Stockwinners Market Radar for June 30, 2021 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

20:08 EDT Jazz Pharmaceuticals announces FDA approval of Rylaze in ALL or LBL - The company states: "Jazz Pharmaceuticals announced the FDA approval of Rylaze for use as a component of a multi-agent chemotherapeutic regimen for the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia, or ALL, or lymphoblastic lymphoma, or LBL, in pediatric and adult patients one month and older who have developed hypersensitivity to E. coli-derived asparaginase. Rylaze is the only recombinant erwinia asparaginase manufactured product that maintains a clinically meaningful level of asparaginase activity throughout the entire duration of treatment, and it was developed by Jazz to address the needs of patients and healthcare providers with an innovative, high-quality erwinia-derived asparaginase with reliable supply. Rylaze was granted orphan drug designation for the treatment of ALL/LBL by FDA in June 2021. The Biologics Licensing Application approval followed review under the Real-Time Oncology Review program, an initiative of FDA's Oncology Center of Excellence designed for efficient delivery of safe and effective cancer treatments to patients. The company expects Rylaze will be commercially available in mid-July. The FDA approval of Rylaze was based on data from the first of three IM cohorts, which demonstrated the achievement and maintenance of nadir serum asparaginase activity greater than or equal to the level of 0.1 U/mL at 48 hours using IM doses of Rylaze 25 mg/m2. The results of modeling and simulations showed that for a dosage of 25 mg/m2 administered intramuscularly every 48 hours, the proportion of patients maintaining NSAA greater than or equal to 0.1 U/mL at 48 hours after a dose of Rylaze was 93.6%."

19:27 EDT Cathie Wood's ARK Investment bought 481.4K shares of Kanzhun today -

18:48 EDT Spero Therapeutics jumps over 15% to $16.10 after announcing Pfizer investment

18:43 EDT Constellation Brands CEO: Consumer demand is at an all-time high - In an interview on CNBC's Mad Money, Bill Newlands said consumer demand is so high that it's creating some supply constraints. There has been an increase in the DTC business, he noted. Newlands "couldn't be more thrilled" with Modelo and its potential. He still thinks there is "a lot of runway to go" in the hard seltzer category.

18:03 EDT LoanDepot names George Brady chief digital officer - LoanDepot (LDI) announced the appointment of George Brady as Chief Digital Officer, effective July 6th. Brady will oversee all of LoanDepot's technology capabilities, including its leading proprietary platform, mello, with a specific focus on spearheading loanDepot's technological innovation. Brady recently served as CTO at Capital One (COF).

17:49 EDT CF Industries files petitions seeking remedies for unfair UAN imports - CF Industries filed petitions with the U.S. Department of Commerce and the U.S. International Trade Commission requesting the initiation of antidumping and countervailing duty investigations on imports of urea ammonium nitrate solutions from Russia and Trinidad and Tobago. CF Industries requested the investigations due to the harm the domestic UAN industry has experienced from dumped and unfairly subsidized UAN imports from Russia and Trinidad. CF Industries filed its petitions under United States antidumping and countervailing duty laws, which authorize Commerce to level the playing field for domestic industries injured by foreign imports that are dumped and unfairly subsidized. If Commerce and the ITC make affirmative determinations, then Commerce can impose duties equal to the level of dumping and unfair subsidies. In the coming weeks, the U.S. Department of Commerce will decide whether to initiate investigations to determine the extent of dumping and unfair subsidies associated with imports from Russia and Trinidad and Tobago; and the U.S. International Trade Commission will initiate a concurrent investigation to determine whether such imports materially injure the U.S. industry. CF Industries intends to participate actively in proceedings before both agencies.

17:32 EDT Comfort Systems USA to acquire the Amteck, terms not disclosed - Comfort Systems USA announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the Amteck family of companies headquartered in Lexington, Kentucky. Amteck was founded in 1977 and provides electrical contracting solutions and services, including design and build, pre-fabrication and installation for core electric and low-voltage systems, as well as services for planned maintenance, retrofit and emergency work. Amteck is headquartered in Kentucky and focuses on the greater Southeastern United States, including Kentucky, Tennessee and the Carolinas. Amteck is expected to contribute annualized revenues of approximately $175M-$200M, and earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization of $14M-$17M. In light of the required amortization expense related to intangibles and other costs associated with the transaction, the acquisition is expected to make a neutral to slightly accretive contribution to earnings per share for the first twelve to eighteen months.

17:31 EDT Amedisys to acquire Contessa Health, terms not disclosed - Amedisys announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Contessa Health, a player in hospital-at-home and skilled nursing facility at-home services. In addition, Amedisys plans to invest meaningfully in the future growth of Contessa's business and proprietary informatics platform, CareConvergence. Upon closing of the deal, Nashville, Tenn.-based Contessa will operate as a wholly owned division of Amedisys. The transaction is expected to close later this summer and is subject to customary closing conditions, including receipt of regulatory approvals. Lazard is serving as financial advisor to Contessa, and Bass Berry & Sims is serving as legal counsel. Butler Snow is serving as legal counsel to Amedisys.

17:28 EDT Boeing confirms Brian West named as new CFO - The Boeing Company named Brian West as the company's executive vice president and CFO effective August 27, 2021. West has served as the CFO of Refinitiv since 2018, and was previously CFO and executive vice president of Operations for Oscar Health Insurance and CFO and COO of Nielsen.

17:22 EDT Lockheed Martin awarded up to $1.8B Navy contract action - Lockheed Martin was awarded a not-to-exceed $1.8B cost-plus-fixed-fee, cost-plus-incentive-fee, and fixed-price-incentive-firm undefinitized contract action. This contract provides for the procurement of recurring logistics services for delivered F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter air systems in support of the Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy, non-U.S. Department of Defense, or DOD, participants and Foreign Military Sales, or FMS, customers. Services to be provided include ground maintenance activities, action request resolution, depot activation activities, automatic logistics information system operations and maintenance, reliability, maintainability and health management implementation and support, supply chain management and activities to provide and support pilot and maintainer initial training. Work is expected to be completed in December 2021. FY21 operation and maintenance funds in the amount of $91.08M; FY21 operation and maintenance funds in the amount of $40,49M; FY21 operation and maintenance funds in the amount of $56.92M; FY21 operation and maintenance funds in the amount of $27.19M; non-U.S. DOD participant funds in the amount of $76.95M and FMS funds in the amount of $41.27M will be obligated at the time of the award, $215.68M of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. The Naval Air Systems Command is the contracting activity.

17:07 EDT Biophytis secures contracts with CDMO for Sarconeos manufacturing - Biophytis announced it has secured contracts with a global custom development and manufacturing organization, or CDMO, for the manufacturing of registration batches of Sarconeos. These contracts were signed in preparation of the potential filing of the product in COVID-19 for Emergency Use Authorization with FDA, or Conditional Marketing Authorization with EMA. The company also announces the following next milestones: With the 155th patient for Part 2 of the COVA Phase 2-3 study with Sarconeos in patients infected with COVID-19 having completed the treatment on May 24, data management and bio statistic activities are ongoing before submitting the results to the DMC. Results of this second interim analysis as regards to safety and efficacy are now expected in Q3 . The DMC previously delivered a "favorable" opinion in March on the safety of Sarconeos in COVID-19, following the first interim analysis of the 50 participants in Part 1 of the COVA study. Beyond the second interim analysis based on 155 patients, the company is pursuing the recruitment of patients in the context of pandemic slow-down and progress of vaccination campaign in Europe and the USA. A total of 176 patients have been recruited in total over the 310 required for the release of the full results. Top line results for the full study are now expected in Q4, in view of a potential filing for Emergency Use Authorization and Conditional market Approval applications respectively with FDA and EMA by year end. Commercialization should then start beginning of 2022.

17:03 EDT Alussa Energy Acquisition shareholders approve combination with FREYR - Alussa Energy Acquisition's shareholders approved all proposals related to the previously announced business combination with FREYR AS, a Norway-based developer of clean, next-generation battery cell production capacity, at a special meeting of Alussa Energy's shareholders held today. Approved votes for the five proposals for shareholder consideration represented a range of between approximately 89.0%-99.6% of votes cast at the meeting, depending on the proposal. Total votes cast at the meeting represented approximately 58.8% of Alussa Energy's outstanding shares. Alussa Energy and FREYR expect to close the Business Combination on July 9. Following closing, the combined company will be known as FREYR Battery and its common stock and warrants are expected to trade on the NYSE under the ticker symbols "FREY" and "FREY.WS", respectively. At the closing of the Business Combination, each Alussa Energy unit will separate into its components consisting of one Alussa Energy ordinary share and one-half of one warrant and, as a result, will no longer trade as a separate security.

16:56 EDT Two Harbors CIO Matthew Koeppen departs, CEO William Greenberg takes over role - Two Harbors announced that William Greenberg, the company's president and CEO has been appointed to also serve as the company's chief investment officer, or CIO. The company entered into a mutually agreeable separation and release agreement with Matthew Koeppen, pursuant to which Koeppen will cease to serve as the company's chief investment officer, with immediate effect.

16:44 EDT CureVac data from COVID-19 vaccine candidate CVnCoV demonstrates protection - CureVac N.V. announced results from the final analysis of its 40,000 subject international pivotal Phase 2b/3 study, the HERALD study, of the first-generation COVID-19 vaccine candidate, CVnCoV. In the unprecedented context of 15 strains circulating within the study population at the time of final analysis, CVnCoV demonstrated an overall vaccine efficacy of 48% against COVID-19 disease of any severity, including single non-respiratory mild symptoms. Significant protection was demonstrated among participants in the age group of 18 to 60, with an efficacy of 53% against disease of any severity and across all 15 identified strains; protection against moderate to severe disease was calculated to be 77% (9 vaccine vs. 36 placebo). In the same age group, CVnCoV provided 100% protection (vaccine 0 vs. 6 placebo) against hospitalization or death. In participants above 60 years, who represented 9% of the analysed cases, the available data did not enable a statistically significant determination of efficacy. The data confirm the favorable safety profile of CVnCoV in all age groups. The study will continue to complete follow-up analyses for trial participants. Available data have been communicated to the European Medicines Agency. "In this final analysis, CVnCoV demonstrates a strong public health value in fully protecting study participants in the age group of 18 to 60 against hospitalization or death and 77% against moderate and severe disease - an efficacy profile, which we believe will be an important contribution to help manage the COVID-19 pandemic and the dynamic variant spread," said Dr. Franz-Werner Haas, Chief Executive Officer of CureVac. "In the current context of an increasingly diverse environment of COVID-19 variants, and with very little residual prevalence of the original strain, we are confident that the HERALD study offers clinically relevant data regarding the effect of emerging variants on vaccine efficacy." In total, 228 adjudicated COVID-19 cases, 83 vaccine vs. 145 placebo, were assessed in the final analysis. In the age group of 18 to 60, across strains of higher prevalence, strain-dependent vaccine efficacy ranged from approximately 42% to up to 67%. Out of the 228 cases, 204 were sequenced to identify the variant causing the infection. Approximately 86% of these cases were caused by Variants of Concern (~51%) and Variants of Interest, the latter including the Lambda strain, first identified in Peru and B.1.621, first identified in Colombia. Approximately 3% of cases were attributable to the original SARS-CoV-2 virus. The remaining 11% were caused by less-explored strains.

16:35 EDT Riverview Financial Corporation trading resumes

16:31 EDT Glacier Bancorp increases quarterly dividend by 1c to 32c per share - The dividend is payable on July 22, 2021, to owners of record on July 13, 2021.

16:26 EDT ASGN purchases Infor business unit from Avaap, terms undisclosed - Avaap announced the sale of its Infor business unit to ASGN. Avaap Infor will become part of ASGN Apex Systems' division effective immediately.

16:24 EDT Micron raises FY21 capital expenditures view to over $9.5B from $9B - The company said, "Based on our assessment of the progress EUV has been making and aligned with our technology strategy and industry-leading DRAM scaling roadmap, we plan to insert EUV into our DRAM roadmap starting in the 2024 time frame. Micron has placed purchase orders for multiple EUV tools from ASML as part of a long-term volume agreement. The pre-payments for these systems will contribute toward the FY21 and FY22 CapEx. We have increased our FY21 CapEx to be somewhat above $9.5 billion, mostly from areas that do not impact CY21 and CY22 bit growth, such as these EUV pre-payments, construction spending and other R&D and corporate items."

16:23 EDT Live Oak Bancshares names William Losch, III CFO - Live Oak Bancshares announced that William C. Losch, III will assume the role of Chief Financial Officer of the company on September 1, 2021. Losch will also assume the role of CFO of Live Oak Bank. "The Live Oak mission is clear, the opportunity is tremendous, and the culture is extraordinary. I am excited to join the Live Oak team at this time and be part of the revolutionary model being built that will continue to redefine the future of banking through innovation and technology," said Losch. Losch will assume the role from Brett Caines, who will remain at Live Oak in a senior position to focus on strategic development goals. Losch will join the company August 1, 2021, before taking the role of CFO.

16:16 EDT Amerant Bancorp names Christine Esteve as Chief Marketing Officer - Amerant Bancorp (AMTB) announced that Christine Esteve, a local marketing veteran with nearly 30 years of experience, has been named Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer. Esteve will oversee Amerant's brand and media strategy, customer research, advertising, local market delivery and agency management. Prior to joining Amerant, Esteve was the Vice President of Performance Marketing at Carnival Cruise Line (CCL).

