Stockwinners Market Radar for July 21, 2021 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

20:30 EDT Cathie Wood's ARK Investment bought 604K shares of DraftKings today

20:25 EDT Rocky Mountain Chocolate announces CEO transition - The company states: "Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory announced a continued commitment to accelerate corporate governance and leadership changes in response to discussions with it shareholders and as the Company continues its efforts to navigate out of the pandemic. With the recent appointment of Rahul Mewawalla, an independent director, to the Board in June 2021 and other Board refreshment over the last two years, the Board further commits to additional Board refreshment by replacing one of the Board's current, legacy members with a new, independent director with experience and expertise to further assist the Company with executing its long-term strategy, at or before the Company's 2021 annual meeting. These and prior changes will result in a refreshment of a majority of the Board over the last two years, all of whom are independent. The Board is also committed to separating the roles of Chairperson of the board and CEO of the Company. The Board believes that separating the roles and appointing an independent director as Chairperson of the Board will further enhance the Company's corporate governance structure."

18:09 EDT Aldeyra's Methotrexate granted orphan drug designation from FDA - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted Aldeyra Therapeutics' methotrexate Orphan designation for the treatment of retinitis pigmentosa. The treatment has not been approved by the FDA for an Orphan Indication. Reference Link

17:57 EDT Nexa Resources reports Q2 exploration results - Nexa Resources provided drilling and assay results from Q2. Nexa's Mineral Exploration program for 2021 comprises a total of 111,000 meters of exploratory drilling, of which 26,533 meters were executed in Q2, totaling 44,404 meters of exploratory drilling in 1H21. In Peru, 23,131 meters were drilled in Q2. At the Pasco Complex, the exploration was focused at El Porvenir with thick and high grade new intersections. At Cerro Lindo, drilling has remained focused on expanding the new VMS discovery at the site and near mine underground ore body expansion. In Brazil, 2,785 meters of exploratory drilling was executed, totaling 7,555 meters in 1H21. At Aripuana, exploratory drilling has been focused on northwest extension at Babacu and new drilling continues to confirm a high-grade mineralization area. In Namibia, 617 meters were drilled in Q2, totaling 2,851 meters in 1H21. Exploratory drilling was focused on exploratory targets at the Otavi and Namibia North projects.

17:29 EDT Parsons awarded maximum $953M Air Force contract - Parsons has been awarded a ceiling $953M indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for U.S. Air Forces in Europe - Air Forces Africa, or USAFE-AFAFRICA, Air Base Air Defense services. This contract provides the USAFE-AFAFRICA with a layered base defense capability. This capability will be employed across various sites within the area of responsibility. Work will be performed at various locations throughout Europe and Africa and is expected to be completed July 20, 2031. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition with five offers received. FY21 operation and maintenance funds in the amount of $2.83M will be obligated via the first task order, which will be awarded with the basic contract. The 764th Enterprise Sourcing Squadron is the contracting activity.

17:23 EDT Nasdaq announces $475M accelerated share repurchase program - Nasdaq (NDAQ) announced that it has entered into an accelerated stock repurchase agreement with Goldman Sachs & Co.(GS) to repurchase $475M of the company's common stock. The ASR was entered into pursuant to the company's share repurchase program, under which $1.46B remained available as of July 21. Under the ASR agreement, the company will make an initial payment of $475M to Goldman Sachs and will receive an initial delivery of 2,039,940 shares of the company's common stock on July 23. The final number of shares to be repurchased will be based on the volume-weighted average price of the company's common stock during the term of the ASR, less a discount and subject to adjustments pursuant to the terms of the ASR. The final settlement of the ASR is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter.

17:08 EDT Acadia Pharmaceuticals phase 3 trial of pimavanserin met primary endpoint - The company states: "Acadia Pharmaceuticals announced that the New England Journal of Medicine published results from the Phase 3 HARMONY study, an international, double-blind, placebo-controlled relapse prevention trial in 392 patients evaluating pimavanserin as an investigational treatment in patients with hallucinations and delusions associated with dementia-related psychosis, or DRP. The study included patients across five subgroups of dementia: Alzheimer's disease, dementia with Lewy bodies, frontotemporal dementia, Parkinson's disease dementia, and vascular dementia. The HARMONY study was stopped early due to positive efficacy at the pre-planned interim analysis upon recommendation of the trial's independent data safety monitoring board. HARMONY met its primary endpoint by significantly reducing the risk of relapse of psychosis by 2.8 fold compared to placebo in the double-blind period. The study also met its secondary endpoint by significantly reducing the time to trial discontinuation for any reason. The data from the HARMONY study demonstrates that patients with DRP who had responded to pimavanserin had a significantly lower risk of relapse of psychosis with continuation of pimavanserin compared to placebo up to 26 weeks. Pimavanserin was well-tolerated over the nine-month study duration. In a pre-specified analysis, pimavanserin was not associated with a decline in cognition as measured by Mini-Mental State Examination or the onset or worsening of motor symptoms as measured by Extrapyramidal Symptom Rating Scale A."

16:53 EDT CSX reports Q2 operating ratio 43.4% vs. 63.3% last year

16:43 EDT Point72 Asset Management reports 5.7% passive stake in Poshmark - Point72 Asset Management disclosed a 5.7% stake in Poshmark, which represents over 883K shares. The filing does not allow for activism. Shares of Poshmark are up 2.2% at $42.85 after-hours.

16:39 EDT SS&C enters joint venture for cloud-based API-driven claims adjudication - SS&C has entered into a joint venture to create a new cloud-native, API-driven claims adjudication platform. Upon completion and the receipt of all approvals, the joint venture, named DomaniRx, will aim to shape the future of Pharmacy Benefit Management and harmonize the payer and provider management user experience. DomaniRx's reimagined claims adjudication platform will leverage SS&C's technology capabilities and reside on SS&C's private cloud.

16:37 EDT International Game implementing cashless payment at three California casinos - International Game signed an agreement to implement its Resort Wallet cashless solution and its proprietary IGTPay full-service funding solution at all three Agua Caliente Casinos in California. This deployment of Resort Wallet in combination with the IGTPay solution will give patrons mobile access to funds from all available types of external sources, which can include credit and debit cards, bank accounts, and eWallets. This can reduce contact with cash. Agua Caliente Casinos is scheduled to implement the full suite of IGT's Resort Wallet modules in 2021.

16:35 EDT Home Depot, Google Cloud expand partnership - Google Cloud (GOOG, GOOGL)and The Home Depot (HD) have extended their multi-year cloud partnership to expand on the retailer's digital transformation and provide customers with enhanced shopping experiences by blending physical and digital environments. As one of the first major retailers to migrate its website to the cloud, The Home Depot has built upon Google Cloud's expertise in infrastructure, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and data analytics to enrich customer experiences no matter how they choose to shop-in-store, online, or on mobile devices.

16:33 EDT Penske Automotive raises quarterly dividend 2.3% to 45c per share - The dividend is payable September 1 to shareholders of record on August 10.

16:32 EDT BancorpSouth reports Q2 adjusted EPS 86c, consensus 67c - The net interest margin, excluding accretable yield, was 2.94% for the second quarter of 2021, compared with 3.30% for the second quarter of 2020 and 3.08% for the first quarter of 2021.

16:29 EDT Fiserv Integrates e-commerce solutions into portfolio in Mexico - Fiserv announced the integration of a cutting-edge fraud prevention solution into its e-commerce payment gateway to reduce the fraud-related chargeback risk for Mexico's online commerce. The Vesta fraud prevention platform helps secure online payment transactions, reduces the decline rate, and includes a "Zero Chargeback Guarantee."

16:24 EDT Graco sees FY21 organic revenue growth in mid-to-high teens - The company states: "We are initiating an outlook for the full-year 2021 of mid-to-high teen sales growth on an organic, constant currency basis, with growth expected in every region and reportable segment. Demand levels in the Industrial and Process segments remain strong across major end markets and product categories. Our outlook for the Contractor segment remains positive as favorable conditions continue, however comparisons in the second half will be challenging."

16:22 EDT Discover approves new $2.4B share buyback, raises dividend to 50c per share - The Board of Directors has approved a new $2.4 billion share repurchase program and increased the quarterly common stock dividend from $0.44 to $0.50 per share. The new share repurchase program spans three quarters through March 31, 2022, replaces the prior program, and may be terminated at any time. The company expects to make share repurchases from time to time subject to the company's capital plan, market conditions and other factors, including legal and regulatory restrictions and required approvals.

16:19 EDT USD Partners raises quarterly distribution 2.2% to 11.6c per unit - USD Partners LP announced that the Board of Directors of its general partner declared a quarterly cash distribution of 11.6c per unit for the second quarter of 2021, or 46.4c per unit on an annualized basis, representing an increase of 0.25c per unit, or 2.2% over the distribution declared for the first quarter of 2021. The distribution is payable on August 13, 2021, to unitholders of record at the close of business on August 4, 2021.

16:17 EDT Bank of America raises quarterly dividend by 17% to 21c per share - The dividend is payable on September 24, 2021 to shareholders of record as of September 3, 2021.

16:15 EDT KKR acquires Teaching Strategies, terms not disclosed - KKR announced that KKR has agreed to acquire Teaching Strategies, a provider of curriculum, assessment and family engagement tools to the early childhood education market, from global growth investor Summit Partners. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.

16:14 EDT Heron Therapeutics' Zynrelef shows pain reduction in published trial - Heron Therapeutics announced the online publication of new analysis evaluating the efficacy and safety of Zynrelef - bupivacaine and meloxicam - extended-release solution in adults aged 65 years and older undergoing bunionectomy and hernia repair from the Phase 3 EPOCH 1 and EPOCH 2 studies. The analysis, published in the peer-reviewed journal Pain Management, showed that 58% of bunionectomy and 87% of hernia repair patients aged 65 years and older receiving Zynrelef required no opioids to manage their postoperative pain through 72 hours following surgery. Further, throughout the 72-hour period, the mean pain intensity never rose above the mild range. Zynrelef is an extended-release solution of bupivacaine and meloxicam that is indicated in adults for soft tissue or periarticular instillation to produce postsurgical analgesia for up to 72 hours after bunionectomy, open inguinal herniorrhaphy, and total knee arthroplasty. Zynrelef was well tolerated in patients 65 years and older, with a safety profile similar to that for bupivacaine. The safety was also similar to patients aged younger than 65 years and to the overall populations in the Phase 3 studies. No local anesthetic systemic toxicity events occurred and serious adverse events were rare with none considered related to Zynrelef.

