Stockwinners Market Radar for July 27, 2021 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

20:19 EDT Noah Holdings announces $10M strategic investment in iCapital Network - Noah Holdings announced that it has made a $10M strategic equity investment in US-based iCapital Network, the "leading global financial technology platform driving access to and efficiency in alternative investment for the asset and wealth management industries. This round of financing for iCapital was led by Temasek."

19:19 EDT Spark Infrastructure receives revised proposal from KKR, OTPP - Spark Infrastructure (SFDPF) announced that it had received two conditional and non-binding indicative proposals from Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan Board and KKR (KKR), on behalf of certain of its affiliated infrastructure investment funds, vehicles and entities managed and/or advised by it or its affiliates, together the Consortium, to acquire all of the ordinary stapled securities in Spark Infrastructure by way of a scheme. Spark Infrastructure confirms that it has received a further revised proposal from the Consortium for an all cash consideration of A$2.95 per stapled security, to be reduced to the extent that Spark Infrastructure pays or declares a distribution to its securityholders prior to the implementation of the proposed transaction. Following the announcement of Spark Infrastructure's first half interim distribution for 2021 of A$0.0625 per stapled security on 1 July 2021, the implied consideration under the Further Revised Proposal is A$2.8875 per stapled security. The Further Revised Proposal represents a premium to Spark Infrastructure's undisturbed security price of 26% to the closing price of A$2.30 per security on July 13, 2021. The Consortium has provided the Further Revised Proposal following the provision of limited information on Spark Infrastructure's business and its prospects by Spark Infrastructure to the Consortium after the signing of a Confidentiality Agreement, containing customary disclosure restrictions and standstills. Following careful consideration, and consultation with its advisers, the Board of Spark Infrastructure considers that it is in the interests of Spark Infrastructure's securityholders to engage further with the Consortium. Accordingly, Spark Infrastructure has decided to provide the Consortium with the opportunity to conduct due diligence on a non-exclusive basis.

18:10 EDT Microsoft sees Q1 Productivity and Business Processes revenue $14.5B-$14.75B - Sees Q1 Intelligent Cloud revenue $16.4B-$16.65B. Sees Q1 More Personal Computing revenue $12.4B-$12.8B. Sees Q1 COGS $13.55B-$13.75B. Sees Q1 OpEx $11.6B-$11.7B. Sees Q1 CapEx up sequentially. Sees Q1 tax rate about 16%. Expects FX to boost Q1 revenue by 2%. Comments taken from Q4 earnings conference call.

18:01 EDT Apple CEO Cook says seeing strength in China - Says economy in China has recovered quickly.

18:01 EDT Alexander & Baldwin raises quarterly dividend to 18c from 16c per share - The dividend is payable on October 4, 2021 to shareholders of record as of the close of business on September 17, 2021.

17:56 EDT Apple CEO says very pleased with what he's seeing with Apple One service

17:44 EDT Apple CEO Cook say we're in 'very very early innings of 5G'

17:36 EDT Ovintiv raises dividend 50% to 14c - Ovintiv's Board declared a dividend of 14c per share of common stock payable on September 30 to common stockholders of record as of September 15, 2021.This represents an increase of approximately 50% from the previous level.

17:32 EDT ProPetro Holding appoints Sam Sledge CEO - ProPetro Holding Corp. announced the further transition for certain key roles within its executive leadership team that will be effective August 31,2021. This includes the transition of Phillip Gobe, the company's chairman and CEO, to executive chairman; the promotion of Sam Sledge, the company's president, to CEO and his appointment to ProPetro's board; and the expansion of Adam Munoz's leadership position from COO to president and COO.

17:31 EDT Apple slides over 2% to $143.50 after providing Q4 revenue outlook

17:27 EDT Lakeland Financial to replace GameStop in S&P 600 at open on 8/4

17:26 EDT GameStop to replace Weingarten Realty in S&P 400 at open 8/4 - Kimco Realty (KIM) is acquiring Weingarten Realty Investors (WRI) in a deal expected to be completed on or about that date pending final conditions.

17:23 EDT Apple CFO says Services sale set a new record in every geography in Q3 - Comments taken from Q3 earnings conference call.

17:21 EDT Strategic Education to replace Bel Fuse in S&P 600 at open on 8/3

17:19 EDT GXO Logistics to join S&P 400 at open on 8/2

17:10 EDT Encore Wire sees CapEx $150M-$170M in FY21 and $140M-$160M in FY22 - Daniel L. Jones, Chairman, President and CEO, said, "We have been under construction since inception and we continue to grow today. The outstanding financial results through June 30th have fortified our already strong balance sheet and will continue to bolster cash reserves. Current market conditions have afforded us the opportunity to accelerate our capital expenditure plans and incrementally invest across our campus. We believe these investments will broaden our position as a low-cost manufacturer in the sector and further increase manufacturing capacity to accelerate growth. The incremental spending in 2021 through 2023 will expand vertical integration in our manufacturing processes to reduce costs as well as modernize select wire manufacturing facilities to increase capacity and efficiency. Capital expenditures are now expected to range from $150M-$170M in 2021, $140M-$160M in 2022, and $60M-$80M in 2023. We expect to fund these investments with existing cash reserves and operating cash flows."

17:07 EDT Mubadala invests roughly $250M in Certara - Certara announced that Mubadala Investment Company has made an approximately $250M investment in Certara. Mubadala and certain existing institutional shareholders of Certara, including a shareholder affiliated with EQT, have entered into an agreement under which an affiliate of Mubadala will purchase an aggregate of 9,615,384 shares at $26 per share from the shareholders in a private transaction. The transaction is scheduled to close on August 2, 2021. EQT will remain a significant shareholder in the company after the transaction.

17:03 EDT Cornerstone to sell its Sheet Door business to Janus for $168M - Cornerstone Building Brands (CNR) announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to sell its Roll-up Sheet Door business to Janus International Group (JBI) in a cash transaction for $168M, subject to customary adjustments. The transaction includes products sold under the DBCI brand and is expected to close in the Q3, subject to customary closing conditions. DBCI is a manufacturer of roll-up sheet doors and related products for both the commercial and self-storage markets. Under the terms of the agreement, the Company will sell three manufacturing operations and one sales office. Approximately 240 employees will be transferred from Cornerstone Building Brands to Janus. The Company expects post-tax transaction proceeds of approximately $125M will be used to pay down a portion of its secured credit facilities, to invest in organic growth and efficiency projects, and in strategic acquisitions.

16:55 EDT AXT Inc: Currently preparing documents for submission to STAR Market authorities

16:48 EDT CVB Financial, Suncrest Bank to merge in $204M stock and cash transaction - CVB Financial and Suncrest Bank announced that they have entered into an agreement and plan of reorganization and merger, pursuant to which Suncrest will merge with and into Citizens in a stock and cash transaction valued at approximately $204M in aggregate or $16.18 per Suncrest share, based on CVB Financial Corp.'s closing stock price of $19.36 on July 26. The merger will increase Citizens' total assets to approximately $17B on a pro forma basis based on the most recent publicly available information for Suncrest and CVB Financial Corp. CVB Financial Corp. expects the merger to result in approximately 3.5% earnings per share accretion in 2023, excluding one-time transaction costs and assuming full realization of cost savings. CVB Financial Corp. anticipates the merger to be approximately 0.8% dilutive to tangible book value per share at closing with an earn back period of less than 1.75 years (using the cross-over method) and an internal rate of return of approximately 20%. Pursuant to the Agreement, at closing each share of Suncrest common stock will receive consideration consisting of 0.6970 shares of CVB Financial Corp. common stock and $2.69 per share in cash. CVB Financial Corp. will pay aggregate consideration of approximately 8.5M shares of CVB Financial Corp. common stock and $39M in cash, subject to purchase price adjustment provisions and other terms set forth in the Agreement. Giving effect to the merger, Suncrest shareholders would hold, in aggregate, approximately 6% of CVB Financial Corp.'s outstanding common stock following the merger. Suncrest stock options that are in-the-money at the time of closing will receive cash consideration based on the difference between the per share merger consideration and their strike price. Upon completion of the merger, Suncrest's operations will be combined with Citizens Business Bank and will continue to deliver the high-touch level of service that its customers expect, with an expanded branch and ATM network and a broad range of products and services, including expertise in personal, small business, private and corporate banking, as well as treasury management and trust services. The boards of directors of Suncrest, CVB Financial Corp. and Citizens have unanimously approved the proposed merger. The closing of the merger is subject to customary regulatory approvals, satisfaction of certain closing conditions and the approval of Suncrest shareholders, and is anticipated to occur in the fourth quarter of 2021 or first quarter of 2022. Directors, officers and certain shareholders holding 23.4% of the shares of Suncrest Bank have signed an agreement to vote their shares in favor of the proposed transaction with CVB Financial Corp.

16:46 EDT State Street files 2021 resolution plan - State Street announced that it has filed its 2021 resolution plan. State Street, along with other banking institutions, periodically prepares and files its resolution plan, commonly referred to as a "living will," with the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. The resolution plan details State Street's efforts to enhance resolvability across its business in line with applicable rules and guidance.

16:45 EDT Boston Properties to acquire Safeco Plaza for $465M - Boston Properties "announced that it has entered into a binding agreement to acquire Safeco Plaza, a 50-story, 800,000 square-foot, LEED-Platinum certified, Class A office property in Seattle, Washington. This acquisition will mark the Company's initial entry into the Seattle market, one of the most vibrant markets in the U.S. for companies in the technology, life sciences, financial services, and manufacturing sectors. The Company plans to complete the acquisition through a joint venture with one of the participants in its recently announced Co-Investment Program. BXP expects to own up to a 51% interest in the joint venture. The gross purchase price for the property is approximately $465M."

16:44 EDT Visa not providing FY21 outlook amid 'significant uncertainty' - "Given the continuing impact of COVID-19 and the significant uncertainty in the global economy, it is difficult to reasonably estimate the Company's annual results; therefore we are not providing a fiscal full-year 2021 outlook at this time," Visa said.