16:15 EDT Skillsoft acquires Pluma for roughly $22M in cash - Skillsoft Corp. announced it has acquired Pluma, Inc. for approximately $22M in cash. "We are committed to accelerating our growth by acquiring businesses with comprehensive, industry-leading content and solutions that will benefit our current and future customers," said Jeffery R. Tarr, Chief Executive Officer of Skillsoft. "The shift from classroom to digital and blended learning has continued to increase demand for personalized virtual coaching to help companies address leadership blind spots and develop talent. Pluma's solution quickly addresses gaps and achieves meaningful, quantifiable improvement with a highly scalable model. We are excited to bring Pluma's innovative solution to our customers around the world."

16:14 EDT Micron up fractionally to $85.50 following Q3 earnings report

16:11 EDT First Horizon announces departure of CFO William Losch - First Horizon announced that Chief Financial Officer William "BJ" Losch will be departing effective July 3, to pursue another opportunity at Live Oak Bancshares. Chief Operating Officer Anthony Restel will serve as interim CFO following Losch's departure until a permanent successor is named. "We are incredibly fortunate to have tremendous depth of talent across the combined organization," said President and CEO Bryan Jordan. "I am pleased to have Anthony, former IBERIABANK Chief Financial Officer, serve as our CFO on an interim basis while we conduct a thorough search. His expertise and familiarity with our culture and Company will help ensure that we have continued momentum toward integrating our two organizations and achieving our goal of becoming a top-performing regional bank."

16:08 EDT CBIZ reaches settlement with UPMC - CBIZ announced an agreement to settle the previously disclosed University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and UPMC Altoona v. CBIZ, Inc., CBIZ Benefits & Insurance Services, and Jon S. Ketzner lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania. The case was brought in connection with actuarial services provided by a former employee and relates to a transaction that occurred eight years ago. Plaintiffs sought compensatory damages of between $124M-$266M, plus interest and punitive damages. Under the terms of the settlement, CBIZ will pay a one-time total settlement amount of $41.5M, the impact of which will be mitigated by available errors and omissions insurance proceeds and applicable reserves of approximately $11.1M. After taking into account insurance and reserves, the company expects to record a one-time after-tax charge to earnings of approximately $22.8M that will impact 2021 second-quarter and full-year diluted earnings per share by approximately 42c. The company will provide more detail in its upcoming second-quarter and first-half 2021 earnings release and conference call, which are expected to occur July 29. The settlement does not constitute an admission of liability, culpability, negligence, or wrongdoing on the part of CBIZ. CBIZ believes the settlement is in the best interests of the company and its shareholders. The settlement reflects the company's desire to forgo further litigation uncertainty, risk, expense, and potential damages, and to eliminate further distraction from business focus associated with continuing lengthy and complex litigation and appeals. Jerry Grisko, President and CEO of CBIZ, commented, "We are pleased to have the risk and uncertainty of this lawsuit behind us and to focus our time, attention and resources on opportunities to continue to build and support our team, serve our clients and invest in initiatives to accelerate the growth of our business. As of the end of May, our business continues to perform very well with earnings in line with expectations (aside from the impact of this settlement), strong cash flows, and a healthy balance sheet. After payment of this settlement, the unused capacity on our $400 million credit facility will be approximately $200 million. Our strong and steady cash flow and access to borrowing provide us with more than sufficient capital to support ongoing operations, fund foreseeable acquisitions and continue with planned share repurchases. We look forward to providing further details and updates on our upcoming second-quarter earnings release and conference call."

16:06 EDT Franklin Covey raises FY21 adjusted EBITDA view to $24.5M-$26.5M from $20M-$22M - Based on the Company's strong performance in the third quarter and year-to-date in fiscal 2021, the Company is pleased to increase its guidance for fiscal 2021 and now expects Adjusted EBITDA to total between $24.5 million and $26.5 million. The middle of this range reflects over 75% growth in Adjusted EBITDA compared with the $14.3 million achieved in fiscal 2020. The Company anticipates continued strength in All Access Pass and Leader in Me membership during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2021, but the Company also plans on making investments in the fourth quarter for long-term growth. These investments include the costs associated with: 1) the acquisition of Strive Talent; 2) a significant number of new client partners hired to position the Company for growth in future periods; and 3) other growth investments.

16:03 EDT Hertz exits Chapter 11 with increased liquidity - Hertz Global Holdings announced that it has successfully completed its Chapter 11 restructuring process and has emerged as a financially and operationally stronger company that is well-positioned for the future. Hertz's Plan of Reorganization was confirmed by the Bankruptcy Court on June 10202, 1. In doing so, Judge Mary Walrath described the outcome as a "fantastic result" that "surpasses any result that I've seen in any Chapter 11 case that I've faced in my 20-plus years."With over $5.9 billion of new equity capital being provided by Hertz's new investor group, led by Knighthead Capital Management LLC, Certares Opportunities LLC, and certain funds managed by affiliates of Apollo Capital Management, Hertz has reduced its corporate debt by nearly 80% and significantly enhanced its liquidity to fund operations and future growth. Specifically, Hertz has eliminated nearly $5B of debt, including all of Hertz Europe's corporate debt. In addition, Hertz has emerged with a new $2.8B exit credit facility and a $7B asset-backed vehicle financing facility, each having terms the Company views as extremely favorable. The aggregate interest rate on the Company's new ABS financing is less than 2.0%. Henry Keizer, Chairman of Hertz's outgoing Board of Directors, said: "Faced with the epic and unprecedented challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, and unfazed by early leadership changes, we stayed focused on stabilizing the business and seizing opportunities to mitigate losses and create value for our stakeholders. When the economy began to show signs of recovery earlier this year, we were perfectly positioned to drive a competitive process that would maximize recoveries. The result - paying our nearly $19 billion of creditors in full and returning substantial value to our shareholders - is remarkable."

16:00 EDT Riverview Financial Corporation trading halted, news pending

15:17 EDT E Home Household Service Holdings Ltd trading resumes

15:11 EDT Codex DNA Inc trading resumes

15:06 EDT Codex DNA Inc trading halted, volatility trading pause

14:50 EDT NACCO Industries trading resumes

14:47 EDT Twitch says Watch Parties rolling out on Android, iOS devices - Amazon's (AMZN) Twitch said that Watch Parties are now rolling out on Android (GOOG) and iOS (AAPL) devices. According to the live streaming service, Watch Parties allow Twitch communities to "come together to watch, react, and discuss any movie or TV show that is available with their Amazon Prime or Prime Video subscription, directly on Twitch." Reference Link

14:33 EDT Nacco Industries says Falkirk mine expected to continue operating after 2022 - Nacco Industries announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, The Falkirk Mining Company, has entered into a new coal sales agreement, or "CSA," with Rainbow Energy Center that becomes effective concurrent with Rainbow Energy's acquisition of the Coal Creek Station power plant in Underwood, North Dakota, from Great River Energy. Falkirk operates the Falkirk Mine, which is adjacent to and the sole supplier of lignite coal to the Coal Creek Station power plant. The transaction between GRE and Rainbow Energy is subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions, including regulatory approvals associated with the sale of Coal Creek Station and the related transmission assets, and the posting of a performance bond related to final mine reclamation. If the conditions are satisfied, the transaction is expected to close before the end of 2021. Upon completion of the sale of Coal Creek Station, the existing Coal Sales Agreement, the existing Mortgage and Security Agreement and the existing Option Agreement between GRE and Falkirk will be terminated. Falkirk and GRE will enter into a termination and release of claims agreement, under which GRE will pay Falkirk $14.0M in cash, as well as transfer ownership of an office building located in Bismarck, and convey membership units in Midwest AgEnergy to another wholly owned and consolidated subsidiary of Nacco. "Nacco currently owns a modest investment in Midwest AgEnergy, which operates two ethanol facilities in North Dakota," the company said. Falkirk delivered a total of 7.2 million tons of lignite coal during 2020. Coal deliveries in the remainder of 2021 and in 2022 are anticipated to be approximately 7M tons annualized based on initial forecasts. Annual delivery levels from 2023 forward depend on a number of factors, including Rainbow Energy's ability to sell energy and capacity related to the power plant and Rainbow Energy's successful implementation of carbon capture and storage at Coal Creek Station, "all of which are out of Falkirk's primary control." Nacco said.

14:26 EDT NACCO Industries trading halted, news pending

14:14 EDT Shell, Rolls-Royce sign MoU to support decarbonization of aviation industry - Shell (RDS.A) and Rolls-Royce (RYCEY) signed a memorandum of understanding which aims to support the decarbonisation of the aviation industry and their progress towards net zero emissions. In recognition of the scale of the challenge, the MoU will expand and accelerate several existing areas of cooperation between the companies such as advancing the use of SAF. This includes Rolls-Royce's new SAFinity service, for which Shell is the exclusive SAF supplier, and working together on demonstrating the use of 100% SAF as a full "drop-in" solution. This will see the companies explore opportunities to help progress the use of 100% SAF towards certification, building on Rolls-Royce's ongoing 100% SAF testing programme. The MoU will explore opportunities for Shell and Rolls-Royce to provide decarbonisation solutions to meet their respective targets to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. This will include both companies contributing technologies and expertise to help reduce operational emissions. Shell will assess opportunities to support Rolls-Royce in reducing travel emissions through the supply of SAF, while Rolls-Royce will lend its technical expertise to advise Shell in its new fuels development, as well as innovative low carbon energy alternatives for new aircraft and power systems. The MoU will also set the foundation for Rolls-Royce and Shell to work together to proactively engage industry bodies and forums to progress strategic policy issues, and address existing barriers associated with the aviation sector's pathway to decarbonisation. As part of this, Rolls-Royce and Shell also expect to work closely with stakeholders from across the aviation community to help support wider progress towards net zero. As part of the MoU, Rolls-Royce and Shell will assess broader opportunities for cooperation across aviation as well as infrastructure in other mobility sectors such as shipping and rail. Reference Link

14:00 EDT KnowBe4 CEO saw 'some level of distraction' last spring, remainder of 2020 'norm

14:00 EDT KnowBe4 CEO 'excited' about Compliance Plus' prospects

13:50 EDT North American rail traffic rose 11.4% in week ended June 26, AAR says - The Association of American Railroads, AAR, reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending June 26. For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 516,167 carloads and intermodal units, up 12.4% compared with the same week last year. Total carloads for the week ending June 26 were 237,117 carloads, up 17.7% compared with the same week in 2020, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 279,050 containers and trailers, up 8.2% compared to 2020. For some rail traffic categories, percentage changes for the current week compared with the same week in 2020 are inflated because of the widespread shutdowns - and subsequent large reduction in rail volumes - that impacted many economic sectors last year at this time. North American rail volume for the week ending June 26, on 12 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 335,765 carloads, up 14.4% compared with the same week last year, and 367,561 intermodal units, up 8.8% compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 703,326 carloads and intermodal units, up 11.4%. North American rail volume for the first 25 weeks of 2021 was 17,508,746 carloads and intermodal units, up 12.1 percent compared with 2020. Publicly traded companies in the space include CSX (CSX), Canadian National (CNI), Canadian Pacific (CP), Genesee & Wyoming (GWR), Kansas City Southern (KSU), Norfolk Southern (NSC) and Union Pacific (UNP). Reference Link

13:20 EDT New Jersey approves Shell, Orsted offshore wind farms - The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities awarded a combined 2,658 MW of offshore wind capacity to EDF (ECIFY) /Shell's (RDS.A) Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind and Orsted's (DNNGY) Ocean Wind II, bringing the state's total planned capacity to over 3,700 MW. In a unanimous vote, the board awarded 1,510 MW of capacity to Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind and 1,148MW to Ocean Wind II. "In addition to strong environmental and fisheries protection plans, each project has committed to investing in New Jersey's burgeoning offshore wind industry by building new manufacturing facilities at the New Jersey Wind Port, utilizing the foundation manufacturing facility at the Port of Paulsboro, creating tens of thousands of jobs, and injecting billions of dollars in economic benefits into the State," the agency said in a statement.

13:05 EDT Netgear down 2% to $37.87 after Microsoft finds some router vulnerabilities

12:33 EDT Staffing 360 Solutions announces reverse stock split to maintain Nasdaq listing - Staffing 360 Solutions announced that it intends to effect a reverse stock split of its common stock at a ratio of 1 post-split share for every 6 pre-split shares. The reverse stock split will become effective at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, June 30, 2021. Staffing 360's common stock will continue to be traded on the NASDAQ Capital Market under the symbol STAF and will begin trading on a split-adjusted basis when the market opens on Thursday, July 1, 2021. At a special meeting of stockholders held on June 21, 2021, Staffing 360's stockholders granted the company's Board of Directors the discretion to effect a reverse stock split of Staffing 360's common stock through an amendment to its Certificate of Incorporation at a ratio of not less than 1-for-2 and not more than 1-for-20, such ratio to be determined by the company's Board of Directors.

12:00 EDT BIT Mining Limited falls -8.8% - BIT Mining Limited is down -8.8%, or -76c to $7.86.

12:00 EDT Peabody Energy rises 12.3% - Peabody Energy is up 12.3%, or 85c to $7.77.

12:00 EDT Aspen Aerogels rises 27.2% - Aspen Aerogels is up 27.2%, or $6.54 to $30.61.