16:11 EDT SP Plus enters parking, transportation services partnership for Houston airports - SP Plus announced its new partnership with Global Parking Systems and IMS Engineers to form SP+ Global IMS. The partners were selected by the Houston Airports to provide parking and transportation services for George Bush Intercontinental, or IAH, William P. Hobby, or HOU, and Ellington, or EFD, Airports in Houston, Texas. SP+ Global IMS provides parking management, valet and remote management services for approximately 36,000 parking spaces at IAH and HOU. The team also operates shuttle buses and ambassador/courtesy carts to transport passengers at both of these commercial international airports. The partnership includes potential parking and transportation services at Ellington Airport/Houston Spaceport.

16:10 EDT Umpqua Holdings announces new $400M share repurchase plan - Umpqua Holdings announced that its Board of Directors has approved a new share repurchase program which authorizes the company to repurchase up to $400M of common stock over the next twelve months. The Program replaces and supersedes the previously approved share repurchase program which was scheduled to expire on July 31.

16:10 EDT Whirlpool CEO: We are significantly raising guidance - "We are significantly raising guidance to reflect the strength of our business driven by sustained consumer demand and the successful implementation of our previously announced cost-based pricing initiatives," said Marc Bitzer, chairman and CEO of Whirlpool Corporation. "Our Q2 results together with our record performance over the past three years impressively demonstrate our ability to perform in a volatile environment"

16:07 EDT Kinder Morgan raises quarterly dividend 3% to 27c per share - Kinder Morgan, Inc.'s board of directors approved a cash dividend of 27c per share for the second quarter, payable on August 16, 2021, to stockholders of record as of the close of business on August 2, 2021. This dividend represents a 3% increase over the second quarter of 2020.

16:03 EDT Texas Instruments CEO says strong demand in in industrial, automotive - Regarding the company's performance and returns to shareholders, Rich Templeton, TI's chairman, president and CEO, made the following comments: "Revenue increased 7% sequentially and increased 41% from the same quarter a year ago due to strong demand in industrial, automotive and personal electronics. In our core businesses, Analog revenue grew 6% and Embedded Processing grew 2% sequentially. From a year ago, Analog revenue grew 42% and Embedded Processing grew 43%. Our cash flow from operations of $7.5 billion for the trailing 12 months again underscored the strength of our business model. Free cash flow for the same period was $6.5 billion and 39% of revenue. This reflects the quality of our product portfolio, as well as the efficiency of our manufacturing strategy, including the benefit of 300-millimeter Analog production. We returned $3.9 billion to owners in the past 12 months through dividends and stock repurchases. Over the same period, our dividend represented 56% of free cash flow, underscoring its sustainability. TI's third quarter outlook is for revenue in the range of $4.40 billion to $4.76 billion and earnings per share between $1.87 and $2.13. We continue to expect our 2021 annual operating tax rate to be about 14%."

15:55 EDT Twitter testing up and down voting on replies - Twitter said that certain iOS users may see different options to up or down vote on replies. "We're testing this to understand the types of replies you find relevant in a convo, so we can work on ways to show more of them," the company said. "Your downvotes aren't public, while your upvotes will be shown as likes." Reference Link

15:11 EDT Fortnite-maker Epic announces Sketchfab has joined the Epic Games family - Epic games blogged earlier in part: "We are excited to announce that today Sketchfab has joined the Epic Games family. Sketchfab makes it easy to discover, edit, buy, and sell 3D content directly through their web-based service and is home to 4 million 3D assets. Their technology has integrations across every major 3D creation tool and publishing platform and is compatible across all major browsers and operating systems, on both desktop and mobile. By joining forces, Epic and Sketchfab will be able to make 3D, AR and VR content more accessible and grow the creator ecosystem, which are critical to an open and interconnected Metaverse." Investors in Epic Games include Tencent (TCEHY), KKR (KKR), Disney (DIS), and Sony (SONY). Reference Link

14:14 EDT Tallgrass Energy reports DOE-NETL funding for next-gen clean hydrogen projects - Tallgrass Energy announced that the United States Department of Energy's National Energy Technology Laboratory, or DOE-NETL, awarded the company federal funding as part of a national effort to advance next-generation clean hydrogen technologies and support DOE's recently announced Hydrogen Energy Earthshot initiative to reduce the cost and accelerate breakthroughs in the clean hydrogen sector. "The DOE award will fund Tallgrass' study of CO2 capture associated with producing hydrogen from natural gas via an autothermal reforming facility. The study's objective is to design a commercial-scale carbon capture unit capable of capturing 1.66 million metric tons per year of pure CO2 with more than 97 percent total carbon capture efficiency. Over the coming months, Tallgrass will work with DOE officials to finalize terms and scope of the study, valued at $1.875M," the company said.

14:10 EDT NY AG announces proposed $26B global agreement with opioid distributors, maker - New York Attorney General Letitia James announced a proposed $26B agreement that will resolve claims against three of the nation's largest drug distributors - McKesson (MCK), Cardinal Health (CAH), and Amerisource Bergen (ABC) - as well as one of the nation's largest drug manufacturers - Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) - over the companies' roles in creating and fueling the opioid epidemic. New York communities will specifically receive up to $1.25B to fund prevention, treatment, and recovery programs. The terms of New York's specific settlements were previously announced with both the three distributors and with J&J, James noted. The proposed global agreement - if approved by a substantial number of states and local governments across the country - would resolve the claims of nearly 4,000 entities that have filed lawsuits in federal and state courts against the four companies. New York has already signed on to today's agreement, while other states have 30 days to sign onto the deal. Local governments in the participating states will have up to 150 days to join. States and their local governments will receive maximum payments if each state and its local governments join together in support of the agreement, said James. The three distributors collectively will pay up to $21B over the next 18 years. Johnson & Johnson will pay up to $5B over nine years, with up to $3.7B paid during the first three years. The total funding distributed will be determined by the overall degree of participation by both litigating and non-litigating state and local governments. Nationwide, the substantial majority of the money is to be spent on opioid treatment and prevention. Cases against Mallinckrodt (MNK) and Rochester Drug Cooperative are now moving separately through U.S. Bankruptcy Court. The case against Purdue and the Sacklers is also moving through U.S. Bankruptcy Court, but, earlier this month, Attorney General James and a majority of states announced their approval of an agreement that would force the Sacklers and entities they control to pay more than $4.5B for opioid abatement, as well as shut down Purdue, and ban the Sacklers from ever selling opioids again. The agreement is pending court approval. The trial against the three remaining defendants - Endo Health Solutions (ENDP), Teva Pharmaceuticals USA (TEVA), and Allergan Finance (ABBV) - is currently underway and will continue in state court, said James. Reference Link

13:35 EDT MoneyGram up 11% after report of takeover interest - Shares of MoneyGram are up $1.16, or 11%, to $11.47 following Bloomberg's report.

12:53 EDT Duke Energy Florida announces four new solar sites in Florida - Duke Energy Florida announced the locations of its four newest solar power plants - the latest move in the company's program to expand its renewable generation portfolio. Duke Energy Florida plans to invest an estimated $1B in 10 new solar power plants across Florida, including the four sites announced. Construction on the four sites will begin in early 2022 and will take approximately 9 to 12 months to complete. Construction of all 10 sites is projected to be finished by late 2024. Combined, the plants will produce about 750 megawatts of new, cost-effective solar power.

12:00 EDT Scor ADR falls -7.4% - Scor ADR is down -7.4%, or -$1.49 to $18.74.

12:00 EDT Armstrong Flooring falls -11.6% - Armstrong Flooring is down -11.6%, or -64c to $4.86.

12:00 EDT Nouveau Monde rises 20.1% - Nouveau Monde is up 20.1%, or $1.23 to $7.35.

11:56 EDT Avidity Biosciences treatment of Myotonic Dystrophy Type 1 gets orphan status - Avidity Biosciences' treatment of Myotonic Dystrophy Type 1, or DM1, was granted orphan designation by the FDA, according to a post to the agency's website. Reference Link

11:45 EDT Willis Towers Watson up 4% after report says Aon in talks with DOJ over deal - Shares of Willis Towers Watson (WLTW) are up $8.81, or 4%, to $228.51 following Insurance Insider's report that AON (AON) is in settlement talks with the Department of Justice to win approval for the companies' merger agreement.

11:26 EDT United Airlines sees 2022 capacity higher than 2019, CFO says

11:02 EDT Green Dot, Finicity enter data access agreement - Finicity, a Mastercard company (MA), announced that it has signed a data access agreement with Green Dot (GDOT). The Finicity direct API experience will first be available through Green Dot's flagship digital bank GO2bank and will allow customers to link their accounts to third-party apps that use Finicity's secure data network and financial data - further enabling them to connect, manage and move their money in a secure and seamless environment. Through this agreement, Finicity is extending its leadership in direct data access through the use of an application programming interface. Finicity's signed data access agreements with many of the nation's largest financial institutions, credit card companies, and wealth management institutions currently cover 63% of their open banking platform traffic with direct API access. In addition, Finicity works with many of the most popular PFM tools, as well as the largest lenders and most innovative payment providers, among other services.

10:49 EDT United Airlines doesn't see Asia travel demand recovering before 2023 - Cites slow border reopenings.

10:40 EDT United Airlines encouraging Biden administration to open up international travel

10:37 EDT United CEO says 'exiting tunnel,' not just seeing 'light at end of the tunnel'

10:36 EDT United Airlines CEO: Any impact from Delta variant will be temporary

10:34 EDT United: Likey outcome is continued recovery in demand continues largely unabated

10:34 EDT United Airlines hasn't seen any impact on bookings from Delta variant, CEO says

10:31 EDT BNY Mellon appoints Akash Shah as chief growth officer - The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation announced that Akash Shah has been appointed Chief Growth Officer, effective immediately. This newly created role will oversee Strategy, Marketing & Communications, and Global Client Management. Mr. Shah, who previously held the title of Senior Executive Vice President, Head of Strategy and Global Client Management, will continue to report to Todd Gibbons, CEO of BNY Mellon.