16:38 EDT Highwoods Properties CFO Mark Mulhern to retire, Brendan Maiorana to succeed - Highwoods Properties announced Mark Mulhern will retire as CFO effective January 1, 2022. Brendan Maiorana, who currently serves as executive VP of finance and treasurer, will assume the role of CFO upon Mulhern's retirement. Maiorana became executive VP of finance in July 2019 and assumed the role of treasurer in January. Highwoods also announced Sara Carlton, has been promoted to VP and sssociate general counsel and Ryan Hunt has been promoted to VP and chief information officer. Carlton joined Highwoods in 2007. Hunt is responsible for the company's information technology strategy and aligning technology investments with the overall business. Hunt joined Highwoods in 1997 and quickly transitioned his focus to technology.

16:35 EDT Apple shares up 60c to $147.37 after Q3 beat

16:34 EDT Apple reports Wearables, Home and Accessories sales $8.78B vs. $6.45B last year

16:33 EDT Apple reports Q3 Mac revenue $8.24B vs. $7.08B last year

16:33 EDT Apple declares quarterly dividend of 22c per share - Apple's board of directors has declared a cash dividend of 22c per share of the company's common stock. The dividend is payable on August 12, to shareholders of record as of the close of business on August 9.

16:32 EDT Apple CFO says installed base of active devices hit all-time high - Apple CFO said in tonight's earnings release, "Our record June quarter operating performance included new revenue records in each of our geographic segments, double-digit growth in each of our product categories, and a new all-time high for our installed base of active devices. We generated $21 billion of operating cash flow, returned nearly $29 billion to our shareholders during the quarter, and continued to make significant investments across our business to support our long-term growth plans."

16:31 EDT Apple CEO highlights 'unmatched innovation' in Q3 report - Apple CEO Tim Cook said in tonight's earnings release, "This quarter, our teams built on a period of unmatched innovation by sharing powerful new products with our users, at a time when using technology to connect people everywhere has never been more important. We're continuing to press forward in our work to infuse everything we make with the values that define us - by inspiring a new generation of developers to learn to code, moving closer to our 2030 environment goal, and engaging in the urgent work of building a more equitable future."

16:29 EDT Chubb CEO calls Q2 'simply an outstanding quarter' - Evan Greenberg, Chairman and CEO of Chubb Limited, commented: "Chubb had simply an outstanding quarter, highlighted by record core operating earnings and underwriting results. We produced the best P&C premium revenue growth globally in over 15 years, powered by our commercial P&C businesses and supported by continued robust commercial P&C pricing. Operating earnings in the quarter were $1.62 billion or $3.62 per share. Our published and current accident year combined ratios of 85.5% and 85.4%, respectively, reflect 200 basis points of underwriting margin improvement, almost entirely loss ratio-related. Current accident year underwriting income of $1.2 billion was up 27%, while on the other side of the balance sheet adjusted net investment income in the quarter of $945 million was also a record and up nearly 9.5% from prior year. P&C net premiums written were up 15.5% globally, with commercial premiums excluding agriculture up nearly 21%. For perspective, we have averaged double-digit commercial P&C growth over the past 10 quarters, and both second quarter and year-to-date growth were the strongest since 2004. In North America, we grew our commercial P&C premiums over 16%, while in our international operations premiums grew 33% on a published basis, or 24% in constant dollars. Growth in the quarter was broad based. Net premiums written in our consumer lines remain impacted by the pandemic's effects on travel and other business and consumer-related activity but are beginning to improve and, in fact, increased 5.6% in the quarter. We are capitalizing on a strong commercial P&C pricing environment in most all important regions of the world. Overall rates increased in our North America and international commercial P&C businesses by 13.5% and 16%, respectively, and were well in excess of loss costs. From everything we see today, I am confident these market conditions will continue. Our company is firing on all cylinders - we are growing our business while we continue to expand underwriting margins. We will continue to outperform and deliver strong, sustainable shareholder value."

16:26 EDT Hoegh LNG Partners cuts quarterly cash distribution to 1c from 44c per unit - Commencing with the distribution for the second quarter payable on August 13 to common unitholders of record as of the close of business on August 6. The Partnership needs to conserve its internally generated cash flows to resolve issues related to the ongoing refinancing of the PGN FSRU Lampung credit facility. The Partnership thereafter expects to use its internally generated cash flow to reduce debt levels and strengthen its balance sheet.

16:23 EDT Amgen acquires privately held Teneobio for $900M in cash upfront - Amgen and Teneobio today announced an agreement under which Amgen (AMGN) will acquire Teneobio, a privately held, clinical stage biotechnology company developing a new class of biologics called human heavy-chain antibodies. Under the terms of the agreement, Amgen will acquire all outstanding shares of Teneobio at closing in exchange for a $900M upfront cash payment, as well as future contingent milestone payments to Teneobio equity holders potentially worth up to an additional $1.6B in cash. "The acquisition includes Teneobio's proprietary bispecific and multispecific antibody technologies, which will enable significant acceleration and efficiency in the discovery and development of new molecules that have the potential to treat a wide range of important diseases across Amgen's core therapeutic areas," Amgen said in a statement. The acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to close in the second half of 2021.In June, AbbVie (ABBV) exercised its right to acquire TeneoOne, a Teneobio affiliate, which includes TNB-383B, an anti-CD3/BCMA bispecific for the treatment of relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma. Prior to close of the Amgen acquisition, three Teneobio affiliates will be spun-off to Teneobio's existing equity holders: TeneoTwo, TeneoFour and TeneoTen.

16:19 EDT UMB Financial increases quarterly dividend 15.6% to 37c per share - "Our strong second quarter results demonstrated the benefits of our diverse business model and validates our investment thesis which includes above-peer loan growth, continued net interest income and strong fee income growth across all operating and interest rate environments," said Mariner Kemper, chairman, president and CEO. "During the second quarter, average loans, excluding PPP balances, increased 19.0% annualized on a linked-quarter basis. Noninterest income increased 20.8% from the prior quarter and 9.2% over the year-ago period. Our $24.0 million provision was higher than previous levels due to strong loan growth and elevated net charge-offs related to one commercial factoring relationship. Excluding this credit event, we would have had net recoveries in the quarter and the underlying asset quality of our loan portfolio remains strong. Nonperforming loan balances declined 24.1% from prior quarter-end. During the quarter, we monetized 3.5 million shares of our Tattooed Chef, Inc. holdings for net proceeds of approximately $72.8 million. Finally, we are excited to announce that our Board of Directors approved a five cent or 15.6% increase in the quarterly cash dividend to our shareholders."

16:18 EDT Alphabet reports Q2 Other Bets revenue $192M vs. $148M a year ago

16:17 EDT Cheesecake Factory says nearly all restaurants have no indoor restrictions - As of today, nearly all of the Company's restaurants across its concepts are operating with no indoor dining restrictions. Fiscal 2021 third quarter-to-date through July 26th comparable sales for The Cheesecake Factory restaurants increased approximately 61% year-over-year and 10% relative to the same period in fiscal 2019, supported by approximately 27% off-premise sales mix. Based on average weekly sales quarter-to-date of approximately $230,000, this equates to nearly $12 million on average, per unit on an annualized basis. Off-premise average weekly sales are about double the level seen during the same period in fiscal 2019.

16:16 EDT Alphabet reports Q2 Google Cloud revenue $4.63B vs. $3.0B a year ago

16:15 EDT China Natural Resources to acquire Precise Space-Time Technology for $16.1M - China Natural Resources announced that it has agreed to acquire Precise Space-Time Technology for consideration of approximately $16.1M, which is a 20% discount to the value of Precise Space-Time Technology as determined by an independent valuation firm. The consideration will be comprised of 120M shares of Feishang Anthracite Resources Limited held by the company (based on the average closing price of Feishang Anthracite Resources Limited over the five trading days before July 27, 2021, and discounted for lack of marketability according to an independent valuation report); (ii) three million restricted shares of the company (based on the average closing price of the company over the five trading days before July 27, 2021); and (iii) cash. Precise Space-Time Technology, through its wholly owned subsidiaries, owns a 51% equity interest in Shanghai Onway Environmental Co., Ltd. Shanghai Onway is principally engaged in the provision of equipment for rural wastewater treatment and the provision of engineering, procurement and construction services in relation to wastewater treatment in China.

16:10 EDT C.H. Robinson names Arun Rajan chief product officer - C.H. Robinson announced that Arun Rajan will be joining the company as Chief Product Officer, effective September 1, 2021. Rajan will report to Chief Executive Officer Bob Biesterfeld and will lead all global product development and innovation across C.H. Robinson's platforms. "Arun is a seasoned leader, with a long history of developing and deploying products that enrich the customer experience and create value at industry leading companies. I am incredibly excited to have him join the Robinson leadership team. As we continue to focus on creating differentiated value for the nearly 200,000 carriers and customers of Robinson, Arun's deep experience and his strong leadership capabilities will be invaluable as we drive the next generation of innovation for our industry while creating sustainable long-term value for our shareholders."

16:10 EDT Starbucks drops 2% to $124 after Q3 results, guidance raise

16:09 EDT Starbucks raises 2021 global comparable store sales growth to 20%-21% - Prior 18%-23%. Sees 2021 Americas and U.S. comparable store growth of 21% to 22%, previously 17% to 22%; International comparable store sales growth of 15% to 17%, previously 25% to 30%; China comparable store sales growth of 18% to 20%, previously 27% to 32%.

16:07 EDT Starbucks sees Q4 global comparable store sales growth 18%-21% - Sees Q4 Americas and U.S. comparable store sales growth of 22% to 25%; International comparable store sales growth in the mid to high single-digits; China comparable store sales growth roughly flat.

16:06 EDT Microsoft to provide forward-looking guidance on its earnings conference call

16:05 EDT Microsoft returned $10.4B to shareholders in Q4 - Microsoft returned $10.4B to shareholders in the form of share repurchases and dividends in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2021, an increase of 16% compared to the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2020.

