Stockwinners Market Radar for May 25, 2021 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

19:02 EDT Oneok CEO Terry Spencer to retire on September 30, 2021 - Oneok (OKE) president and chief executive officer, Terry K. Spencer, announced that he will retire on September 30, 2021, after 20 years with the company, including more than seven years as president and CEO. Pierce H. Norton II, currently president and chief executive officer of ONE Gas, Inc. (OGS) will succeed Spencer as president and CEO of Oneok on June 28, 2021, at which time he will also join the ONEOK Board. Spencer will remain in his current role until Norton rejoins Oneok, at which time he will become an Advisor to Norton, allowing for a smooth leadership transition. Spencer will continue as a member of the ONEOK board of directors until his retirement. "The Board of Directors and I would like to thank Terry for his leadership as our CEO these past seven years and his dedication to ONEOK these last two decades," said John W. Gibson, Chair of the ONEOK Board of Directors. "Under Terry's leadership, the company has experienced tremendous growth and success, even through unprecedented challenges, and is well positioned for years to come."

18:10 EDT Larimar Therapeutics trading resumes

17:42 EDT Larimar Therapeutics trading halted, news dissemination

17:37 EDT Union Pacific sets accelerated share repurchase programs for $2B of common stock - On May 25, Union Pacific established accelerated share repurchase programs with each of Bank of America and Morgan Stanley & Co. to repurchase an aggregate of $2B of the company's shares of common stock. Approximately 7,209,156 shares of common stock repurchased under the ASRs will be received by the company on May 26, 2021.

17:18 EDT Boeing awarded $101.73M Air Force contract modification - Boeing has been awarded a $101.73M modification to a contract for KC-46 engineering, manufacturing, and development contract. This modification provides for the exercise of option five for interim contractor support and the exercise of the options for logistics service representatives/field service representatives support for Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina. Work will be performed in Seattle, Washington; and Seymour Johnson AFB, and is expected to be completed June 27, 2022. FY21 aircraft procurement funds in the full amount are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center is the contracting activity.

17:12 EDT Huntington, TCF receive all required regulatory approvals for pending merger - Huntington Bancshares Incorporated (HBAN) and TCF Financial Corporation (TCF) jointly announced that the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, with input from the United States Department of Justice's Antitrust Division, have approved the proposed merger of Huntington and TCF and of The Huntington National Bank and TCF National Bank. In connection with the proposed merger, TCF National Bank has entered into a definitive purchase and assumption agreement to sell 14 banking centers in Michigan to Horizon Bank, the wholly owned subsidiary of Michigan City, IN-based Horizon Bancorp, Inc. (HBNC). The branches, with approximately $975M in total deposits and approximately $275M in total loans, are being divested in satisfaction of commitments to the DOJ and the Federal Reserve Board in connection with Huntington's proposed acquisition of TCF.

17:08 EDT Assurant COO sells over 40,000 common shares - In a regulatory filing, Assurant COO Gene Mergelmeyer disclosed the sale of 40,647 common shares of the company on May 24 at a price of $159.3826 per share.

17:03 EDT Nabriva jumps 28% to nearly $2 after Lefamulin meets primary endpoint in study

17:02 EDT Nabriva, Sinovant say Lefamulin met primary endpoint in Phase 3 bridging study - Sinovant Sciences and Nabriva Therapeutics announced positive topline results from Sinovant's Phase 3 bridging study of lefamulin in Chinese adults with community acquired bacterial pneumonia. Sinovant's multi-center, randomized, double-blind trial was designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of intravenous to oral lefamulin compared to IV/oral moxifloxacin in 125 subjects with CABP. Subjects were randomized 2:1 to lefamulin and moxifloxacin and stratified by prior antibiotic exposure, pneumonia severity index risk class, and renal impairment. Study drugs were dosed in double-dummy double-blinded fashion. Lefamulin met the primary endpoint of non-inferiority vs. moxifloxacin for Investigator Assessment of Clinical Response at Test of Cure in the modified intent to treat population, with success rates of 76.8% for lefamulin and 71.4% for moxifloxacin. This finding was consistent across subgroups. On the key secondary endpoint of IACR-TOC in the clinically evaluable population, success rates were 86.0% and 86.2% in the lefamulin and moxifloxacin arms, respectively. These results are similar to those observed in the global Phase 3 LEAP 1 and LEAP 2 clinical trials conducted by Nabriva.

16:49 EDT GreenBox announces partnership with isMedia for NFT platform - GreenBox announced a partnership with isMedia, a manufacturer of electromagnetic measurement, testing, and analysis instruments, to jointly develop a blockchain-based NFT, non-fungible token, platform. Under the terms of the agreement, the companies will cooperate to build an NFT platform for blockchain settled virtual asset trading. GreenBox will provide payment gateways and payment settlement solutions for the platform while isMedia develops the NFT platform user interface and user experience.

16:35 EDT Toll Brothers reports Q2 total home sales 2,271 vs. 1,923 last year - Q2 Net signed contract value was $3.05 billion, up 97% from last year. Q2 contracted homes were 3,487, up 85% from last year. Q2 backlog value was $8.69B, up 58% from last year; homes in backlog were 10,104, up 57% from last year. Q2 home sales gross margin was 21.9% vs. 19.5% last year.

16:33 EDT Toll Brothers sees Q3 deliveries 2,675

16:32 EDT Toll Brothers CEO says continuing to raise prices in excess of cost increases - CEO Douglas Yearley says: "Our business continues to operate at a very high level. With strong demand and constrained industry-wide supply, we have continued to raise prices in excess of cost increases while setting all-time records for contracts and backlog in both units and dollars, and exceeding our guidance on nearly every metric. These exceptional results reflect the strategic expansion of our product lines and geographies, as well as structural changes we have made in how we operate to focus on driving sustainable increases in profit margins and return on equity. Based on the land we currently control, we are projecting community count growth to 340 communities at fiscal year end, with an additional 10% growth in fiscal 2022. We are encouraged by the continued strength of the housing market, which is supported by a long-term supply-demand imbalance, favorable demographics, especially the drive to home ownership among millennials, low mortgage rates, and the greater overall appreciation for one's home that has emerged out of the pandemic. These market conditions, which we expect to continue into the foreseeable future, play to our strengths of creating luxury communities in desirable locations, offering a broad range of price points, and providing our home buyers the ability to personalize their homes. Based on the strength of our outlook for the remainder of this year and beyond, we are raising our fiscal year 2021 guidance on nearly all key metrics. We expect continued margin improvement through the second half of fiscal 2021 as well as in 2022, and we project return on beginning equity in excess of 20% in fiscal 2022."

16:30 EDT Snap names Darcie Henry chief HR officer - Snap announced that Darcie Henry will join the company as Chief Human Resources Officer on July 6, 2021, reporting to CEO Evan Spiegel. The appointment follows Snap's current Chief People Officer Lara Sweet's decision in March 2021 to retire. In this role Henry will lead Snap's talent acquisition and management and total rewards programs, its diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, as well as other functions in support of hiring, retaining and inspiring team members at Snap. "Darcie's experience leading large, rapidly growing teams around the world will be a tremendous asset to Snap, and her humble, kind approach is the perfect fit for our culture," commented Spiegel. "We are confident that Snap will benefit from her many talents and we can't wait for her to get started."

16:27 EDT Fortress Transportation , Jefferson Energy complete Paline pipeline - Fortress Transportation and Infrastructure Investors (FTAI) and Jefferson Energy Companies are pleased to announce the successful completion of the Paline pipeline interconnection project. This project consisted of constructing approximately five miles of new 10-inch pipeline connecting the Paline pipeline into the Jefferson Energy terminal. The interconnection allows for ratable and efficient light crude oil pipeline movements from Cushing, Oklahoma to the Jefferson Energy terminal in Beaumont, Texas. As a result, numerous light grades of crude oil originating from the most prolific production basins in North America are available for customers at the Jefferson terminal. "In conjunction with Delek Logistics Partners (DKL) senior management and project teams, Jefferson Energy is excited to bring additional inbound pipeline crude oil optionality to customers at the Jefferson Energy terminal. This pipeline is the third successful pipeline project to be completed in the past five months and marks another example of providing efficient logistical solutions for our customers," said Matt Evans, Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer of Jefferson Energy. "Jefferson Energy and the FTAI team remain committed to providing additional opportunities for our current and future customers and to support the long-term vision of the Jefferson Energy terminal," said Joe Adams, FTAI Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "DKL is pleased to provide its Paline Pipeline Shippers with another delivery location in the Jefferson Energy terminal in Beaumont, Texas. This new connection allows for barrels to flow from DKL's strategically located Longview, Texas assets, connecting both the prolific Permian Basin and the strategic Cushing, Oklahoma storage hub to US Gulf Coast markets," said Uzi Yemin, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Delek US Holdings.

16:26 EDT Frequency Electronics awarded $3M follow-on order for g-compensated OCXO - Frequency Electronics announced the award of a follow-on order for g-compensated oven controlled quartz oscillators, or OCXO, valued at approximately $3M. These oscillators are a component of U.S. Government communications system installed on a variety of military platforms. Contract period of performance is approximately twenty two months. Further details of the contract are not being released.

16:24 EDT Electronic Arts CEO Andrew Wilson succeeds Larry Probst as board chairman

16:23 EDT Nordstrom drops 5% to $34.70 after Q1 results, FY21 guidance

16:20 EDT Urban Outfitters jumps over 4% to $36.57 after Q1 earnings beat

16:18 EDT ISS recommends Leaf Group holders approve acquisition by Graham Holdings - Leaf Group (LEAF) announced that Institutional Shareholder Services has recommended shareholders vote to approve its merger agreement with Graham Holdings Company (GHC). Deborah A. Benton, Leaf Group's Chair of the Board, commented: "Leaf Group is pleased that ISS has recognized the significant immediate and certain value this transaction offers our shareholders. Their analysis supports the Board of Directors' conclusion that this merger agreement is a categorically better outcome for Leaf Group's shareholders than the potential value that might be generated through continued standalone operation. The Board continues to unanimously recommend that the company's shareholders vote to approve the merger agreement."

16:16 EDT Curtiss-Wright awarded U.S. Navy contracts valued in excess of $130M - Curtiss-Wright announced that it has been awarded contracts valued in excess of $130M to provide propulsion valves, pumps and advanced instrumentation and control systems for the U.S. Navy's Virginia-class nuclear powered attack submarine, Columbia-class submarine and Ford-class aircraft carrier programs. The awards were received from Bechtel Plant Machinery and General Dynamics Electric Boat to support ship construction, spare parts and submarine back-fit procurements.