11:48 EDT XBiotech announces receipt of $75M from sale of antibody - XBiotech announced it received $75M from funds escrowed as part of its December 2019 sale of bermekimab. "The True Human antibody developed by the company to treat inflammatory disorders, including skin diseases, was sold in a uniquely structured Pharma deal that allowed XBiotech to continue to develop new anti-inflammatory antibodies against the same target. With the receipt of $75M, XBiotech has now received a total of $750M pursuant to the deal. As part of the sale agreement for bermekimab, XBiotech agreed to continue under contract to manufacture the antibody and supply finished product. As well, XBiotech engaged in a services agreement to provide its clinical operations to support clinical trial activities with the antibody therapy. These services have been ongoing and have been a significant source of revenue... Since the sale, XBiotech has focused on research and development of other True Human antibodies that target the same inflammatory pathway as bermekimab. XBiotech has recently commenced a clinical program with just such a new antibody, XB2001, in pancreatic cancer," the company stated.

11:32 EDT Celanese says deal with Exxon Mobil doesn't impact share buyback plans - Celanese (CE) CFO Scott Richardson said during a conference call to discuss the definitive agreement to acquire the Santoprene TPV elastomers business of Exxon Mobil (XOM) when asked about shares buybacks going forward for the rest of this year and then into 2022: "So we increased our buyback plan in the April call, and that is still on track. So no change to the buyback strategy that we previously outlined. This deal doesn't impact that at all."

11:02 EDT Cimarex had merger talks with five others before deal with Cabot - Beginning in mid-2020 and continuing into 2021, Cimarex Energy (CEX) engaged in preliminary discussions concerning potential mergers or similar strategic transactions with Cabot Oil & Gas (COG) and five other exploration and production companies whose operations were primarily in the Permian and/or Anadarko basins, according to a regulatory filing. The preliminary discussions "progressed to the entry into a non-disclosure agreement and mutual exchange of non-public due diligence information with two companies, including Cabot." The interactions with the other E&P company party to a non-disclosure agreement occurred in mid-2020 but did not progress to the negotiation of financial or other material terms before cessation, according to the filing.

11:00 EDT Slack introduces 'Slack Huddles' audio feature - In a company blog post, Slack said, " We've reimagined how Slack can improve collaboration for anyone-no matter where or when they work. Here are just a few ways we're helping teams do their best work, digital-first...Before, you might have dropped by a coworker's desk to hash out an idea, or caught up with a colleague in the hallway to debrief after a big meeting. Those casual conversations, which aren't burdened by formality or timeboxed to 30-minute increments, not only build team camaraderie, but often evolve into an idea of something greater. To help re-create those spontaneous moments wherever teams work, we're introducing Slack Huddles, a lightweight audio-first way to start live conversations. In just one click, a huddle can be started in any channel or DM, including those you share with folks outside your company... When large or distributed teams need to schedule a meeting, it can be hard-if not impossible-to find a time that works for everyone. It would be far simpler to share ideas asynchronously, at a time that works best for each person. That's why we're introducing a new way to easily create and share video, voice and screen recordings in Slack...For any new hire joining a large team, figuring out exactly who does what can be a daunting task. And it can be equally challenging for longtime employees to learn the roles and responsibilities of every new colleague. To give you more context into who you're working with, there's Slack Atlas, a new way to connect with colleagues and navigate your organization." Reference Link

10:51 EDT Savara announces first patient dosed in Phase 3 aPAP trial - Savara announced that the first patient has been dosed in the pivotal IMPALA-2 clinical trial. IMPALA-2 is a Phase 3 trial designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of molgramostim compared to placebo. Molgramostim is an inhaled formulation of recombinant human granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor. The trial is expected to be conducted at ~50 sites across the U.S., Canada, Japan, South Korea, and various countries in Europe and is anticipated to enroll ~160 patients with aPAP. Initiation of IMPALA-2 is based on results from the Phase 2/3 IMPALA clinical trial which were published in the New England Journal of Medicine in September 2020. While the IMPALA trial did not meet the primary endpoint of alveolar-arterial oxygen gradient, the totality of data showed that multiple key secondary and exploratory endpoints either achieved nominal statistical significance or trended in favor of the active drug arms, and results from the open-label period demonstrated a sustained treatment effect, or continued improvement, after longer term exposure to molgramostim. In December 2019, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation for molgramostim in aPAP based on data from the double-blind treatment period of IMPALA.

10:36 EDT FINRA orders 'record' $70M in penalties against Robinhood - FINRA announced that it has fined Robinhood Financial $57M and ordered the firm to pay approximately $12.6M in restitution, plus interest, to thousands of harmed customers. "The sanctions represent the largest financial penalty ever ordered by FINRA and reflect the scope and seriousness of the violations. In determining the appropriate sanctions, FINRA considered the widespread and significant harm suffered by customers, including millions of customers who received false or misleading information from the firm, millions of customers affected by the firm's systems outages in March 2020, and thousands of customers the firm approved to trade options even when it was not appropriate for the customers to do so," FINRA stated. Reference Link

10:14 EDT Astronics awarded $6M contract to manufacture 3Oe Iggy device - Astronics Corporation announced 3Oe Scientific has awarded a $6M contract to Astronics to begin manufacturing 3Oe's Iggy hand rinsing device. The company said, "Iggy improves the effectiveness of hand hygiene with proprietary technology and aqueous ozone for a chemical-free, natural disinfectant that does not irritate skin."

10:09 EDT PayPal launches PayPal Zettle in the U.S. - PayPal Holdings announced the launch of PayPal Zettle in the U.S., a digital point-of-sale solution that enables small businesses to sell across in-person and online channels. The company said, "With PayPal Zettle, small businesses will get an integrated solution that enables them to accept a range of payments in-person with the Zettle card reader, helps them start selling online, and also helps them manage sales, inventory, reporting and payments across channels, all in one place. PayPal Zettle will also enable businesses to leverage PayPal's suite of payment and commerce solutions - from invoicing to PayPal's Business Debit Mastercard. "

10:06 EDT Kazia expects initial data from investigator-initiated studies in CY21 - Kazia has been advised of generally good progress across the ongoing investigator-initiated studies of paxalisib in other forms of brain cancer. As previously indicated, the company expects that the respective investigators will release initial data from several of these studies during CY2021.

10:05 EDT Kazia Therapeutics says GBM AGILE study recruiting ahead of expectations - Almost twenty-five sites are currently open to the paxalisib arm in the United States. The list includes prestigious centres such as Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Henry Ford Cancer Institute, Columbia University Irving Cancer Research Center, Emory University Winship Cancer Institute, and the University of Florida. The first site in Canada is expected to open in August 2021, followed by the first European sites in Q4 CY2021. To date, GBM AGILE has screened over 650 patients. This progress is expected to accelerate as new sites in new territories come on stream. GBM AGILE is an international platform study design to identify effective therapies for glioblastoma. It is an adaptive study, that evaluates multiple therapies in parallel, and recruits only the number of patients needed in each arm to reach a definitive answer. With its innovative design and efficient operational infrastructure, GBM AGILE is faster and more cost-effective than conventional company-sponsored approaches, and data from GBM AGILE may be used as the foundation of a new drug application to FDA and other regulatory agencies. GBM AGILE has been designed and implemented by the Global Coalition for Adaptive Research, a world-leading consortium focused on adaptive clinical trials. To date, three experimental therapies have joined GBM AGILE: Bayer's regorafenib, Kazia's paxalisib, and Kintara Therapeutics' VAL-083. It is expected that paxalisib will recruit up to 200 patients in the study, with the actual number determined by emergent data from the study. Kazia has brought forward the manufacture of an additional batch of paxalisib investigational product, and this is expected to be released for use in the study during early 4Q CY2021.

10:03 EDT Comcast awarded $102M, 10-year contract by DISA for ethernet services - Comcast Business announced it has been awarded a 10-year, $102.8M contract by the United States' Defense Information Systems Agency, or DISA, to provide Ethernet that will enhance connectivity, improve network performance and manage overall telecommunications costs throughout the Agency's Defense Information Systems Network, which includes Maryland, Washington, D.C, Virginia, Ohio, West Virginia and Kentucky. DISA selected Comcast Business after reviewing proposals from four other bidders. "We are honored that DISA has once again selected - and more importantly entrusted - Comcast Business for its important initiative of modernizing its communications infrastructure and enhancing connectivity with its partners across the military's information network," said Ken Folderauer, Vice President, Government Sales, Comcast Business. "This contract solidifies Comcast Business' position as a premier provider of communications solutions to government agencies."

10:00 EDT Sprinklr falls -7.2% - Sprinklr is down -7.2%, or -$1.67 to $21.49.

10:00 EDT U.S. Xpress Enterprises falls -7.4% - U.S. Xpress Enterprises is down -7.4%, or -70c to $8.70.

10:00 EDT Aspen Aerogels rises 11.9% - Aspen Aerogels is up 11.9%, or $2.86 to $26.93.

09:59 EDT Chindata signs agreement on zero-carbon digital infrastructure project - Chindata Group signed a strategic agreement on a zero-carbon digital infrastructure project with Datong municipal government. The first-of-its-kind project, dubbed PEACH BLOSSOM LAND, is located in Datong, North China's Shanxi province, an emerging city in China's digital economy development. Relying on rich energy resources in Datong and network advantages under the strategy of "Eastern Data and Western Computing" initiated by China's top regulatory and policymaking agencies, Chindata Group strives to build a zero-carbon digital infrastructure industry cluster with the next-generation hyperscale green data centers as its core business, and comprehensive development, equipment manufacturing and energy service as its key supporting parts. It will work together with ecosystem partners to develop China's first super energy complex that empowers smart cities and other scenarios. Chindata Group will make itself as a new resident in Datong, a green energy city, to achieve the whole industrial chain with carbon-free emissions. The project will connect the high-performance computing power digital infrastructure to various zero-carbon service scenarios such as public renewable energy storage, snow sports in the cities, cold chain logistics, the cooling resource supply, the smart temperature control technology in the agricultural industry, and the municipal heating system.

09:47 EDT Sprinklr falls -6.8% - Sprinklr is down -6.8%, or -$1.58 to $21.58.

09:47 EDT Tronox rises 6.1% - Tronox is up 6.1%, or $1.25 to $21.76.

09:47 EDT Aspen Aerogels rises 16.6% - Aspen Aerogels is up 16.6%, or $4.00 to $28.07.

09:40 EDT Nevada reports May statewide gaming win of $1.23B - Nevada's nonrestricted gaming licensees reported a total "gaming win" of $1.23B for the month of May 2021. This amounts to a 20,970.94% increase compared to May 2020, when licensees reported a gaming win of $5.84M. The state reported May Las Vegas Strip gaming win of $655.5M versus $3.8M last year. Publicly traded companies in the gambling space include Boyd Gaming (BYD), Caesars (CZR), Churchill Downs (CHDN), DraftKings (DKNG), Flutter Entertainment (PDYPY), Gan Limited (GAN), Las Vegas Sands (LVS), MGM Resorts (MGM), Penn National (PENN), William Hill (WIMHY) and Wynn Resorts (WYNN).

09:38 EDT BioSig Technologies reports 1000 patient cases completed with PURE EP System - BioSig Technologies announced that physicians have completed 1000 patient cases with its technology across nine installation sites. BioSig's non-invasive computerized technology, the PURE EP System, aims to drive procedural efficiency and efficacy in electrophysiology. The system provides essential diagnostic signals with high clinical value in all cardiac ablations that treat irregular heartbeats or arrhythmias. Previously the Company increased the patient case goal from 1000 to at least 1500 procedures by the end of 2021, having delivered 425 procedures at the end of 2020. The Company is currently conducting patient cases in nine medical centers across the country. Texas Cardiac Arrhythmia Institute at St. David's Medical Center in Austin, TX, Mayo Clinic Florida Campus, the Company's first commercial customers, and the University of Pennsylvania count among the most prominent technology users with over 600 patient cases conducted to date.

09:36 EDT Neonode, Dewhurst partner for contactless elevator control market - Neonode and Dewhurst UK Ltd have signed an Original Equipment Manufacturer agreement for Dewhurst to design, market and sell contactless elevator control products and solutions featuring Neonode contactless technology. In 2020, Dewhurst was looking to innovate and add contactless products to its portfolio. After the successful evaluation of Neonode touch sensor modules, Dewhurst started a new product development project which resulted in the launch of its first contactless elevator product in early 2021. Th HALO brings user-friendly touchless technology inside the lift car and, with its sleek design and standalone nature, is ideal for both retrofits and new installations.

09:33 EDT GSK, Vir Biotechnology announce advance purchase agreement with Singapore - GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Singapore and Vir Biotechnology (VIR) announced an agreement with the Government of Singapore for the supply of sotrovimab, an investigational single-dose monoclonal antibody, for the treatment of patients with COVID-19 who do not require oxygen supplementation and who are at risk of progressing to severe COVID-19. GSK Singapore has submitted an application under the Pandemic Special Access Route, or PSAR, for sotrovimab to the Health Sciences Authority of Singapore. Sotrovimab is currently undergoing regulatory review for interim authorization under the PSAR. GSK and Vir are in discussions with other governments to explore similar supply agreements, as countries accelerate their vaccine and therapeutics programmes against COVID-19.