16:04 EDT Microsoft: Commercial cloud revenue grew 36% y/y to $19.5B - "We are innovating across the technology stack to help organizations drive new levels of tech intensity across their business," said Satya Nadella, chairman and chief executive officer of Microsoft. "Our results show that when we execute well and meet customers' needs in differentiated ways in large and growing markets, we generate growth, as we've seen in our commercial cloud - and in new franchises we've built, including gaming, security, and LinkedIn, all of which surpassed $10 billion in annual revenue over the past three years." "As we closed out the fiscal year, our sales teams and partners delivered a strong quarter with over 20% top and bottom-line growth, highlighted by commercial bookings growth of 30% year over year," said Amy Hood, executive vice president and chief financial officer of Microsoft. "Our commercial cloud revenue grew 36% year over year to $19.5 billion."

16:02 EDT Zepp Health invests $2.4M to lead neuro42's Series A round - Zepp Health and neuro42 announced that Zepp Health is investing $2.4M to lead the $6.5M Series A funding round for the development of MRI and robotics technology that allows physicians to diagnose brain injury in acute settings and treat neurological diseases under live imaging. neuro42 has an exclusive worldwide license of the low-field MR imaging technology developed in Dr. Lawrence Wald's lab at the Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, a world-renowned magnetic resonance research center that is affiliated with Massachusetts General Hospital, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard Medical School.

13:38 EDT Workday says 'mutually agreed to discontinue' Amazon's Workday HCM deployment - In a blog post entitled "Clarifying Amazon's Workday Deployment," Workday (WDAY) stated: "At Workday, we're hyper-focused on meeting the needs of our customer community and innovating to support the needs of their workforces. At times, however, customers have a unique set of needs that are different from what we're delivering for our broader customer base. That's why more than a year and a half ago, both Workday and Amazon mutually agreed to discontinue Amazon's Workday Human Capital Management deployment, with the potential to revisit it in the future... This was not related to the scalability of the Workday system, as we currently support some of the world's largest organizations, including more than 45% of the Fortune 500 and more than 70% of the top 50 Fortune 500 companies. In addition, more than 70% of our customers are live, including one of our largest customers - a retailer - across its more than 1.5 million global workers. Our relationship with Amazon remains strong with the Amazon Web Services partnership intact and other Amazon subsidiaries - such as Audible, Twitch, and Whole Foods - successfully using our system. The decision to discontinue the deployment more than 18 months ago has no impact on our previously communicated financial guidance provided on May 26, 2021." Reference Link

13:34 EDT Atos announces agreement to acquire Nimbix - Atos announced it has reached an agreement to acquire Nimbix, a high-performance computing, or HPC, cloud platform provider based in the U.S., to strengthen its HPC offering. "With this acquisition, Atos, already a European leader in HPC, enhances its existing capabilities and position itself as a leader in HPC cloud enablement. Established in 2010 and headquartered just outside Dallas, Texas, Nimbix offers cloud and on premises HPC, giving engineers and scientists access to infrastructure and software needed to build, compute, analyze, scale, and deploy simulations, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and Deep Learning applications. The company has executed thousands of cloud HPC projects in 68 countries," Atos stated.

13:18 EDT Accenture to acquire HRC Retail Advisory, terms not disclosed - Accenture has entered into an agreement to acquire HRC Retail Advisory, a retail-focused strategy consultancy with critical in-demand skills and solutions to help clients across the retail value chain. HRC Retail Advisory's team of more than 30 people across North America will join Accenture's Retail Strategy group. Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. "With new consumer habits that formed in the last year enduring into the foreseeable future, retailers need to be able to think fast and make decisions with insight," said Jill Standish, Accenture senior managing director and global retail industry group lead. "The addition of HRC Retail Advisory will further strengthen our retail strategy and consulting services, which combine deep industry expertise, advanced analytics capabilities and human-centered approaches to enable 360 degrees value creation for our clients."

13:05 EDT Ipsen, BAKX Therapeutics enter collaboration agreement for BKX-001 - Ipsen and BAKX Therapeutics Inc. have signed an exclusive worldwide-collaboration agreement to research, develop, manufacture and commercialize BKX-001 as a potential treatment for leukemia, lymphoma and solid tumors. Apoptosis is the naturally occurring process of programmed cell death. Deregulated apoptosis can lead to uncontrolled cell division and the development of a tumor. The apoptosis cell-signaling pathway has been proven to be a target for cancer therapy with the development and approval of BCL-2 inhibitors for the treatment of certain hematological malignancies. BAX is a novel target in this pathway that is downstream of all anti-apoptotic proteins like BCL-2, BCL-XL, MCL-1 etc. Direct activation of BAX has several possible outcomes as an investigational cancer therapy, potentially addressing multiple tumor types and the resistance encountered while targeting only the antiapoptotic BCL-2 family proteins. BAX activation by small-molecule agonists have been shown to promote apoptosis in leukemia-cell lines and human samples, while sparing healthy cells in vitro and suppress human acute myeloid leukemia xenografts and increased host survival without toxicity in vivo. Under the agreement, Ipsen will pay BAKX Therapeutics Inc. $14.5M upon closing, comprising an equity investment and an upfront payment, followed by up to $837.5M in milestone payments. The companies would also share equally costs and profits.

12:38 EDT SBM Offshore signs FSPO Almirante Tamandare contracts with Petrobras - SBM Offshore (SBFFF) announced that it has signed contracts with Petrobras (PBR) for the 26.25 years lease and operation of FPSO Almirante Tamandare. These contracts follow the signing of the binding Letter of Intent as announced on February 25, 2021. FPSO Almirante Tamandare will be deployed at the Buzios field in the Santos Basin approximately 180 kilometers offshore Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. Delivery of the FPSO is expected in the second half of 2024.

12:24 EDT Europcar Mobility confirms advanced takeover talks with Volkswagen - Europcar Mobility (EURMF) said in a statement: "In response to market rumors, Europcar Mobility Group confirms that it is in advanced discussions with a consortium composed of Volkswagen Group (VWAGY), Attestor Limited and Pon Holdings B.V. for a transaction on the company's share capital in the form of a possible takeover offer at price of around 50 euro cents per share. There is no certainty as to the outcome of these discussions and the company will keep the market informed promptly."

12:05 EDT Sound Community Bank appoints Jon Kacirk as director of banking operations - Sound Community Bank and its Board of Directors welcome Jon Kacirk, Director of Banking Operations. Jon Kacirk is Senior Vice President and Director of Banking Operations responsible for oversight of Retail Branch, Deposit, and Payment Operations. Starting his banking career as a teller during the Great Recession, he held nearly every role in the branch and back office operations. Most recently, Kacirk was Vice President and Operations Manager for a large commercial bank.

12:04 EDT Sound Community Bank appoints Brandon Lance as senior credit officer - Sound Community Bank and its Board of Directors welcome new Credit Officer and new Commercial Loan Officer. Brandon Lance is Vice President and Senior Credit Officer. He brings over 17 years banking experience primarily focused on commercial & industrial lending and commercial real estate credit risk management. Jay Dogan joins the Bank as a Commercial Loan Officer. Dogan has over 20 years experience in real estate lending.

12:02 EDT Sound Community Bank appoints Jennifer Mallon as CAO - Sound Community Bank (SFBC) and its Board of Directors welcome a new Chief Accounting Officer, Jennifer Mallon Mallon is Senior Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer. Most recently she served as Senior Vice President of Financial Reporting at Banc of California (BANC).

12:00 EDT Full Truck Alliance falls -18.7% - Full Truck Alliance is down -18.7%, or -$1.87 to $8.11.

12:00 EDT Turning Point Brands rises 11.3% - Turning Point Brands is up 11.3%, or $5.28 to $52.08.

12:00 EDT U.S. Physical Therapy rises 16.0% - U.S. Physical Therapy is up 16.0%, or $16.31 to $118.12.

11:44 EDT Alpha Healthcare Acquisition III opens at $9.89, IPO priced at $10 per unit - Alpha Healthcare Acquisition Corp. III priced its initial public offering of 15M units at $10.00 per unit. The units will be listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the ticker symbol "ALPAU". Each unit consists of one share of the company's Class A common stock and one-fourth of one redeemable warrant, each whole warrant entitling the holder thereof to purchase one share of Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share. Once the securities comprising the units begin separate trading, shares of the Class A common stock and warrants are expected to be listed on Nasdaq under the symbols "ALPA" and "ALPAW," respectively. The company is a blank check company formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses. While the company may pursue an initial business combination target in any business or industry, it intends to focus its search on companies in the healthcare industry in the United States. BofA Securities and PJT Partners LP acted as joint book running managers for the offering.

11:03 EDT Manitoba Harvest enters research partnership to develop hemp, pea varieties - Manitoba Harvest is partnering with a consortium of industry leaders through Protein Industries Canada to develop new hemp and pea varieties with increased protein content, differential starch content, and improved texture. These advancements will dramatically increase the potential for hemp usage in the growing plant-based protein movement. Manitoba Harvest will lend its expertise in food innovation, product development, and formulation, to improve the potency and functionality of hemp and pea protein. Together with their partners, this work will make hemp proteins suitable for a wider range of food applications. The development of these new seed varieties, as well as the hemp-pea flour blend, is expected to create new market opportunities within Canada's plant-based food and ingredients value chain. NRGene, Farmer's Business Network, Pulse Genetics and Manitoba Harvest are together investing $3.3M into the project, with Protein Industries Canada investing an additional $1.8M.

10:59 EDT 3M invests in TPG Rise Climate fund - 3M is expanding its ongoing commitment to environmental stewardship by investing in TPG Rise Climate, a multi-billion dollar climate impact investing fund that deploys mission-driven capital at scale. TPG Rise Climate is focusing investments on clean energy, enabling solutions, decarbonized transport, greening industrials, and agricultural and natural solutions. "From environmental goals to reduce water use, improve water quality, and achieve carbon neutrality, to our ongoing investments in emerging technologies that advance sustainability, 3M is committed to making a difference in the trajectory of climate change," said Gayle Schueller, Senior Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer, 3M. "We continually build and add to our external partnerships to bring together people, ideas, and science, reimagine what's possible and help solve the world's greatest challenges."