16:12 EDT Nordstrom CEO says 'encouraged' by sales trends - "We are encouraged by sales trends both in our stores and our digital business, supported by an improving consumer environment and strong execution," said Erik Nordstrom, CEO of Nordstrom,. "Looking ahead to summer, we are well-positioned to continue to capitalize on pent-up demand, and are further strengthening our position as we execute on our strategy to win in our most important markets, broaden the reach of Nordstrom Rack and increase our digital velocity." Sales benefited from improving trends in categories such as occasion-based apparel, handbags, sunglasses and swimwear, while home, active, designer and beauty categories continued to perform well. The company expanded its assortment in both Nordstrom and Nordstrom Rack, while also reducing its inventory overage from the end of the fourth quarter of fiscal 2020 faster than expected. The company is balancing inventory levels with sales while managing receipt flows to mitigate potential supply chain disruptions as the year progresses. "We are continuing to serve our long-time and new customers on their terms, with highly relevant and current product, more choices and better service, allowing us to deliver on our commitment to get 'closer to you'," said Pete Nordstrom, president and chief brand officer of Nordstrom. "With the efforts of our incredible employees and close partnership with our vendors, we have aligned inventories with current sales trends and are energized by the momentum we're seeing in the business and the plans we have for a strong Anniversary Sale."

16:12 EDT Xpel acquires PermaPlate Film for $30M in cash - XPEL announced the acquisition of PermaPlate Film LLC, a distributor and installer of automotive window films serving dealerships across the United States. PermaPlate Film supplies mid-range dealerships primarily engaged in high-volume window film installation. Serving several hundred dealerships across the country, the addition of PermaPlate Film strengthens XPEL's market presence, enhances its geographic footprint and accelerates the Company's penetration into the mid-range segment of the market. On a full-year basis, PermaPlate Film would add approximately $25.0 million in revenue for 2021. After integration, the Company expects full-year post-synergy earnings before interest, taxes and depreciation of approximately $6.0 million which the Company expects to occur on a run-rate basis starting in Q4 2021. The Company also expects to incur approximately $0.5 million in acquisition and integration related charges in 2021. XPEL is acquiring PermaPlate Film for $30 million in cash, subject to customary adjustments. XPEL is funding the transaction with existing cash on hand.

16:09 EDT Travere gives regulatory update on sparsentan program in FSGS - Travere Therapeutics provided a regulatory update for its sparsentan program in focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, FSGS. Following achievement of the interim proteinuria endpoint in the ongoing Phase 3 DUPLEX Study of sparsentan in FSGS, the Company conducted pre-New Drug Application interactions with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in pursuit of an accelerated approval submission in the U.S., and Marketing Authorization Application pre-submission interactions with the European Medicines Agency for conditional marketing authorization and accelerated assessment consideration in Europe. In recently received final pre-NDA meeting minutes, the FDA acknowledged the high unmet need for approved therapies for the treatment of FSGS but indicated the available data from the interim assessment of the DUPLEX Study would not be adequate to support an accelerated approval at this time. Based upon this feedback, the Company no longer expects to submit for accelerated approval for FSGS in the U.S. during the second half of 2021. The FDA has indicated that it may be possible to submit an application for accelerated approval after additional data accrue in the study. Subject to further discussion with the FDA, the Company believes that it may be possible to provide sufficient additional estimated glomerular filtration (eGFR) data from the DUPLEX Study in the first half of 2022. The FDA has encouraged the Company to request a follow-up meeting to further explore this option in greater detail, and a Type A meeting is expected to occur in the third quarter of 2021. "We remain very confident in the profile of sparsentan and believe it supports the ability to ultimately become a new treatment standard for FSGS, but we are disappointed that we will not be able to submit for accelerated approval this year and deliver it to patients on our original targeted timeline," said Eric Dube, Ph.D., chief executive officer of Travere Therapeutics. "Based upon our ongoing dialogue with FDA, we believe the eGFR data need to further mature to support our New Drug Application for accelerated approval in this indication. We remain optimistic that we still have a potential opportunity to pursue a path to an accelerated approval submission in the U.S. next year. We look forward to continuing our collaborative discussions with the FDA and providing a further update in the third quarter of this year." The Company also conducted initial MAA pre-submission interactions with the EMA. In that meeting, the Company received administrative support for proceeding as planned with a conditional marketing authorization submission in the second half of 2021. The agency also provided direction on administrative and regulatory topics, as well as guidance for upcoming discussions with assigned rapporteurs and co-rapporteurs. As a result of these interactions, the Company will continue its preparations for an MAA submission of sparsentan in FSGS and seek confirmation of its plans with the assigned rapporteurs and co-rapporteurs in an upcoming meeting.

16:08 EDT Nordstrom reports Q1 digital sales up 28% vs. 1Q19 - Represented 46% of total sales.

16:05 EDT DOJ requires divestitures in Huntington Bancshares' acquisition of TCF Financial - The Department of Justice announced that Huntington Bancshares (HBAN) and TCF Financial (TCF) have agreed to sell 13 branches in Michigan, with approximately $872.3M in deposits, to resolve antitrust concerns arising from Huntington's planned acquisition of TCF Bank. The divested assets include all of the deposits and loans associated with the divested branches, as well as the physical assets. "Under the agreement with the Justice Department, the parties will divest branches in Michigan, located in Arenac, Charlevoix, Crawford, Newaygo, Otsego, Mecosta, Shiawassee, Wexford and Missaukee counties, and in the City of Midland. The companies also have agreed to suspend existing, and not to enter into new, non-compete agreements with branch managers and loan officers located in the divestiture counties for a period of 180 days following the consummation of their merger. Further, the companies have agreed that any traditional branches located in any overlap market in Michigan and Ohio that are closed within three years of the merger's closing will be sold or leased to an insured depository institution that offers deposit and credit services to small businesses. As a result of the acquisition, Huntington will become the 25th largest bank holding company based on assets," the DOJ said. The proposed merger is subject to the final approval of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. Reference Link

16:02 EDT LHC Group to acquire Heart 'n Home Hospice in Idaho, terms not disclosed - LHC Group announced it has agreed to purchase Heart 'n Home Hospice, headquartered in Fruitland, Idaho. The acquisition marks the company's initial entry into hospice services in the state of Oregon and expands its existing hospice footprint in Idaho. The acquisition includes three hospice providers with a total of six locations in southwestern Idaho - complementing the company's current operations in the northern and southeastern part of the state - and four locations in central and eastern Oregon. The providers will continue to operate under the Heart 'n Home Hospice and Treasure Valley Hospice names. The agreement is expected to close on July 1, subject to customary closing conditions. LHC Group expects annualized revenue from this purchase of approximately $20M and that it will not materially affect its 2021 diluted earnings per share.

15:36 EDT Retractable Technologies to receive more funding from U.S. government - Retractable Technologies Inc. announced that it has entered into an amendment to the Technology Investment Agreement with the U.S. government providing $27,365,232 in additional funding. The amendment calls for an increase in existing domestic manufacturing capabilities by a minimum of 50% in order to meet ongoing and future U.S. COVID-19 medical countermeasures demands. In order to satisfy this new objective, Retractable is directed to increase U.S. production of 1mL low dead-space safety syringes by installing new assembly lines and further expanding a portion of its facilities in Little Elm, Texas. The scheduled end date for the modification effort is January 31, 2022. Under the Technology Investment Agreement signed in July 2020, the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, part of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services worked with the Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense and the Army Contracting Command to provide approximately $53.6 million to expand Retractable's manufacturing capacity for safety needles and syringes in support of the COVID-19 pandemic.

15:00 EDT Moxian Inc trading halted, volatility trading pause

14:50 EDT Power REIT trading resumes

14:21 EDT DXC reports 7-year IT services agreement extension by Flemish Government - DXC Technology announced that it has been awarded a new 7-year IT services agreement extension by the Flemish Government to "continue supporting the Government's transformation journey and efforts to respond to citizens' needs through innovative and reliable public services." The company said: "As the volume of transactions increases with more consumer-driven demands for information, DXC will help the Flemish Government to lower total costs and improve mainframe operations, security, performance, capacity and processing efficiency."

13:55 EDT LeMaitre regains CE marks on five devices - LeMaitre announced that it received CE marks under the European Medical Devices Directive for the following five products. Marks for the five products had previously lapsed due to a change in notified bodies. Products: XenoSure Biologic Patches, expires May 26, 2024; AlboGraft Polyester Vascular Grafts, expires May 26, 2024; Pruitt Carotid Shunts, expires May 24, 2024; Flexcel Carotid Shunts, expires May 24, 2024; AnastoClip Closure Systems, expires May 24, 2024 The indications for use under the new CE mark for XenoSure no longer include neuro or cardiac applications, indications for which the product was approved under its prior CE mark. Additionally, only XenoSure made from bovine pericardium sourced from certain of our suppliers is permitted to be sold under the new CE mark.

12:32 EDT Atlas Air names Duncan McNabb as chairman as William Flynn retires - Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings announced changes to its Board of Directors. General Duncan J. McNabb, U.S. Air Force, previously Lead Independent Director of the Board, has been named Chairman. General McNabb succeeds William J. Flynn, who is retiring from the Board. Current Board member, Jane H. Lute, is also retiring. The company confirmed that Beverly K. Goulet and Carol J. Zierhoffer have been elected to the Board of Directors during the Annual Shareholder Meeting today. These changes are effective immediately. The total number of Board members remains consistent at ten.

12:01 EDT Keysight Technologies acquires Quantum Benchmark, terms not disclsosed - Keysight Technologies announced it has acquired Quantum Benchmark, a leader in error diagnostics, error suppression and performance validation software for quantum computing. Based in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, Quantum Benchmark was a privately held company backed by venture funds VanEdge Capital and Quantonation. Quantum Benchmark provides software solutions for improving and validating quantum computing hardware capabilities by identifying and overcoming the unique error challenges required for high-impact quantum computing. The company said, "Quantum Benchmark's technology improves the quality of the qubits across all quantum hardware platforms and delivers solutions at both ends of the quantum market. It helps quantum hardware makers design better qubits and helps quantum end-users stabilize the performance of those qubits for their specific use-cases. Quantum Benchmark's technology is based on years of research by several of the world's leading experts in quantum computing at the University of Waterloo's Institute for Quantum Computing. The acquisition of Quantum Benchmark supports Keysight's goal to deliver a comprehensive quantum portfolio addressing customer needs across the physical, protocol, and application layers. Quantum Benchmark represents Keysight's third acquisition in the quantum space after Signadyne in 2016 and Labber Quantum in 2019. "

12:00 EDT Dycom falls -11.1% - Dycom is down -11.1%, or -$9.21 to $73.83.

