 vaccine doses in 2022 - BioNTech expects capacity to reach up to 3 billion doses by end of 2021, and expects to have capacity to manufacture more than 3 billion doses in 2022. BioNTech plans to deliver up to 250 million doses of BNT162b2 in the first half of 2021.

07:16 EDT BioNTech: Company, Pfizer have signed orders for 1.8B Covid-19 vaccine doses - As of May 6, 2021 BioNTech (BNTX) and Pfizer (PFE) have shipped approximately 450 million doses of BNT162b2 to 91 countries and territories around the world. To date, the companies have signed orders of approximately 1.8 billion doses for delivery in 2021, and they have also signed the first contracts for 2022 and beyond. Further discussions for additional dose commitments are ongoing for 2021 and beyond. BioNTech expects BNT162b2 annual manufacturing capacity to reach 3 billion doses by the end of 2021, and expects to have capacity to manufacture more than 3 billion doses in 2022. Multiple clinical trials are ongoing to expand the authorization of BNT162b2 to additional population groups, such as children from 6 months to 11 years of age, and to collect further data in healthy pregnant women. To date, there is no evidence that an adaptation of BioNTech's current COVID-19 vaccine against key identified emerging variants is necessary. Despite this, BioNTech has developed a comprehensive strategy to address these variants should the need arise in the future. As part of BioNTech's strategy to contend with the variant challenge, BioNTech submitted to the U.S. FDA, and the FDA has approved an additional amendment to the study protocol of the global Phase 1/2/3 trial which includes: (1) an assessment of the impact of a third dose of BNT162b2 in prolonging immunity against COVID-19 and in protecting against COVID-19 caused by potential newly emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants, and (2) an assessment of a modified, variant-specific version of BNT162b2. The aim of this study is to explore the regulatory pathway that BioNTech and Pfizer would pursue if SARS-CoV-2 were to change enough to require an updated vaccine. This trial started in March 2021.

07:14 EDT Axsome Therapeutics expects cash to fund operations into at least 2024 - Axsome believes that its cash at March 31, 2021, along with the remaining committed capital from the $225 million term loan facility, is sufficient to fund anticipated operations, based on the current operating plan, which includes costs for the commercial launch of AXS-05 in MDD and AXS-07 in migraine, into at least 2024. Axsome expects that its operating expenses will increase year over year as we continue to build out the commercial function and further advance our pipeline.

07:13 EDT Tegna sees FY21 subscription revenue growth up mid-to-high teens percent - Sees FY21 effective tax rate 24%-25%. Sees FY21 capital expenditures $64M-$69M.

07:11 EDT Compugen expands research collaboration with Johns Hopkins University - Compugen announced that it has expanded its research collaboration with Johns Hopkins University to include studies investigating the biology of a novel myeloid target that was computationally-discovered by Compugen. Initial preclinical studies demonstrate the potential of this target to serve as a novel myeloid immunomodulator, with significant tumor growth inhibition observed upon genetic deletion in in-vivo studies. The research program, headed by Jelani Chinelo Zarif, M.S., Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Oncology and Drew Pardoll, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Oncology, both at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, will explore the biological function and mechanism of this novel target, which is expressed on myeloid cells and macrophages in various cancers. The expanded research plan is intended to further evaluate and validate the role of the target in various tumors.

07:10 EDT Amicus on track to complete rolling BLA submission of AT-GAA in Q2

07:06 EDT TG Therapeutics announces 2021 key objectives - Remaining Key Objectives for 2021: Focus on the commercialization of UKONIQ in relapsed/refractory MZL and FL and expand commercialization capabilities in preparation for a potential launch of U2 for CLL and ublituximab in MS; Submit a BLA for ublituximab for the treatment of patients with RMS in Q3 2021, based on positive results from the ULTIMATE I & II Phase 3 trials; Receive notification from the FDA that the BLA for U2 in CLL has been accepted for filing and work closely with the Agency on its review of the application; Enroll into the newly launched ULTRA-V Phase 3 trial evaluating the triple combination of U2 plus venetoclax; Continue to advance our early pipeline candidates including TG-1501 (cosibelimab), TG-1701 and TG-1801.