10:23 EDT Barrick Gold secures Egyptian exploration licenses - Barrick Gold Corporation has been awarded four exploration licenses for 19 blocks following its participation in the International Bid-Round (1)/2020 led by the Egyptian government for exploration of gold and associated minerals in the highly prospective Eastern Desert region of the country. The Eastern Desert is part of the Proterozoic Arabian Nubian Shield, which hosts the giant Sukari deposit and numerous other gold occurrences, but which has seen no recent systematic exploration. Barrick intends to work closely with the Egyptian Mineral Resource Authority and other participating exploration and mining companies, over the period of a year, to finalize the terms of Egypt's exploitation license agreement which will apply to the industry. "The move into Egypt is an integral part of Barrick's exploration strategy. Barrick is a global company and we evaluate opportunities anywhere we see the potential for world-class deposits capable of passing our investment filters. We believe that it is essential to move into prospective emerging and underexplored mineral belts to maintain the discovery rate as part of a balanced development strategy," says Barrick SVP exploration Joel Holliday.

10:18 EDT JetBlue: Leisure fares returned to 2019 levels in July

10:10 EDT JetBlue CEO: We have plan to delay retirement for E190s to protect balance sheet

10:06 EDT JetBlue sees capacity 'largely restored' to 2019 levels in Q3

10:03 EDT AIkido Pharma announces Notice of Allowance for CNS peptide technology - AIkido Pharma announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has issued a Notice of Allowance for application No.: 16/477,125. This technology relates to the use of novel and proprietary central nervous system homing peptides. This technology has been exclusively sublicensed to AIkido Pharma for use of psilocybin for the therapeutic treatment of neuroinflammatory disease in cancer patients. The homing peptides covered under the Notice of Allowance and the sublicense, can be used to facilitate the delivery of therapeutic agents to inflamed CNS tissue. Psychedelics such as psilocybin have been shown to have anti-inflammatory activity in addition to their potential efficacy for treatment of neurological disorders such as anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Studies indicate that neuroinflammation of the brain and other CNS tissues in cancer patients contributes to, among other symptoms, the onset of cancer cachexia, which is characterized by loss of appetite, extreme weight loss and muscle wasting.

10:02 EDT Pulmatrix appoints Anand Vardan to board of directors - Pulmatrix, Inc. (PULM) announced the appointment of Anand Varadan to its Board of Directors, effective July 26, 2021. Mr. Varadan brings expertise in commercialization and successful product launches. In addition, Mark Iwicki stepped down from his role on the Board of Directors effective July 23, 2021. Mr. Varadan currently serves as an Executive Vice President, Chief Commercial Officer at Chiasma (CHMA), a clinical, late-stage biopharmaceutical company, where he leads commercial strategy and operations.

10:01 EDT JetBlue sees FY21 CapEx about $1B - Anticipates delivery of 4 A220s and 1 A321LR in Q3.

10:00 EDT JetBlue expects continued TRASM improvement - Expects continued TRASM improvement with system load factor near pre-pandemic levels.

10:00 EDT Studio City falls -16.2% - Studio City is down -16.2%, or -$1.83 to $9.46.

10:00 EDT China Online Education rises 11.1% - China Online Education is up 11.1%, or 31c to $3.10.

10:00 EDT TAL Education rises 12.3% - TAL Education is up 12.3%, or 54c to $4.94.

09:59 EDT JetBlue targeting debt to capital ratio of 30%-40% by end of 2024

09:50 EDT Sol Gel Technologies trading resumes

09:47 EDT GasLog Partners falls -11.2% - GasLog Partners is down -11.2%, or -59c to $4.67.

09:47 EDT RLX Technology rises 7.2% - RLX Technology is up 7.2%, or 32c to $4.78.

09:47 EDT TAL Education rises 15.7% - TAL Education is up 15.7%, or 69c to $5.09.

09:35 EDT Walmart to pay 100% of college tuition and books for associates - Walmart announced it will pay 100% of college tuition and books for associates through its Live Better U, or LBU, education program. "Starting Aug. 16, the $1 a day fee will be removed for associates, making all education programs paid for by Walmart. This means approximately 1.5 million part-time and full-time Walmart and Sam's Club associates in the U.S. can earn college degrees or learn trade skills without the burden of education debt. As the largest U.S. private employer, Walmart is committing to invest nearly $1 billion over the next five years in career-driven training and development," the company stated. Reference Link

09:31 EDT UPS says 'looking' at starting share repurchases - Says no plans to repurchase shares in 2021, but "things looking good" for return of capital to shareholders. Says "tight labor market for sure," but ahead of last year. Says has "laser focus" on cost, productivity.

09:30 EDT Cathie Wood's ARK Investment bought 160.6K shares of Zillow on Monday

09:27 EDT Cathie Wood's ARK Investment bought 113K shares of Coinbase on Monday

09:27 EDT Simplicity Esports acquires esports gaming center in Salinas, California - Simplicity Esports and Gaming Company announced that it acquired 100% of the assets of an esports gaming center owned by a PLAYlive Nation franchisee. The gaming center located at Northridge Mall in Salinas, California, was opened in mid 2018 with 24 gaming stations and a separate tabletop space to accommodate up to 30 players of card games such as Pokemon and Magic: The Gathering. The location in Salinas is expected to reopen this week with all existing staff being retained by Simplicity. Simplicity Esports now owns a total of 16 gaming centers, and also has 12 operational franchisee owned gaming center locations at various capacities.

09:26 EDT MYMD-1 shows commonality with 3 FDA-approved anti-Inflammatory drugs - MyMD Pharmaceuticals announced data from a comparative study conducted by Eurofins Discovery showing commonality between its lead clinical compound MYMD-1 and three FDA-approved JAK inhibitor drugs for the treatment of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. Janus Kinases or JAKs are enzymes found in cells in the immune system that are critical for the cell signaling process. JAK inhibitors block the inflammatory signaling pathways, inhibiting the genes that trigger autoimmune processes. "This new comparative data adds to the growing body of evidence demonstrating MYMD-1's efficacy in preventing and treating a range of inflammatory and autoimmune diseases," said Chris Chapman, M.D., President, Director and Chief Medical Officer of MyMD. "JAK inhibitor drugs alone represent an $11B global market today, growing to a $300B-plus global market by the end of 2026, according to data from 360 Market Updates. That is only a fraction of the total market for anti-inflammatory drugs. With only a few FDA-approved JAK inhibitors on the market today, there is ample opportunity for new related products to capture a significant share of this massive addressable market." The FDA has issued Boxed Warnings for one of the marketed JAK inhibitor drugs used in the comparative study. The public was notified of serious side effects including an increased risk of blood clots in the lungs and death in rheumatoid arthritis patients taking a standard dose of the product. In addition to JAK inhibition, MYMD-1 has shown efficacy as a selective inhibitor of TNF-alpha, a driver of chronic inflammation. MYMD-1 has also been shown to be effective in traversing the blood-brain barrier, a differentiator that can increase the drug's benefit to patients.

09:22 EDT Pulmonx announces publication of long-term IMPACT study follow-up data - Pulmonx announced the publication of long-term follow-up data of the IMPACT Study, a multi-center randomized clinical trial of the Zephyr Valves. The IMPACT data show that Zephyr Valves deliver significant benefits to a group of severe COPD/emphysema patients that have very few treatment options because of widespread destruction of lung tissue across their lungs. The Zephyr Valve is the only endobronchial valve to receive approval from the FDA for treatment of patients with homogenous distribution of the disease, making it the only minimally invasive option to help these patients breathe easier once medications no longer control disease symptoms. The findings reported in the July edition of RESPIRATION - International Journal of Thoracic Medicine show the durability of the benefits of Zephyr Valve treatment in patients with homogeneous emphysema out to at least 12-months with clinically and statistically significant improvements including: improved lung function; sustained increase in quality of life; increased exercise capacity and long-term reduction in hyperinflation resulting in better breathing. This is the first report of a multicenter study showing benefits out to at least one year for this patient population. The improvements from baseline to six-months seen in the Zephyr Valve group were maintained out to 12-months. Data for the medically managed control group was only available out to six-months as these patients opted to have the Zephyr Valve procedure after completing the six-month evaluation.

09:17 EDT Sol-Gel Technologies announces FDA approval of TWYNEO - Sol-Gel Technologies announced that the Food and Drug Administration has approved its first proprietary drug product, TWYNEO cream, 0.1%/3%, indicated for the treatment of acne vulgaris in adults and pediatric patients nine years of age and older. TWYNEO uses Sol-Gel's patented technology to entrap tretinoin, a retinoid, and benzoyl peroxide within silica-based microcapsules to stabilize tretinoin from being degraded by benzoyl peroxide and to slowly release each of the active drug ingredients over time to provide a favorable efficacy and safety profile. TWYNEO is patent protected until 2038. Sol-Gel has partnered with Galderma to commercialize TWYNEO in the U.S. Sol-Gel expects to receive a regulatory milestone payment in conjunction with this approval and retains the option to regain U.S. commercialization rights five years following first commercialization in the U.S. The New Drug Application for TWYNEO was approved by the FDA on July 26, 2021. The NDA was supported by positive results from two Phase 3, randomized, double-blind, vehicle-controlled, multi-center studies, in which TWYNEO demonstrated efficacy and a favorable tolerability profile in subjects nine years of age and older with facial acne vulgaris. TWYNEO is the first FDA-approved fixed-dose combination of tretinoin and benzoyl peroxide.