12:00 EDT TAL Education rises 14.9% - TAL Education is up 14.9%, or $5.31 to $40.88.

12:00 EDT RYB Education rises 17.2% - RYB Education is up 17.2%, or 60c to $4.10.

11:57 EDT Fluor achieves construction delivery scope for BHP's South Flank project - Fluor Corporation's (FLR) Mining & Metals business announced that its construction delivery scope has been achieved on budget and on schedule for BHP's (BHP) $3.6B South Flank iron ore project contributing to the delivery of first ore. Fluor provided engineering, procurement and construction management support on the project, which includes an 80-million-ton-per-year crushing and screening plant, state-of-the-art overland conveyor systems and rail-loading facilities. Construction began in July 2018.

11:43 EDT Ackman: No change in timeline for Pershing Square Tontine Holdings deal

11:42 EDT Pershing Square: Pershing Square Tontine working to complete transaction - Pershing Square's Bill Ackman says Pershing Square Tontine Holdings is working to complete a transaction "within a couple of weeks."

11:34 EDT Qualcomm, Microsoft collaborate over Windows 10 on Arm-based developer kit - Qualcomm (QCOM) announced yesterday the Qualcomm Snapdragon Developer Kit, which is designed to enable extended support for independent software vendors and application developers to test and optimize their applications for the growing ecosystem of devices powered by Snapdragon compute platforms. Built in collaboration with Microsoft (MSFT), this Windows 10 on Arm-based developer kit is a cost-effective resource for developers to verify and validate their solutions to help ensure great user experiences for working, learning, and collaborating on Snapdragon-enabled Windows 10 PCs. "We have a proud history of creating helpful developer tools in coordination with Microsoft, and the Snapdragon Developer Kit is the latest outcome of that collaboration," said Miguel Nunes, Senior Director, Product Management, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. "This developer kit provides an affordable alternative to other consumer and commercial devices. With the smaller desktop configuration, this kit gives developers more flexibility than notebook options, and at a lower price point. We remain committed to helping developers address requests from customers, while reducing the overall cost of deployment."

11:14 EDT Pershing Square: 'Lots of green shoots' in Hilton's business, industry

11:07 EDT Pershing Square: Large and persistent revenue gap between Lowe's and Home Depot

11:03 EDT Pershing Square: Macro envrionment 'attractive' for Lowe's - Comments taken from Pershing Square Capital Management's Q1 earnings conference call.

10:32 EDT AutoZone sees 'similar' margin performance in Q4 - Comments taken from Q3 earnings conference call.

10:22 EDT Ameresco, Fort Hunter Liggett partner for sustainable microgrid project - Ameresco announced the upcoming groundbreaking of its electrical distribution microgrid at Fort Hunter Liggett. To support USAG Fort Hunter Liggett's goals to achieve Net Zero Energy, while also attaining U.S. Army Directives to achieve Critical Mission Resiliency, the $21.6 million project will include the design and installation of a secure, islandable and autonomous microgrid with controls and interconnection for new and existing generation and storage systems at the 165,000-acre U.S. Army Reserve training center. Construction groundbreaking of the project marks a significant step forward for the Army base and works toward its goal of reaching net-zero energy use by 2022. The new microgrid system will improve energy security for Fort Liggett by separating it from more vulnerable external systems in the event of a loss of utility grid power. It will also enable the base to only deploy as much energy as is needed thanks to the addition of the system's 3.75MW photovoltaic generation, 5MWh batteries, and Microgrid Control System. Ameresco will upgrade the existing customer distribution system that includes automating medium voltage switches, so Fort Hunter Liggett's facility managers can easily and efficiently control energy intake at various buildings at the facility.

10:09 EDT Retractable Technologies receives $27.3M from DOD for syringe, needle production - The Department of Defense, in coordination with the Department of Health and Human Services, signed an agreement with Retractable Technologies to expand the production of the low dead-space, or LDS, safety syringes and needles. Government funding allocated was $27.3M. LDS syringes maximize dose efficiency and allow for additional vaccinations to be obtained from vials. The utilization of LDS syringes will allow access to 20% more COVID-19 vaccine doses compared to non-LDS syringes. The investment will enable Retractable Technologies to install two additional automated LDS safety syringe assembly lines at its manufacturing facility in Little Elm, Texas. The two additional assembly lines will enable the company to increase U.S. production capacity of LDS safety syringes by approximately 75%. Reference Link

10:03 EDT LKQ Corp. acquires Green Bean Battery, terms not disclosed - LKQ Corporation announced that it has acquired the business and assets of Green Bean Battery. Founded in 2016, Green Bean is a hybrid battery reconditioner and installer, which has developed a proprietary hybrid battery reconditioning process that creates a more reliable battery while simultaneously extending its useful life. Green Bean acquires hybrid battery cores from multiple sources, including LKQ, and reconditions them at its state-of-the-art facilities across eight trading zones located throughout the United States. As a full-service provider, Green Bean installs its reconditioned batteries at its customers' preferred locations in each of these trading zones where LKQ operates today. Green Bean currently reconditions batteries for hybrid vehicles manufactured by Toyota, Honda, General Motors, Lexus, and Nissan. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

10:00 EDT Safe Bulkers falls -8.4% - Safe Bulkers is down -8.4%, or -37c to $4.04.

10:00 EDT Nieman Marcus falls -12.1% - Nieman Marcus is down -12.1%, or -$1.85 to $13.35.

10:00 EDT New Oriental Education rises 12.9% - New Oriental Education is up 12.9%, or $1.17 to $10.24.

09:53 EDT Sodexo, Athol Murray College renew partnership - Sodexo has been providing food services at Athol Murray College for 30 years. Within this renewed agreement, the company will have the mandate of renovating the dining hall to improve the quality of life and experience of 250 students on site, 7 days a week. Students will enjoy a new food offer, Powering Performance, an educative program that empowers students to learn more about food and nutrition to make better food choices, in line with their needs and activities.

09:47 EDT John Bean Technologies falls -5.4% - John Bean Technologies is down -5.4%, or -$7.28 to $127.61.

09:47 EDT Virgin Galactic falls -6.8% - Virgin Galactic is down -6.8%, or -$1.82 to $25.07.

09:47 EDT TAL Education rises 9.2% - TAL Education is up 9.2%, or $3.29 to $38.86.

09:34 EDT Otis Worldwide appoints Abbe Luersman as Executive Vice President, CPO - Otis Worldwide (OTIS) announced that Abbe Luersman will join the company as Executive Vice President and Chief People Officer, or CPO, effective July 26. Luersman joins Otis from Ahold Delhaize (ADRNY) where she served as Chief Human Resources Officer. Luersman will become a member of the Otis Executive Leadership team, reporting directly to Otis President & CEO Judy Marks. She sits on the board of directors of Caroo. She is Co-Chair and on the board of directors for Gartner's CHRO Global Leadership Board and is Vice Chair and on the board of directors of the Network of Executive Women.

09:34 EDT Celanese to explore synergies with Nanoform in drug delivery - Nanoform Finland and Celanese announced plans to explore the synergies between their respective technologies in the field of nanoparticle-enabled drug delivery. "The goal is to assess the utility of combining Nanoform's nanoparticle platform technologies with Celanese's VitalDose EVA copolymer delivery technology for drug-eluting implants. The aims are to enable the development of next-generation drug delivery devices that support increased drug load and possess enhanced sustained release properties. Nanoform and Celanese intend to work on formulation development, leveraging each organization's unique formulation expertise," the companies stated.

09:30 EDT LPL Financial, INC advisors partner with Bergen Point Wealth Management - LPL Financial LLC announced that financial advisors Craig Zaleck and Mark Hogan of Bergen Point Wealth Management have joined LPL Financial's broker-dealer, corporate registered investment advisor and custodial platforms. They have aligned with Independent Network of Consultants & Advisors, an existing large enterprise serving LPL-affiliated advisors.. Scott Posner, LPL executive vice president, Business Development, said, "Our advisors are the focus of everything we do at LPL...We look forward to a long partnership with Bergen Point Wealth Management."

09:26 EDT EagleBank provides $26M in financing for Mazza Gallerie - EagleBank announced that it provided $26 million in acquisition financing to support the revitalization of Mazza Gallerie, a landmark retail space in the thriving Friendship Heights neighborhood. Tishman Speyer, a leading real estate developer and owner, is sole recipient of the loan and will spearhead redevelopment of the property.

09:24 EDT Sage Group launches first Sage Intacct data centre in Canada - Sage announced its new Sage Intacct Canada Data Centre leveraging Amazon Web Services. The in-country presence will help Sage Intacct customers scale and accelerate their digital transformation strategy, while complying with federal and provincial privacy legislation. Sage is leveraging the Amazon Web Services Canada Region in Montreal, setting up its first local presence and adding to the seven other regions where it operates globally. The in-country presence will allow Sage to help more customers in market with data residency requirements such as not-for-profit, healthcare, financial services, and the public sector.

09:19 EDT Auris Medical announces completion of conformity assessment for Benitro in EU - Auris Medical, and its affiliate Altamira Medica announced that it has successfully completed the conformity assessment procedure for marketing the Bentrio nasal spray in the member states of the European Union. The product, which is intended to help protect against airborne allergens and viruses, is considered a Class I medical device under the Medical Devices Directive. Bentrio therefore meets all essential requirements for marketing Bentrio across Europe under the so-called CE mark. The main content of the technical dossier for the European conformity assessment procedure for Bentrio will be used also for the submission of a 510k pre-market notification application to the Food and Drug Administration, together with some additional data. The company expects to file the submission package for the intended use in allergy with the FDA in early Q3 2021.