10:07 EDT Studio City International Holdings Limited (Class A ADS) trading halted, volatility trading pause

10:04 EDT BioMarin: Phase 1/2 study demonstrates consistent bleed control - BioMarin Pharmaceutical announced that new data for valoctocogene roxaparvovec, an investigational gene therapy treatment for adults with severe hemophilia A, from its open-label Phase 1/2 study during an oral presentation at the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis 2021 Virtual Congress. Five-year and four-year post-treatment follow-up of the 6e13 vg/kg and 4e13 vg/kg cohorts, respectively, shows a sustained treatment benefit of valoctocogene roxaparvovec. All participants in both cohorts remain off prophylactic Factor VIII treatment. The 6e13 vg/kg dose cohort of the Phase 1/2 study, with a mean follow-up of 266.1 weeks, showed that a single dose of valoctocogene roxaparvovec after week 4 reduced mean ABR by 95% from 16.3 at baseline to 0.8 bleeding episodes per year among the 6 participants previously treated with FVIII prophylaxis. In year 5, 86% of study participants in the 6e13 vg/kg dose cohort had no treated bleeds. The 4e13 vg/kg dose cohort of the Phase 1/2 study, with a mean follow-up of 218.6 weeks showed that a single dose of valoctocogene roxaparvovec reduced mean ABR by 92% from 12.2 at baseline to 1.0 bleeding episodes per year. In year 4, 50% of study participants in the 4e13 vg/kg dose cohort had no treated bleeds. "The consistent and impressive bleed control in the majority of the study participants out to five years in this study, which is the longest duration of clinical experience for any gene therapy in hemophilia A, which increases our understanding of the interplay between Factor VIII expression, ABR, and Factor VIII infusion rate as it relates to hemostatic efficacy," said Professor Michael Laffan, faculty of Medicine, Department of Immunology and Inflammation at Imperial College London, Director of the Hammersmith Hospital Haemophilia Centre, and Chief Investigator for the valoctocogene roxaparvovec Phase 1/2 study. "These data show that most of the study participants have not had a bleed or had to infuse Factor VIII in the last five years after one infusion of valoctocogene roxaparvovec, which has the potential to provide a treatment choice that addresses many of the unmet needs in hemophilia."

10:00 EDT First Financial announces stock repurchase program - First Financial announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase program to purchase up to 5% of the company's outstanding common stock.

10:00 EDT Shift4 Payments falls -7.1% - Shift4 Payments is down -7.1%, or -$6.51 to $85.17.

10:00 EDT Interpublic Group rises 12.9% - Interpublic Group is up 12.9%, or $4.04 to $35.31.

10:00 EDT Harley-Davidson says supply chain remains 'very fragile' - Says no sustained down time in factories to date. Expects FY21 tariff exposure of $80M vs. prior view of $135M. Says seeing increased consumer appetite for products, brand. Says seeing "outstanding sell through" from Pan America motorcycle. Says inventory levels lower than originally planned due to strong demand. Says chip shortages constraining motorcycle inventory levels. Says seeing input costs increases in steel, aluminum.

10:00 EDT Ashford Hospitality rises 17.0% - Ashford Hospitality is up 17.0%, or $2.79 to $19.23.

09:47 EDT SAP falls -5.4% - SAP is down -5.4%, or -$7.76 to $136.34.

09:47 EDT Shift4 Payments falls -8.6% - Shift4 Payments is down -8.6%, or -$7.91 to $83.77.

09:47 EDT Vista Oil & Gas rises 9.7% - Vista Oil & Gas is up 9.7%, or 35c to $3.95.

09:46 EDT Siga Technologies trading resumes

09:41 EDT Siga Technologies trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:33 EDT Power & Digital Infrastructure Acquisition Corp., Core Scientific to merge - Core Scientific Holding Co. and Power & Digital Infrastructure Acquisition Corp. announced they have entered into a definitive merger agreement pursuant to which XPDI will acquire the company. As a result of the Transaction, which values the company at a pro forma enterprise value of approximately $4.3B, the combined company is expected to operate as Core Scientific and remain a publicly listed company on the NASDAQ stock market. The Transaction values the combined company at an implied fully diluted pro forma enterprise value of approximately $4.3B, representing a 8.8x multiple of Core Scientific's 2021 projected revenue of $493M and a 21.4 x multiple of 2021 projected adjusted EBITDA of $203M. The company was adjusted EBITDA positive for the year ended December 31, 2020. The Transaction is expected to provide in excess of $300M in net cash proceeds to Core Scientific at closing, after transaction expenses and assuming no redemptions of shares by XPDI's existing public stockholders. Existing Core Scientific stockholders are retaining 100% of their equity in the combined company. Core Scientific stockholders (including former stockholders of Blockcap) will own approximately 89%, XPDI public stockholders will own approximately 8% and XPDI's sponsor will own approximately 2% of the issued and outstanding shares of common stock, respectively, of the combined company at closing. The proceeds from the Transaction are expected to fund mining equipment purchases and infrastructure build out as the company expands its leadership position. The Core Scientific and XPDI Boards of Directors have unanimously approved the proposed merger, which is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter, subject to, among other things, regulatory approval, the approval by Core Scientific's and XPDI's stockholders of the proposed merger and satisfaction or waiver of other customary closing conditions.

09:31 EDT Chicken Soup for the Soul's Screen Media strikes deal with Millenium Media - Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment announced Screen Media's deal with Millennium Media to release at least five films a year for the next three years from the production powerhouse. The first film will be The Enforcer starring Antonio Banderas, Kate Bosworth and 2 Chainz. Directed by Richard Hughes, the film is shooting this summer in Greece. Screen Media will handle the North American release in 2022. Millennium Media is best known for the box office hits The Expendables franchise, Olympus Has Fallen and London Has Fallen, The Hitman's Bodyguard, and Mechanic: Resurrection. Recent films include Angel Has Fallen and the successful reboot of the Rambo franchise, Rambo: Last Blood. It has also produced the acclaimed independent films Tesla, Blackbird, The Outpost, and Till Death. In an ongoing relationship with Millennium Media, Screen Media recently released the Megan Fox starrer Till Death, which was the top Independent film on iTunes in sales. In 2020, Screen released two Millennium Media films, Roger Michell's Blackbird starring Susan Sarandon, Kate Winslet, and Mia Wasikowska, and one of last summer's top performing films, Rod Lurie's The Outpost, starring Caleb Landry Jones, Scott Eastwood, and Orlando Bloom. The Outpost was featured in many end-of-year top ten lists, and was the top film on many VOD outlets, including iTunes where it held the top spot for more than three weeks.

09:24 EDT Coherus Biosciences appoints Ildiko Csiki to Scientific Advisory Board - Coherus BioSciences announced the appointment of Ildiko Csiki, M.D., Ph.D., as Chair of its Scientific Advisory Board. With Dr. Csiki as Chair, Coherus' SAB will work closely with Coherus leadership to build a world-class immuno-oncology franchise that offers life-changing medicines to patients. In collaboration with Junshi Biosciences, Coherus is developing toripalimab, a PD-1 blocking antibody, in an extensive registrational development program for a broad range of tumor types, as well as in combination with other immuno-oncology targeting agents. Csiki is Chief Commercial Research and Development Officer at City of Hope, a world-renowned independent research and treatment center for cancer, diabetes and other life-threatening diseases.

09:22 EDT Sorrento Therapeutics doses COVID-19 patients in Phase 2 trial for COVIDROPS - Sorrento Therapeutics announced that COVID-19 patients have been dosed in its Phase 2 efficacy trial. Approximately 350 outpatients with COVID-19 who are asymptomatic or have mild symptoms will be enrolled in this large double-blind, randomized clinical trial evaluating COVIDROPS doses of 10 mg or 20 mg against placebo. This study uses a novel decentralized design where subjects are assessed and treated in their homes and received a rapid review and clearance from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency in the UK. A previously completed safety study conducted in the US at doses up to 60 mg in healthy subjects showed a comparable safety profile to placebo with all reported adverse effects being mild in severity. The UK study will complement Phase 2 trials currently being started in the US and should the results of these studies demonstrate that COVIDROPS is both safe and effective against SARS-CoV-2, Sorrento will apply for Emergency Use Authorization in the US, UK, Canada, India, Mexico and European Union as well as other territories. COVIDROPS is administered as a simple intranasal instillation into each nostril to recently infected subjects. The neutralizing antibody drug substance is the same antibody as in COVI-AMG, which is a high potency/low dose IV push injection. The antibody is active in vitro and in animal models of COVID-19 infection against the SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern currently infecting the UK and the US, including the highly transmissible and virulent India/Delta variant, as well as the UK/Alpha variant and the original SARS-CoV-2 virus. Sorrento is developing a second neutralizing antibody with potential activity against all VoCs, including the Beta and Gamma, for entry into the clinic and is intended for use as a cocktail for both intranasal and intravenous administration to augment the coverage of prevailing VoCs. Variants of interest, such as Lambda and others are constantly evaluated in Sorrento's active surveillance program.

09:16 EDT Ligand partner Jazz launches RYLAZE, asparaginase erwinia chrysanthemi - Ligand Pharmaceuticals (LGND) announced Jazz Pharmaceuticals (JAZZ) has launched Rylaze or asparaginase erwinia chrysanthemi, also known as JZP458. Rylaze, which was approved by the FDA on June 30 is a recombinant erwinia asparaginase used as a component of a multi-agent chemotherapeutic regimen for the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia lymphoblastic lymphoma in adult and pediatric patients 1 month or older who have developed hypersensitivity to E. coli-derived asparaginase. Under the terms of the license agreement with Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Ligand received a $2M payment upon FDA's acceptance for review of the product BLA and is entitled to receive a $5M payment upon the first commercial sale following launch. Ligand is eligible to receive up to an additional $155.5 million in milestone payments and tiered low to mid-single digit royalties based on worldwide net sales of any products resulting from this collaboration, including Rylaze. "This partnership with Jazz Pharmaceuticals is one of the core scientific programs that catalyzed our acquisition of Pfenex last year. The Rylaze commercial launch really showcases our highly productive partnership with Jazz and the exceptional ability of our Pelican Expression Technology to enable life-saving therapeutics," said John Higgins, CEO of Ligand. "The robust manufacturing afforded by Ligand's Pelican Expression Technology combined with Jazz's demonstrated success in development and commercialization has enabled the delivery of a high-quality recombinant asparaginase option for patients with hypersensitivity to E. coli-derived asparaginase with reliable supply."