09:30 EDT Boeing elects Lieutenant General Stayce Harris to Board of Directors - The Boeing Company (NYSE: BA) board of directors announced that Lieutenant General Stayce Harris has been elected to the board. She will serve on the Aerospace Safety and Audit committees. Harris is an experienced Boeing 747 pilot, with over 10,000 flight hours safely transporting passengers and cargo worldwide for United Airlines. She is type rated in Boeing 747-100/200/400, 757/767 and 777 aircraft, and was a United Airlines pilot for nearly 30 years before retiring from the company in 2020. General Harris is a retired United States Air Force Reserve Lieutenant General who last served as the Inspector General of the Air Force.

09:27 EDT Athersys announces publication of research data on MAPC - Athersys announced that data accumulated from several years of preclinical research was published in the peer-reviewed journal Scientific Reports. The publication describes the findings from extensive in vitro studies investigating the role Multipotent Adult Progenitor Cells, or MAPC, clinically known as MultiStem, have in modulating the inflammatory response. The report provides evidence of potential mechanisms by which MAPC cells promote regulatory T cell differentiation and proliferation and influence their immune-suppressive phenotype. Enhancement of endogenous, immunoregulatory mechanisms, including promoting Treg differentiation, proliferation, and phenotypic activity, is one way that MultiStem likely mitigates inflammatory organ injury and promotes recovery following tissue injury. This study adds to the growing collection of scientific publications by Athersys and its collaborators relating to MAPC and the evidence elucidating how the cells modulate the inflammatory response initiated by acute injury, through down-regulation of inflammatory cytokines and immune cells that can exacerbate damage after an injury, such as a stroke. Athersys currently is undertaking three clinical studies evaluating MultiStem therapy, including a Phase 3 clinical study for the treatment of ischemic stroke, a Phase 2/3 clinical study for the treatment of ARDS, and a Phase 1/2 clinical study for the treatment of severe trauma. In addition, the company's partner in Japan, HEALIOS, is nearing completion of its ischemic stroke study and has recently completed enrollment in its ARDS study using MultiStem cell therapy. The data presented in this publication and other reports support the hypothesized mechanism of action for using MultiStem cell therapy in the ongoing clinical studies and provide support for other clinical indications in the future.

09:23 EDT Casper Sleep, Mattress Warehouse launch mid-Atlantic region partnership - Mattress Warehouse and Casper Sleep announced the launch of their retail partnership, including the expansion of Casper's product offerings in-store at Mattress Warehouse's retail locations and online at Sleephappens.com beginning late July. Casper will allow customers across the mid-Atlantic region to shop a variety of offerings, including Casper mattresses with Snow Technology.

09:19 EDT Nemaura Medical announces presentation on Why WAIT Program - Nemaura Medical announces a presentation referring to its licensed Why WAIT program at the American Diabetes Association's 81st Annual Scientific Sessions. The Why WAIT program is an award-winning 12-week program to help patients manage their weight and diabetes conditions. The Why WAIT program was developed by the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston, MA and demonstrated long-term success. Healthimation Inc. currently has the exclusive license to develop a mobile version of Why WAIT program. Nemaura Medical Inc. licensed the Why WAIT mobile application from Healthimation to be included in its BEAT diabetes program. The Why WAIT mobile application and telehealth were used in the virtual Why WAIT program, which was compared in the study to the in-person Why WAIT. The study presented on June 28th showed no difference in clinical outcomes between virtual Why WAIT and in-person Why WAIT programs, where both resulted in equal weight loss of ~7% and similar reduction in A1C of ~1%. Highlights from the presentation included: The potentiality for group intervention through telemedicine or mobile health applications as a result of recent advances in digital health; Advantages of utilizing digital health applications for participants to maintain accurate records of their dietary, exercise and behavioural interventions, as well as inclusion of coaching modules that allow tracking of personal progress; Virtual multidisciplinary intensive lifestyle intervention programs using telemedicine and m-health are as effective as costly, in-person physical programming to improve body weight, A1C, blood pressure, lipid profiles and in reducing the number of hyperglycemic medications; The virtual Why WAIT program can be scalable to overweight and obese people with diabetes, regardless of their locations and may be as successful as in-person programs.

09:16 EDT Intertape Polymer to acquire Nuevopek for C$43.8M - Intertape Polymer Group announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Nuevopak Global Limited for approximately C$43.8 million in total cash consideration, consisting of C$34.8 million to be paid at closing and the remaining amount, subject to certain post-closing adjustments and potential contingent consideration, to be paid within three years from the date of closing. All amounts are in US dollars. Nuevopak designs and develops a range of machines to provide void-fill and cushioning protective packaging solutions. Nuevopak currently supplies IPG with paper dispensing machines and converted paper for protective packaging distribution in North America. Nuevopak is a privately held company headquartered in Hong Kong with subsidiaries in Jiangmen, China and Scheden, Germany that serve customers around the world, providing protective packaging solutions using a combination of world-class innovation and specialized industry experience. The acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions and approvals and is expected to close in the third quarter of 2021. IPG expects to achieve a post-synergy Adjusted EBITDA acquisition multiple on the Nuevopak transaction that is approximately 5x by 2023. In management's view, the post-synergy multiple disclosure is more representative of the contribution Nuevopak can offer within IPG, compared to Nuevopak's relatively modest contribution on a stand-alone basis given its early stage growth profile. Expected cost synergies are considered to be low-risk by the Company's management, and include margin expansion through the vertical integration of IPG's paper converting, as well as savings on future capital expenditures by leveraging Nuevopak's strategic parts sourcing and assembly capabilities. The Company also believes additional revenue synergies will materialize as it continues to scale its protective packaging business across multiple market verticals, led by the continued demand growth in the e-commerce fulfillment vertical and customer preferences for sustainable packaging solutions. In total, deal and integration costs are expected to be approximately $2-3 million, with the majority of these costs expected to be recognized by the end of 2022. IPG expects to finance the acquisition with funds available under its C$600 million credit facility.

09:13 EDT STMicroelectronics collaborates with Eyeris for automotive in-cabin monitoring - STMicroelectronics announced a cooperation with Eyeris. The collaboration focuses on extending ST's Global-Shutter sensor to in-cabin sensing applications with Eyeris' advanced portfolio of Deep Neural Networks for a comprehensive visuospatial understanding of the entire vehicle interior. This advanced perception supports safety and convenience features including Driver Monitoring Systems, Occupant Monitoring Systems, child presence detection, object recognition, gesture control, and activity prediction. "ST's 2.3 Megapixel VG5761 Global-Shutter sensor features high linear dynamic range of up to 98 dB for sharp, crisp images. The sensor can capture images inside a vehicle under all lighting and environmental conditions. Combined with Eyeris' in-cabin sensing technology, the sensor can be used for Eyeris' DMS with accurate eye-gaze tracking, especially from non-frontal camera locations such as rearview mirror, overhead console, and center stack areas. In parallel, the sensor also enables Eyeris' OMS with accurate tracking of body key-points, height, width, size, posture, movements, and orientation. Furthermore, the ST sensor enables Eyeris for accurate child presence detection, and recognition of common vehicle interior objects under the widest range of lighting conditions. The technological integration from ST and Eyeris delivers substantial in-cabin safety, comfort, and convenience benefits for all occupants," the company said.

09:10 EDT Euroseas signs new building agreements for acquisition of two containerships - Euroseas announced that it has signed a contract for the construction of two Eco design fuel efficient containerships. The vessels will have a carrying capacity of about 2,800 teu each and will be built at Hyundai Mipo Dockyard in Korea. The two newbuildings are scheduled to be delivered during the first and second quarter of 2023, respectively. The total consideration for these two newbuilding contracts is about $76M which will be financed with a combination of debt and equity. Aristides Pittas, Chairman and CEO of Euroseas commented: "We are pleased to announce the ordering of two modern eco-design 2,800 teu vessels in one of the best quality shipbuilders in the world. With this order, we continue our strategy to further grow the company in a manner that creates value for our shareholders and adheres to our ESG commitment of having a more environment-friendly fleet. In that respect, it is noteworthy that the new vessels will consume about 30% less fuel than previous generation, non-eco ships. We remain very optimistic about the prospects of the container market for the next few years and we believe that these two ships that will enter our fleet in the first half of 2023 will further bolster the prospects of our company."

09:08 EDT Sintx Technologies announces the sale of first silicon nitride powder to O2TODAY - SINTX Technologies announced it has moved into the next phase of its relationship with O2TODAY and sold the first shipment of FleX SN-AP antipathogenic silicon nitride powder to O2TODAY for integration into a proprietary line of masks and filters. SINTX is the supplier of FleX SN-AP antipathogenic silicon nitride powder to O2TODAY. The powder is used to make O2TODAY's face masks and mask filters which were developed during a collaboration entered by the two companies in the midst of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. That collaboration has led to several milestones including a 2-year Technology License Agreement with a fee for the exclusive use of SINTX's technology in face masks and mask filters, a commercial agreement on silicon nitride sales, and royalties from product sales. SINTX continues to work with other partners to develop products with its FleX SN-AP powder. SINTX's FleX SN-AP can rapidly inactivate a wide range of bacteria, molds, and viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, Influenza A, and H1N1.

09:06 EDT Privia Health appoints Jaewon Ryu to board of directors - Privia Health announced that Jaewon Ryu, MD, JD, has been named to the company's board of directors, effective immediately. In connection with this election, the size of the board was increased to nine directors. Dr. Jaewon Ryu is the President and CEO of Geisinger, an integrated delivery system with a clinical enterprise, health plan, the Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine, and research and innovation functions operating in central and northeastern Pennsylvania.

09:04 EDT Coffee Holding announces purchase of its Colorado Roasting Facility - Coffee Holding announced the purchase of the building and surrounding property in La Junta, Colorado, which has been the home to its largest roasting operations since 2005. The purchase price of $900,000 for the 50,000 sq. ft. facility and adjoining 6.278 acres of land was $70,000 below the recent appraised value of the property. "We believe this is a great opportunity to improve the value and operational efficiency of our company," said Andrew Gordon, President and CEO of Coffee Holding Company. "At a time when the company is basically debt free, to now own our largest and most efficient operating facility, we believe the company will greatly benefit in the near and long term in several ways. First, by eliminating our monthly rental to the city, we will save over $100,000 annually, or 2c cents per share. We will also recognize the depreciation on our balance sheet for this asset. More importantly, we will now be able to undergo an expansion at the facility which we expect will enable us to conduct our roasting operations more efficiently. The expansion of this facility, which we hope to begin by late calendar 2021, will allow us to consolidate operations here in La Junta, which we believe will eliminate cost dualities and overheads in our other locations. Eventually, we believe the annualized cost savings will be approximately $2.0 million once operations have been fully consolidated in La Junta. We expect the company will experience increased freight costs associated with shipping product back to the east coast, but we anticipate the overall cost savings will vastly outstrip any potential increases," concluded Mr. Gordon.

09:04 EDT Golden Nugget Online selected as Rocket Mortgage Classic official partner - Golden Nugget Online and Detroit's Rocket Mortgage Classic announced a partnership making GoldenNuggetCasino.com the Official National Casino Partner of the 2021 & 2022 tournament. This year's tournament will be held from July 1st - 4th at the Detroit Golf Club in Michigan. GNOG will have on-site branding and will be giving away premier golf bags, all-inclusive hospitality upgrades to Club 1899, prizes, Golden Lines odds boosts on wagers placed during the tournament, and an exclusive promotional casino & sportsbook bonus for tournament attendees.

09:03 EDT Net 1 UEPS appoint Chris Meyer as Group CEO - Net 1 UEPS Technologies announced that it has appointed Chris Meyer as Group Chief Executive Officer as of July 1. Meyer makes the move to Net1 after a 20-year career with Investec Bank. From his base in London, Chris led Investec's international Corporate & Investment bank, serving over 100,000 corporate and institutional clients across seven countries. As of July 1, 2021, Alex Smith will revert to his role as Chief Financial Officer.

09:02 EDT Royal Caribbean says Florida sailings in July-August completely sold out - In a blog post, the company states: "The handful of ships scheduled to restart sailings in July and August from Florida are completely sold out... Clearly demand is strong for these early cruises, despite not knowing the full set of protocols yet for all ships." Reference Link

08:59 EDT Constellation Brands announces accelerated stock buyback - Constellation Brands announced that it has entered into an accelerated share repurchase agreement with Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC to repurchase $500M of its Class A common stock. Under the ASR agreement, Constellation will receive approximately 1.7 million shares on July 2, 2021, representing approximately 80% of the expected share repurchases under the ASR agreement, based on the company's June 29, 2021 closing stock price of $230.98. The repurchased shares will become treasury shares. The specific number of shares to be repurchased in the transaction is generally based upon the volume-weighted-average price of the Common Stock during the term of the ASR agreement, less a discount and is expected to be completed no later than October 2021. The purchase price for shares repurchased in the accelerated share repurchase transaction will be paid primarily with cash on hand and will be completed under the company's current share repurchase authorization, which currently has approximately $3.4B in authorization remaining before giving effect to the ASR. This ASR agreement will not change the fiscal 2022 EPS guidance provided in the news release of earlier and constitutes the $500M incremental share repurchase referenced in that news release.