09:15 EDT Sumo Logic completes acqusition of DFLabs - Sumo Logic announced it has closed its acquisition of DF Labs S.p.A., a provider of Security Orchestration, Automation and Response software solution. The combination of Sumo Logic's Cloud SIEM built on the Continuous Intelligence Platform and DFLabs will provide customers of varying sizes and maturities with comprehensive cloud-native security intelligence solutions, that are built for today's digital businesses leveraging modern applications, architectures and multi-cloud infrastructures. With this news, Dario Forte, DFLabs founder and CEO, was named VP and General Manager of Orchestration and Automation, working within the Sumo Logic security business unit, continuing to oversee the entire DFLabs team. The addition of DFLabs employees will bolster Sumo Logic's global engineering and cybersecurity domain expertise, and adds Milan, Italy to the growing roster of offices around the world.

09:12 EDT Secure Sense chooses Fortinet Secure SD-WAN for managed service offerings - Secure Sense, a subsidiary of TELUS (TU), announced that Secure Sense has chosen Fortinet (FTNT) Secure SD-WAN to power the company's Secure SD-WAN managed services offerings. The services offer comprehensive built in high-performance security and SD-WAN in one solution, giving customers the ability to gain the benefits of improved connectivity experience and cost efficiencies of SD-WAN, while eliminating complexity and security gaps in the network. This new service is available to organizations across Canada from both Secure Sense and TELUS.

09:07 EDT Moleculin Biotech cleared to initiate Phase 1b/2 trial evaluating Annamycin - Moleculin Biotech announced it has received clearance to initiate its Phase 1b/2 clinical trial evaluating Annamycin for the treatment of soft tissue sarcoma lung metastases. The first of several planned clinical sites is now open and the company expects to begin patient enrollment. Based on a recently announced reimbursement grant awarded in Poland, the company also expects a second Phase 1b/2 clinical trial of Annamycin in sarcoma lung metastases to be initiated in 2021, which will be primarily investigator-funded in Europe. Annamycin has been granted Fast Track Status and Orphan Drug Designation from the U.S. FDA for the treatment of STS lung metastases.

09:06 EDT Lightspeed POS and BriteCo announce partnership - BriteCo jewelry insurance announced a partnership with Lightspeed. BriteCo's free, automated appraisal system integrates with Lightspeed allowing retail jewelers to save time and generate income in conducting and managing appraisals. Once an appraisal is finalized, retail jeweler customers receive a no obligation insurance quote directly from BriteCo that enables them to get their purchase covered in under five minutes.

09:06 EDT FTSE Russell to add Xiaomi, Luokung Technology back to global indexes - FTSE Russell said it will add Xiaomi (XIACF) and Luokung Technology (LKCO) back to its global indexes. FTSE Russell said Xiaomi Corporation will be re-added to FTSE GEIS and associated market capitalization weighted indexes in two tranches, with 50% added effective from the open on Monday June 7 and 50% added in conjunction with the June 2021 index review, effective from the open on Monday, June 21. Meanwhile, Luokung Technology will be re-added to FTSE GEIS in conjunction with the June 2021 review, effective from the open on Monday June 21. Reference Link

09:05 EDT Longeveron appoints Ursula Ungaro to board of directors - Longeveron announced that Ursula Ungaro will be joining its Board of Directors as of June 1, 2021. Ungaro was appointed to serve on the federal U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida in 1992 after being nominated by President George H.W. Bush and being confirmed by the U.S. Senate. After 29 years of federal service, Ms. Ungaro has announced that she will be retiring from the bench on May 31, 2021.

09:05 EDT ImmunityBio expands COVID-19 vaccine candidate trials - ImmunityBio announced two South African studies to examine the potential for using its hAd5 T-cell-based COVID-19 vaccine candidate to provide extended protection for subjects with prior COVID-19 vaccinations or infections. One trial will study the use of ImmunityBio's hAd5 candidate as a "Universal Boost" for healthcare workers previously vaccinated with a currently available spike-only antibody-based vaccine. The other will study the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine candidate intranasally in previously infected subjects. The multiple administration methods for the vaccine candidate offer the potential for protecting patients with a single jab followed by a nasal spray. The nasal spray and oral capsule routes also have the potential to provide mucosal immunity, which could reduce both the chance of infection and the potential spread of the virus via the respiratory tract. The first study, which will be conducted at the Khayelitsha Clinical Research Site in South Africa, will involve 40 subjects previously infected with SARS-CoV-2 and evaluate ImmunityBio's T-cell-based vaccine administered via multiple routes including an intranasal spray, sublingual, or SL, droplet, and subcutaneous, or SC, shot. The second study, which is currently under review by SAHPRA, is designed as a Phase 1/2 trial and will evaluate the vaccine candidate as a dual SC + SL boost in subjects who have been previously vaccinated with a currently available spike-only, antibody-based vaccine. The ImmunityBio "boost" could potentially provide subjects with longer-term protection and defend against the growing number of variants. The potential of a subcutaneous-plus-oral combination is currently under review in the U.S. and the final combination of route administration to achieve maximum humoral, T cell, mucosal, and memory cell immunity will be determined upon completion of these extensive studies. Upon completion of these trials, the optimal route of administration will be determined and a pivotal, Phase 3 "universal boost" trial involving 9,670 subjects will be activated across multiple sites.

09:03 EDT CollPlant announces uplisting to Nasdaq Global Market - CollPlant announced that its ordinary shares have been approved for trading on the Nasdaq Global Market under the company's current ticker symbol "CLGN" and will begin trading at the open of market on June 4. At such time, the company's American Depositary Shares will be mandatorily cancelled and exchanged for ordinary shares at a one-for-one ratio. Shareholders holding their ADSs in book-entry or through a bank, broker or other nominee form do not need to take any action in connection with the mandatory exchange.

08:56 EDT Eros International provides update on Eros Now - As of March 31, Eros Now had 39.9M total paid subscribers and 224M registered users worldwide. This represents 10.6M net new paid subscriber additions since March 31, 2020, an annual growth rate of 36.2%. Going forward, the company will concentrate its reporting and guidance on premium paid subscribers as Eros Now believes it is a more meaningful indicator of the platform's performance and economic vitality.

08:52 EDT Flora Growth announces appointment of Marc Mastronardi to board of directors - Flora Growth (FLGC) announced that it has appointed Marc Mastronardi, Chief Stores Officer of Macy's (M), to its board of directors. Prior to his current role, Mastronardi was Macy's Senior Vice President of Store Operations and Customer Experience. Mastronardi currently serves on the board of Delivering Good, NYC, the executive committee of the Fashion Scholarship Fund, and is the executive sponsor of the Macy's Working Families Employee Resource Group.

08:45 EDT Delta sees domestic leisure demand at 2019 levels in June

08:44 EDT Delta shares gain 2.6% in premarket trading after commenting on bookings

08:43 EDT Jones Soda engages broker Prime Sales & Marketing - Jones Soda (JSDA) announced that it has engaged the services of food broker Prime Sales & Marketing to expand its existing relationship with Walmart (WMT) as well as explore opportunities for placement in Sam's Club stores. The Prime team works exclusively with brands selling to the Walmart/Sam's Club organization, providing business development, account management and other services to drive both in-store and e-commerce sales. Prime will be working to increase Jones' brand assortment in-store, extend the relationship to mobile and online sales through Walmart's aggressive omnichannel program, and gain distribution in Sam's Club through Jones' multi-packs.

08:43 EDT Eastman to increase Naia filament production capacity at its Barcelona site - To serve rapidly growing customer demand Eastman is increasing its capacity to produce Naia filament yarn at its Barcelona site by 30% by mid-2021 and more than 50% by the end of 2022. The expansion will support new brand adoptions of Naia in womenswear fashion, where there is a growing demand for sustainable fibers.

08:37 EDT WisdomTree announces +Crypto Model Portfolios for advisors - WisdomTree Investments announced the WisdomTree +Crypto Model Portfolios. The WisdomTree +Crypto Model Portfolios are expected to be available for advisors to view as an educational resource, including via Onramp Invest, a financial technology start-up focused on integrating crypto assets into advisor workflows, with integration into Gemini, a leading crypto platform.

08:36 EDT Acer Therapeutics plans NDA submission of ACER-001 in Q3 - Acer Therapeutics (ACER) and RELIEF THERAPEUTICS (RLFTF) announced the outcome of Acer's pre-New Drug Application meeting with the Food and Drug Administration for ACER-001 for the treatment of Urea Cycle Disorders. ACER-001 is a proprietary immediate release multi-particulate powder formulation of sodium phenylbutyrate with a taste-masked coating. ACER-001 is being developed in collaboration with Relief. The purpose of the pre-NDA meeting was to discuss the content of Acer's planned NDA submission. Based on FDA feedback, the companies believe the proposed data package will be sufficient to support an NDA submission under the Section 505b2 regulatory pathway of ACER-001 for the treatment of patients with UCDs. Following NDA submission and FDA determination of acceptance for filing, the FDA will conduct a substantive review before deciding upon the action on the application. ACER-001 is an investigational product candidate which has not been approved by FDA. There can be no assurance that if submitted, an NDA will be accepted for filing and substantive review or, if filed, that an NDA would be approved.

08:34 EDT AutoNation opens first store in San Antonio - AutoNation announced the opening of AutoNation USA San Antonio, the first of five additional stores that the Company will open this year. AutoNation is targeting to have over 130 AutoNation USA stores in operation from coast-to-coast by the end of 2026. The AutoNation USA stores will continue to leverage the AutoNation brand, scale, and proven Customer-centric processes to capture a larger share of the used vehicle market. AutoNation USA San Antonio is the first AutoNation store in the San Antonio, Texas market.

08:34 EDT IAC completes spin-off of Vimeo - Vimeo (VMEO) will begin trading May 25 on Nasdaq under the symbol "VMEO." As a result of the spin-off, IAC's (IAC) interest in Vimeo is now held directly by IAC shareholders, and Vimeo is a separate, publicly-traded company.

08:31 EDT Synchrony announces $2.9B share repurchase program - Synchrony Financial announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase program of up to $2.9B, for the period which commenced April 1, 2021 through June 30, 2022, and intends to maintain the quarterly cash dividend of 22c per share of common stock. The share repurchase program supersedes the program previously announced on January 29, 2021, and does not include the impact of any capital which would be released if the Loan Receivables associated with the Gap program are sold at expiration of the existing program agreement.