09:11 EDT Momentive announces launch SurveyMonkey Enterprise app for Zoom - Momentive announced the launch of its SurveyMonkey Enterprise app for Zoom Video Communications, Inc., delivering an embedded feedback experience accessible within Zoom meetings and the desktop client. Following a year of virtual meetings and remote collaboration, the SurveyMonkey Enterprise app for Zoom aims to form more meaningful interactions by funneling crucial stakeholder insights to boost meeting effectiveness, track attendee engagement, and improve the employee, customer, and patient experience. This new in-product app for Zoom is now available for all SurveyMonkey Enterprise users on the U.S. data center in the Zoom App Marketplace, which hosts 1,400+ third-party integrations that extend the power of Zoom's industry-leading video-first unified communications platform.

09:10 EDT Skechers and kansaiyamamoto collaborate on limited edition collection - "Skechers announced new footwear collaboration inspired by the late iconic Japanese designer Kansai Yamamoto. The limited-edition Skechers x kansaiyamamoto collection of four fashion sneakers for men and women embrace Kansai's aesthetic and will launch on the one-year anniversary of his passing, July 21, in Japan, North America and Europe," said the company in a statement. The launch spans a range of Max Cushioning Premier fashion sneakers. The men's KY Kabuki Paint and women's KY Nadeshiko styles feature iconic kansaiyamamoto designs inspired by traditional kabuki theater and beauty. The men's KY Sol and women's KY Luna feature ombre color designs that convey the notion of sun and moon. Classic Skechers D'Lites fashion sneakers follow on August 21, with a vivid multi-colored premium leather upper in celebratory festival hues, plus kansaiyamamoto logo.

09:10 EDT Immaculate Confection seeks damages from Rocky Mountain Chocolate - Immaculate Confection announced it filed a lawsuit in the Supreme Court of British Columbia against Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, operator of the international Rocky Mountain franchise network and licensor to Confection. On June 21, 2021, Confection received a letter from RMCF purporting to formally terminate all remaining contracts between the parties, after having initiated formal legal proceedings against Confection in Colorado in March 2020. Confection intends to vigorously oppose RMCF's attempts to terminate the parties' ongoing business relationship. Confection intends to pursue all available remedies, and will be seeking damages caused it by RMCF's actions in an amount to be determined, including for the reduction in the value of the Canadian business. According to materials filed by RMCF in Colorado, the Canadian business had revenues of $365.6 million in the period from 2000 to 2019.

09:10 EDT Blue Hat Interactive, Tencent QQ to jointly develop QQ emoji branded toys - Blue Hat Interactive announced that the company and Tencent QQ have jointly developed two toy products utilizing the intellectual property of the QQ emoji, pursuant to the previously announced licensing agreement for certain QQ IP.

09:08 EDT Knight-Swift sees FY21 net cash capital expenditures $500M-$550M - Sees FY21 tax rate 2%-27%.

09:05 EDT Harley-Davidson says delivered 'solid performance' in Q2 - Says supply chain challenges from Covid-19 continue to impact the sector. Says consumer excitement, optimism returning. Says continues to pursue all remedies to EU tariffs. Comments taken from Q2 earnings conference call.

09:04 EDT Philips receives breakthrough device designation for IVC filter removal device - Royal Philips announced the FDA has granted Breakthrough Device Designation for a laser-assisted inferior vena cava filter removal device. The proposed device is intended for ablating tissue to remove an IVC filter when previous methods of removal have failed. IVC filters are used to treat patients with venous thromboembolism, in which blood clots form in the deep veins of the leg, groin or arm and can travel through the circulatory system. They are placed in the inferior vena cava to capture blood clots from moving to the heart or lungs. Research has shown that IVC filters may have long-term complications. The filters can fracture and travel through the bloodstream to other parts of the body. Other identified long-term risks associated with IVC filters include lower limb deep vein thrombosis and IVC occlusion. The FDA recommends that implanting physicians consider removing retrievable IVC filters as soon as they are no longer indicated. The failure rate for IVC filter removal is high and limited options for removal exist if the filter has become difficult to remove. Advanced retrieval tools and techniques are required if the IVC filter becomes embedded in the vasculature. Physicians have very few tools to remove the filter when this happens and there are no FDA-approved devices for this type of advanced removal. Two independent and prospective clinical studies demonstrated that laser-assisted retrieval was 96-99% effective with a major adverse event rate of 0.7-2%.

09:02 EDT Globus Maritime announces delivery of dry bulk vessel 'Power Globe' - Globus Maritime announced that it has taken delivery of the M/V "Power Globe", a 2011-built Kamsarmax dry bulk carrier it acquired for a purchase price of $16.2M, of which the company had previously announced on February 18, 2021. The M/V "Power Globe" was built at the Universal Shipbuilding Corporation in Japan and has a carrying capacity of 80,655DWT. Following this acquisition, the fleet of Globus comprises of eight dry bulk carriers with a total carrying capacity of 544,420 DWT.

09:00 EDT NeuroMetrix extends yesterday's advance, up 52% in pre-market trading - Shares of NeuroMetrix are up another 52% in pre-market trading, extending yesterday's 208% spike after the company received an FDA breakthrough device designation for Quell device for treating the symptoms of fibromyalgia in adults. The stock is also the second highest trending ticker on StockTwits in terms of message volume this morning.

08:57 EDT Johnson & Johnson says continues to invest in R&D at 'competitive levels' - Says continues to make "strong progress" with drug pipeline. Says poised for growth, value creation in 2022 and beyond. Comments taken from Q2 earnings conference call.

08:51 EDT Coca-Cola: Currency markets 'volatile'

08:50 EDT Mawson Infrastructure provides update on Bitcoin mining hardware - Mawson Infrastructure Group (MIGI) announced it has taken delivery of 250 Bitmain Antminer S19 Pro's, expects a further 570 Avalon A1246 miners from Canaan (CAN) to be delivered and operational before the end of July, and expects an additional 588 Avalon A1246 miners to be delivered in early August, adding a further 125 PH to its existing operations. The Antminer S19 Pro, one of Bitmain's latest generation models, is a SHA256 mining rig, which produces a stable hash rate of 110TH/s with a power efficiency of 29.5J/TH.

08:49 EDT Salesforce completes acquisition of Slack Technologies - Salesforce (CRM) announced it has completed its acquisition of Slack Technologies (WORK). As part of Salesforce, Slack will be positioned to accelerate and extend its mission to make work life simpler, more pleasant, and more productive. Slack will continue to operate under the Slack brand, driving forward a continued focus on its mission, customers, and community. Slack will continue to be led by CEO and Co-Founder Stewart Butterfield.

08:42 EDT Osisko Development receives underground bulk sample permit - Osisko Development is pleased to announce the receipt of the Notice of Work permit to commence development to collect an underground bulk sample at its Cariboo Gold Project in central British Columbia and conduct underground diamond drilling. Also, the Company is reporting additional drilling results from the 200,000-meter 2021 exploration and category conversion drill program campaign. A total of ten diamond drill rigs are currently on the Project. Highlights: A 10,000 tonnes bulk sample will be collected on the Cow Mountain deposit. A total of 2,200 meters of development is planned. The project is intentionally designed to utilize existing surface disturbance to reduce environmental impact and portal construction is to begin immediately. Underground drill bays on Cow and Lowhee Deposits are part of the development plan to increase exploration and infill drilling. Development will be executed by the Sandvik Roadheader Mt-720 previously tested and commissioned at the Bonanza Ledge operation where promising performance was achieved. The ore extracted in the bulk sample will be processed in a newly purchased Ore Sorter from the company Steinert to further improve confidence of ore sorting technology. A total of 100,000 meters have been drilled thus far in 2021. Recent assay results include holes IM-21-037 to IM-21-068. Drilling highlights include 11.76 g/t Au over 7.4 meters in hole IM-21-037 that intersected a vein corridor on Shaft Zone, open along strike to the south. Exploration hole IM-21-048 on Mosquito Creek tested for vein corridors at depth and intersected mineralized veins with assays including 21.2 g/t Au over 0.50 meters and 25.3 g/t over 0.80 meters at vertical depth of 325 meters. Detailed drilling results and a drill hole location plan map are presented at the end of this release. Assay Highlights: 11.76 g/t Au over 7.40 meters in hole IM-21-037 including 63.90 g/t Au over 1.00 meter; 47.40 g/t Au over 1.15 meters in hole IM-21-043; 6.96 g/t Au over 7.35 meters in hole IM-21-051; 21.59 g/t Au over 2.50 meters in hole IM-21-052 including 73.20 g/t Au over 0.65 meters; 87.30 g/t Au over 0.70 meters in hole IM-21-053; 4.66 g/t Au over 7.40 meters in hole IM-21-060; 8.90 g/t Au over 5.60 meters in hole IM-21-062 including 82.00 g/t Au over 0.50 meters; 13.27 g/t Au over 2.85 meters in hole IM-21-064; 6.73 g/t Au over 5.50 meters in hole IM-21-067. Mineralized quartz veins on Cariboo are overall sub-vertical dip and northeast strike. Vein corridors are defined as a high-density network of mineralized quartz veins within the axis of the last folding event and hosted within a brittle meta-sandstone or calcareous meta-sandstone. Vein corridors are modelled at a minimum thickness of 2 meters and average about 4.5 meters true width. Individual mineralized veins within these corridors have widths varying from centimeters to several meters and strike lengths from a few meters to over 50 meters. These corridors have been defined from surface to a vertical depth averaging 300 meters and remain open for expansion at depth and along strike. Gold grades are intimately associated with quartz vein-hosted pyrite as well as pyritic, intensely silicified wall rock haloes in close proximity to the veins. True widths are estimated to be 60% to 75% of reported core length intervals. Intervals not recovered by drilling were assigned zero grade. Top cuts have not been applied to high grade assays. Complete assay highlights are presented in Table 1, drill hole locations are listed in Table 2.