08:42 EDT Luckin Coffee announces restatements of unaudited Q2, Q3 financial statements - Luckin Coffee announced its restated unaudited financial results for the second and third quarters ended June 30, 2019 and September 30, 2019, as well as the unaudited results for the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2019. On March 19, 2020, in light of certain issues raised to the Company's Board of Directors during the audit of the consolidated financial statements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019, the Board formed a special committee to oversee an internal investigation. The Special Committee retained Kirkland & Ellis as its independent advisor, which was assisted by FTI Consulting as an independent forensic accounting expert, in connection with the Internal Investigation. On July 1, 2020, the Company announced that the Special Committee has substantially completed the Internal Investigation. Based on its work, the Special Committee found that the fabrication of transactions began in April 2019 and that, as a result, the Company's net revenue in 2019 was inflated by approximately RMB2.12 billion and its costs and expenses were inflated by RMB1.34 billion in 2019. "Today's disclosure represents an important milestone for Luckin Coffee as we execute on our plan to return to normalized financial reporting. We have worked diligently to remediate the accounting issues that have delayed our financial filings and led to the review and correction of our historical financial information," said Dr. Jinyi Guo, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Luckin Coffee. "Today, we have a new leadership team and a viable plan that is driving growth for Luckin Coffee and long-term value creation for our shareholders. Across the Company, our team remains focused on delivering improved financial and operational performance while delivering outstanding products and services for our customers."

08:40 EDT Covetrus to acquire VCP, terms undisclosed - Covetrus announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire VCP, a platform in veterinary wellness plan administration, serving approximately 1,000 veterinary practices with more than 350,000 pets currently benefiting from wellness plans enabled by VCP. The acquisition is expected to close in the third quarter, subject to customary closing conditions. VCP's technology platform and infrastructure will afford Covetrus new ways to provide veterinarians with tools to foster stronger relationships with their pet parent clients and deliver better business and healthcare outcomes. VCP's solutions help veterinarians serve the growing number of pet parents seeking holistic, highly tailored wellness plans centered around their trusted veterinarian. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The transaction is not expected to have a material impact on Covetrus' previously announced 2021 financial guidance.

08:38 EDT Wayside Technology's Climb Channel signs distribution agreement with D2iQ - Climb Channel Solutions, an international specialty technology distributor and wholly-owned subsidiary of Wayside Technology Group, has entered into a distribution agreement with D2iQ to distribute their Kubernetes Platform worldwide. "The adoption of container based technologies has been nothing short of phenomenal over the past two years. In keeping with our alliance strategy, we are looking to build partnerships with successful companies on the leading edge of this space. We've found exactly that with D2iQ," said Dale Foster, CEO of Climb Channel Solutions.

08:37 EDT Document Security forms Liquid Value Asset Management - Document Security Systems announced the further expansion of its DSS Securities, Inc. business through its wholly owned subsidiary DSS Financial Management Inc.'s launch of Liquid Value Asset Management Limited. a fund management company domiciled in Hong Kong. Wilson Lee, former co-head of Societe Generale's equity derivatives in Asia, and Jackson Kwan, former portfolio manager at Citadel in Chicago, have teamed up with DSS to launch LVAM. The fund will focus on algorithmic trading of liquid equities, futures, exchange-traded-funds, and cryptocurrencies. Lee and Kwan bring a dedicated team of eight experience staff members, custom software, and privately developed algorithms with a demonstrated track record of consistent 20% per annum returns with a Sharpe ratio over 2.0 in real-time trading.

08:35 EDT Streamline Health signs new contract with large midwestern health system - Streamline Health announced it has signed a contract with a 2,367-bed, Epic EMR-based health system serving the Midwest. The health system will use eValuator's cloud-based automated pre- and post-bill coding analysis technology to help improve revenue integrity and financial performance from their inpatient and outpatient services. "In light of all that's going on in healthcare, we're very excited that this health system has chosen eValuator to help improve their coding accuracy and financial performance prior to billing," stated Tee Green, President and Chief Executive Officer, Streamline Health. "Now more than ever, providers need the ability to optimize revenue integrity in a highly efficient and effective manner. We're honored that this large health system has entrusted Streamline Health to assist with this mission critical function."

08:34 EDT Genasys receives $3M in LRAD systems orders, appoints Karam as Director - Genasys (GNSS) announced $3M in domestic and international LRAD systems orders. The LRAD systems will be used for public safety, border, homeland, and commercial security applications in the United States, African countries, and other nations. "Escalating international border incursions and homeland security threats are increasing the demand for LRAD systems and integrations," said Richard Danforth, CEO of Genasys. "U.S. and international public safety agencies are using LRAD's exceptional long-range communication and unique capabilities to de-escalate dangerous situations, protect civilians, and safeguard officers." The company also announced that Mansour Karam has been appointed Director of Business Development for Northern and Sub-Saharan Africa to address the growing regional demand for LRAD systems and Genasys mass notification solutions. Fluent in Arabic, French and English, Karam served as Motorola Solutions' (MSI) Regional Channel Director in the Middle East from 2019 - 2021, and Senior Channel Sales Manager from 2012 - 2019.

08:33 EDT Cerus in pact with LifeSouth to manufacture INTERCEPT Fibrinogen Complex - Cerus announced an agreement with LifeSouth Community Blood Centers to serve as a production partner for INTERCEPT Fibrinogen Complex, the company's pathogen reduced cryoprecipitated fibrinogen complex product. LifeSouth is the fifth production partner for INTERCEPT Fibrinogen Complex, enabling the initial commercial launch of the product to expand into the state of Florida. "We are delighted to add LifeSouth as a blood center manufacturing partner for INTERCEPT Fibrinogen Complex," stated Elan Weiner, general manager of Cerus Therapeutics. "The initial market response has been enthusiastic and as we gear up for a nationwide launch in 2022 following anticipated BLA approvals, we are happy to be able to offer this product in Florida through our partnership. LifeSouth's strong presence throughout the Southeast will help ensure we have the ability to easily deliver product to hospitals in the region," Mr. Weiner continued.

08:30 EDT Thayer Ventures Acquisition Corporation (Units) trading resumes

08:30 EDT AGF Management declares Q2 dividend of C$0.09 per share - On June 29, 2021, the Board of Directors of AGF Management Limited declared a dividend of C$0.09 per share on both the Class B Non-Voting shares and the Class A Voting common shares of the company. This dividend will be payable on July 20, 2021 to shareholders of record on July 9, 2021.

08:26 EDT ICE Trade Vault approved by SEC as security-based swap data depository - Intercontinental Exchange announced that ICE Trade Vault, ICE's Trade Repository located in the United States, has received approval from the Securities and Exchange Commission as a security-based swap data repository and securities information processor. With this approval, ICE Trade Vault can now operate as a registered SDR for security-based swap transactions in credit derivatives. ICE Trade Vault provides transparency to the SBS market and publicly disseminates trade information. Since launch, ICE Trade Vault and ICE Trade Vault Europe have collectively accepted more than 4.5 billion trades across energy, agricultural commodities, metals, credit, interest rates and equity derivatives. "This approval from the SEC means that we can now offer customers trade reporting services for single-name credit derivatives in the U.S. and further expand the regulatory jurisdictions to which we offer services," said Melissa Ratnala, Chief Operating Officer of ICE Trade Vault. Through ICE's trading platform and clearing houses, as well as through ICE eConfirm, ICE's industry-leading electronic trade confirmation service, ICE simplifies trade data reporting requirements, helping customers achieve efficient and cost-effective compliance with reporting regulations. ICE eConfirm provides fast, accurate and legally binding confirmations for the over-the-counter market.

08:21 EDT Ambrx Biopharma appoints Sonja Nelson as CFO - Ambrx (AMAM) announced the appointment of Sonja Nelson to CFO. Nelson is an experienced financial executive, who joins Ambrx with 10 years of executive experience within the biotechnology industry. Most recently, she served as CFO at NantKwest, now ImmunityBio (IBRX).

08:19 EDT Falco Resources enters into option agreement with First Quantum Minerals - Falco Resources (FPRGF) is pleased to announce that it has entered into an option agreement with First Quantum Minerals Ltd. (FQVLF) pursuant to which First Quantum grants the Corporation the sole and exclusive right to acquire an undivided one hundred percent ownership interest in the Norbec and Millenbach sites located in the vicinity of the City of Rouyn-Noranda. The Properties will serve as the Corporation's tailings management facilities and are located at a former tailings facility, which has already been impacted by historical mining activities and is situated approximately 11 km from the Horne 5 Project's mining complex site. The use of this previously impacted site is consistent with Corporation's environmental, social and governance strategies as reflected in the Corporation's recently released Sustainability Report dated May 31, 2021. The Corporation is required to pay $1,000,000 to First Quantum by August 20, 2021, in the form of a cash payment of $500,000, and the issuance of such number of common shares of Falco having an aggregate value of $500,000 based on the volume weighted average trading price of the common shares for the five trading-day period ending as of two business days before the date of the Cash Payment, subject to a minimum price of $0.30 per common share pursuant to the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange which results in a maximum of 1,666,667 Consideration Shares issuable under the Option Agreement. Upon the exercise of the Option by the Corporation, First Quantum will transfer the Properties to the Corporation; the Corporation will assume historical and contingent environmental liabilities related to the Properties' former mining site; and First Quantum will make cash payments to the Corporation representing the reimbursement of the Option Price, together with additional payments totaling $3,500,000. The Option is exercisable until December 31, 2022. First Quantum will retain a 2% net smelter royalty on any production from the area represented by the mining concessions 177 and 517, which form a part of the Properties.

08:17 EDT Twist Bioscience buys NGS library preparation maker iGenomX for $35M - Twist Bioscience announced the acquisition of iGenomX, "a company offering multiplex library preparation tools for next-generation sequencing workflows. The acquisition is expected to enhance Twist's capabilities to support multiplex sequencing preparations across multiple markets and to accelerate Twist's conversion of customers from static microarray platforms to genotyping by sequencing workflows. iGenomX was founded in 2012 to develop and commercialize a high-throughput rapid library preparation that facilitates large sample volume with a simple workflow at enabling price points. The resulting commercial library construction maximizes laboratory capacity for many applications including population genetics, agrigenomics, microbiome and synthetic biology. The total purchase consideration was $35M , including an initial $500,000 cash payment and $29.5M in Twist stock, as well as a contingency consideration of $5 million in Twist shares upon completion of certain milestones, no sooner than six months post-close. "We expect the financial impact of the acquisition on our burn rate to be minimal for both fiscal 2021 and 2022, with revenue of approximately $4-6 million materializing in fiscal 2023," commented Jim Thorburn, CFO of Twist.

08:16 EDT Dixie Group to sell commercial business to Mannington Mills - In a regulatory filing, Dixie Group announced entry into an agreement in principle for the sale of its commercial business to Mannington Mills. Terms and conditions are to be finalized in the near future. When completed, Mannington would buy the AtlasMasland business, including certain tufting machines, other equipment and inventories. However, they would not be purchasing any facilities in the proposed transaction. Mannington would absorb the company's AtlasMasland sales, marketing and product design functions. The c ompany expects the transition to take several months to complete. During that time, Dixie Group will continue to manufacture goods for Mannington while they relocate tufting machines and other equipment to their facilities in Calhoun, Georgia.

08:15 EDT General Mills expects to compete effectively in FY22 - The company said: "We expect our North America Retail and Europe & Australia segments will see headwinds from lower consumer demand for food at home relative to Fiscal '21, though we expect that demand will remain above pre-pandemic levels. Conversely, we expect our Convenience Stores & Foodservice segment to benefit from increased demand for away-from-home food relative to Fiscal '21, though we don't expect demand to fully recover to pre-pandemic levels. Finally, we anticipate demand for our Pet and Asia & Latin America segments will be up in Fiscal '22, on top of growth in the prior year."

08:14 EDT Histogen announces initiation of HST 003 Phase 1/2 trial - Histogen announced the initiation of its Phase 1/2 clinical trial of HST 003 to evaluate the safety and efficacy of human extracellular matrix implanted within microfracture interstices and the cartilage defect in the knee to regenerate hyaline cartilage in combination with a microfracture procedure. Clinical sites participating in the trial include: OasisMD in San Diego, CA, The Steadman Clinic in Vail, CO and Walter Reed Medical Center in Bethesda, MD. "The initiation of the HST 003 clinical trial as a treatment for regeneration of knee cartilage marks a major milestone for Histogen as we focus on developing best in class orthopedic therapeutics with our novel regenerative medicine platform technology," said Richard W. Pascoe, Histogen's President and CEO.

08:13 EDT Chipotle launches offer as part of national vaccination action campaign - Chipotle will offer buy-one, get-one free entrees in-restaurant on Tuesday, July 6 from 3pm to close at participating U.S. locations. Customers will need to say "Friends BOGO" at the cashier to redeem one free entree with the purchase of another entree. The offer will support the White House's ongoing initiative to get more Americans vaccinated this summer. "As a proud participant in the National Month of Action for Vaccinations, we are encouraging our fans to give their friends free Chipotle as a craveable reward for getting vaccinated," said Chris Brandt, Chief Marketing Officer.

08:12 EDT General Mills: Consumer behaviors 'not returning to what they once were' - Says "ending one period of significant consumer disruption only to start another." Says Q4 results "slightly" ahead of expectations. Comments taken from prepared remarks ahead of the company's Q4 earnings conference call.