08:26 EDT Recursion begins investigational new drug-enabling studies for REC-163964 - Recursion Pharmaceuticals announced the company has initiated investigational new drug-enabling studies for REC-163964, a first-in-class, small molecule toxin inhibitor for possible prevention of recurrent Clostridium difficile infections and potential prophylactic use in high-risk patients. REC-163964 is the first internally-discovered New Chemical Entity development candidate identified by the Recursion Operating System and advanced to IND-enabling studies. This lead represents one of three structurally-differentiated candidates discovered by Recursion's ML-enabled Operating System for the potential treatment of C. difficile.

08:24 EDT Rain Therapeutics announces anticipated milestones - RAIN-32 WD/DD Liposarcoma: Phase 3 trial start expected to commence in 2H 2021; RAIN-32 MDM2 Basket Study: Phase 2 trial start expected to commence in 2H 2021; RAIN-32 Intimal Sarcoma: Phase 2 trial start expected to commence by early 2022; RAD52 Research Program HRD+ Tumors: Lead candidate selection expected in 2022.

08:22 EDT Motus GI Holdings Pure-Vu System adopted by Sinai Hospital of Baltimore - Motus GI Holdings announced that Sinai Hospital of Baltimore, a LifeBridge Health center, will move ahead with fully adopting the Pure-Vu System with the aim of improving efficiencies and clinical outcomes of inpatient colonoscopy procedures for patients who present with inadequate bowel preparation. Tim Moran, CEO of Motus GI, stated, "Bringing Sinai on board is a key milestone for our sales program, as it will be the first hospital within the LifeBridge Health system to adopt the Pure-Vu System. As we have described previously, we are now expanding our commercial focus to include large regional, multi-center integrated delivery networks."

08:20 EDT Pierisa nnounces respiratory and ophthalmology collaboration with Genentech - Pieris Pharmaceuticals(PIRS) announced it has entered into a multi-program research collaboration and license agreement with Genentech, a member of the Roche Group (RHHBY), to discover, develop and commercialize locally delivered respiratory and ophthalmology therapies that leverage Pieris' proprietary Anticalin technology.The research collaboration will enable Pieris to combine its robust discovery engine with Genentech's targets, as well as its preclinical and clinical development expertise, to create novel therapies for the treatment of respiratory and ophthalmological diseases. These two focus areas of the collaboration are uniquely suited to the advantages offered by the small size of Anticalin proteins when delivered locally.

08:20 EDT Diebold expands partnership with bp - Diebold Nixdorf has expanded its strategic partnership with bp to provide an integrated solution comprised of hardware, software and managed services. bp extended its multi-year, managed services agreement with Diebold Nixdorf and will leverage DN AllConnect ServicesSM globally to drive its transformation journey as it looks to reduce the operational complexity associated with managing thousands of retail sites. bp will rely on Diebold Nixdorf's comprehensive service integration to ensure optimal availability of its site systems at more than 17,000 locations worldwide.

08:18 EDT Novan announces 1-for-10 reverse stock split - Novan announced that it has filed a Certificate of Amendment to the Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the company to implement a one-for-ten reverse split of its issued and outstanding common stock. The Reverse Stock Split will become effective as of 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on May 25, and the company's common stock is expected to begin trading on a split-adjusted basis when the market opens on May 26. The company's common stock will continue to trade on The Nasdaq Stock Market under the symbol "NOVN." The new CUSIP number for the common stock following the Reverse Stock Split will be 66988N205.

08:15 EDT American Airlines sees options for additional cost cutting if needed

08:14 EDT LPL Financial hires Alisa Maute as executive president, advisor growth solutions - LPL Financial (LPLA) announced that Alisa Maute joins the firm as executive vice president, Advisor Growth Solutions, effective today. In her role, Maute will focus on growing and optimizing advisor adoption of LPL's platforms and consulting resources, while also playing a role setting the strategy and build-out of future wealth management offerings. She reports to Ed Fandrey, managing director and divisional president, Advisor Solutions. Maute joins LPL Financial from global asset manager WisdomTree Asset Management (WETF).

08:12 EDT Cracker Barrel declares quarterly dividend of $1.00 per share - Payable on August 6 to shareholders of record on July 16.

08:11 EDT Connect Biopharma announces first subject dosed in phase I trial of CBP-174 - Connect Biopharma announced that the first subject has been dosed in a Phase I trial evaluating CBP-174 in healthy adult subjects. This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, single ascending dose trial in healthy subjects, aims to evaluate the safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics of CBP-174 in different dose levels given orally, compared to placebo. Following the single dose, each subject will be followed for up to seven days.

08:09 EDT NextGen Healthcare names Sri Velamoor as Chief Growth Officer - NextGen Healthcare announced that Srinivas or Sri Velamoor will join the company in the newly created position of Chief Growth Officer. Velamoor brings two decades of experience in driving growth and performance at leading global healthcare, financial services and technology organizations and will lead the Company's corporate development, strategy, solutions and business development functions, along with the NextGen(R) Connected Health Solutions and NextGen(R) Office business lines. Velamoor officially begins on August 2, 2021 and will report directly to President and Chief Executive Officer, Rusty Frantz

08:09 EDT Wingstop announces investment in UK business operated by Lemon Pepper - Wingstop announced a minority investment in the UK business, which is operated by its UK franchisee, Lemon Pepper Holdings. This investment follows strong performance in the UK and underscores the brand's confidence in the market as a key growth lever for global expansion. Dow Schofield Watts and Baker McKenzie served as advisors to Wingstop for this transaction.

08:08 EDT Universe Pharmaceuticals enters into LOI for cooperation with Kitanihon - Universe Pharmaceuticals announced that the Company entered into a letter of intent on April 23, 2021 for strategic cooperation with Kitanihon Pharmaceutical. Pursuant to the LOI, both parties agree to jointly establish a flagship store on global.jd.com, a popular e-commerce platform in China offering overseas products. The Company agrees to operate the flagship store as an exclusive distributor to sell KP's products. The Company will distribute KP's products across the Chinese and Southeast Asian markets through international e-commerce channels, to create growth opportunities for both parties. In addition, both parties agree to jointly establish a medical product research and development center to be named Universe Hanhe Medical Research Institute Co., Ltd. The Center will receive favorable policy treatment from the Chinese government. The Company will utilize its R&D capacity and medicinal resources, and KP agrees to employ its quality control standards and advanced technologies into the development of medical products. As part of the LOI, upon achieving specific strategic goals, both parties will agree to jointly build a new manufacturing facility in accordance with the market access requirements from Japan's Pharmaceutical and Medical Devices Agency. Both parties will work together to ensure the Facility will be recognized as qualified foreign manufacturer of pharmaceutical products and make it a PMDA certified Chinese medicine brand.

08:07 EDT Cooper DreamLite lenses approved in Europe - CooperVision Specialty EyeCare's Procornea DreamLite night lenses have received European approval for slowing the progression of myopia in children and young adults. The popular orthokeratology contact lens is the latest CooperVision myopia control product to gain the CE Mark, joining EyeDream and Paragon CRT ortho-k designs, MiSight 1 day soft contact lenses, and SightGlass Vision Diffusion Optics Technology spectacle lenses. CooperVision has built the world's largest portfolio of evidence-based myopia control interventions. This provides eye care professionals, or ECPs, with multiple approved options for addressing the global myopia epidemic, helping them tailor the approach to each child and family.

08:06 EDT Moderna TeenCOVE study of its COVID vaccine in adolescents meets endpoint - Moderna announced that the Phase 2/3 study of its COVID-19 vaccine, mRNA-1273, in adolescents has met its primary immunogenicity endpoint, successfully bridging immune responses to the adult vaccination. In the study, no cases of COVID-19 were observed in participants who had received two doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine using the primary definition. In addition, a vaccine efficacy of 93% in seronegative participants was observed starting 14 days after the first dose using the secondary CDC case definition of COVID-19, which tested for milder disease. This study, known as the TeenCOVE study, enrolled more than 3,700 participants ages 12 to less than 18 years in the U.S. The Company plans to submit these data to regulators globally in early June. "We are encouraged that mRNA-1273 was highly effective at preventing COVID-19 in adolescents. It is particularly exciting to see that the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine can prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection," said Stephane Bancel, Chief Executive Officer of Moderna. "We will submit these results to the U.S. FDA and regulators globally in early June and request authorization. We remain committed to doing our part to help end the COVID-19 pandemic." In this Phase 2/3 study, 3,732 adolescent participants ages 12 to less than 18 years were enrolled and randomized 2:1 to two 100 microgram doses of mRNA-1273 or placebo. The primary endpoint of non-inferior immunogenicity versus the Phase 3 adult study comparator group was met. After two doses, no cases of COVID-19 were observed in the vaccine group using the case definition from the adult Phase 3 COVE study, compared to 4 cases in the placebo group, resulting in a vaccine efficacy of 100% starting 14 days after the second dose. Because the incidence rate of COVID-19 is lower in adolescents, a secondary case definition based on the CDC definition of COVID-19 was also evaluated to include cases presenting with milder symptoms. Using the CDC definition, which requires only one COVID-19 symptom and a nasopharyngeal swab or saliva sample positive for SARS-CoV-2 by RT-PCR, a vaccine efficacy of 93% after the first dose was observed.

08:05 EDT AbbVie announces new European approval for VENCLYXTO combination - AbbVie (ABBV) announced that the European Commission has approved VENCLYXTO, or venetoclax, in combination with a hypomethylating agent, azacitidine or decitabine, for the treatment of adult patients with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia, or AML, who are ineligible for intensive chemotherapy.1 The approval is valid in all 27 member states of the EU, as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway. This is the third extension of indications for VENCLYXTO, a first-in-class B-cell lymphoma-2, or BCL-2, inhibitor. BCL-2 is a protein that prevents cancer cells from undergoing apoptosis, the process that leads to the natural death or self-destruction of cancer cells. This most recent approval is based on results from the Phase 3 double-blind, placebo-controlled VIALE-A and the Phase 1b open-label, nonrandomized, multicenter M14-358 clinical trials. VENCLYXTO is being developed by AbbVie and Roche. It is jointly commercialized by AbbVie and Genentech, a member of the Roche Group (RHHBY), in the U.S. and by AbbVie outside of the U.S.

08:04 EDT Oric Pharmaceuticals to host KOL call to review data on ORIC-101 - ORIC Pharmaceuticals announced that the company will host a conference call and webcast to review initial data from the ongoing Phase 1b study of ORIC-101, a glucocorticoid receptor antagonist, in combination with nab-paclitaxel in advanced solid tumors. On the conference call, management will be joined by trial investigator and senior author, Professor Pamela Munster, M.D., Director of the Early Phase Clinical Trials Unit and Co-Leader of the Center for BRCA Research at the University of California San Francisco. The data will also be presented in two posters at the American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting to be held June 4 - 8, 2021.