07:04 EDT Marriott reports Q1 comparable systemwide constant dollar RevPAR down 59.1% - First quarter 2021 comparable systemwide constant dollar RevPAR declined 59.1% worldwide, 57.1% in the U.S. & Canada, and 64.1% in international markets, compared to the 2019 first quarter. The company added more than 23,500 rooms globally during the first quarter, including nearly 12,000 rooms in international markets and a total of about 7,300 conversion rooms; At quarter end, Marriott's worldwide development pipeline totaled over 2,800 properties and approximately 491,000 rooms, including roughly 18,000 rooms approved, but not yet subject to signed contracts. More than 222,000 rooms in the pipeline were under construction as of the end of the 2021 first quarter.

07:03 EDT Marriott says COVID-19 to 'continue to be material' to company's results - Due to the numerous uncertainties associated with COVID-19, Marriott cannot presently estimate the impact of this unprecedented situation on its future results, which is highly dependent on the severity and duration of the pandemic and its impacts, but expects that COVID-19 will continue to be material to the company's results.

06:52 EDT Eagle Pharmaceuticals files for approval of Treakysm formulation in Japan - Eagle Pharmaceuticals announced that Treakisym RI liquid formulation has been filed with the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency in Japan. The application is based on the results of clinical studies investigating the safety and pharmacokinetics of Treakisym RTD administered by 10-minute intravenous infusion. In September 2017, Eagle licensed to SymBio intellectual property necessary to develop, market and sell RTD and RI formulations of bendamustine under the trade name Treakisym in Japan utilizing Eagle's proprietary technology. As part of the agreement, SymBio assumed responsibility for securing regulatory approval of the Treakisym RTD and RI products using the licensed technology in Japan.

06:49 EDT BWX Technologies signs long-term agreement with Boston Scientific - BWX Technologies (BWXT) subsidiary BWXT Medical, a global supplier of medical isotopes and radiopharmaceuticals, has entered into a new long-term, mutually exclusive agreement to manufacture TheraSphere Y-90 Glass Microspheres for Boston Scientific (BSX), a global medical device company. Developed for the treatment of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, TheraSphere treatment is comprised of millions of glass microspheres containing radioactive Yttrium-90, which are delivered directly to liver tumors via catheter and result in minimal exposure to surrounding healthy tissue. Under the terms of the agreement, BWXT Medical will invest to automate the production process at its Ottawa, Canada facility, and increase capacity for a global demand for TheraSphere.

06:46 EDT US Foods reports Q1 total case volume down 0.9% - For Q1: Total case volume decreased 0.9%; independent restaurant case volume increased 8.1%. Total organic case volume decreased 6.4%; organic independent restaurant case volume increased 0.2%.

06:41 EDT McEwen Mining reports exploration & delineation results - McEwen Mining reported exploration results from the ongoing drilling at the Stock West project near Timmins, Ontario. The Stock West target, initially discovered in late-2019, is being drill-tested as part of a fully funded two-year $20M exploration and delineation program at the Fox Complex. Drilling is designed to support a Preliminary Economic Assessment, currently underway, to evaluate the potential of expanding mining operations. The company also updated progress on the $5M drilling program at the Gold Bar mine property near Eureka, Nevada, where new results support confidence in the geological and mineral resource model. A new drill result from the San Jose Property in Argentina may have meaningful implications for ongoing exploration. Results including true width intervals of 6.08 g/t Au over 25.7 m at Stock West, 3.40 g/t Au over 24.3 m at Gold Bar, and 62.5 g/t Au & 5,571 g/t Ag over 2.0 m at San Jose.

06:36 EDT Centogene extends ROPAD study - Centogene announced that it has extended the Rostock International Parkinson's Disease Study. Having recently met the milestone of recruiting and performing genetic testing of 10,000 participants, the study now aims to recruit and test an additional 2,500 patients by the end of 2021 - helping to generate insights into one of Centogene's key prioritized diseases. Based on initial findings, the study will focus its efforts on 40 sites across 11 countries, including Brazil, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the U.S.