08:38 EDT NFI Group's ARBOC to supply Toronto Transit Commission with 110 buses - NFI Group announced that the Toronto Transit Commission has awarded NFI subsidiary ARBOC Specialty Vehicles a firm order for 110 seven-meter Independence low floor transit buses. The award was placed through ARBOC's Canadian distributor, Creative Carriage Ltd., utilizing the Government of Ontario's Metrolinx Transit Procurement Initiative. ARBOC plans to deliver the initial group of up to 30 buses in 2021 with the remaining 80 vehicles in 2022. This award follows a TTC order in 2019 to NFI subsidiary New Flyer Industries Canada ULC, for up to 40 Xcelsior CHARGE 40-foot battery-electric buses supporting TTC's electric bus program, of which 20 buses have already been delivered.

08:36 EDT Logiq expands media buying to Asia Pacific for any size brand - Logiq has expanded its Logiq Digital Marketing platform to include direct media buying access to web, mobile and connected TV, and audio media providers across the Asia Pacific, or APAC, region. By expanding its footprint to localized inventory offered in APAC, LDM brings access to these international consumers within the reach of small and medium-sized agencies and brands who sell in these markets. The offering also optimizes the delivery of an ad to an APAC consumer so that it can occur within 50 milliseconds, even if the campaign is managed by an agency or brand halfway around the world. "In order to compete with larger agencies and brands, it has traditionally required large ad spends and supporting resources. Now with LDM, agencies and brands have a partner who can provide them the benefits of enterprise scale and reach without the associated costs and commitments. They can now reach the same consumers as their larger competitors, but at a fraction of the cost," the company said.

08:34 EDT Coca-Cola CEO: Recovery remains 'asynchronous' - Comments taken from Q2 earnings conference call.

08:33 EDT Jones Soda announces launch of augmented reality labels - Jones Soda is bringing its labels to life with a series of augmented reality labels showcasing 15 extreme athletes and edgy artists in action - literally. The AR labels, which span five top-selling soda flavors, are activated with a new Jones Soda app and will appear on 1.5 million bottles hitting store shelves in the U.S. and Canada this month. The Company is also holding a contest to select videos for a planned 2022 series. Building on Jones Soda's long-time association with action sports and creators of all kinds, the initial AR labels spotlight influencers ranging from a gravity-defying professional scooter rider with 150,000 Instagram followers to a tattoo artist, jewelry designer and street muralist. The list also includes a BMX rider, beach volleyball player, breakdancer, roller skater, skateboarder, surfer, and a circus performer who says she lives for the adrenaline rush of fire spinning.

08:32 EDT Applied UV announces Airocide installation in Thailand hospital - Applied UV announced that its Thailand distributor, V Eye Precision, has installed additional Airocide units in Bangkok Metropolitan Administration Lat Krabang Hospital, to help create cleaner environments for patients, visitors and staff. Applied UV continues to enhance its distributor relationships throughout Southeast Asia to meet the demand for its air and surface infection control products.

08:30 EDT Magenta Therapeutics trading resumes

08:30 EDT Oramed's Oravax oral vaccine clinical trial approved by Israel's IRB - Oramed announced several updates for its majority-owned company Oravax Medical. Oravax capitalizes on Oramed's proprietary protein oral delivery technology in the development of oral vaccines that are now only available via injection. Oravax is the exclusive owner of a virus-like particle - VLP - vaccine technology that targets three SARS CoV-2 virus surface proteins, making the vaccine potentially effective against current and future variants of the COVID-19 virus. The VLP vaccine is being tested in preclinical studies against COVID-19 variants including the Delta variant. Oravax is gearing up to commence clinical trials for its oral COVID-19 vaccine, first in Israel, then in additional clinical sites internationally. The study protocol has been approved by the Institutional Review Board - IRB - at Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv, Israel and is now pending approval from the Israeli Ministry of Health. GMP manufacturing for the oral vaccine is under way. The oral VLP COVID-19 vaccine is being developed for use both as a standalone vaccine as well as a booster for people who have been previously vaccinated for COVID-19. Oramed is currently evaluating several options with respect to its interest in Oravax, including distributing a portion of its holdings to its shareholders. Oravax has out-licensed certain rights in the territory of India to Premas Biotech, the original developer of the novel vaccine. Oravax is entitled to royalties upon commercialization of this vaccine in India. Premas plans to manufacture, test, and potentially commercialize the injectable version of the VLP vaccine in India.

08:21 EDT HC2 Holdings provides $15M Series C investment to R2 Technologies - HC2 Holdings announced that it has provided an additional $15M in Series C funding to R2 Technologies at a post-money valuation of $150M. The investment was made through HC2's life sciences subsidiary Pansend Life Sciences, a founding investor in R2. The funds will be used to expand R2's corporate footprint and to accelerate U.S. commercialization of Glacial Rx, its first-to-market CryoAesthetic treatment, which is FDA-cleared to remove benign lesions and temporarily reduce pain, swelling and inflammation. The investment also will fuel global growth and development of R2 Technologies' upcoming innovations that are planned for future rollout. "This investment represents our confidence in the growth potential of R2 as it shifts to a revenue-driving phase following the commercial launch of Glacial Rx earlier this year," said Wayne Barr, HC2's President and CEO. "We are proud to continue to support R2 as it grows and delivers its innovative technologies to an expanding global market."

08:19 EDT Plus Products announces return of limited-edition of hash-based gummies - Plus Products announced that it is releasing a second batch of its limited edition PLUS Hash Gummies, made in concert with Biscotti Brands following substantial consumer and retailer demand for the initial product release. The Company's orange blossom-flavored PLUS Hash Gummies are infused with cold water hash extracted from MAC flower, a hybrid strain known for its relaxing and uplifting effects. Each gummy contains 10mg of THC and is flavored with all-natural essence from Seville and Valencia oranges and orange blossom to complement MAC's smooth citrus and floral accents.

08:18 EDT Meten Edtechx reports 241% student enrollment increase in 1H21 - Meten EdtechX announced that the gross billing and student enrollment of its junior ELT business in the first half of 2021 increased by 316.9% and 240.9% respectively compared to the same period of last year, and increased by 97.9% and 64.4% respectively compared to June 2020. The gross billing of the Company's junior ELT business in June 2021 increased by 97.5% year over year and increased by 21.3% compared with the same period in 2019. The company is actively expanding its junior ELT business within its current network of 22 cities. The gross billing from student renewals and referrals accounted for 54.5% of the total gross billing of the company's junior ELT business in June 2021.

08:15 EDT Point Biopharma, Isotopia announce Lutetium-177 clinical supply agreement - POINT Biopharma Global and Isotopia Molecular Imaging announced that they have signed a clinical supply agreement for the medical radioisotope no-carrier-added Lutetium-177, a therapeutic isotope used in POINT's pipeline of radiopharmaceutical assets. Lu-177 is used in Precision Oncology for Targeted Radionuclide Therapy. The 6.6-day half-life of Lu-177 is sufficiently short for use with a variety of radiopharmaceuticals, and long enough to minimize decay loss during preparation and shipping of the radiopharmaceutical. Lu-177 damages tumors when bound to disease-specific targeting therapeutics, such as POINT's PSMA targeting drug candidate PNT2002 for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. Isotopia's Lu-177 contains no metastable Lu-177m, eliminating cost intensive clinical waste management. Isotopia's Lu-177 will be used at POINT's Indianapolis facility in the manufacturing of its therapeutic radioligand therapies. "One of POINT's key focuses has been building a robust and fault-redundant supply chain, as the materials sourcing, manufacturing and logistics hurdles in the radiopharmaceutical industry are significant," said Dr. Joe McCann, CEO of POINT. "As a leading supplier of high purity radioisotopes, Isotopia is an ideal partner for us; their ability to reliable delivery n.c.a Lu-177 will further strengthen our manufacturing facility's ability to efficiently deliver finished clinical product for our ongoing clinical trials."

08:12 EDT Motus GI Holdings secures expanded $12M credit financing - Motus GI Holdings announced that it has successfully refinanced its debt and expanded its long-term credit facility by securing a new loan agreement with Kreos Capital VI LP for up to $12.0 million, which replaces the previous term loan agreement with Silicon Valley Bank and removes the existing $10.0 million minimum cash balance liquidity covenant.

08:10 EDT Zogenix's FINTEPLA recognized by clinicians in editorial - Zogenix announced that its product FINTEPLA oral solution has been recognized by two distinguished clinicians in an Epilepsy & Behavior editorial titled "Raising the Bar: Fenfluramine Sets New Treatment Standards for Dravet Syndrome." In the editorial, the authors, Joseph Sullivan, M.D., of the UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals, and Helen Cross, M.B.,Ch.B. Ph.D., of the UK's UCL Institute of Child Health, note that the treatment and diagnosis of severe, rare epilepsies such as Dravet syndrome have improved in the U.S. and Europe with earlier accurate diagnosis, better access to a network of specialized medical care, and availability of new medications. In particular, they note that FINTEPLA has achieved responder rates for seizure reduction at the greater than/=75% level that were previously only observed at the greater than/= 50% level. In their assessment, the authors write that future Dravet syndrome treatments "should be evaluated against the demonstrated efficacy of fenfluramine." FINTEPLA was approved in the U.S. and European Union in 2020 for the treatment of seizures associated with Dravet syndrome patients aged two years and older. The authors write that the novel outcomes reported with FINTEPLA treatment, such as effects on executive functions, have effectively raised the bar for assessment of future therapies. Their opinion is based on the body of previously released data from the clinical trials that supported the U.S. and EU regulatory reviews, as well as data from patients treated up to three years in an ongoing open-label study and in early access programs. Across studies, the data demonstrate that FINTEPLA provides safe, effective, and durable seizure reduction for a majority of treated Dravet syndrome patients, including those who, prior to treatment with FINTEPLA, had continued to experience a high seizure burden despite treatment with one or more other antiepileptic medicines.Across studies, FINTEPLA has been generally well-tolerated, with no observed cases of pulmonary arterial hypertension or valvular heart disease. The most common adverse events were reported as decreased appetite, fatigue, diarrhea, and pyrexia.