08:03 EDT Roche announces European Commission approves Venclyxto-based combinations - Roche announced that the European Commission has approved Venclyxto in combination with hypomethylating agents, azacitidine and decitabine, for the treatment of adult patients with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukaemia, or AML, who are ineligible for intensive chemotherapy. "This Venclyxto approval is a critical step in providing new therapeutic options for patients in the EU newly diagnosed with AML who cannot tolerate the side effects of, or are ineligible for, intensive chemotherapy. Venclyxto-based combinations continue to show meaningful clinical benefits in AML patients, who would otherwise have a poor prognosis," said Levi Garraway, M.D., Ph.D., Roche's Chief Medical Officer and Head of Global Product Development.

07:57 EDT Biovitrum and Apellis report results from phase 3 PRINCE study - Swedish Orphan Biovitrum AB and Apellis Pharmaceuticals reported positive top-line results from the phase 3 PRINCE study evaluating the efficacy and safety of pegcetacoplan in adults with paroxysmal nocturnal haemoglobinuria, or PNH, who are treatment naive, meaning they had not received a complement inhibitor within three months before entering the study. Pegcetacoplan demonstrated statistical superiority on the co-primary endpoints of haemoglobin stabilization and reduction in lactate dehydrogenase, or LDH, compared to standard of care, which did not include complement inhibitors, at week 26. 86% of pegcetacoplan treated patients achieved haemoglobin stabilisation compared to 0 per cent of patients on standard of care. Haemoglobin stabilisation was defined as an avoidance of a greater than1 g/dL decrease in haemoglobin levels in the absence of transfusions. Detailed results from the PRINCE study will be presented at medical congresses.

07:41 EDT Revival Gold resumes drilling high-grade Joss target - Revival Gold announced that drilling has resumed on the high-grade Joss target at the Company's Beartrack-Arnett Gold Project located in Idaho, USA. Approximately 2,500 meters of core drilling in five holes are planned this summer at Joss. Drilling will focus on continuing to define and expand on the one-kilometer trend of high-grade gold mineralization with underground mining potential. Summary high-grade intercepts from the fourteen core holes previously drilled on the Joss trend range from 4 - 9 g/t gold and are estimated to extend between 1 - 5 meters in true width. High-grade, potentially underground-minable, material at Beartrack-Arnett offers the possibility to supplement open pit mill material to produce a similar, or greater, quantity of gold at a lower rate of mill throughput. Joss has the added advantage of being centrally located close to existing open pit resources and infrastructure at the project. The existing Beartrack-Arnett Mineral Resource is primarily in an open pit setting and includes an Indicated Open Pit Mill Resource of 22.2 million tonnes grading 1.52 g/t gold for 1.09 million ounces gold. Open pit mill material was assessed by the Company's resource consultants, Roscoe Postle Associates Inc., at an assumed milling rate of 20,000 tonnes per day and a mill recovery of 94%. Drilling by contractor Major Drilling America, Inc. is underway and will continue in the Joss area until early August. Revival Gold will mobilize a second drill rig in June to resume drilling at the higher elevation Haidee open pit oxide gold target, where drilling will consist of an additional 2,500 meters of core drilling to upgrade and expand on the current Mineral Resource. Revival Gold will also complete geotechnical and hydrological engineering holes this season in preparation for the completion of a Pre-Feasibility Study in 2022 on the first phase restart of Beartrack-Arnett heap leach operations.

07:39 EDT Victoria Gold announces launch of exploration season at Dublin Gulch - Victoria Gold announces the exploration season at Dublin Gulch is now in full swing. Exploration timelines have been ramped up early due to favourable operating conditions, which will result in a longer, more intensive program for 2021. The originally planned exploration budget for 2021 has been stepped up to allow for a minimum of 15,000 meters of diamond drilling and related exploration initiatives. Victoria is targeting the definition of a maiden gold resource on this rapidly emerging, high-grade, near surface gold deposit. There are four diamond drill rigs currently on site. In conjunction with the extensive drilling program, a regional 2021 Dublin Gulch Gold Camp exploration program including surface trenches, expanded soil-geochemistry, detailed structural/geological mapping and prospecting will also be conducted. The program is designed to test an area of projected mineralization extensions that would more than double the current 750-meter strike length of Raven through fence based diamond drilling, surface trenches and additional detailed structural analysis and mapping. Raven was first identified in 2018 with the late season surface trench discoveries which included results of 124.0 meters of 3.51 g/t Au and 50.0 meters of 4.15 g/t Au among other notable intervals at the heart of what is now Raven. Follow-up drilling at Raven have repeatedly returned high-grade gold intersections accompanied by prolific visible gold occurrences along a major and consistently mineralized corridor which has grown from a single trench to 750 meters of defined mineralized with significant expansion potential. To date there have been 9,600 meters of diamond drilling from 43 holes; 7.5 kilometers of surface trenches and over 6,000 soils geochemical samples used to define the Raven Zone. Highlighted Raven drill results to date include: 2.79 g/t Au over 10.1 m in hole NG18-006C; 1.49 g/t Au over 20.6 m in hole NG18-007C; 1.15 g/t Au over 25.9 m in hole NG19-011C; 1.05 g/t Au over 42.4 m in hole NG19-012C; 2.35 g/t Au over 15.9 m in hole NG19-015C; 2.05 g/t Au over 14.8 m in hole NG19-016C; 2.39 g/t Au over 17.0 m in hole NG20-019C; 2.77 g/t Au over 65.7 m in hole NG20-033C; 2.31 g/t Au over 16.0 m in hole NG20-034C; 3.95 g/t Au over 19.0 m in hole NG20-037C; 1.39 g/t Au over 40.3 m in hole NG20-038C; 1.63 g/t Au over 50.8 m in hole NG20-045C; 1.23 g/t Au over 22.7 m in hole NG20-047C. Raven mineralization consists of arsenopyrite dominant polymetallic veins. The veins and vein sets are remarkably consistent across Raven and preliminary mapping suggests these mineralized veins occur with steep to moderate dips with west to southwest strike. Intense shearing deforms the vein sets along an east west orientation that is open along strike in both directions and in particular down dip. Multiple phases of mineralization at Raven have been identified, a fact that underscores the potential for Raven to host a meaningful gold deposit. Structural control of the high-grade gold mineralization in Raven is evident over the entire strike length tested to date and has led Victoria to develop a mineralization model defined by these repeated high-grade veins contained within what is interpreted to be a dilatational fracture zone within the Nugget granodiorite intrusion. A broad, and growing greater than2 square kilometer coincident gold, arsenic and bismuth-in-soils anomaly that was first defined from 2018 soils geochemical sampling and subsequently greatly expanded by 2019-2020 soils surveys, further supports the potential to expand the Raven Zone. Raven represents a potentially high-grade, on-surface gold deposit that lies in the extreme southeast contact of the Nugget intrusive stock within the surrounding Hyland group metasedimentary package. This large, approximately 3 kilometer by 2 kilometer Cretaceous intrusive body is highly prospective to host Eagle-style sheeted vein mineralization, and the vast majority of the greater than5 square kilometer stock remains untested.

07:37 EDT Stem Holdings, Tinley Beverage Company create delivery solution in California - Stem Holdings (STMH) and The Tinley Beverage Company Inc. (TNYBF) are pleased to announce the integration of Stem's technology into Tinley's website, enabling a fast home delivery solution for cannabis-infused beverages throughout the State of California. Led by Adam Berk, who was the founder and CEO of the first patented online food ordering company in the U.S., Osmio, which became GrubHub, Stem's licensed, proprietary home delivery network Budee reaches 92% of California's population for delivery within two hours or by a scheduled time. Stem achieves this through their extensive network of employed home delivery drivers and licensed regional non-storefront retail storage facilities. The platform also offers robust white label e-commerce technology that enables customer ordering via third-party brands' web sites. This technology, now integrated into Tinley's own web site, enables consumers to select Tinley's beverages on www.drinktinley.com and execute an order for delivery by Budee on their website in an apparent seamless customer experience. Stem's statewide home delivery platform will be populated with Tinley's flagship products, and Tinley's will offer the option of participation in the Stem platform to the growing number of approved third-party brands who have their beverages manufactured at Tinley's bottling facility in Long Beach, California. Stem's white label e-commerce platform and home delivery network will constitute an additional value-added service available to approved third-party beverages manufactured at Tinley's facility, allowing them to expand their home delivery footprint as an additional way of accessing consumers statewide. The Companies plan to collaborate further to create a variety of beverage-specific online portals that enable outreach and engagement with canna-curious consumers, who can be averse to smoking, and may not frequent dispensaries.

07:36 EDT ViaSat very optimistic about prospects in FY22 - The company said, "With FY22 now underway, we are very optimistic about our prospects. Our diverse business is positioned for a strong post-COVID recovery - particularly for IFC. Given our investments in innovation, market share gains, tuck-in acquisitions and overall execution, we are entering FY2022 in very strong position as we approach the launch of ViaSat-3 Americas and the beginning of an exciting new phase of global growth."

07:35 EDT Vision Marine Technologies appoints Gaines as chairman of board of directors - Vision Marine Technologies announced Alan Gaines has been appointed to the board of directors and will serve as chairman of the board, replacing Robert Ghetti, who has resigned from Vision's board to devote more time to other business interests. Alan Gaines currently serves as a Director of Auto Innovation and David Brown Automotive, both based in the United Kingdom.

07:33 EDT Abeona Therapeutics appoints Seshadri as Head of Research & Clinical Development - Abeona Therapeutics (ABEO) announced the appointment of Vishwas Seshadri, Ph.D., M.B.A., as Senior Vice President, Head of Research & Clinical Development, effective June 1. Seshadri joins the company from Celgene Corporation, now a subsidiary of Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMY), and brings more than 20 years of experience including in academia and various senior and executive leadership roles in the life sciences industry overseeing product development, regulatory submissions, and commercialization for novel therapies including personalized, autologous cell therapies.