09:16 EDT Medicenna Therapeutics announces initiation of MDNA11 Phase 1/2 study on track - Medicenna Therapeutics is providing an update on its MDNA11 program. The update will be delivered by Dr. Fahar Merchant, President and CEO of Medicenna, together with Dr. Mann Muhsin and Elizabeth Williams during a PropThink Digital conference taking place July 27. Medicenna's Phase 1/2 ABILITY Study of MDNA11 is designed to assess safety, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and anti-tumor activity of various doses of intravenously administered MDNA11 in patients with advanced solid tumors. The study, MDNA11-01, includes a monotherapy dose escalation phase followed by expansion phase for both the MDNA11 monotherapy arm at the recommended phase 2 dose, and a combination arm designed to evaluate MDNA11 with a checkpoint inhibitor. Medicenna recently submitted a clinical trial application to a Human Research Ethics Committee in Australia to initiate the Phase 1/2 ABILITY Study and expects the remaining regulatory submissions and approvals for other trial jurisdictions to be completed this year. A preliminary update on safety, PK/PD, and biomarker data, from patients enrolled in the dose escalation phase this year, is expected by the end of calendar 2021, and preliminary efficacy updates are expected at various times during calendar 2022.

09:13 EDT Tecogen receives order for 750 kW cogeneration system for medical center - Tecogen announces an order for a system with six 125 kW InVerde cogeneration units for a large medical center in New Jersey. The order includes associated accessories and engineered components to optimize system installation and operations, and will be serviced from Tecogen's New Jersey service center. The project development was led by Tecogen's manufacturers' representative, D&B Building Solutions. "We worked closely with D&B to identify the benefits of Tecogen's modular InVerde cogeneration system for the medical center and to customize a solution that provides significant energy savings and reduces the medical center's overall carbon footprint," noted Jeff Glick, Tecogen's Vice President of East Coast Sales. "Our modular cogeneration and chiller products are an ideal fit for hospitals and medical centers that use large amounts of both electrical and thermal power throughout their facilities and will benefit from both significant energy savings and carbon reduction from the use of Tecogen's systems."

09:11 EDT HomeTrust announces Westbrook promoted to CEO, president of the bank, company - HomeTrust Bancshares, the holding company of HomeTrust Bank, announced that C. Westbrook will assume the positions of President and Chief Executive Officer of the Bank, and President and CEO of the company, effective September 1, 2021. At that time, Westbrook will also join the Boards of Directors of the company and the Bank. Dana Stonestreet will continue to serve as chairman and CEO of the company and chairman of the Bank. Westbrook's tenure with HomeTrust began in 2012 as Executive Vice President and Chief Banking Officer of the Company and the Bank. His promotion to CEO of the Bank and President of the Company is his third promotion since that time.

09:09 EDT DT Midstream to open national headquarters in downtown Detroit - DT Midstream announced its new corporate headquarters will open in Bedrock's Ally Detroit Center near Campus Martius, keeping almost 80 jobs in downtown Detroit. Planned to open Nov. 1, 2021, DTM will occupy 26,000 square feet on the 29th floor of the Ally Detroit Center. A contemporary office setting will feature attractive and inviting traditional office space and assigned workspace for up to 84 people, coupled with modern collaboration areas to meet the needs of today's dynamic and growing diverse workforce. DT Midstream, which employs nearly 300 people nationwide, completed its spinoff from DTE Energy on July 1, 2021. DTM's Detroit headquarters, home to the company's executive leadership team, will oversee assets in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, New York, Louisiana and Texas.

09:08 EDT Codere to become official sponsor of Club Atletico River Plate of Argentina - Codere has signed a sponsorship agreement with the Club Atletico River Plate of Argentina for the next four seasons, until August 2025, becoming the Official Betting Partner of the club. Alberto Telias, Chief Marketing Officer of Codere Online, points out, "This agreement represents a very important turning point for the development of our activity in the country, after a difficult period of protracted closings due to the pandemic. The company is thrilled about this project together with River, with whom we share the fair play and team work values on and off the field, and that will enable Codere to expand its footprint in Argentina and Latin America." On June 22nd, Grupo Codere reached a merger agreement of its online gaming subsidiary -- formed by the parent company Codere Online Luxembourg, Servicios de Juego Online, S.A.U., and its consolidated subsidiaries -- with the SPAC DD3 Acquisition Corp. II, that would result in Codere Online becoming the first publicly-listed online gaming operator traded on the US Nasdaq Stock Exchange.

09:06 EDT Seanergy announces delivery, immediate period employment of capesize vessel - Seanergy Maritime Holdings reported the delivery of a previously-announced Capesize vessel acquisition, the M/V Friendship/ The Vessel is a 176,952 dwt Capesize bulk carrier, built in 2009 by Namura Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. in Japan. The M/V Friendship is the fifth Capesize delivery that Seanergy has successfully completed in 2021 to date. The Vessel has been fixed on a time charter with NYK Line, a leading Japanese corporation, which is an existing charterer of Seanergy. The T/C is expected to commence immediately, upon finalization of the customary transition process and will have a term of minimum 17 to maximum 24 months from the delivery. The gross daily rate of the T/C is based at a premium over the Baltic Capesize Index. Moreover, Seanergy received approval, from one of its existing lenders to partially finance the acquisition of the M/V Friendship. The loan facility of up to $13.0 million bears interest rate of LIBOR + 3.25%, has a four-year term and will be repaid through 4 quarterly instalments of $0.7 million followed by 12 quarterly instalments of $0.38 million and a balloon of $5.7 million payable together with the last instalment.

09:04 EDT STMicroelectronics manufactuers first 200m silicon carbide wafers - STMicroelectronics announced it has manufactured the first 200mm Silicon-Carbide bulk wafers for prototyping next-generation power devices from its facility in Norrkoping, Sweden. "The transition to 200mm SiC wafers marks an important milestone in the capacity build-up for ST's customer programs in automotive and industrial sectors and will consolidate ST's lead in the disruptive semiconductor technology that allows for smaller, lighter, and more efficient power electronics with a lower total cost of ownership," the company said. This milestone comes as part of the company's planned move to more advanced, cost-efficient 200mm SiC volume production. This transition is within the company's ongoing plan to build a new SiC substrate plant and source over 40% of its SiC substrates internally by 2024. "The transition to 200mm SiC wafers will bring substantial advantages to our automotive and industrial customers as they accelerate the transition towards electrification of their systems and products", said Marco Monti, President Automotive and Discrete Group, STMicroelectronics. "It is important in driving economies of scale as product volumes ramp. Building robust know-how in our internal SiC ecosystem across the full manufacturing chain, from high-quality SiC substrates to large-scale front- and back-end production, boosts our flexibility and allows us to better control the improvement of yield and quality of the wafers."

09:02 EDT Sintx Technologies ships first order of FleX SN-PEEK composite - SINTX Technologies announced the first shipment of its new product, FleX SN-PEEK, which will be used in orthopedic implants. SINTX's FleX SN-PEEK product started shipping on July 20, 2021 and combines the unique bioactivity of silicon nitride with the familiarity and properties of Zeniva PEEK, which was supplied by Solvay. The composite material has a broad range of applications from spine surgery to joint replacements to craniomaxillofacial medical devices. Based on data from the company's silicon nitride, FleX SN-PEEK is expected to facilitate faster bone healing, improve radiographic imaging, avoid metal ion release in the body, and have broad-spectrum resistance to infection compared to PEEK alone. "The shipping of our new FleX SN-PEEK product is a huge milestone for SINTX, and we couldn't be more excited," said Dr. Sonny Bal, President, and CEO at SINTX Technologies. "We're continuing to leverage the osteogenic and antipathogenic properties of silicon nitride for biomedical applications and believe this is a superior product that has many benefits."

08:56 EDT FSD Pharma terminates CEO Dr. Raza Bokhari 'for cause' - FSD Pharma announced that the board of directors had terminated the employment of the Company's Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Raza Bokhari for cause. As previously disclosed by the Company, Dr. Bokhari was placed on administrative leave following the Company's shareholder meeting on May 14 while a special committee comprised of two independent directors investigated various concerns regarding Dr. Bokhari's actions in his capacity as the Company's Chief Executive Officer. The Special Committee retained an international law firm to act as its independent legal advisors. Following the completion of its investigation, the Special Committee made a recommendation to the Company's board of directors and the board unanimously determined to terminate Dr. Bokhari's employment with the Company for cause. Amongst several findings made by the special committee and the international law firm, only a few of the reasons for Dr. Bokhari's termination are misconduct including breaching court orders, the improper issuance of shares, and attempts to misappropriate Company funds in breach of his employment obligations. Anthony Durkacz, Zeeshan Saeed and Donal Carroll, directors who have been named by Dr. Bokhari in litigation, abstained from voting on the matter. The Company's board of directors has appointed Anthony Durkacz as the Company's interim Chief Executive Officer and Zeeshan Saeed was reinstated as the Company's President. "The Company now has the benefit of a strong board of directors who bring with them highly-relevant experience and knowledge," said Anthony Durkacz. "I look forward to continue working with them to restore FSD and realize its full potential."

08:48 EDT AppHarvest secures $91M financing agreement with Equilibrium Capital - AppHarvest announced it has secured a financing arrangement with Equilibrium Capital for $91M. The arrangement will support AppHarvest's Richmond, Ky. facility already under construction. The arrangement provides 65.5% loan-to-value financing through a $91M construction loan for the 60-acre high-tech indoor farm Richmond, Ky. designed to grow tomatoes. AppHarvest plans to operate 12 farms by the end of 2025. The company's flagship 2.76-million-square-foot facility in Morehead, Ky. is currently growing and shipping truckloads full of tomatoes to top U.S. grocers and restaurants. Four additional farms are under construction: a 60-acre facility in Richmond designed to grow tomatoes, a 15-acre facility in Berea designed to grow leafy greens, a 30-acre facility in Somerset designed to grow strawberries, and a 15-acre leafy green facility in Morehead.