06:35 EDT Liquidia Technologies resubmits NDA for LIQ861 to FDA - Liquidia announced that on May 7, it resubmitted its New Drug Application for LIQ861 for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension. The U.S. FDA issued a Complete Response Letter regarding the NDA in November 2020 indicating that the application was incomplete and not ready for approval in its present form. Liquidia and the FDA held a Type A meeting in January 2021 to discuss the CRL and the requirements for the NDA resubmission. The resubmitted NDA includes additional information and clarification on chemistry, manufacturing, and controls pertaining to the drug product as well as data on device biocompatibility. No additional data from clinical trials or studies related to toxicology or clinical pharmacology was required. The company anticipates that the FDA will classify the resubmitted NDA, if accepted, as a Class 2 Resubmission, which would result in a six-month review cycle from the date of resubmission. In addition to the items identified in the CRL, the FDA also confirmed the need to conduct on-site pre-approval inspections. The FDA noted it had been unable to conduct these inspections in 2020 during the initial review cycle due to COVID-19 related travel restrictions. The company remains prepared to conduct these inspections at any time.

06:26 EDT Ideaya Biosciences announces dose expansion for darovasertib, crizotinib trial - Ideaya Biosciences (IDYA) announced dose expansion of the ongoing Phase 1/2 study evaluating the combination of darovasertib and crizotinib in metastatic uveal melanoma, or MUM. Ideaya is the sponsor of this combination study, which is being conducted pursuant to a clinical trial collaboration and supply agreement with Pfizer (PFE). Darovasertib is Ideaya's clinical stage protein kinase C, or PKC, inhibitor and crizotinib is a cMET inhibitor to which Pfizer has exclusive worldwide rights.

06:11 EDT Aurinia Pharmaceuticals: AURORA 1 Phase 3 study results published in The Lancet - Aurinia Pharmaceuticals announced that The Lancet published the results of the company's Phase 3 AURORA 1 study evaluating LUPKYNIS (voclosporin) in adults with lupus nephritis. The AURORA 1 study results demonstrate that LUPKYNIS in combination with mycophenolate mofetil and low-dose corticosteroids led to statistically superior complete renal response rates at 52 weeks compared to treatment with MMF and low-dose corticosteroids alone, with a comparable safety profile. In fact, separation in efficacy between treatment groups was observed as early as 4 weeks. MMF and corticosteroids are typical SoC immunosuppressive agents used for the treatment of LN. On January 22, the U.S. FDA approved LUPKYNIS in combination with a background immunosuppressive therapy regimen to treat adult patients with active LN.

06:09 EDT Checkmate Pharmaceuticals announces supply pact with Regeneron - Checkmate Pharmaceuticals (CMPI) announced the development program expansion of vidutolimod into non-melanoma skin cancers in combination with Libtayo under a clinical supply agreement with Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (REGN). Vidutolimod is an advanced generation Toll-like receptor 9 agonist, delivered as a biologic virus-like particle utilizing a CpG-A oligodeoxynucleotide as a key component. Cemiplimab is a PD-1 blocking antibody being jointly developed by Regeneron and Sanofi (SNY). Checkmate and Regeneron will collaborate on a multi-indication, Phase 2, proof-of-concept clinical trial of vidutolimod in combination with cemiplimab in the following patient cohorts: (a) PD-1 treatment-naive subjects with cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC), (b) subjects with cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC) that is refractory to PD-1 blockade, and (c) subjects with Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) that is refractory to PD-1 blockade. Checkmate will be the sponsor of the clinical trial, and Regeneron will supply cemiplimab.

06:02 EDT Descartes Systems acquires Portrix for $26.7M - Descartes Systems announced that it has acquired Portrix Logistics Software, a provider of multimodal rate management solutions for logistics services providers. Headquartered in Germany, Portrix has been helping its customers, which include some of the world's largest LSPs, streamline and automate complex global shipping rate management processes for more than 10 years. Descartes acquired Portrix for approximately $26.7M, satisfied from cash on hand.

05:47 EDT BrightSphere to sell 75.1% ownership interest in TSW to Pendal Group for $240M - BrightSphere announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to sell its 75.1% ownership interest in Thompson, Siegel Walmsley, or TSW, to Pendal Group for $240M. As part of the transaction, Pendal will additionally acquire the 24.9% ownership interest in TSW held by the TSW management team, resulting in Pendal acquiring 100% of TSW for total consideration of approximately $320M. In addition to acquiring BrightSphere's equity interest in TSW, Pendal has also agreed to acquire BrightSphere's seed capital in TSW strategies, which had a book value of approximately $14M as of April 30. BrightSphere anticipates total after-tax proceeds from the transaction of approximately $196M, including proceeds from the return of its seed capital. The transaction is subject to customary regulatory approvals and closing conditions and is anticipated to close in Q3.