07:25 EDT Teligent expects to be ready to inform FDA of inspection readiness during Q3 - The company said, "As previously disclosed, the Company received a warning letter from the FDA in November 2019 arising from an inspection of its Buena, New Jersey manufacturing facility, as well as an additional comment letter from the FDA in August 2020. The Company has since provided the FDA with supplemental submissions outlining additional changes in its practices, submitting additional documentation to support previous and ongoing independent assessments, providing updates to the Company's organizational structure, and providing further detail in regard to ongoing remediation projects to ensure all of our products are safe, effective and compliant. As part of the Company's efforts to remediate the issues identified in the FDA Warning Letter and to strengthen its quality systems, the Company undertook and completed a comprehensive review of all of our products during the fourth quarter of 2020. While the review did not identify material issues with many of the Company's products, it did identify issues of non-conformance with respect to certain products, which resulted in recalls and halting the production of certain products, which the Company is actively reviewing and remediating. The Company is continuing to work diligently to remediate all issues cited by the FDA and those resulting from its comprehensive quality review, and continue to have active communications with the FDA regarding its progress. As previously reported, based on management's current assessment of these remediation efforts, the Company believes it will be ready to inform the FDA of its inspection readiness during the third quarter. However, since the Company does not control the timing of the FDA re-inspection of the facility, we cannot predict a precise time range for the date when FDA will perform the site re-inspection."

07:21 EDT Great Panther Mining reports wall movements in UCS open pit at Tucano - Great Panther Mining reports that wall movements have been detected in the west wall of the south-central portion of the Urucum Central South, or UCS, open pit at Tucano, the Company's wholly-owned mining operation in Brazil. Heavy rainfall, well above seasonal average, triggered higher phreatic levels in the west wall impacting slope stability. In order to ensure health and safety for workers, mining activities in UCS were temporarily halted. The mill will continue to receive ore from the Urucum North open pit and from stockpiles. Activities are underway to improve wall stability, including unloading additional waste material and improving drainage from the upper benches. The Company expects this additional waste movement will impact ore mining in UCS throughout Q2 and Q3. The Company's preliminary assessment is that 2021 production at Tucano will be reduced by approximately 10,000 gold ounces to 100,000 - 110,000 Au oz. The second half of 2021 is expected to account for 60% of this guidance. All-in-sustaining costs are expected to increase to $1,450 - $1,550 per Au oz sold. Revised 2021 consolidated guidance is stated in the table below.

07:19 EDT Pluristem to receive $24M in non-dilutive funding from European Investment Bank - Pluristem Therapeutics announced the receipt of a "Disbursement Offer" in the amount of approximately $24M from the European Investment Bank, or EIB,. This disbursement - the first of three tranches of funding - reflects that Pluristem has achieved a key milestone in a previously announced EUR 50M non-dilutive financing agreement. Pursuant to the EIB agreement, Pluristem expects to receive the first tranche of funds during June 2021. The proceeds of the first tranche will support research and development in the European Union to advance Pluristem's proprietary regenerative cell therapy platform. The first tranche of EUR 20M will not be secured and will be payable to the EIB in a single payment five years after the disbursement, with an interest rate of 4%. Following the receipt of the EUR 20M tranche, Pluristem will have a cash balance of more than $90M.

07:17 EDT Lithia Motors acquires three Hyundai dealerships in Las Vegas - Lithia Motors & Driveway announced the acquisition of three Hyundai dealerships in the highly attractive Las Vegas metropolitan area with expected annualized revenues of approximately $225M. This purchase brings LAD's total annualized revenues acquired to over $6.9B since the launch of its five-year plan ten months ago. "With a pipeline of over $15B in annualized revenues that meet our disciplined hurdle rates under negotiation, our accelerated pace of acquisitions will continue into the coming quarters," said DeBoer, CEO. "After raising nearly $2B of additional capital through concurrent equity and debt offerings earlier this month, we are more confident than ever in our five-year plan of reaching $50B in revenue and $50 earnings per share. This transaction was financed using existing on-balance sheet capacity."

07:14 EDT Silence Therapeutics receives $40M from AstraZeneca in siRNA collaboration - Silence Therapeutics (SLN) announced receipt of the remaining $40M from AstraZeneca (AZN) due as part of AstraZeneca's $80M cash and equity investment for the siRNA collaboration announced in March 2020. The $40M is included in Silence's reported GBP97.5M proforma cash balance at 2020 year-end. The companies also started work on two undisclosed targets and are on-track to initiate work on five targets within the first three years of the collaboration. The collaboration is focused on leveraging Silence's proprietary mRNAi GOLD platform to discover and develop siRNA therapeutics for cardiovascular, renal, metabolic and respiratory diseases. Under the collaboration, AstraZeneca will pay Silence an option fee of $10M for each selected target at the point of candidate nomination. For each target selected, Silence is eligible to receive up to $140M in development milestones and up to $250M in commercialization milestones as well as tiered royalties on net sales. Silence is responsible for the discovery stage up to the point of candidate nomination at which point AstraZeneca takes over responsibility and costs for further development. Silence retains responsibility for manufacturing of material to support GLP toxicology studies and Phase I clinical studies, costs for such manufacture are covered by AstraZeneca. Silence also has the option to negotiate for co-development of two selected programs of its choice starting from Phase II.

07:12 EDT SailPoint appoints Wendy Wu as CMO - SailPoint (SAIL) announced the appointment of Wendy Wu as CMO. Wendy Wu brings over 20 years of experience in B2B enterprise marketing. She was recently VP of marketing at Box (BOX), where she led the global demand generation team.

07:12 EDT Red White & Bloom's High Times launches products across Michigan - Red White & Bloom Brands is pleased to announce a launch of the High Times branded THC products at 23 dispensaries throughout the majority of Michiganii. Phase 1 of the official launch included packaged flower and Prerolls in the following formats: 3.5g Black Label Flower; 3.5g Red Label Flower; 1g Black Label Single Prerolls; 1g Red Label Single Prerolls; 2.5g Black Label 5-pack; 2.5g Red Label 5-pack Wholesale customers, licensed Provisioning Centers, initial purchasing habits were marked by strong demand represented by large orders relative to current overall inventory and reported increased consumer foot traffic. After only 2 weeks, the overall sell through rate for all wholesale customers exceeded 60%. Starting in June, the second line of the brand which is to include vapes, concentrates and edibles will be launched and made available to an expanded wholesale network of dispensaries. The company is also planning to build excitement through more "limited drops" and "collaborations", which were used to kick off the brand over the last several months, to much fanfare. Through a network of trusted, top-tier revenue-producing retailers throughout the State, which spans all metropolitan economic areas, Red White & Bloom, through its licensed partner, has effectively launched the High times THC branded products to all corners of Michigan cannabis culture. It is the Company's strategic plan to see the High Times branded THC products at the highest-trafficked most influential stores in the State and "in-fill" the remaining locations once full cultivation capacity comes online as RWB's investee commissions several new larger-scale cultivation facilities through 2021.

07:10 EDT CytoSorb receives registration approval from Singapore Health Sciences Authority - CytoSorbents announces that the Singapore Health Sciences Authority, or HSA, has now approved registration of CytoSorb for all equivalent European Union approved indications, including the reduction of cytokine storm, the reduction of bilirubin in liver disease, the reduction of myoglobin in trauma, and the removal of ticagrelor and rivaroxaban during urgent or emergent cardiothoracic surgery. CytoSorbents' CytoSorb blood purification now available in Singapore to treat life-threatening conditions via Humedical.

07:09 EDT Mesoblast announces publication of results on remestemcel-L - Mesoblast announced that the peer-reviewed journal Respiratory Research has published results showing that Mesoblast's mesenchymal stromal cell product candidate remestemcel-L significantly improved respiratory and functional clinical outcomes in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and elevated levels of the inflammatory biomarker C-reactive protein. Patients with COPD and elevated CRP levels have increased rates of hospitalization and death. These results provide further rationale for potential use of remestemcel-L in inflammatory lung diseases, including COVID-19 acute respiratory distress syndrome. The manuscript titled 'Effect of mesenchymal stromal cell infusions on lung function in COPD patients with high CRP levels' is based on a post-hoc analysis from a randomized, placebo-controlled 60-patient Phase 2 trial in patients with COPD where outcomes were compared over 12 months between patients who received either remestemcel-L, given in four monthly intravenous doses of 100 million cells, or saline injections. Key findings from the analysis were: The greater the degree of inflammation, as measured by elevated CRP levels, the greater the signal of efficacy of remestemcel-L treatment in improving moderate to severe lung disease; Significant improvements were observed in each of the pre-specified endpoints of forced expiratory volume, and forced vital capacity, with maximal effects seen at four months; Significant increases were seen in six-minute walk test which is a major independent predictor of mortality in COPD2; In patients with the highest level of CRP, those who received remestemcel-L were able to walk 55 meters further than placebo-treated patients in the six-minute walk test at four months.

07:06 EDT WisdomTree names Bryan Edmiston as Chief Financial Officer - WisdomTree Investments announced the board of directors appointed Bryan Edmiston as Chief Financial Officer, effective June 1. Edmiston has served as Chief Accounting Officer since April 2018 and as Director - Financial Reporting and Accounting Policy since September 2016. Edmiston will succeed Amit Muni, who is leaving WisdomTree to accept alternative employment. Muni will stay on through May 31, 2021, to ensure an orderly transition.

07:06 EDT RingCentral, NICE expand and extend partnership - RingCentral (RNG) and NICE (NICE) announced a multi-year expansion and extension of their long-term agreement to market and sell RingCentral Contact Center worldwide. Capitalizing on the accelerated trend of customers purchasing UCaaS and CCaaS together, RingCentral and NICE are expanding their partnership to bring the combined benefits of their market leading solutions, along with all future innovation and new geographies. RingCentral Contact Center integrates NICE's CXone cloud contact center with RingCentral's cloud Message Video Phone (MVP platform. It brings together two recognized industry leaders, providing companies with a trusted, secure, reliable customer communications and engagement solution that drives loyal customer relationships and stronger business outcomes. RingCentral Contact Center enables contact center agents to assist customers across both digital and voice channels. The deep, network-level integration of RingCentral's MVP platform and NICE CXone offers significant savings and unique benefits including improved collaboration between contact center agents and other employees. "We enable organizations to delight their customers in every interaction with outstanding service," said Anand Eswaran, president and chief operating officer at RingCentral. "We believe it is critical to equip contact center agents and company employees with the right tools, insights, and capabilities to communicate internally and assist customers quickly and efficiently - via any mode, any device, anywhere. By combining RingCentral's industry leading MVP platform with NICE CXone, RingCentral can deliver a best-in-class integrated UCaaS-CCaaS solution that is unique in the industry. Our customers value the fact that RingCentral is a single provider that sells, deploys and supports all of their internal and external communication needs." NICE and RingCentral have been in partnership since 2015 and together already have over 1,000 joint customers globally across a variety of industries including healthcare, retail, financial services, and the public sector.