08:12 EDT Baker Hughes awarded two flexible pipe contracts by Petrobras - Baker Hughes (BKR) announced that it has been awarded two flexible pipe contracts by Petrobras (PBR) in the Q2. The first contract covers up to 96 kilometers of flexible pipe for the Sapinhoa and Tupi fields and the second contract covers up to 226 kilometers of flexible pipe for the Marlim 2 and Itapu fields. Including two flexible pipe contracts Petrobras awarded to Baker Hughes for the Buzios field in the first quarter of this year, Petrobras has contracted Baker Hughes during the first half of 2021 to provide it up to 370 kilometers of flexible pipe for its subsea projects. This is larger than the volume of flexible pipe awarded by Petrobras to Baker Hughes in 2019 and 2020 combined. Baker Hughes flexible pipes will be used for a mix of production lines, gas injection flowlines, water injection lines, and services lines for pre- and post-salt subsea developments in Brazil. The company's flexible pipe solutions are designed to ensure reliable connections and optimal flow under high pressures and in extreme temperatures and corrosive conditions.

08:11 EDT Rafael Pharmaceuticals to present data on CPI-613 from Phase 1b/2 trials - Rafael Pharmaceuticals announced that data on its lead compound, devimistat, has been selected for an oral presentation at the 2021 European Society of Medical Oncology World Gastrointestinal Congress, taking place June 30 through July 3, 2021. Devimistat's mechanism of action aims to stunt the growth of cancer cells, creating an opportunity to increase survival rates for cancers like pancreatic and biliary tract, which have historically produced grim outlooks for patients. According to the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database, biliary tract cancer has a 5-year relative survival rate of just 9% across all combined SEER stages (localized, regional and distant). Pancreatic cancer has a similar profile, with a 5-year relative survival rate of 10.8%. Patients battling both cancers urgently need therapeutic options that can improve survival rates.

08:09 EDT Ceridian announces Ceridian World Tour 2021 - Ceridian announced Ceridian World Tour, a new, transformative event series bringing leaders and experts from around the world together to connect, learn, and share innovative thinking through in-person and virtual experiences. With live events scheduled in Las Vegas, New York, London, Singapore, and Melbourne, Ceridian World Tour will feature experiences customized to each locale. The series will kick off in Las Vegas from October 4-7 at the MGM Grand Hotel, with dates for other participating cities to be announced soon.

08:07 EDT NeuroPace awarded five-year NIH grant funding of $9.3M to study RNS system - NeuroPace announced that it has received a National Institutes of Health grant through the Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies Initiative that will provide up to $9.3M over five years to evaluate the use of NeuroPace's RNS System to treat Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome, or LGS. The Investigational Device Exemption study, which will be the first to evaluate a neuromodulation device in patients with Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome, is projected to start enrolling patients in the second half of next year. The study funded by the grant will explore the potential of NeuroPace's brain-responsive neuromodulation technology as a new therapy for persons living with LGS. In addition to the potential therapeutic benefits, the ability of the RNS System to provide continuous monitoring and recording of brain activity could help to optimize therapy for each individual, and may offer new insights into this condition. The NIH-funded research will be a collaborative effort involving eight U.S. academic centers. Six clinical study sites will enroll a total of 20 patients with LGS and drug-resistant generalized onset seizures. Two other academic sites will create patient-specific maps of brain seizure networks, providing unprecedented insight into how to personalize the treatment for each participant. Patients selected to participate in the study will be enrolled in two cohorts of 10, with safety and efficacy milestones in the first cohort governing the enrollment of the second cohort. The IDE study, once approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, will primarily aim to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the RNS System in treating seizures associated with LGS. If the RNS System meets certain criteria, experience from the study will inform the design of a future larger clinical study.

08:06 EDT Celanese to acquire Santoprene business from Exxon Mobil for $1.15B - Celanese (CE) announced the signing of a definitive agreement to acquire the Santoprene TPV elastomers business of Exxon Mobil (XOM). Celanese will acquire the Santoprene brand as part of a TPV product portfolio, along with intellectual property, production and commercial assets, and an organization. The Santoprene business of ExxonMobil is a global producer of TPV serving a variety of end-uses including automotive, construction, appliance, medical, and industrial. TPV is a chemically cross-linked material which leverages a combination of engineering thermoplastic and elastomer properties. The Santoprene portfolio is highly functionalized to specific application requirements and is supported by intellectual property. According to the terms of the definitive agreement, Celanese will acquire the Santoprene business from Exxon Mobil for a total purchase price of $1.15B on a cash-free, debt-free basis. As part of the transaction, Celanese will acquire the following: Santoprene, Dytron, and Geolast trademarks and product portfolios; all customer and supplier contracts and agreements; two production facilities in Pensacola, Florida and Newport, Wales with over 190 kt of total annual production capacity; comprehensive TPV intellectual property portfolio with associated technical and R&D assets; approximately 350 employees including world-class manufacturing, technical, and commercial organizations. The Company expects the transaction to be immediately accretive to 2022 adjusted earnings per share and free cash flow. The acquisition is expected to be financed by excess cash and available liquidity on the Celanese balance sheet. The transaction is subject to regulatory approvals, carve-out preparations, and other customary closing conditions, which will determine the timing of close. The transaction is expected to close in Q4.

08:05 EDT Bed Bath & Beyond sees remodeling 130-150 stores in FY21

08:04 EDT Bed Bath & Beyond sees FY21 CapEx $400M, share repurchases $325M

08:03 EDT Bed Bath & Beyond sees Q2 adjusted gross margin 35%-36% - Sees Q2 adjusted EBITDA $150M-$160M. Comments taken from Q1 earnings conference call presentation slides.

07:56 EDT Bed Bath & Beyond sees Q2 adjusted gross margin 35%-36% - This represents a sequential improvement versus the 2021 fiscal first quarter primarily driven by continued assortment curation and a higher penetration of the company's Owned Brands. Additionally, this guidance reflects the on-going, year-over-year impact of higher, industry-wide freight costs.

07:55 EDT Thayer Ventures Acquisition Corporation (Class A Stock) trading halted, news pending

07:52 EDT Progenity announces appointment of Surbhi Sarna to board of directors - Progenity (PROG) announced the appointment of Surbhi Sarna to its board of directors effective July 1, 2021. Sarna is currently a Visiting Partner at Y Combinator, and is a board member of Penumbra (PEN). She is also on the board of trustees at Astia.

07:52 EDT Telos launches Xacta.io 1.6.1 version of cyber risk platform - Telos Corporation announced the launch of Xacta.io 1.6.1, the latest version of its cyber risk management and compliance analytics platform. This new version now offers a controls crosswalk feature that enables Xacta.io to perform automated control mapping in further support of IT regulatory compliance management in on-premises, cloud and hybrid environments. The new crosswalk feature, which orchestrates control mapping at scale, augments Predictive Mapping, another important feature unique to Xacta.io, which uses standard vulnerability enumerators such as Common Vulnerability and Exposures (CVEs) and Common Weakness Enumeration to automate the mapping of system vulnerabilities to their related controls. Both Predictive Mapping and control mapping use automation to unify compliance frameworks, significantly reducing the time and effort to validate similar controls from various regulations and frameworks.

07:51 EDT Navios Maritime enters senior secured term loan facility - Navios Maritime Holdings announced the following events: Navios Holdings entered into a Senior Secured Term Loan facility with an entity affiliated with its Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, providing for a loan of $115.0 million to - advance $75.3 million for redeeming certain of Navios Holdings' 11.25% Senior Secured Notes and for general corporate purposes; and refinance $39.7 million of existing indebtedness of Navios Holdings owed to the Lender. Tranche B of the Loan will mature on February 28, 2023. Tranche A of the Loan will mature on November 30, 2024. Both tranches include scheduled amortization payments and bear interest at a rate of 10.5% per annum, payable quarterly. The Borrower may elect to defer one scheduled amortization payment by 90 days and interest payments, in which case the applicable interest rate will be 12.0% per annum, compounded quarterly. Loan Collateral: The Loan will be secured by: First priority mortgage and related collateral on the vessel "Rainbow N". First priority pledge on the Securities Account holding $33.7 million in aggregate principal amount of Navios Holdings' 7.375% First Priority Ship Mortgage Notes due 01/15/2022 and 40,587 common units of Navios Maritime Partners L.P. Second priority share pledge on the Navios South American Logistics shares owned by the Borrower. Second priority share pledge in two companies that have entered into sale and leaseback agreements. Second priority share pledge in five companies that hold the rights to certain bareboat contracts. Second priority share pledge on 4,865,147 shares of Navios Maritime Acquisition common stock. Second priority partnership interest pledge on 2,522,306 NMM common units. Second priority pledge on the securities account holding $118.1 million in aggregate principal amount of NM Ship Mortgage Notes. Second priority limited liability interest pledge on Navios GP L.L.C. Unsecured corporate guarantee from all of the Borrower's subsidiaries.

07:48 EDT Better Choice Company announces conversion of $23M of outstanding debt - Better Choice Company announced the conversion of approximately $23M of convertible notes into common equity concurrent with the Company's uplist to the NYSE American. Per the terms of the convertible notes, the holders will receive common shares at a conversion price equal to the public offering price of $5.00 per share, representing approximately 4.6 million common shares in aggregate. In addition, all convertible note holders remain subject to a 180-day lock-up period post-conversion. Together with the board, insiders and management, approximately 39% of all common equity holders will have entered into 180-day lock-up agreements.

07:47 EDT Minim appoints Nicole Zheng as president - Minim announced the elevation of Nicole Zheng to President per unanimous Board action. As President & CMO, Zheng will take a broader leadership role in company management while also retaining her existing responsibilities leading the company's marketing operations. Zheng will continue to report to Gray Chynoweth, Minim CEO Zheng was a member of the founding team of the original Minim, prior to the merger between Minim, Inc. and Zoom Telephonics, Inc. She has served as the combined company's CMO since the merger.

07:45 EDT Cytokinetics announces additional results from GALACTIC-HF - Cytokinetics announced that additional results from GALACTIC-HF were presented at Heart Failure 2021, an International Congress of the European Society of Cardiology, including a prespecified subgroup analysis of the influence of atrial fibrillation or flutter on the treatment effect of omecamtiv mecarbil in a Late Breaking Clinical Trial Session. Other analyses were presented in the Clinical Trial Updates Session related to which patients in GALACTIC-HF achieved an increased treatment effect with omecamtiv mecarbil. GALACTIC-HF: Patients Without Atrial Fibrillation or Flutter Have Increased Treatment Effect with Omecamtiv Mecarbil. Researchers presented additional analyses from GALACTIC-HF assessing how baseline AFF in patients impacted the effectiveness of omecamtiv mecarbil in GALACTIC-HF. Of the 8,256 patients enrolled in GALACTIC-HF, 2,245 patients had AFF at baseline. The effect of treatment with omecamtiv mecarbil on the primary composite endpoint of heart failure events or cardiovascular death was greater in patients without baseline AFF compared to those patients with AFF at baseline. Importantly, the modification of the treatment effect by AFF was concentrated in patients with AFF using digoxin with minimal evidence of effect modification in patients with AFF not using digoxin. These findings suggest caution should be exercised when treating patients with AFF using both digoxin and omecamtiv mecarbil. GALACTIC-HF: Patients with Higher Baseline NT-proBNP Have Increased Treatment Effect with Omecamtiv Mecarbil. In a separate analysis, researchers presented analyses on the effect of treatment with omecamtiv mecarbil according to baseline NT-proBNP in patients without AFF, as well as in all patients in GALACTIC-HF. NT-proBNP is a biomarker of ventricular wall stress in which higher levels reflect more severe heart failure. In patients without AFF, the treatment effect of omecamtiv mecarbil on the primary composite endpoint was increased in patients with a baseline NT-proBNP above the median compared to patients with baseline NT-proBNP equal to or below the median. The same pattern was observed in the overall population in which patients with a baseline NT-proBNP greater than the median experienced an increased treatment effect compared to patients with a baseline NT-proBNP equal to or below the median. Examined as a continuous variable, there was an interaction between treatment with omecamtiv mecarbil and baseline NT-proBNP that showed an increased treatment effect on the primary outcome in patients as baseline NT-proBNP increased both in those without AFF and in the overall population. These findings suggest the benefit of treatment with omecamtiv mecarbil increased progressively as baseline NT-proBNP increased consistent with other analyses from GALACTIC-HF that suggest more severe heart failure patients may derive increased benefit from treatment with omecamtiv mecarbil. GALACTIC-HF: Patients with Severe Heart Failure Have Increased Treatment Effect with Omecamtiv Mecarbil. Researchers also presented an analysis of the treatment effect of omecamtiv mecarbil on the primary composite endpoint in patients from GALACTIC-HF classified as having severe heart failure. Patients in this subgroup had NYHA class III-IV symptoms, EF less than or equal to 30%, and hospitalization for heart failure within the prior six months. Patients with severe heart failure had markers of more advanced disease and higher baseline risk, with event rates in patients treated with placebo that were approximately twice those of patients without severe heart failure. In patients with severe heart failure, the treatment effect of omecamtiv mecarbil on the primary composite endpoint was increased compared to patients without severe heart failure. Furthermore, as the severity of heart failure increased, as indicated by the number of the three severity criteria met, both the incidence of the primary composite endpoint and the treatment effect of omecamtiv mecarbil increased. Omecamtiv mecarbil was equally well tolerated in patients with and without severe heart failure. These results from GALACTIC-HF demonstrate a potentially clinically important treatment effect of omecamtiv mecarbil in patients with severe heart failure.

07:42 EDT Constellation CEO says Wine & Spirits 'poised to drive accelerated growth' - Bill Newlands, president and CEO, said, "We're emerging from the pandemic in a position of strength as we kick off our fiscal year. Our Beer Business delivered double-digit net sales and profit growth and our Wine & Spirits Business is poised to drive accelerated growth and profitability from its portfolio of high-end, industry-leading brands."