08:45 EDT Ecolab sees 'attractive sequential earnings improvement' in Q3 - The company said, "We expect the U.S. recovery to continue, Europe to reopen as forecasted, the rest of the world to follow soon after, and a continued higher cost environment. We have implemented strong pricing actions in 2021 that remain ahead of input costs, and pricing will provide further coverage as it builds through the second half. Our new business and innovation pipelines are at record levels; new focus areas, including life sciences, data centers and animal health, are well-positioned to drive growth and global leadership; and our leading digital capabilities are continuing to broaden, develop and add competitive advantages. We expect continued strong year-on-year performance in the second half of 2021, with attractive sequential earnings improvement in the third quarter and more significant comparative gains in the fourth quarter as pricing actions have an increasing benefit. We continue to look for full year 2021 diluted earnings per share to exceed 2019 diluted earnings per share from continuing operations, excluding the $0.15 per share impact from the Texas freeze. Our strong business momentum, along with our leading world-class solutions that help customers solve their operating problems and achieve their ESG ambitions, provide us with the confidence that Ecolab will continue delivering strong, consistent growth for many years to come."

08:43 EDT I-Mab approves preliminary proposal for the potential dual listing in Shanghai - I-Mab announced that on July 27 the Board of Directors of the Company approved a preliminary proposal for the potential dual listing of the Company's newly issued shares on the Science and Technology Innovation Board of the Shanghai Stock Exchange. The Board also authorized certain officers to execute the Listing Tutoring Agreement between the Company and the Sponsor China International Capital Corporation. The proposed dual listing on the STAR Board is expected to be completed in 2022, conditional upon and subject to, among other things, market conditions, further approval of the Board and potentially of the Shareholders at a general meeting of the Company, and the obtaining of the necessary regulatory approvals. Shareholders and potential investors should exercise caution when dealing in the securities of the Company. Upon the signing of the Tutoring Agreement, the Company will proceed to make a filing with the Shanghai Branch of China Securities Regulatory Commission for entering the IPO tutoring program, as required by the relevant rules and regulations.

08:43 EDT NextPlay Technologies closes acquisition of 100% of IFEB - NextPlay Technologies reported that it has closed its previously announced acquisition of International Financial Enterprise Bank, or IFEB, a global financial institution headquartered in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The company announced that it has increased its previously disclosed intended stake in IFEB, and formally closed the acquisition of 100% of the Bank as of July 21st after receiving previously reported formal regulatory approval from the Office of the Commissioner of Financial Institutions of Puerto Rico for up to 100% ownership. Additionally, OCIF has granted NextPlay approval to change the bank's name to NextBank International. Consideration for the IFEB purchase included a $6.4M cash payment made in April 2021, for a 57.1% ownership of IFEB and a further payment of $4.8M to acquire the remaining 42.9% of IFEB, which was paid by way of issuing 1,926,750 shares of NextPlay's restricted common stock. "The 100% acquisition of IFEB complements our Longroot Initial Coin Offering unit and expands Longroot's capabilities to potentially include access to cryptocurrency exchanges, online payments, digital wallet and mobile banking capabilities supporting the ICO portal with IFEB Fintech banking solutions," commented NextPlay Co-CEO, Bill Kerby who further stated, "In addition to existing customers, revenue and targeted cashflow contributions, IFEB should strengthen our other business segments by providing unencumbered and dynamic access to merchant services for gaming, in-game advertising and travel."

08:40 EDT Comscore to begin incorporating first-party data into its targeting solution - Comscore announced it will begin incorporating first-party data into its cookie-free audience targeting solution, Predictive Audiences. This industry-first capability, developed in collaboration with Experian, InfoSum and LiveRamp is a step forward for advertisers who rely on their increasingly important 1st party data but need to do so at scale in a privacy-centric manner. Comscore's Predictive Audiences is the standard for cookie-free audience targeting at scale, enabling advertisers to reach audiences based on granular behaviors in a contextually-driven manner.

08:38 EDT DarioHealth to launch behavioral health solution - DarioHealth announced the launch of its digital behavioral health solution that now includes Workplace Options, or WPO, services for its global users. WPO is the largest independent provider of integrated employee wellbeing solutions around the world. Dario's digital behavioral health solution, powered by wayForward and now WPO, gives multi-national employers a way to improve mental health parity for international employees by offering the same high-quality care to people outside of the United States. Dario's Cognitive-Based Therapy tools and evidence-based behavioral coaching offer easy access to the same user experience, helping solve geographical provider limitations, and full API integration with WPO services ensures access to support in all languages.

08:37 EDT Ballard Power awarded purchase order from Fusion Fuel - Ballard Power Systems (BLDP) announced that it has received a purchase order for one of its 200-kW FCwaveTM fuel cell modules from Fusion-Fuel (HTOO), an innovative green hydrogen solutions company headquartered in Portugal, to be integrated into Fusion-Fuel's H2Evora project in the Evora region of Portugal. The H2Evora project will use Fusion-Fuel's new HEVO electrolyzer design to produce green hydrogen that will power the FCwaveTM module for generation of zero-emission electricity. Ballard plans to deliver the FCwaveTM module to Fusion-Fuel this year. Fusion-Fuel's HEVO electrolyzer is small, lightweight, able to be mass produced and can be combined with a high-efficiency solar cell attached to a specially designed concentrated photovoltaic solar panel in order to leverage the sun's energy - both electrical and thermal - for production of highly competitive zero-emission green hydrogen. By attaching the HEVO electrolyzer directly to the CPV solution, very high solar-to-electric conversion is enabled, while also generating heat that improves efficiency of the HEVO electrolyzer.

08:37 EDT Microchip announces 1700V silicon carbide MOSFET modules - Microchip Technology announced the expansion of its silicon carbide portfolio with a family of high-efficiency, high-reliability 1700V silicon carbide MOSFET die, discrete and power modules. Microchip's 1700V silicon carbide technology is an alternative to silicon IGBTs. The earlier technology required designers to compromise performance and use complicated topologies due to restrictions on switching frequency by lossy silicon IGBTs. In addition, the size and weight of power electronic systems are bloated by transformers, which can only be reduced in size by increasing switching frequency.

08:36 EDT General Electric: Offshore wind power looks healthy in near-term

08:35 EDT Kelly Services announces additions to leadership team - Kelly Professional & Industrial (KELYA) announced the addition of two executives to its senior leadership team, bolstering the recruiting and staffing operations of Kelly's largest business unit. Jennifer Knippenberg has joined Kelly Professional & Industrial as Vice President and Chief Recruiting Officer, bringing expertise in improving the talent experience and building recruiting capabilities across multiple specialties to her role. In addition, Carla McKelvey has joined Kelly Professional & Industrial as Vice President and North Market Lead, overseeing Kelly's commercial staffing operations in the northern United States and Canada. Knippenberg most recently was Senior Vice President at AMN Healthcare Staffing, where she led the strategic vision, operations, and business development in the Outsourced Solutions division. McKelvey most recently was Senior Vice President of Talent Engagement and Culture for Staffmark, a Recruit Holdings (RCRUY) company.

08:33 EDT Splash Beverage's SALT Tequila to be marketed, distributed by Southern Eagle - Splash Beverage Group announced that Southern Eagle Distributing will market and distribute SALT Tequila to more than 2,000 retailers in its service territory this summer through numerous planned launch activities and events. "When we acquired Copa di Vino, the leading producer of premium wine by the glass in the U.S., not only did we get an iconic brand, we got access to a network of retail locations, ecommerce outlets, and 82 Anheuser Busch distributors which are now adding other Splash products to their portfolios. Our investment thesis on Copa di Vino has proven highly effective and is a model for future transactions that we anticipate will drive our growth," stated Robert Nistico, CEO of Splash. "SALT, a highly appealing brand serving one of the fastest-growing segments in spirits, will enhance Southern Eagle's portfolio of over 700 alcoholic and non-alcoholic SKUs and we're pleased to expand our business relationship with them."

08:32 EDT Mayfair Gold announces initial drill results from Expansion Zone at Fenn-Gib - Mayfair Gold Corp. is pleased to announce the initial drill results from the Expansion Zone at the Fenn-Gib Project located in the Timmins region of northeast Ontario. The Expansion Zone lies below the shallow central section of the current conceptual open pit, which strikes east-west over approx. 5 kilometers. The drill results reported below are part of the fully-funded, ongoing 50,000-meter Phase 1 drill program at the Fenn-Gib Project. Resource infill and expansion drilling is being supported by four drill rigs, and 32 holes have been completed to date for a total of 23,241m. Numerous historic drill holes in the upper portion of the Fenn-Gib deposit did not drill through the entire mineralized stratigraphy, with some holes ending in mineralization. The infill and expansion drill program within and below the current conceptual open-pit is designed to identify additional mineralization. The Phase 1 drill program commenced at the western section of the Fenn-Gib deposit. Infill drilling in hole FG21-155 returned 241.1m at an average grade of 1.67 g/t gold from a downhole depth of 11.5m, including 46.4m grading 2.27 g/t Au. Expansion drilling has also confirmed the presence of a higher-grade Footwall Zone outside and to the north of the Fenn-Gib deposit. Hole FG21-139 intersected 1.94 g/t Au over 38m from a downhole depth of 529m, including 4.06 g/t Au over 15m and 6.45 g/t Au over 6m. Surface reconnaissance has identified historic trenches with geology that corresponds to the Footwall Zone, indicating that the Footwall Zone extends from surface to at least 500m below surface at a dip of approx. 75 degrees. The lateral extent of the Footwall Zone has been traced over at least 120m to the northeast and appears to remain open along strike. One of the four drill rigs at Fenn-Gib is continuing to delineate the Footwall Zone. Previously identified underground mineralization below the western section of the Fenn-Gib deposit is not currently included in the Fenn-Gib deposit. Most of the drill holes of the Phase 1 program are between 600 and 800m in length targeting potential additional underground mineralization below the conceptual open-pit. A conceptual underground mine plan will be developed to enable Mayfair to include this mineralization in the planned yearend updated resource statement.

08:30 EDT InComm Payments partners with Convey Holding Parent to expand OTC offers - InComm Payments announced that it has partnered with Convey Health Solutions to expand its health plan partners' access to broader over-the-counter, or OTC, benefits offers. The partnership will leverage Miramar, Convey's integrated, end-to-end OTC benefit administration solution for mail order, benefit card, and flex wallet programs. The program is an expansion of InComm Healthcare's proprietary payments platform, which allows health plan members to use health plan-sponsored benefit and incentive dollars to purchase approved products, including over-the-counter products, medication, personal care and supplements, from participating retailers. Through the OTC Network, health plan members can shop for eligible items online, by phone and in-person at more than 65,000 national retail locations.