07:05 EDT Apellis, Swedish Orphan Biovitrum report results from Phase 3 Prince study - Apellis Pharmaceuticals (APLS) and Swedish Orphan Biovitrum (BIOVF) reported positive top-line results from the Phase 3 PRINCE study evaluating the efficacy and safety of EMPAVELI in adults with paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria who are treatment naive, meaning they had not received a complement inhibitor within three months before entering the study. EMPAVELI demonstrated statistical superiority on the co-primary endpoints of hemoglobin stabilization and reduction in lactate dehydrogenase compared to standard of care, which did not include complement inhibitors, at Week 26. 86% of EMPAVELI-treated patients achieved hemoglobin stabilization compared to 0% of patients on standard of care. Hemoglobin stabilization was defined as an avoidance of a greater than1 g/dL decrease in hemoglobin levels in the absence of transfusions. Mean LDH in the EMPAVELI group decreased by 90% from a baseline of 2151 U/L to 211 U/L, which is within the normal range, compared to a 14% reduction on standard of care from a baseline of 1946 U/L to 1681 U/L.EMPAVELI also achieved statistical superiority on several secondary endpoints, including improvements in hemoglobin levels and transfusion avoidance, compared to standard of care, which did not include complement inhibitors. Mean hemoglobin levels in the EMPAVELI group increased from 9.4 g/dL to 12.1 g/dL compared to an increase from a baseline of 8.7 g/dL to 9.4 g/dL on standard of care. 91% of patients on EMPAVELI were transfusion free compared to 22% on standard of care. The safety profile of EMPAVELI was consistent with previous studies. At Week 26, 9% of patients in the EMPAVELI group experienced a serious adverse event compared to 17% on standard of care. One death was reported in each group, and neither were related to treatment. No cases of meningitis or thrombosis were reported in either group. The most common adverse events reported during the study in the EMPAVELI and standard of care groups, respectively, were injection site reaction, hypokalemia, and fever.

07:04 EDT Valens Semiconductor to go public via merger with PTK Acquisition Corp. - Valens and PTK Acquisition Corp. announced they have entered into a definitive business combination agreement. The combined company will be called Valens and will trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "VLN" following the close of the transaction. Valens chipsets transmit video and data at industry-leading multi-gigabit bandwidth over long-reach, space-efficient wiring infrastructure, guaranteeing error-free links with zero latency - all at the lowest total system cost. The Board of Directors of each of Valens and PTK have unanimously approved the transaction. The transaction requires the approval of the stockholders of PTK and Valens and is subject to customary closing conditions, including a registration statement being declared effective by the SEC. The transaction is expected to close in the fall of 2021. The transaction is expected to deliver approximately $240M of gross proceeds, including up to $115M of cash held in PTK's trust account (assuming no redemptions) and $125M from a fully subscribed PIPE offering led by an established global institutional investor, as well as by Mediatek, a leading global semiconductor company for mobile, home and automotive. PTK's sponsor will also be participating in the PIPE offering. This business combination values the post-transaction Valens at an initial pro-forma equity value of approximately $1.16B. Valens shareholders will continue to hold their existing equity in the combined company. Following completion of the transaction, Valens will continue to be led by its experienced management team, with Gideon Ben-Zvi as CEO, Dror Heldenberg as CFO, and all six Valens founders retaining their senior management or board positions. Ker Zhang from PTK will join the Valens board of directors upon closing of the transaction.

07:04 EDT Whitestone REIT renews lease with Paul's Ace Hardware - Whitestone REIT announced that its tenant, Paul's Ace Hardware, renewed its lease for 10 years and is expanding its square footage at Whitestone's Fountain Hills Plaza property in Fountain Hills, Arizona. Paul's Ace Hardware is expanding its store by approximately 4,000 square feet - from 26,287 square feet to 30,646 square feet - transforming it into one of the largest Ace stores in the Phoenix Metro Area. The renewal and expansion of this well-known retail brand and recently announced new leases in Fountain Hills Plaza supports the quality of cash flows to Whitestone's shareholders and helps guarantee the long-term security of the property. Paul's Ace Hardware is joined by Fountain Hills Plaza's curated mix of other tenants, including AutoZone, Bashas' grocery store, Great Clips, H&R Block, and Verizon Wireless, who provide essential goods and services to the local community.

06:57 EDT AutoZone opened 25 new stores, closed one store in the U.S in Q3 - During the quarter ended May 8, AutoZone opened 25 new stores and closed one store in the U.S. and opened seven stores in Mexico and one store in Brazil. As of May 8, the company had 5,975 stores in the U.S., 635 in Mexico and 47 in Brazil for a total store count of 6,657.

06:56 EDT Boston Scientific completes CE Mark for EXALT Model B Single-Use Bronchoscope - Boston Scientific announced it has completed CE Mark for the EXALT Model B Single-Use Bronchoscope, a single-use device designed for bedside procedures in the intensive care unit, operating room and bronchoscopy suite. Limited market release of the device is expected to commence in Europe in the coming weeks.

06:52 EDT RoadSync to add WEX's EFS and Fleet One payment solutions to its platform - WEX and RoadSync announced the addition of WEX's EFS and Fleet One payment solutions, or WEX OTR, to RoadSync's digital payments platform, RoadSync Checkout. By using RoadSync Checkout, the process of paying accessorial and freight handling fees is simplified. With RoadSync, warehouses, distribution centers and lumpers across the U.S. are able to seamlessly accept WEX OTR as a payment. Similarly, heavy truck repair, towing and maintenance shops using RoadSync Checkout can now include WEX OTR payments as an accepted payment type for their roadside and in-shop services.

06:46 EDT Stewart acquires Cloudvirga, terms not disclosed - Stewart Information Services announced its acquisition of Cloudvirga, a fintech company powering digital mortgages. The addition of Cloudvirga strengthens Stewart's positioning in the mortgage finance space and further enables Stewart's ability to serve customers in all markets. Founded by industry experts in 2016, Cloudvirga is a customer engagement platform and digital origination platform that powers Lenders, Originators and Brokers while also automating back office tasks. Several of the largest lenders in the country rely on Cloudvirga as their digital front-end solution.

06:33 EDT AnPac Bio approves joint venture to develop new cancer treatment technology - AnPac Bio-Medical Science announced that on May 17 its board of directors approved the Company to establish a joint venture together with its founder and chairman, Chris Chang Yu, and certain other individuals to develop a new cancer treatment technology and associated products. AnPac Bio will contribute two filed patent applications in the space of cancer treatment to the Joint Venture, and shareholding percentages of AnPac Bio and other shareholders in the Joint Venture will be determined based on the value of the patent applications assessed by an independent appraisal firm, as well as other commercial factors. The new cancer treatment technology to be developed by the Joint Venture is expected to be based on AnPac Bio's important findings in the past 10 years of extensive early-stage cancer detection work involving over 222,200 samples, as well as based on correlations between changes in biophysical properties in the micro-environment and cancer occurrence observed by multiple research groups including AnPac Bio. Laboratory tests on this technology are expected to begin in the Q3. Additionally, a class III medical device registration application to Chinese National Medical Products Administration is planned for Q3, 2022.

06:27 EDT U.K.'s CMA reviewing AstraZeneca's proposed purchase of Alexion - The U.K.'s Competition and Markets Authorities is reviewing AstraZeneca's (AZN) proposed $39B buyout of U.S.-based Alexion (ALXN) on concerns it could reduce competition in the U.K. market or elsewhere. Reference Link

06:20 EDT Cathie Wood's ARK Investment bought 118K shares of Blade Air Mobility on Monday

06:18 EDT Cathie Wood's ARK Investment bought 130.4K shares of DraftKings on Monday

06:03 EDT Armada Hoffler: Transamerica signs lease for 35,000 square feet at Wills Wharf - Armada Hoffler Properties announced that Transamerica has agreed to lease the 35,000 square foot 8th floor of the Wills Wharf office building at Harbor Point. With Transamerica, EY, Jellyfish, Bright Horizons, and Canopy by Hilton, Wills Wharf is now 58% leased.

05:21 EDT WISeKey expands partnership with Parrot - WISeKey announced that it is strengthening its partnership with Parrot, a European drone group. WISeKey will not only be securing Parrot's drones, it is also entering into a new collaboration with Parrot and with a cybersecurity certification and audit company. Together they aim at identifying and proposing digital security standards for drones, and globally recognizable evaluation methods that would help users and authorities to identify reliable drone solutions from unsafe ones in the future. The partners will be collaborating to help define which security features could be implemented at both hardware level and communications to ensure a drone's ID broadcast can be trusted and is only accessible to legitimate viewers, protecting data confidentiality and avoiding impersonation and liability issues.

05:14 EDT ACI Worldwide, JPMorgan collaborate to provide European merchants more options - ACI Worldwide (ACIW) announced a collaboration with J.P. Morgan (JPM) that will enable merchants in certain European countries to deliver in-store payment acceptance capabilities to their customers.

05:08 EDT Rio Tinto, InoBat announce partnership to develop lithium battery initiative - Rio Tinto and InoBat, a European battery technology and manufacturing company, have signed a memorandum of understanding to work together to accelerate the establishment of a "cradle to cradle" battery manufacturing and recycling value chain in Serbia. The partnership will cover the full commodity life-cycle from mining through to recycling of lithium. Rio Tinto's Jadar project in Serbia has the potential to produce approximately 55 thousand tons of battery grade lithium carbonate in Europe. InoBat, a European based battery manufacturer with a battery research and development facility and pilot plant being developed in Slovakia intends to scale up its future production, through gigafactories to be built in the EMEA region. InoBat's goal is to serve the Europen market with energy solutions, including production and recycling of electric vehicle batteries. It is envisaged the collaboration between Jadar and InoBat will also encourage the development of a complete European lithium and electric vehicle battery value chain that will harness and enhance local skills, environmental, social and governance standards and cross-border interactions for the benefit of Serbia and other European economies that wish to collaborate.