08:09 EDT Celanese opens pharmaceutical drug delivery lab at Florence, Kentucky - Celanese announced an expansion of its Florence, Kentucky research and development center with the addition of a Pharmaceutical Drug Delivery Feasibility Lab. The new feasibility lab will drive new development for long-acting controlled release drug delivery. This represents a significant investment and commitment to the Pharmaceutical segment of Celanese's engineered materials business. The feasibility lab expands pharmaceutical companies' access to highly customized materials and service solutions. The new Florence pharmaceutical feasibility lab enables Celanese to accelerate customers' development projects for long-acting delivery of small molecules, biologics and RNA. Services include material characterization; injection molding, hot-melt extrusion, and other prototyping capabilities; monolithic or multi-layer drug-loaded prototypes; in vitro characterization and drug release studies; and tooling design and development. "When Celanese works with pharmaceutical customers, we first seek to understand their design challenges and identify factors that are critical to quality," noted Jeff Haley, Senior Manager and Product Specialist, Pharmaceutical Development for Celanese. "We then assemble the right team of experts, select the right tool set, and develop a program plan to help solve their materials challenges. Technical or materials requirements vary by customer, and Celanese is here to offer targeted solutions to ensure our customers can quickly bring to market a successful product that has a meaningful impact on patient health and quality of life."

08:07 EDT Corteva raises quarterly dividend 7.7% to 14c from 13c per share - Payable September 15 to the company's shareholders of record on August 13.

08:07 EDT Dicerna announces interim results from belcesiran trial with AATLD - Dicerna Pharmaceuticals announced interim results from the four completed active-treatment dose cohorts of its Phase 1 double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized trial of belcesiran, an investigational GalXC RNAi therapeutic in development for the treatment of alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency-associated liver disease, AATLD. AATLD is a rare genetic condition that can lead to liver fibrosis, cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Data from this interim analysis showed dose-dependent reductions in serum alpha-1 antitrypsin with administration of a single dose of belcesiran. In this analysis, belcesiran was found to have an acceptable safety profile and was generally well tolerated. The primary treatment evaluation period for the final dose cohort of belcesiran in the Phase 1 trial is ongoing. "We are encouraged by the interim results from this first clinical trial of belcesiran, which met our objective, demonstrating an acceptable safety profile and tolerability as well as dose-dependent reductions in AAT levels over the treatment period," said Shreeram Aradhye, M.D., Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at Dicerna. "Given the severity and progressive nature of AATLD, there is a significant need for a therapy that can directly impact the aggregation of mutated AAT protein in the liver. In addition to demonstrating that belcesiran was well tolerated, the results from this study suggest that belcesiran has the potential to meaningfully reduce the production of abnormal AAT protein - a key objective in developing a pharmacological intervention for people with AATLD."

08:06 EDT GTT Communications launches Secure Co-Manage feature - GTT Communications has announced the addition of the Secure Co-Manage feature to its EtherVision portal to provide customers with enhanced network security visibility and the ability to make real-time changes to network configuration and firewall policies. The new portal feature, available with GTT SD-WAN and Security Services, provides expanded visibility into network security and performance. It offers enhanced self-service functionality that allows customers to respond quickly to security threats and ensure optimized application performance. GTT's Secure Co-Manage feature provides full security management capability that includes firewall policy and object management plus the configuration of next-generation features for advanced firewall services. Customers can monitor historical and occurring network threat events and garner meaningful insights into log data, traffic flows and execution of security features including intrusion prevention, anti-virus, application control, web filtering and sandbox executions. Customers also gain insight into enterprise network behavior, including high-risk applications and detected threats. Additionally, IT system administrators have flexibility to adjust network access controls based on user status.

08:05 EDT Mirimus forms collaboration with Biogen focused on RNAi-based therapeutics - Mirimus, a pioneer in RNAi therapeutic design and CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing technology implementation, announced a strategic collaboration with Biogen focused on the development of RNAi-based therapeutics targeting multiple, undisclosed neurological disease indications. Terms of the collaboration between Mirimus and Biogen are undisclosed.

08:04 EDT AMC Entertainment names CEO Adam Aron chairman of the board - AMC Entertainment announced that it has named Adam Aron, CEO and president of AMC since 2016, as its chairman of the board. As Aron will serve both as chairman and CEO of AMC, the board has selected ambassador Philip Lader to serve as its lead director. Aron has served AMC as CEO and president and as a member of the board since January of 2016. The new appointments for Aron and Lader follow the expected resignations from the AMC board of Lin Zhang and Mao Jun Zeng. Both are senior executives of China's Wanda Group. Wanda was the controlling shareholder of AMC between 2012 and 2020, and recently sold most of its AMC shares.

08:03 EDT Embraer delivers 14 commercial, 20 executive jets in Q2 - Embraer delivered a total of 34 jets in the second quarter, of which 14 were commercial aircraft and 20 were executive jets (12 light and eight large). As of June 30, the firm order backlog totaled $15.9B, a 12% increase compared to the backlog at the end of the first quarter, and which represented a return to pre-pandemic levels.

08:03 EDT Corteva increases common stock dividend 7.7% to 14c per share - Corteva has authorized a common stock dividend of 14c per share, payable September 15 to shareholders of record on August 13, an annualized increase of 7.7% over the previous quarterly dividend. The Board of Directors of Corteva's wholly-owned subsidiary E. I. du Pont de Nemours declared regular preferred stock dividends of $1.12-1/2 per share on the $4.50 series preferred stock and $0.87-1/2 per share on the $3.50 series preferred stock - both payable October 25, 2021 to EID stockholders of record on October 8.

07:54 EDT Chembio reports $28.3M purchase order for DPP SARS-CoV-2 antigen tests in Brazil - Chembio Diagnostics announced its receipt of a $28.3M purchase order from Bio-Manguinhos for the purchase of Chembio's DPP SARS-CoV-2 Antigen tests for delivery during 2021 to support the urgent needs of Brazil's Ministry of Health in addressing the COVID-19 pandemic. "Chembio's delivery of the full number of tests covered by the purchase order may be affected by limitations of Chembio's supply chain, staffing, and liquidity, and other matters outside Chembio's control. Bio-Manguinhos, a subsidiary of the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, is responsible for the development and production of vaccines, diagnostics, and biopharmaceuticals, primarily to meet demands of Brazil's national public health system. Chembio has a long-standing relationship with Bio-Manguinhos, having supplied multiple products for point-of-care detection of COVID-19 antibodies, HIV, and other infectious diseases. Bio-Manguinhos received regulatory approval from Agencia Nacional de Vigilancia Sanitaria in March 2021, following ANVISA approval of the test for Chembio's Brazilian subsidiary in November 2020," the company stated. In pre-market trading, Chembio Diagnostics shares have risen $2.17, or 105%, to $4.23.

07:48 EDT Cathie Wood's ARK Investment bought 138.8K shares of Coinbase on Tuesday

07:36 EDT Qiwi announces the sale of its stake in Tochka Project - QIWI announced that it has entered into an agreement to sell its stake in JSC Tochka to Bank Otkritie Financial Corporation PJSC. Tochka is QIWI's equity associate that was established by QIWI, Otkritie Bank and Tochka's management team in June 2018. QIWI Bank and Otkritie Bank both provide banking services to Tochka clients, while Tochka handles IT infrastructure, support and related services. As of December 31, 2020, Tochka had approximately RUB 96B in customer balances and had over 580,000 clients. QIWI has entered into an agreement with Otkritie Bank to sell its 40% stake in the capital of Tochka, which represents a 45% economic interest in the company. The value of QIWI's stake was estimated at RUB 4.95B, which may be revised up or down depending on Tochka's FY 2021 audited results. The total amount of investment that QIWI made into the Tochka project equals to RUB 2.1B. Throughout the holding period QIWI has also received RUB 0.6B in dividends from Tochka. As a result, the deal delivers an approximately 2.5x return on QIWI's total investment, representing an IRR of 35%. Closing is subject to the approval of the Federal Antimonopoly Service of the Russian Federation and is expected to take place in 3Q 2021. The final deal price adjustment will be performed on the basis of Tochka's audited results for the year 2021, once available, and is expected to be settled in 2Q 2022. At this stage QIWI's full year 2021 guidance remains unchanged. Andrey Protopopov, CEO of QIWI, commented, "Though the partners were implementing a multibank model in this joint venture, over time it became clear that for us the project had turned into a successful financial investment rather than a strategic direction for further development. When Tochka's majority shareholder Otkritie Bank proposed to acquire our stake in the project at an attractive price, while agreeing to continue our mutually beneficial cooperation, we viewed it as a timely and welcome exit opportunity. As a result, we are pleased with the agreement reached on price and consider the timing of the transaction to be advantageous. We can now say with confidence that our financial investment in Tochka has proved to be successful."

07:32 EDT Inozyme receives Orphan Drug Designation for INZ-701 from EMA - Inozyme Pharma announced that the European Medicines Agency, or EMA, has granted Orphan Drug Designation to INZ-701 for the treatment of ABCC6 Deficiency. INZ-701, an investigational enzyme replacement therapy, was granted Orphan Drug Designation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the EMA for the treatment of ENPP1 Deficiency. "Obtaining Orphan Drug Designation from the EMA for the treatment of ABCC6 Deficiency marks another important step toward providing relief for patients who currently have no treatment options and positions INZ-701 to become the first-ever available therapy for this condition," said Axel Bolte, MSc, MA, co-founder, president, and chief executive officer of Inozyme.

07:28 EDT Green Thumb to launch Good Green line to help marginalized communities - Green Thumb Industries announced plans to launch Good Green, a line of cannabis products dedicated to creating professional opportunities for marginalized communities impacted by the War on Drugs. Good Green grant applications are now open to nonprofits that support the brand's three pillars, including education, employment and expungement. Good Green builds upon the Company's existing corporate social responsibility program, Growing for Good, which is committed to advancing diversity and inclusion, restorative justice and social equity within the cannabis industry. Sales from Good Green products will fund grants awarded to nonprofits that provide cannabis career training, education and sustainable employment opportunities, as well as expungement legal services, to communities harmed by discriminatory cannabis policies. Green Thumb is allocating at least $1,300,000 in social equity grants via Good Green in the next 18 months. Registered 501(c)3 organizations that are selected by the program will receive funding from product sales.Green Thumb will announce its nonprofit partners in the coming months. For more information on Good Green's nonprofit application process, please visit www.good.green.