07:40 EDT OpGen announces prospective clinical data on Unyvero LRT BAL - OpGen announced prospective clinical data on the Unyvero LRT BAL presented during a webinar held on June 29, 2021, and data presented at the virtual World Microbe Forum, June 20-24, 2021. The webinar titled "One Academic Medical Center's Experience with the Unyvero Multiplex Platform for Testing Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluids: Analytical and Clinical Assessment" studied patients in the intensive care unit for whom bronchoalveolar lavage specimen was ordered for diagnostic purpose and prospectively evaluated with the Unyvero LRT BAL panel in conjunction with quantitative bacterial culture and antimicrobial susceptibility testing. Results from the Unyvero panel were communicated to the team of primary providers and the infectious disease pharmacist. De-escalation occurred in 33% of patients, and 20% of patients had an escalation. Changes in therapy occurred significantly faster with the Unyvero LRT BAL, on average 21 hours faster, compared to when conventional AST result was available. The researchers reported Unyvero results had 99.2% overall concordance for organism targets and 90% agreement for resistance genes when compared to bacterial quantitative culture and phenotypic susceptibility testing. In addition to the concordance, Unyvero had more detections for organisms that are known causative agents of pneumonia that were missed by culture. Based on real-time clinical use of the Unyvero LRT BAL panel, they determined that the panel's S. aureus NPV is 97%, giving a solid indication that MRSA is not present causing the respiratory infection. Similarly, they found the Unyvero panel Pseudomonas and Acinetobacter both have NPV of 98%, and often times it is unlikely that antipseudomonal therapy will help in those settings particularly extremely broad-spectrum agents like carbapenems. They concluded: "The negative predictive values of the Unyvero LRT BAL panel can be extremely useful in reducing excess exposure to unnecessary antimicrobials, particular MRSA therapy and carbapenem and antipseudomonal therapy, and the panel can provide rapid and actionable results particularly if used in conjunction with an active antimicrobial stewardship program." At the World Microbe Forum 2021, an iposter titled "Clinical Evaluation of a Multiplex Molecular Diagnostic Lower Respiratory Tract Panel for Bronchoalveolar Lavage Specimens" reported that the Unyvero LRT BAL provided a basis for appropriate escalation and de-escalation of antibiotic therapies in 42% of case. They evaluated the efficacy and potential clinical impact of the Unyvero LRT BAL panel compared to conventional microbiological methods in 70 patients. The Unyvero LRT BAL results would have provided a basis to change antibiotic therapies to a more appropriate regimen faster, with 29% of cases having cause of escalation of therapy, 13% of cases having cause for de-escalation, and in 27% of cases antibiotic treatment would not have been indicated which would have reduced unnecessary antibiotics in 8% of cases.

07:37 EDT Owens & Minor announces new pilot program utilizing electric semi-truck - Owens & Minor announced a new pilot program that uses an electric semi-truck to deliver large-scale medical products and PPE to hospitals in Southern California. In collaboration with Penske Logistics and Penske Truck Leasing, the seven-month pilot program launched in the second quarter. Through the pilot, Owens & Minor has deployed heavy-duty battery electric Freightliner eCascadia from Daimler Trucks North America. The electric Freightliner eCascadia runs five days per week along a 152-mile total route making stops at five hospital locations throughout Southern California.

07:36 EDT Constellation Brands raises 2022 EPS $10.00-$10.30 from $9.95-$10.25 - Consensus $10.02.

07:33 EDT Arrowhead begins study of investigational ARO-ANG3 for dyslipidemia treatment - Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals announced that it has dosed the first patient in AROANG3-2001, a Phase 2b clinical study of ARO-ANG3, the company's investigational RNA interference therapeutic being developed as a treatment for patients with mixed dyslipidemia. Javier San Martin, M.D., chief medical officer at Arrowhead, said: "By inhibiting ANGPTL3, Arrowhead's investigational ARO-ANG3 is designed to reduce triglycerides and LDL cholesterol in patients with mixed dyslipidemia. Patients with persistently elevated triglycerides and LDL cholesterol may have a higher risk of atherosclerosis progression and cardiovascular events, which are major causes of death. The Phase 2b AROANG3-2001 clinical study will evaluate safety and efficacy, and identify an optimal dose and dosing regimen of ARO-ANG3 to be assessed in future late-stage clinical studies."

07:29 EDT Axcella Health initiates AXA1665 clinical trial - Axcella announced that it has activated initial clinical sites and patient screening for its global Phase 2 clinical trial of AXA1665, the company's multi-targeted oral product candidate for the reduction in risk of recurrent overt hepatic encephalopathy, or OHE.

07:20 EDT Trident Acquisitions Corp. regains compliance with Nasdaq rules - Trident Acquisition announced that it has filed the Form 10-Q for the period ended March 31, 2021 with the Securities and Exchange Commission, thereby bringing the Company into compliance with Nasdaq listing rules for financial reporting with the SEC. With this filing completed, the Company is squarely focused on expeditiously completing its previously announced business combination with AutoLotto. Inc., doing business as Lottery.com, with priority given to filing the Form S-4. The Nasdaq Hearings Panel will no longer need to consider the Form 10-Q deficiency at the hearing to be held in connection with the notice the Company received from Nasdaq on June 3, 2021, stating that the Company was not in compliance with Listing Rule IM-5101-2, which requires that a special purpose acquisition company complete one or more business combinations within 36 months of the effectiveness of the registration statement filed in connection with its initial public offering.

07:18 EDT Ocuphire Pharma says VEGA-1 Phase 2 trial meets primary, secondary endpoints - Ocuphire Pharma announced that the VEGA-1 Phase 2 clinical trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of Nyxol in combination with low-dose pilocarpine in presbyopic subjects successfully met its primary and many secondary endpoints. On the strength of these results, Ocuphire plans to move into Phase 3. Given the rapid onset and sustained duration of efficacy, the favorable safety profile, and the potential tunability of treatment, Nyxol + LDP has the potential for differentiation and to be a best in class product for the treatment of presbyopia. Highlights from the VEGA-1 Phase 2 Trial in Presbyopia: Nyxol + LDP Met the Primary Endpoint: 61% of subjects treated with Nyxol + LDP improved 15 letters or greater in photopic binocular near vision at 1 hour compared with 28% of subjects on placebo with statistical significance. Nyxol + LDP Met Many Additional Efficacy Endpoints: Met the Phase 3 co-primary endpoint vs. placebo gaining 15 letters near vision with less than 5 letters of distance vision loss; Rapid onset of efficacy at 30 mins; Durable near vision improvement through at least 6 hours; Sustained significant reduction in pupil diameter over at least 18 hours due to the durable effects of Nyxol; Near vision efficacy seen both monocularly and binocularly; Efficacy in both light and dark iris colors. Nyxol + LDP Showed a Favorable Safety Profile: No serious AEs, almost all AEs were mild; No headaches, no brow aches, and no blurry vision AEs were reported; Mild, transient conjunctival hyperemia observed in less than5% of subjects.

07:16 EDT Royal Gold enters precious metals purchase agreement for gold with Ero Copper - Royal Gold announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary RGLD Gold has entered into a precious metals purchase agreement for gold produced from the NX Gold Mine in Brazil with Ero Gold Corporation, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ero Copper. Royal Gold will make an advance payment of $100M at closing and up to an additional $10M of further payments depending on meeting success-based targets related to regional exploration and resource additions in return for 25% of the gold produced from the NX Gold Mine until the delivery of 93,000 ounces, and 10% thereafter. Royal Gold will pay 20% of the spot gold price for each ounce delivered until the delivery of 49,000 ounces, and 40% of the spot gold price thereafter. Royal Gold will make the $100M closing advance payment in return for 25% of the gold produced from the NX Gold Mine until the delivery of 93,000 ounces, and 10% thereafter. Royal Gold will pay 20% of the spot gold price for each ounce delivered until the delivery of 49,000 ounces, and 40% of the spot gold price thereafter. Closing of the stream agreement is subject to customary conditions and is expected to occur in Q3. The stream agreement is effective as of May 1 and deliveries are accrued from that date. Under the terms of the stream agreement, Royal Gold will receive gold stream deliveries monthly and expects to sell the gold within a few weeks of receiving each delivery. Royal Gold will recognize revenue from the sale of delivered gold after the sale has occurred.

07:15 EDT Enochian Biosciences announces presentation of elimination of HBV in mice - Enochian BioSciences announced that Dr. Serhat Gumrukcu, co-founder and inventor of Enochian BioSciences and Director of Seraph Research Institute, presented data demonstrating daily reduction of Hepatitis B Virus until it could no longer be detected by the 8th day. No toxicities to the liver or other tissues were identified. The findings were presented during the International Liver Conference. Enochian BioSciences holds the exclusive license for the proprietary technology. The daily measurements, studies of various doses of the product, and toxicity are important components for review by regulatory agencies. The innovative cellular therapy, known as Hijack RNA, tricks the viruses to use proteins that are needed to reproduce, in order to trigger the infected cells to commit suicide instead of becoming a virus-making factory. Dr. Mark Dybul, a public health expert in HIV and Executive Vice Chairperson of the Board of Enochian BioSciences commented, "The promising data presented by Dr. Gumrukcu builds on growing evidence that this novel strategy could potentially cure HBV, a condition which affects approximately 350 million individuals worldwide. Combined with the promising results from studies to treat or prevent any coronavirus or influenza virus, the data also offers hope that Hijack RNA could be a powerful platform technology to combat some of the most devastating diseases in the world."

07:13 EDT Veritone in pact with Sports Illustrated to monetize brand's content - Veritone announced that it has partnered with Authentic Brands Group , a global brand owner, marketing and entertainment company, "to serve as the official video technology and licensing partner for Sports Illustrated. Since 1954, Sports Illustrated has amassed a tremendous amount of video content, including interviews and internal documentary footage of famous athletes, sports personalities, celebrities, political leaders and swimsuit models. Through the partnership, Veritone will leverage its AI technology and expertise to monetize the Sports Illustrated video archive, which contains 1.6 petabytes of data," the company said. "We're thrilled to partner with Sports Illustrated and ABG to discover, manage and license nearly seven decades of content that has inspired millions-all while bringing us together to create amazing memories," said Ryan Steelberg, president of Veritone. "Our deep expertise in AI and licensing, combined with our years of experience in the sports media field, position Veritone as the perfect partner to serve as Sports Illustrated's official video technology and licensing partner."

07:13 EDT Versus Systems to power in-stadium engagement for Mexican national team tour - Versus Systems announced that the company will be powering in-stadium fan engagement for the #MEXTOUR, the Mexican National Team's annual multi-game soccer tour in the United States that begins this week in Nashville, TN. Fans will be able to use Versus's XEO platform to participate in the fan photo filters live in-stadium and on their mobile devices from anywhere they want to support the Mexican National Team. "Soccer is the biggest sport in the world. #MEXTOUR is an opportunity for a global community of soccer fans, including fans of the Mexican National Team, to engage with one another while watching some of the premier national teams in the sport play in some of the largest and most exciting venues in the United States. Versus is very proud to bring world-class fan engagement to fans both in the stadium and at home - making every game and every live event we touch more fun for everyone," said Matthew Pierce, Founder and CEO of Versus Systems.

07:11 EDT Alcanna announces acceptance of normal course issuer bid - Alcanna reported it has received approval from the Toronto Stock Exchange to commence a normal course issuer bid. The NCIB commences on July 5, 2021 and will terminate on the earlier of July 4, 2022 and the date on which the maximum number of common shares that can be acquired pursuant to the NCIB have been purchased. Under the NCIB, the Company is authorized to purchase up to 1,000,000 common shares of the 36,204,449 issued and outstanding common shares of the Company as at June 29, 2021. Subject to market conditions and if considered advisable, the Company may, at a later date, apply to the TSX to increase the maximum number of common shares to be purchased under the NCIB. In accordance with the TSX rules, Alcanna is permitted to purchase up to 44,479 common shares on a daily basis, representing 25% of the average daily trading volume of common shares on the TSX during the six-month period ended May 31, 2021. This daily purchase limit is subject to certain exceptions prescribed by the TSX, including block purchase exceptions. In connection with the NCIB, the Company has entered into an automatic repurchase plan with its designated broker. The Plan was established to provide standard instructions regarding how the common shares are to be repurchased under the NCIB. Accordingly, the Company may repurchase common shares under the Plan on any trading day during the NCIB including during self-imposed trading blackout periods. The Plan will commence immediately and terminate when the NCIB, terminates on or before July 4, 2022. The Company may otherwise vary, suspend or terminate the Plan only if it does not have material non-public information and the decisions to vary, suspend or terminate the Plan is not taken during a self-imposed trading blackout period. The Plan constitutes an "automatic securities purchase plan" for purposes of applicable Canadian securities legislation and has been reviewed by the TSX.

07:09 EDT Kornit Digital appoints Andrew Backman as Global Head of Investor Relations - Kornit Digital announced that Andrew Backman has been appointed to the newly created position of Global Head of Investor Relations, effective June 30, 2021. Backman, who will be based at the company's U.S. Headquarters in Englewood, New Jersey, is a global investor relations executive with 20+ years of experience leading investor relations teams for high-profile growth companies and will be responsible for managing and further expanding the company's investor relations platform across the Americas, EMEA and APAC regions.