08:29 EDT HP Inc. announces definitive agreement to acquire Teradici Corporation - HP announced a definitive agreement to acquire Teradici Corporation, a company that's remote computing software enables users to securely access computing from any PC, Chromebook, or tablet. The acquisition will enhance HP's capabilities in the Personal Systems category by delivering new compute models and services tailored for hybrid work. "Teradici's cutting-edge technology has long been at the forefront of secure, high-performance virtual computing," said Alex Cho, president, Personal Systems, HP Inc. "Their world-class talent, industry-leading IP, and strong integrations with all major public cloud providers will expand our addressable market, and meet growing customer needs for more mobile, flexible, and secure computing solutions. We look forward to welcoming the Teradici team to HP." The transaction is expected to close in calendar Q4 2021, pending regulatory review and other customary closing conditions. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

08:26 EDT AC Immune acquires AFFiRiS' SAIT anti-alpha-synuclein programs - AFFiRiS announced that AC Immune is acquiring AFFiRiS' anti-alpha-synuclein programs targeting neurodegenerative diseases caused by misfolded forms of human self-proteins. All acquired programs are based on AFFiRiS' AFFITOME technology. The all-stock acquisition is valued at $58.7 million. Under the terms of the agreement, AC Immune is acquiring all of AFFiRiS' assets and underlying intellectual property related to active vaccine candidates targeting alpha-synuclein and $5 million in cash for 7.1 million shares of AC Immune common stock based on a price of $8.26 per common share. The acquisition is subject to customary regulatory approval in Austria and expected to complete at the beginning of Q4 2021.

08:25 EDT Ultragenyx receives Orphan Drug Designation from FDA, EC for UX053 - Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the European Commission, or EC, have granted Orphan Drug Designation for UX053 for the treatment of Glycogen Storage Disease Type III, a metabolic disease that affects more than 10,000 patients in the developed world. Enrollment in a Phase 1/2 clinical trial evaluating the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of UX053 in adults with GSDIII is expected to begin in the second half of 2021.

08:25 EDT Sol Gel Technologies trading halted, news pending

08:23 EDT Cypress Development nears completion of assembly of pilot plant - Cypress Development is pleased to announce that it is nearing completion of the assembly of its pilot plant; and all major components are on site including the Chemionex portion of the process. The Company is awaiting the arrival of key electrical subcomponents, delayed due to supply constraints related to Covid-19. The claystone samples have been collected and are currently undergoing preparation and analysis at Cypress' Tonopah, Nevada site prior to its shipment to the Amargosa Valley, Nevada pilot plant site. Cypress is planning to commission the pilot plant in August. Cypress is also pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Spiros Cacos as Vice President, Investor Relations effective August 1, 2021. Regarding progress associated with Cypress' previously announced Letter of Intent with Intor Resources Corp, a wholly owned subsidiary of Nevada Sunrise Gold Corp., for the purchase of Intor's water rights in Clayton Valley, Nevada, the Company reports it has made the payments under the terms of the LOI, and the parties are proceeding with the preparation of the definitive agreement.

08:21 EDT Clever Leaves, Biopharmaceutical Research partner for cannabis research study - Clever Leaves Holdings announced a joint partnership with the intent to study the DNA sequence variation of three Clever Leaves' cannabis cultivars as part of their Project Change Lives campaign. The University of California, Davis, through an accepted research sponsorship from BRC, will lead the extraction and analysis of DNA to elucidate genetic variants taken from various genetic lines of Cannabis sativa. Project Change Lives is a US-based initiative sponsored by Clever Leaves, whereby the Company has pledged to contribute up to $25,000,000 retail value of medical cannabis products to any eligible U.S. organization to help advance scientific research into the potential medical benefits of cannabinoids. By sponsoring Project Change Lives, Clever Leaves is offering to provide a historic amount of pharmaceutical-grade cannabis to leading research institutions in one of the most advanced pharmaceutical markets in the world. UC Davis will be the first major research institution to collaborate in the investigation of Clever Leaves' Colombian and Portuguese, pharmaceutical-grade cannabis as part of Project Change Lives. Clever Leaves will provide three of its cultivars to BRC for analysis at their facilities. Researchers from UC Davis will extract DNA for sequencing and analysis from the cannabis samples at the BRC facilities. The UC Davis scientists will also test new approaches to extract RNA from dried material. If successful, researchers will analyze the data to quantify global gene expression and will use available pipelines to determine differential gene expression between the three lines sampled. These data will provide foundational information to initiate new crosses and a breeding pipeline for the future to ensure the genetic variation of Cannabis sativa can be utilized to provide novel and unique medicinal cannabis for new pharmaceuticals. Moreover, analysis of the completed data will reveal the correlation between specific genotypes of cannabis and the biochemical phenotypes for cannabinoids and terpenes. Upon completion of the study, UC Davis intends to provide a report that provides insight into the genetic diversity of the lines and the feasibility of RNA extraction and gene expression from dried Cannabis sativa material. These findings will be made widely available for the benefit of the medical and scientific community - a result that meets one of the key goals of Project Change Lives.

08:20 EDT Cour of appeals concludes JinkoSolar products do not infringe Hanwha patents - JinkoSolar Holding announced that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit issued a Rule 36 summary affirmance agreeing with the International Trade Commission's conclusion that JinkoSolar's products do not infringe a patent asserted by Hanwha Q CELLS. In March 2019, Hanwha initiated ITC Investigation No. 337-TA-1151 against JinkoSolar, LONGi Solar, and REC Group, asserting that the companies infringe U.S. Patent No. 9,893,215. After Hanwha appealed the case, a three judge panel from the Federal Circuit agreed decisively with the ITC. The facts are so clear in the case that the Federal Circuit did not issue a written opinion.

08:18 EDT Alignment Healthcare plans to enter Arizona in 2022 - Medicare Advantage company Alignment Healthcare announced the expansion of its health plan into Maricopa and Pima counties in Arizona in 2022. In collaboration with Phoenix-based Arizona Care Network, reaching nearly 1M Medicare-eligible seniors in the region. Pending regulatory approval, HMO and PPO options from Alignment Health Plan will be available in Arizona for Medicare's annual enrollment period, which begins Oct. 15. With Arizona Care Network's group of 5,500 medical providers across over 2,000 locations, including the services offered by Abrazo Health and Dignity Health in greater Phoenix, Carondelet Health Network in Tucson and parts of Southern Arizona, Medicare beneficiaries who enroll with Alignment will have access to affordable and value-based care.

08:18 EDT Cyclo Therapeutics commences commercial-scale manufacturing for Trappsol - Cyclo Therapeutics announced that it has commenced the commercial-scale production of batches of Trappsol Cyclo, the company's proprietary formulation of hydroxypropyl beta cyclodextrin.

08:16 EDT Radius Health to initiate Phase 2/3 study of RAD011 by year-end/1Q22 - The Company received clarity from the FDA following the Type C meeting in June. Radius plans to move forward with a seamless Phase 2/3 pivotal trial for PWS. RAD011 had previously been granted Orphan Drug and Fast Track Designation by the FDA. Based on current plans, the pivotal trial will initiate in Q4, 2021 or Q1, 2022, with anticipated topline readout in the second half of 2024. There are approximately 22,000 to 24,000 PWS patients in the U.S. To date, there are no approved therapies to treat the hyperphagia experienced with the disease. The Company is committed to working closely with caregivers, advocacy groups, and regulators - globally - to safely advance RAD011 for this orphan disease. Radius' goal: through the pivotal trial and subsequent data readout, demonstrate efficacy and safety for FDA approval, and to help patients living with PWS.

08:16 EDT General Electric: Inflation pressure likely to increase, particularly in aviatio

08:15 EDT Hamilton Thorne increases bank lines of credit to $12.5M - Hamilton Thorne reported that it has converted the recent $5 million drawdown under its acquisition line of credit to support the acquisition of IVFtech to a 5-year, fixed rate term note. In addition, its bank has agreed to renew and expand its acquisition line of credit to $8 million to support growth and future acquisitions, and to extend its $4.5 million bank operating line of credit for an additional year to July 2023.

08:13 EDT Bionano Genomics announces record number of OGM presentations at CGC - Bionano Genomics announced a record number of optical genome mapping presentations scheduled to appear at the annual Cancer Genomics Consortium meeting being held from August 1 - 4, 2021. Across this four-day event, the meeting features 10 presentations by Bionano's Saphyr customers highlighting the benefits of OGM for clinical research applications in solid tumor analysis, hematological malignancies, products of conception, prenatal and postnatal constitutional genetics. In 2020, more than 500 participants from around the globe attended the CGC's virtual meeting and attendance for this year's four-day event is anticipated to be even higher.

08:11 EDT electroCore announces issuance of new patent for migraine treatment - electroCore announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office has issued U.S. Patent No. 11,065,444 to electroCore, relating to the use of a mobile phone for stimulating the trigeminal nerve to treat disorders. The newly issued patent includes descriptions of devices and methods that allow a patient to self-treat a medical condition, such as migraine headache, by non-invasive electrical stimulation of nerves of the head, particularly supraorbital, supratrochlear, infraorbital, and mental nerves in the vicinity of their foramen or notch. The system comprises a handheld mobile device, such as a smartphone, that is applied to the surface of the patient's head. One or more electrodes apply electrical impulses through the patient's skin modulating a targeted nerve to treat the medical condition. The system is designed to address problems that arise particularly during self-treatment, when a medical professional is not present. "We are pleased with the continued advancement of electroCore's non-invasive approaches to treating patients," commented JP Errico, a founder, board member and investor of electroCore, who was also an inventor of the new patent. "These new developments expand the breadth and ease of use by which electroCore's therapy may be deployed, enabling even more patients worldwide to receive much needed relief at home."