07:22 EDT UKB-PPP expands proteomics study of 53,000 participants to Olink Explore 3072 - Olink announced that the UK Biobank Pharma Proteomics Project has decided to expand the ongoing proteomics study of 53,000 participants to the new Olink Explore 3072 platform, providing access to Olink's expanded library of approximately 3,000 carefully curated and validated assays. The UK Biobank Pharma Proteomics Project, or UKB-PPP, a partnership between UK Biobank and biopharmaceutical companies, is currently performing one of the world's largest scientific studies of blood protein biomarkers conducted to date of 53,000 UK Biobank participants. The study aims to enable better understanding of disease biology and support innovative drug development for more effective therapies. By expanding the study from Olink Explore 1536 to the new Olink Explore 3072 platform, utilizing Next Generation Sequencing as a read-out to measure plasma protein concentration, UKB-PPP will double the number of available assays from almost 1,500 to close to 3,000. "We are very pleased that the growing consortium has decided to expand the study from Olink Explore 1536 to the Olink Explore 3072 platform. It underscores the confidence in Olink and our proprietary Proximity Extension Assay technology, which combines high throughput, high-quality protein-level measurements into data that can be trusted to uncover actionable insights", says Jon Heimer, CEO of Olink Proteomics.

07:21 EDT Else Nutrition appoints Mike Glick as GM, VP, Else North America - ELSE NUTRITION HOLDINGS (BABYF) announced two strategic additions to the Company's executive team: Mr. Simeon Saunders as VP Global Medical Marketing and Scientific Affairs: The Company has hired Mr. Simeon Saunders as VP Global Medical Marketing and Scientific Affairs. In this capacity, Mr. Saunders will lead the company's global medical marketing, clinical and regulatory affairs worldwide, to enhance Else's global expansion in those areas. Simeon spent 25 years at Abbott Laboratories (ABT), where his final role was Divisional Vice President, Abbott Nutrition, for the Europe, Middle East, & Africa Area, before establishing an independent consultancy in 2018. Mr. Mike Glick, GM and VP Else North America: In this capacity, Mr. Glick will lead the U.S. subsidiary expansion, mainly in medical marketing retail and operations. Mike will also be responsible for the business operations as they expand into Canada. Mike joins Else from a VC-backed healthcare start-up called OFFOR Health where he was the Chief Growth Officer, tripling revenue and team size while helping the business earn Series A funding and it's first Inc 5000 award. Mike was previously with a Silicon Valley start-up called Before Brands where he was VP Sales and Marketing for SpoonfulOne, a product to help protect children from developing food allergies.

07:18 EDT Merck says EC gives marketing authorization in EU for sGC stimulator VERQUVO - Merck announced that the European Commission has granted marketing authorization in the European Union for soluble guanylate cyclase sGC stimulator VERQUVO, vericiguat). In the EU, VERQUVO is indicated for the treatment of symptomatic chronic heart failure in adult patients with reduced ejection fraction who are stabilized after a recent decompensation event requiring intravenous therapy. VERQUVO is being jointly developed by Merck and Bayer AG. Merck has the commercial rights to VERQUVO in the United States and Bayer has the exclusive commercial rights in the rest of world. Bayer also issued a news release earlier today announcing the EC approval. In January of this year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration FDA approved VERQUVO in the U.S. to reduce the risk of cardiovascular death and heart failure hospitalization following a hospitalization for heart failure or need for outpatient IV diuretics in adults with symptomatic chronic heart failure and ejection fraction less than 45%. In the U.S., the product label for VERQUVO contains a boxed warning that indicates that VERQUVO should not be administered to pregnant females because it may cause fetal harm. For more information, see "Selected Safety Information" below. In June, the medicine was approved by the Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare in Japan. Bayer has also submitted applications for marketing authorization of the medicine in China as well as multiple other countries worldwide. "This announcement reflects another important regulatory milestone in the development of this medicine," said Dr. Roy Baynes, senior vice president and head of global clinical development, chief medical officer, Merck Research Laboratories. "The approval of VERQUVO in the EU will provide doctors, health care professionals and patients with an important treatment option to complement currently available heart failure therapies."

07:18 EDT Codex DNA announces licensing, supply deal with TriLink for CleanCap - Codex DNA (DNAY) announced a licensing and supply agreement with TriLink Biotechnologies, part of Maravai LifeSciences (MRVI), for its CleanCap technology. Codex DNA will integrate the mRNA capping technology into its suite of automated mRNA synthesis kits for the BioXp system as well as within the company's BioFoundry Services offering. "Together, the technologies are expected to increase productivity and yields for mRNA synthesis workflows, potentially opening the doors for a broader range of downstream therapeutic and vaccine applications," the company said.

07:17 EDT Pfizer, BioNTech enter collaboration with Biovac for COVID-19 vaccine in Africa - Pfizer (PFE) and BioNTech (BNTX) announced the signing of a letter of intent with The Biovac Institute to manufacture the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for distribution within the African Union. Biovac will perform manufacturing and distribution activities within Pfizer's and BioNTech's global COVID-19 vaccine supply chain and manufacturing network, which will now span three continents and include more than 20 manufacturing facilities. To facilitate Biovac's involvement in the process, technical transfer, on-site development and equipment installation activities will begin immediately. Pfizer and BioNTech expect that Biovac's Cape Town facility will be incorporated into the vaccine supply chain by the end of 2021. Biovac will obtain drug substance from facilities in Europe, and manufacturing of finished doses will commence in 2022. At full operational capacity, the annual production will exceed 100 million finished doses annually. All doses will exclusively be distributed within the 55 member states that make up the African Union.

07:14 EDT Gilat Satellite signs strategic agreement at over $5M with Pacific Dataport - Gilat Satellite Networks signed a strategic agreement estimated at over $5M with Pacific Dataport for delivery of ubiquitous broadband coverage in Alaska. Gilat's SkyEdge II-c, multi-service platform, will support the goal of PDI's Aurora Network to deliver a wide range of applications to the population of Alaska. PDI intends to provide a multiservice network that will serve the Alaska market with both fixed and mobility applications. The targeted fixed applications range from direct-to-home broadband service to consumers, to an assortment of enterprise applications such as backup and full-time IP data services for businesses, organizations, schools, libraries, and government. The planned mobility applications include cruise ships, fishing boats and commercial aviation. "Gilat and PDI share a common vision of providing high-quality broadband connectivity for the benefit of all and as such we greatly appreciate Pacific Dataport's confidence in Gilat and its technology," said Michal Aharonov, Senior Vice President Global Broadband Networks at Gilat. "Our multi-service platform is ideally suited to meet Aurora Network's mission to create more business opportunities and improve the quality of life in the region, and we look forward to supporting its work and success in the region, as a trusted and reliable partner."

07:11 EDT Empire buys Prudential's retirement business for transaction value of $3.55B - Empower Retirement and Prudential Financial announced they have entered into a definitive agreement for Empower to acquire Prudential's full-service retirement business. The acquisition will add significant expertise, a broader set of capabilities and an expanded product portfolio to Empower's existing business and drive additional scale to the benefit of retirement investors and employers who sponsor workplace savings plans. Subject to regulatory approvals, Empower will acquire Prudential's full-service retirement plan recordkeeping and administration business for a total transaction value of $3.55B. The business will be supported by $2.1B of capital through a combination of the balance sheet of the transferred business and Empower capital and surplus. Prudential's full-service retirement recordkeeping business comprises more than 4,300 workplace savings plans, through which approximately 4M plan participants have saved $314B in assets.2 It also includes more than 1,800 employees who provide a comprehensive suite of retirement recordkeeping and administration services to financial professionals, plan sponsors and participants. Empower expects the acquisition to benefit retirement plan participants by combining two client-focused businesses with deep retirement expertise on a single state-of-the-art technology platform. The acquisition will allow Empower to expand services to the broadening spectrum of workplace savings plans it now serves, which includes mega, large, mid-size and small corporate 401k plans; government plans ranging in scale from state-level plans to municipal agencies; not-for-profit 403(b) plans; and collectively bargained Taft-Hartley plans.

07:09 EDT Verizon sees 2021 capital spending $17.5B-$18.5B - Capital spending to be in the range of $17.5 billion to $18.5 billion, including the further expansion of 5G mmWave in new and existing markets, the densification of the 4G LTE wireless network to manage future traffic demands and the continued deployment of the company's fiber infrastructure. Expenditures related to the deployment of the company's C-Band 5G network will be in addition to this amount, and the company previously announced an incremental $10 billion of capital expenditures from 2021 to 2023, of which $2 billion to $3 billion is expected in 2021.

07:08 EDT Coca-Cola says value share in total NARTD beverages 'now ahead' of 2019 level - The company gained value share in total nonalcoholic ready-to-drink beverages driven by a share gain in both at-home and away-from-home channels. The company's value share in total NARTD beverages is now ahead of the 2019 level.

07:08 EDT Costco and Uber launch grocery delivery pilot in Texas - Costco (COST) and Uber (UBER) have entered a delivery pilot with 25 locations across the state of Texas where Costco members could have their groceries delivered with Uber and Uber Eats. Over the coming weeks, 7 additional Costco warehouses will be available to Uber users via Uber and Uber Eats mobile apps. The minimum order amount is $35 and delivery is free for Uber Pass and Eats Pass holders. This is Uber's first pilot with a food wholesaler in the U.S. Costco currently offers online ordering and delivery through its own channels and additional third parties. Uber users in Dallas, Austin, and Houston can now order from their local Costco warehouses.