07:09 EDT PureTech founded entity Vedanta announces new data from IBS study - PureTech Health is pleased to note that its Founded Entity, Vedanta Biosciences, announced additional results from a Phase 1 study in healthy volunteers of VE202, Vedanta's 16-strain live biotherapeutic product candidate for inflammatory bowel disease. The new data were presented at the International Human Microbiome Consortium Congress 2021. Topline data from two Phase 1 studies exploring 11- and 16-strain VE202 consortia were announced in June 2020. The new data presented at IHMC summarized the long-term safety and colonization dynamics of the 16-strain version of VE202 in 31 healthy volunteers. Vedanta plans to move this consortium forward to a Phase 2 study in patients with ulcerative colitis. The study will be partially funded with proceeds from a $25 million investment from Pfizer, as part of the Pfizer Breakthrough Growth Initiative, which was announced in January 2021. Key takeaways from the study include: All doses of the 16-strain consortium were generally safe and well-tolerated, with no reports of VE202-related serious adverse events. Multiple-day dosing proved superior to single-day dosing for inducing durable colonization; following 14 days of treatment, all or most of the LBP strains were detected in all VE202 recipients through the final study visit at Week 24.

07:08 EDT Mitek Systems introduces new AI-powered service to fight check fraud - Yesterday, Mitek introduced Check Fraud Defender, which it calls "the first artificial intelligence-powered, cloud-hosted consortium for financial institutions to counteract check fraud." Michael Diamond, Mitek SVP and General Manager, said: "With Check Fraud Defender, participating financial institutions will have a powerful new signal that will enable them to reduce fraud losses and false positives. In a world where AI and machine learning yield huge benefits, we have a better way forward."

07:06 EDT Baudax says ISS recommends shareholders vote 'FOR' additional authorized shares - Baudax Bio announced that Institutional Shareholder Services, or ISS, has recommended that Baudax Bio shareholders vote "FOR" Item 1 set forth in its Definitive Proxy Statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on June 14, 2021 in connection with its Special Meeting, which seeks to amend Baudax Bio's Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation to increase the number of authorized shares of common stock from 100M shares to 190M shares. "The supportive recommendation by ISS to vote in favor of the proposed increase to our authorized shares emphasizes the importance of increasing the number of authorized shares from 100 million to 190 million shares," said Gerri Henwood, President and CEO of Baudax Bio. "We believe increasing the number of authorized shares will better enable Baudax Bio to achieve its corporate goals and to expand its shareholder base." ISS does not have any business relationship with Baudax Bio. Baudax Bio did not engage or compensate ISS for its analysis or recommendations.

07:06 EDT Compugen doses first patient in Phase 1 COM701/Opdivo trial - Compugen announced that the first patient has been dosed in the combination expansion cohort of its ongoing Phase 1 clinical trial evaluating COM701, Compugen's first-in-class anti-PVRIG antibody, in combination with Opdivo. The indications for the combination therapy expansion cohort, ovarian, breast, endometrial and colorectal cancers were selected based on preclinical biomarker assessments.

07:04 EDT NuVasive announces latest CE Mark approval for Pulse platform - NuVasive announced that the Pulse platform received CE Mark approval for its latest design update and clinical evaluations are underway in multiple countries throughout Europe.

07:04 EDT Taboola begins trading on Nasdaq - Taboola announced it has become a publicly listed company trading on Nasdaq under the new ticker symbol "TBLA." Taboola joins Nasdaq at a time when online advertising on the open web accounts for more than an estimated $60 billion in spending per year. This market is highly fragmented and has traditionally relied on ad formats such as banner ads, which can lack relevancy and efficacy. Taboola uniquely taps into this estimated $60 billion market through its recommendation platform which renders editorial and paid recommendations natively, in contextually relevant moments, across more than 9,000 of the world's premium digital properties with which the company has direct relationships and for 13,000 direct advertisers. Taboola's direct partnerships with digital properties and the value inherent in being an editorial recommendation engine positions the company well in a dynamic privacy environment.

07:04 EDT Dynavax, Clover form supply agreement for CpG 1018 adjuvant - Clover Biopharmaceuticals and Dynavax announced the execution of a commercial supply agreement of Dynavax's CpG 1018 advanced adjuvant, for use in Clover's protein-based COVID-19 vaccine candidate, SCB-2019. The commercial supply agreement extends to the end of 2022.The agreement includes doses for delivery in 2021, which were manufactured under the previously announced funding agreement between Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations and Dynavax.

07:01 EDT Bitfarms announces grant of options, RSUs - Bitfarms announced the granting of stock options and restricted share units to officers, directors and employees of the Company. Options to purchase an aggregate of 7,315,950 common shares were granted pursuant to the Company's Stock Option Plan. The Options are exercisable into one common share of the Company at a price of CAD$5.01, for a period of five years from the date of grant and are subject to vesting conditions. The Company also granted 150,000 RSUs pursuant to the Company's Restricted Share Unit Plan. Each RSU entitles the holder to receive one common share of the Company and is subject to vesting conditions. These grants have been made pursuant to the Long Term Equity Incentive Plan approved by shareholders of the Company at the annual meeting held on June 25, 2021. Under the former stock option plan, there were a fixed number of options that limited grants. The grants of equity incentives announced today are intended to balance entitlements that were not available under the former stock option plan. These current grants are not necessarily indicative of annual grants which may be made by the Company in the future.

06:59 EDT Aecom to continue owner's engineer role on Edmonton Valley Line rail extension - Aecom-led ConnectED Transit Partnership has been approved by the City of Edmonton to continue its role as owner's engineer on the Valley Line light rail transit extension. The C$124M contract value amendment encompasses design and construction compliance review services for Valley Line West, which is entering construction, and additional work on Valley Line Southeast, which is currently under construction. Aecom and its CTP partners have served as owner's engineer on the Valley Line LRT since preliminary design began in 2011. The Edmonton LRT Valley Line extension is a C$4.2B low-floor, urban line. Construction on Valley Line Southeast is expected to be complete this year and construction on Valley Line West is expected to be complete by 2027.

06:53 EDT Energizer CFO Timothy Gorman to retire, John Drabik to succeed - Energizer announced that Timothy Gorman has decided to retire from his position as executive VP and CFO after a nearly 40-year career in finance. John Drabik, senior VP, corporate controller and chief accounting officer, will succeed Gorman as CFO, effective October 1. Drabik will report to Mark LaVigne, president and CEO. Gorman will remain with the company in an advisory capacity through December 31.

06:36 EDT Encompass Health, HSHS enter joint venture to operate rehabilitation hospital - Encompass Health and Hospital Sisters Health System, or HSHS, announced a joint venture agreement to operate a future 36-bed inpatient rehabilitation hospital within HSHS Sacred Heart Hospital in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Construction on The Rehabilitation Hospital of Western Wisconsin in HSHS Sacred Heart Hospital is expected to begin in September with an estimated completion date of August 2022. HSHS Sacred Heart Hospital's current rehabilitation unit will continue to provide patients with essential rehabilitative services during the renovation.

06:34 EDT Powerbridge up 28% in pre-market on WSB 'short-squeeze' focus - Shares of Powerbridge are up another 28% in pre-market trading at $3.66 following yesterday's 100% increase in the stock price amid an uptick in Reddit WallStreetBets chatter regarding the stock as a short squeeze opportunity.

06:33 EDT Quarterhill subsidiary awarded $1.8M for upgrades to Nebraska City weigh station - International Road Dynamics, or IRD, a Quarterhill company announced that the Nebraska State Patrol has awarded the company a contract valued at up to $1.8M for upgrades to the Nebraska City weigh station preclearance system. This follows two similar projects recently completed by IRD at the State's Waverly and North Platte weigh station locations. All financial information in this press release is reported in Canadian dollars, unless otherwise indicated. Under the upgrade contract, IRD will supply and install e-screening technology including automatic number plate reader, or ANPR, systems, USDOT reader systems and IRD's Intelligent Roadside Operations Computer, or iROC, credential and safety screening system. Weigh in Motion, or WIM, systems at the site will be upgraded with new Single Load Cell WIM scales. In addition, Nebraska City will be the third site in the state to deploy IRD's Tire Anomaly and Classification System for identification of commercial vehicles with unsafe tire conditions such as flat, missing, mismatched or underinflated tires.

06:10 EDT WideOpenWest to sell Ohio, Chicago service areas for $1.79B total - WOW! Internet, Cable & Phone announced that it has entered into two separate definitive agreements to sell its Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio, service areas and its Chicago, Evansville, Indiana, and Anne Arundel, Maryland, service areas for $1.13B and $661M, respectively. Total transaction gross proceeds will be approximately $1.79B. Atlantic Broadband, a U.S. cable operator and subsidiary of Cogeco Communications has agreed to acquire the Cleveland and Columbus markets in one transaction while in a separate transaction, Astound Broadband has agreed to acquire WOW!'s Chicago, Evansville and Anne Arundel service areas. Upon closing, WOW!'s leverage ratio will be 2.5x, representing a significant reduction from the company's leverage ratio of 5.0x as of March 31 driven by lower net debt. As part of these transactions, WOW! has entered into transition services agreements with both parties to support post-transaction continuity of service during a transition period. The transactions are expected to close in the second half of the year and are subject to certain regulatory reviews and approvals and the satisfaction of other customary closing conditions. Upon completion of the transactions, WOW! will continue to serve its customers in 14 service areas in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, South Carolina, and Tennessee. On a pro forma basis as of March 31, the company would have had approximately 532,000 total subscribers, and 506,000 high-speed data revenue generating units. WOW!'s total number of homes passed would have been 1.9M with a subscriber penetration rate of 29%, up from 26% pre-sale. For the trailing 12-month period ended March 31, adjusted EBITDA would have been $288M, with an adjusted EBITDA margin of 39%. Total revenue would have been $731M, up 1% from the same 12-month period a year-ago with respect to the remaining systems, with HSD revenue of $369M, up 10% from the same period a year ago.

06:06 EDT Mannatech announces final results of tender offer - Mannatech announced the final results of its cash tender offer, which expired at the end of June 25, to purchase up to 211,538 shares of its outstanding common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, at a per share price of $26.00. A total of 171,433 shares of common stock of the company were properly tendered and not properly withdrawn. The company accepted for payment a total of 171,433 shares of common stock of the company at a cash purchase price of $26.00 per share, for a total cash cost of approximately $4,457,258, excluding fees and expenses relating to the tender offer. Such shares of common stock represented approximately 8.31% of the company's total outstanding shares as of April 30. The Depositary will promptly pay for the shares accepted for purchase. The company funded the share purchase in the tender offer from cash on hand.

06:04 EDT Radware and Italy-based Acantho expand partnership for web application security - Radware and Acantho, a telecommunications subsidiary of Italy-based Hera Group, announced an expanded partnership to provide cloud web application security protection to enterprise customers in Italy. Through this extended agreement, Acantho has also upgraded its own infrastructure with Radware's hybrid DDoS protection, which includes a combination of DefensePro solutions and Radware's Cloud DDoS Protection. For the past three years, Acantho has relied upon Radware's DefensePro attack mitigation to provide automated DDoS defense and protection from encrypted or very short duration threats for its two data centers.

06:03 EDT Radware and Italy-based Acantho expand partnership for web application security - Radware and Acantho, a telecommunications subsidiary of Italy-based Hera Group, announced an expanded partnership to provide cloud web application security protection to enterprise customers in Italy. Through this extended agreement, Acantho has also upgraded its own infrastructure with Radware's hybrid DDoS protection, which includes a combination of DefensePro solutions and Radware's Cloud DDoS Protection. For the past three years, Acantho has relied upon Radware's DefensePro attack mitigation to provide automated DDoS defense and protection from encrypted or very short duration threats for its two data centers.

05:24 EDT Borr Drilling receives noncompliance notification from NYSE - Borr Drilling announced that the company has received written notice from the New York Stock Exchange that the company is not in compliance with the NYSE continued listing standard with respect to the minimum average share price required by the NYSE because the average closing price of its common shares had fallen below $1.00 per share over a period of 30 consecutive trading days. The company has responded to the NYSE to confirm its intent to cure this non-compliance. During this period, the company's common shares will continue to be traded on the NYSE subject to the company's compliance with other applicable NYSE listing requirements.

05:17 EDT Navistar receives all regulatory approvals to close Traton merger - Navistar announced all regulatory approvals necessary to proceed with the previously announced merger with Dusk Inc., a wholly owned indirect subsidiary of Traton, were received. The closing date of the merger is expected to be on July 1, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions.

05:13 EDT DSNY to purchase seven Mack LR Electric refuse models - Volvo's subsidiary Mack Trucks announced that the New York City Department of Sanitation, or DSNY, plans to purchase seven Mack LR Electric refuse models, which will operate in each of the city's boroughs. Mack made the announcement during WasteExpo 2021, June 28-30 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. DSNY took delivery of its first fully electric refuse vehicle, a Mack LR Electric demonstration model, in September 2020, when it began testing in Brooklyn. Since then, DSNY has been evaluating payload capacity, regenerative braking, overall vehicle performance in their demanding operations, operating range and charging requirements.

05:06 EDT Ambarella partners with Arrival on advanced driver assistance system - Ambarella (AMBA) announced that Arrival (ARVL) has selected the Ambarella CV2FS CVflow AI vision processor for the environmental perception module available for all types of Arrival vehicles. The module will be used to enable autonomous driving and ADAS features in the Arrival Bus and Van.