05:37 EDT Mattel launches Mattel PlayBack toy takeback program - Mattel announced the launch of Mattel PlayBack, a toy takeback program that will enable families to extend the life of their Mattel toys once they are finished playing with them. The new program is designed to recover and reuse materials from old Mattel toys for future Mattel products, and supports the company's goal to achieve 100% recycled, recyclable or bio-based plastic materials across all products and packaging by 2030.

05:28 EDT Masimo announces O3 Regional Oximetry study findings published - Masimo announced the findings of a study published in the Journal of Anesthesia & Clinical Research in which Debdipta Das and colleagues at Medical College Kolkata in India evaluated the utility of Masimo O3 Regional Oximetry to aid in monitoring septic shock patients admitted to the ICU. O3, available on the Masimo Root Patient Monitoring and Connectivity Platform, uses noninvasive near-infrared spectroscopy, or NIRS, to enable monitoring of regional oxygen saturation, or rSO2, in the region of interest, such as the brain or cerebral tissue, or CrSO2. The researchers found that O3 trends correlated significantly with a variety of other hemodynamic variables and lactic acid levels commonly used in the monitoring of septic shock patients. They also found rSO2 values differed significantly between patients who survived and those who did not, suggesting it may have value as a predictor of mortality in septic shock patients. Noting the value of assessing tissue perfusion to aid in the management of hemodynamically challenged ICU patients, the researchers sought to evaluate whether noninvasive cerebral regional oxygen saturation monitoring might prove a viable adjunct or alternative to methods that may be affected by the patient's baseline condition and invasive methods, which carry a host of limitations. To do so, they monitored 40 adult patients, diagnosed with septic shock and admitted to the Critical Care Unit, with Masimo O3 and a variety of other measurements every six hours for 72 hours after admission. The researchers found that O3 cerebral oxygenation trends correlated significantly with other parameters commonly used in monitoring septic shock patients. There was a significant negative correlation between cerebral rSO2 and lactic acid after the first six hours after admission. They also found significant positive correlations between cerebral rSO2 and central venous saturation, mean arterial pressure, and arterial oxygen saturation. Notably, the researchers found that survivors had a significant difference in cerebral rSO2 over the 72 hours after admission compared to non-survivors, suggesting that O3 rSO2 measured on cerebral tissue may have predictive value for mortality in septic shock patients. As part of the study, patients with cerebrovascular stroke, cerebral infarction, cerebral hemorrhage, convulsions, or paresis, as well as patients with a more than 10% difference in rSO2 values between the two sides of the brain, were excluded. The researchers concluded that Masimo O3 rSO2 on cerebral tissue "could be [a] parameter in patients with shock and it could have a prognostic value in mortality prediction and clinical outcome." They elaborated, "In the current study, we highlight other new advantages of NIRS monitoring in circulatory shock (septic) as a continuous monitor and as an outcome predictor. The most important observation from this study is the significant correlation between NIRS oximetry readings and hemodynamic variables, especially lactic acid [and] central venous oxygen saturation in patients experiencing shock. These data, therefore, propose a method for rapid and noninvasive assessment of circulatory status in patients experiencing shock."

05:17 EDT Cohu to divest PTG business to Mycronic for $125M in cash - Cohu announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement with Mycronic, a Swedish company engaged in the development, manufacture and marketing of production equipment, under which Mycronic will acquire atg Luther & Maelzer and other affiliated entities and assets related to Cohu's Printed Circuit Board Test Group, or PTG, business. The purchase price of approximately $125M will be paid in cash at close, subject to adjustment for certain closing accounts. Cohu intends to use the expected net cash proceeds of approximately $95M to $100M, after estimated transaction costs and taxes, to repay outstanding principal on its term loan facility. No regulatory approvals are expected to be required and the transaction is expected to be completed by the end of June, subject to customary closing conditions. The PTG business reported sales for the last twelve months, as of March 27 of $52.9M. Cohu does not expect to update its guidance for Q2 ending June 26.