07:07 EDT Argo AI and Ford to launch self-driving vehicles on Lyft network by end of year - Argo AI, Lyft (LYFT) and Ford (F) are working together to commercialize autonomous ride hailing at scale. The collaboration brings together all of the parts necessary to create a autonomous ride hailing service, including the self-driving technology, vehicle fleet and transportation network needed to support a scalable business. Argo AI and Ford will deploy Ford self-driving cars, with safety drivers, on the Lyft network, as part of a network access agreement, with passenger rides beginning in Miami later this year and in Austin starting in 2022. As vehicles are deployed, Lyft users within the defined service areas will be able to select a Ford self-driving vehicle to hail a ride. This initial deployment phase will lay the groundwork for scaling operations, as the parties are now working to finalize agreements aiming to deploy at least 1,000 autonomous vehicles on the Lyft network, across multiple markets over the next five years. The collaboration is designed to scale autonomous vehicle deployment using market and safety data that helps define where self-driving technology can safely serve consumers. As part of the agreement, Argo will use anonymized service and fleet data from Lyft. In addition, Lyft will receive 2.5% of the common equity of Argo AI as part of the licensing and data access agreements to collaborate on the safe commercialization of autonomous vehicles.

07:06 EDT Verizon reports Q1 Wireless retail postpaid net additions 528K - Total wireless service revenue of $16.9 billion, a 5.9 percent increase year over year, and a 4.0 percent increase from second-quarter 2019. Total retail postpaid churn of 0.94 percent, and retail postpaid phone churn of 0.72 percent. 528,000 retail postpaid net additions, including 275,000 phone net additions, resulting in 121.3 million total retail connections.

07:04 EDT Harley-Davidson reports Q2 North America retail sales up 43% y/y - Up 5% over 2Q19. Delivered strong Motorcycles and Related Products segment gross margin and operating margin driven by the Rewire product portfolio adjustments. Delivered Financial Services segment Q2 operating income growth of $90M over Q2 2020 driven by a lower provision for credit losses.

06:59 EDT Coca-Cola sees FY21 free cash flow 'at least' $9B - The company expects to generate free cash flow of at least $9B through cash flow from operations of at least $10.5B less capital expenditures of approximately $1.5B. This does not include any potential payments related to the ongoing tax litigation with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service.

06:54 EDT Comstock's LiNiCo to recycle 100,000 tons of lithium-ion batteries a year - Comstock Mining announed the filing of a Written Determination of Hazardous Waste Recycling by LINICO and its lithium-ion battery - LIB - recycling facility located in the Tahoe Reno Industrial Center in Nevada. The Application and LiNiCo's final engineering plans are based on the first phase of LiNiCo's proprietary LIB recycling technologies. Those technologies are the result of Comstock's recently announced and planned additional technology development, engineering, and materials science acquisitions and other transactions. Construction of the first phase of LiNiCo's new processes will commence at the TRI Facility upon approval of the Application, with an anticipated completion and start-up during the first half of 2022. Once complete, the TRI Facility is conservatively expected to scale up to its initial nameplate capacity exceeding 100,000 tons per year of LIBs over a period of three years, with annualized revenues exceeding $250M, $410M, and $505M per year during the TRI Facility's first, second, and third full years of operations, respectively. Spent LIBs are widely expected to contain more than $12B in recoverable strategic metals by 2025 and $26B by 2040.

06:42 EDT TotalEnergies partners with Technip Energies for low-carbon LNG solutions - TotalEnergies and Technip Energies signed a Technical Cooperation Agreement to jointly develop low-carbon solutions for Liquefied Natural Gas - LNG - production and offshore facilities to accelerate the energy transition. As part of this agreement, both parties will explore new concepts and technologies, in order to reduce carbon footprint of existing facilities and greenfield projects in areas such as LNG production, cryogeny, production and use of hydrogen for power generation, or processes for Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage - CCUS -. By partnering, Technip Energies and TotalEnergies rely on complementary expertise to decarbonize LNG plants and offshore facilities.

06:34 EDT NGL Energy Partners provides update on wastewater recycling in Delaware Basin - NGL Energy Partners has completed the first of two large scale Delaware Basin wastewater recycling projects in Lea County, NM. The initial project, which began in late May, supported a customers' simultaneous fracturing, or "simul-frac", completion activities. The Partnership treated and provided approximately 130,000 barrels per day and eliminated the need for over 5,000,000 barrels of fresh water. The second large scale recycling project will begin later this month, is expected to provide 200,000 to 250,000 barrels per day, and potentially up to 350,000 barrels per day of recycled wastewater to an independent oil and gas producer. Combined sales of raw produced wastewater for reuse and recycle are expected to average between 180,000 and 190,000 barrels per day through the first six months of this fiscal year, representing more than 85% of estimated total water sales.

06:31 EDT AnPac Bio enters agreement with Advanced Life Therapeutics for R&D - AnPac Bio-Medical Science Co. announced that it had entered into an agreement with Advanced Life Therapeutics Co. in which the company holds a minority equity interest of 40%, to perform contract R&D on integrated circuit-based components for cancer treatment medical devices. Under the multi-year contract agreement, the company will design, fabricate, test and optimize key components of a cancer treatment medical device. The company expects to begin generating revenue from this contract R&D project starting Q3 of this year. The company is also in later stages of partnership/cooperation discussions with a number of major corporations in the medical industry, in order to (a) increase the Company's commercial Cancer Differentiation Analysis-based cancer test revenue, and (b) broaden the company's new product pipeline in which the company and its partner(s) will jointly develop medical devices which will leverage AnPac Bio's strong expertise in integrated circuit (IC) based core components in medical devices.

06:06 EDT NewAge says Kevin Manion joins as new CFO - NewAge announced that Kevin Manion has joined NewAge as its new CFO. Kevin began his career at Arthur Andersen and spent five years in the audit, tax and consulting group focusing on privately held and venture-backed businesses.

06:04 EDT Target, Ulta Beauty announce more details on Ulta Beauty at Target - Target (TGT) and Ulta Beauty (ULTA) shared details about the Ulta Beauty at Target, slated to begin rolling out in more than 100 Target stores nationwide and online with more than 50 specially curated prestige brands this August. The companies are planning for these experiential "shop-in-shops" to reach a total of 800 Target stores across the country in the coming years. The Ulta Beauty at Target locations will be found in Target stores across the country, complementing Ulta Beauty's existing store footprint. The list of more than 100 locations at launch can be found here Ulta.com/Target, with additional locations to follow in the coming years. Each "shop-in-shop" will be placed near the existing Target beauty section and will feature specialized displays, discovery zones, as well as on-trend, seasonally relevant offerings.

06:01 EDT KBR awarded contract for two nitric acid plant expansions by Haifa Group - KBR announced that it has been awarded a nitric acid technology contract by Haifa Group for two of its process plants at Mishor Rotem, Israel. Under the terms of the contract, KBR will provide license, basic engineering design and proprietary equipment for both plants, to deliver a capacity increase of approximately 35% at each plant.

05:46 EDT IBM, Bangalore International Airport enter ten year agreement for IT solutions - IBM and Bangalore International Airport, or BIAL, operator of Kempegowda International Airport Bengaluru, announced a ten-year agreement under which IBM and Kyndryl will provide IT solutions to create a new "Airport in a Box" platform that will support transforming the end-to-end travel experience for passengers at BLR Airport.

05:43 EDT ASML announces new EUR 9B share buyback program - As part of ASML's financial policy to return excess cash to its shareholders through growing dividends and share buybacks, ASML announced a new share buyback program which will start on July 22 and is to be executed by December 31 2023. As part of this program, ASML intends to repurchase shares up to an amount of EUR 9B, of which the company expects a total of up to 0.45M shares will be used to cover employee share plans. ASML intends to cancel the remainder of the shares repurchased. The new program will replace the previous EUR 6B share buyback program 2020-2022, under which ASML has repurchased approximately 11.7M shares for an approximate amount of EUR 5.2B, and which will not be completed for the full amount in light of the new share buyback program.

05:29 EDT Daimler AG says Daimler Truck spin-off on track - The company said, "Daimler intends to generate value for its shareholders and to raise its profitability by creating two pure-play companies, one focused on cars and vans with the other on trucks and buses. It is intended that a significant majority stake in Daimler Truck will be distributed to Daimler shareholders. The transaction and the listing of Daimler Truck on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange are on track and expected to be completed before year-end 2021. The project is currently in the preparatory and auditing phase. At an extraordinary general meeting in autumn, Daimler shareholders will have to approve this historic strategic step."

05:21 EDT STMicroelectronics, Unilumin jointly develop LED display - STMicroelectronics and Unilumin announced that they have worked together to develop a new Unilumin display using the ST60A2, ST's 60GHz RF transceiver for advanced high-data-rate contactless-transfer solutions. The new range of Unilumin LED displays with the ST60A2 contactless link benefits from the elimination of cables and connectors to achieve significant cost saving by reducing both assembly and maintenance efforts. As important, the contactless approach enhances system reliability for the customers.

05:15 EDT Cnooc commences production at Luda 29-1 oilfield in Liaodong Bay - Cnooc announced that Luda 29-1 oilfield has commenced production. Luda 29-1 oilfield is located in Liaodong Bay of Bohai Sea, with water depth of about 32 meters. In addition to fully utilizing the existing processing facilities of Luda 21-2/Luda 16-3 oilfield, the project has also built a new wellhead platform, with seven development wells planned in total, including four production wells, two water injection wells and one water source well. The project is expected to reach its peak production of approximately 4,440 barrels of crude oil per day in 2021. Cnooc holds 100% interest in Luda 29-1 oilfield and acts as the operator.

05:11 EDT Bluebird Bio receives EC approval for Skysona - bluebird Bio announced that the European Commission, or EC, has granted marketing authorization of Skysona, a one-time gene therapy for the treatment of early cerebral adrenoleukodystrophy, or CALD, in patients less than 18 years of age with an ABCD1 genetic mutation, and for whom a human leukocyte antigen, or HLA-matched sibling hematopoietic stem cell, or HSC, donor is not available. Skysona is the first one-time gene therapy approved in the European Union to treat CALD, a rare neurodegenerative disease that occurs in childhood and can rapidly lead to progressive, irreversible loss of neurologic function, and death.

05:06 EDT Lithia Motors announces 35c per share dividend - The company's board approved a dividend of 35c per share related to Q2 financial results. The company expects to pay the dividend on August 27 to shareholders of record on August 13.