08:11 EDT City of Walla Walla orders Beam Global EV ARC charging system - Beam Global announced that the City of Walla Walla in Washington State has ordered its first EV ARC solar-powered EV charging system to power two fully electric city fleet vehicles. The system also serves the City's emergency preparedness and energy resiliency programs. Walla Walla's EV ARC is equipped with a ChargePoint Dual Port charger and an emergency power panel. The EV ARC generates and stores its own electricity and delivers that electricity to power City fleet EVs and first responders, day or night, and during inclement weather and power outages.

08:11 EDT Relmada Therapeutics to resume trading at 8:30 am ET - Relmada Therapeutics is scheduled to resume trading at 8:30 am ET and quotation is set to resume at 8:25 am ET, according to Nasdaq. The shares had been halted for trading ahead of the company announcing top-line results of the human abuse potential, or HAP, study with REL-1017, the company's lead candidate in Phase 3 development for the treatment major depressive disorder. "These highly statistically significant data clearly demonstrate a very meaningful difference between REL-1017 and oxycodone at all three tested doses. These results, along with previously published literature, confirm the lack of opioid effects of REL-1017. We look forward to the continued clinical development of REL-1017 as a novel, safe and rapidly effective treatment for MDD," said Sergio Traversa, CEO of Relmada Therapeutics.

08:10 EDT Faraday Future takes pre-orders and deposits 'for all 300' of its FF 91 - Faraday Future Intelligent Electric announced that it has taken advanced pre-orders and deposits for all 300 of its limited-edition, invite-only FF 91 Futurist Alliance Edition models.The 300 pre-orders included 268 previously received pre-orders of the FF 91 Alliance edition and the balance of the pre-orders were obtained within 48 hours after the listing of FF shares on Nasdaq on July 22. At the time of FF's listing on Nasdaq, FF's Global CEO, Dr. Carsten Breitfeld, announced new pre-order policies for 300 limited-edition, invite-only FF 91 Futurist Alliance Edition, and FF 91 Futurist Edition models, with priority reservation deposits of $5,000 and US$1,500 respectively. FF 91 Futurist Alliance Edition owners will receive three exclusive user privileges: Futurist Alliance membership, Spire Club membership, and next-generation product upgrade plan. "All of our 300 limited-edition FF 91 Futurist Alliance Edition models were pre-ordered by our users and shows the public believes in FF and our unbeatable product and technology positioning," said Dr. Carsten Breitfeld, FF's Global CEO. "We look forward to delivering this product and I want to thank all of our global reservation holders for their tremendous ongoing interest and support in FF."

08:09 EDT Lantern Pharma to reacquire rights for Irofulven from Allarity - Lantern Pharma announced it has entered into an Asset Purchase Agreement to reacquire global development and commercialization rights for Irofulven (LP-100) from Allarity, formerly known as Oncology Venture. This transaction includes global rights to the clinical stage drug candidate Irofulven (LP-100), as well as the developed clinical protocol for an intended study in bladder and prostate cancer patients who have a mutation in the ERCC2/3 genes. Lantern also received an exclusive license to use Allarity's companion diagnostic in future development and commercialization of LP-100. Lantern will assume full authority to manage and guide future clinical development and commercialization of the drug candidate. Under the terms of the Asset Purchase Agreement, Lantern will pay an initial upfront amount of $1M, and future escrow payments that have the potential to deliver an additional $1M to Allarity based on drug manufacturing and trial enrollment milestones within the next 24 months. Allarity is also eligible to receive up to $16M in additional milestone payments over the life of the program based on IP license milestones and regulatory filings and approvals in the US and EU, and low- to mid-single-digit royalties on future commercial net sales.

08:08 EDT SAIC awarded $85M Navy contract - The U.S. Navy awarded SAIC an $85M single-award, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to continue to provide software engineering, cloud migration, DevSecOps, and cyber support to the U.S. Navy's Joint Expeditionary Command and Control, or JEXC2, family of systems. Under the five-year contract, SAIC will support the Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division to design, deliver, and sustain a complex portfolio of JEXC2 systems and capabilities. SAIC's Agile software development lifecycle and innovative cloud solutions enable NSWC PCD to achieve JEXC2 goals such as Joint All-Domain Command and Control integration and delivery of the Tactical Shore Platform architecture, critical to Multi-Domain Operations.

08:07 EDT Maguire Investment expresses 'serious concerns' with investor returns at Yatra - The 2020 Timothy J. Maguire Investment Trust, a significant shareholder of Yatra Online, with an aggregate ownership of approximately 7.4% of the company's outstanding shares, issued an open letter to the company's shareholders. In the letter, Maguire Investment explained that it invested in Yatra because of its belief the Company is well positioned to benefit from the post-COVID travel recovery and its share price could reach $6 per share on $100M in sales in 2022 if it aggressively pursues certain sales and margin growth opportunities detailed in the letter. Maguire Investment also expressed its serious concerns with the disappointing investor returns at Yatra, which severely lag those of its local competitors and global online travel agencies. Maguire Investment attributed the Company's stock price underperformance to a number of reasons including (i) the need for an overhaul of the Company's extremely shareholder-unfriendly corporate governance profile and a lack of transparency in its executive compensation packages, (ii) its subpar operational performance to date, (iii) questionable decision-making behind the failed merger with Ebix, Inc., and lastly, (iv) a lack of operational and industry experience among members of the Board and management, which may be a contributing factor to each of the aforementioned issues. Reference Link

08:05 EDT General Electric 'confident' in path to recovery for aviation

08:04 EDT WEC Energy to acquire 90% ownership of Sapphire Sky Wind Energy Center - WEC Energy announced that the company has agreed to acquire a 90% ownership interest in the Sapphire Sky Wind Energy Center. Located in McLean County, Illinois, the project is being developed by Invenergy. The Sapphire Sky site will consist of 64 wind turbines with a combined capacity of 250 megawatts. Commercial operation is expected by the end of 2022. Sapphire Sky will generate renewable energy that will be sold under a long-term power purchase agreement with a Fortune 100 global, high-tech company. WEC Energy Group's investment is expected to total $412M for the 90% ownership interest. With this project, the company's Infrastructure segment has planned investments in eight major wind farms totaling more than 1.5 gigawatts of capacity. The transaction is subject to receiving all necessary regulatory approvals.

08:03 EDT Paycom, Oklahoma City Thunder announce 15-year naming rights partnership - The Oklahoma City Thunder and Paycom jointly announced an exclusive, 15-year naming rights partnership that will transform the downtown home of the Thunder into Paycom Center. The name change takes effect immediately, with exterior signage to be completed in time for the start of the 2021-22 Thunder season. For the new season, the Thunder plans to reopen the building and bring fans back to enjoy the complete Thunder game experience.

07:49 EDT Vitalhub sign licensing agreement with Wrightington Wigan, Leigh Hospitals - VitalHub announce a multi-year licensing agreement with Wrightington Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust for the use of subsidiary Intouch with Health's patient flow solutions. The company has completed a multi-year licensing agreement with WWL, to implement digitalized pre-screening processes and patient flow management solutions. "Responding to the large patient population in need of face-to-face appointments that cannot afford to visit hospitals or medical centers due to their high-risk association with COVID-19, a solution was required to ensure patients can safely access and receive the care they need," the company said. Intouch's mobile check-in solution will provide the first stage solution toward addressing the Trust's needs. The current agreement will extend across five of the Trust's sites, and include the use of proprietary Flow Manager, Room and Resource Manager, Mobile Appointment Manager, and HL7 Channels solutions.

07:48 EDT GTCR announces strategic investment from Blackstone GP Stakes - GTCR and Blackstone jointly announced a new partnership in which funds managed by Blackstone's GP Stakes business will acquire a minority ownership interest in GTCR. Blackstone's GP Stakes business specializes in value-added, long-term partnerships with leading private-market alternative asset management firms. On behalf of the Managing Directors of GTCR, Collin Roche and Dean Mihas released a statement: "We are thrilled to have this opportunity to work with Blackstone as a passive minority investor in our firm. Blackstone is an exceptional institution and we expect they will bring resources and perspective that will help us as we continue to serve our limited partners, build our franchise and invest our funds over the long term. In particular, we believe that this investment partnership will further enhance our ability to serve the interests of our limited partners, our management partners and our investment team and staff. Our top priority at GTCR has always been to serve our limited partners by working to generate strong and consistent investment returns through the disciplined application of our investment strategy. As part of GTCR's Leaders StrategyTM, we seek to identify and partner with talented, accomplished executives with whom we work collaboratively to build and grow our portfolio companies. Finally, we have a talented group of investment professionals and staff, and we are dedicated to providing our team with the most opportunity for professional growth and impact, while working in a collaborative and inclusive environment. We appreciate the support from Blackstone as we maintain our focus on these key constituents while growing the firm's opportunity set."

07:46 EDT Infinity Pharmaceuticals gives updated data from Phase 2 MARIO-275 trial for UC - Infinity Pharmaceuticals presents data updates from MARIO-275, the Company's randomized, placebo-controlled Phase 2 study evaluating the efficacy and safety of eganelisib in combination with nivolumab (Opdivo in platinum-refractory, I/O naive patients with advanced UC as well as data from MARIO-3, the Company's ongoing Phase 2 study evaluating eganelisib in a novel triple combination in the front-line setting with atezolizumab (Tecentriq and nab-paclitaxel (Abraxane in patients with unresectable locally advanced or metastatic TNBC. Adelene Perkins, Chief Executive Officer and Chair, Infinity Pharmaceuticals, said, "Today we report data indicating that eganelisib re-programs macrophages in the tumor microenvironment, turning pro-tumor, M2, macrophages into anti-tumor, M1, macrophages and improves outcomes for patients in two distinct types of cancer. Specifically, when combined with current standard of care therapies, the data showed that eganelisib increased overall survival in patients with metastatic urothelial cancer and prolonged progression free survival in patients with TNBC. These data provide preliminary, but compelling evidence of eganelisib's potential to improve outcomes for patients with these two types of cancer. Validation of the fundamental biologic hypothesis of eganelisib, and the resulting prospect of patient benefit, gives us great confidence in the future of eganelisib, Infinity and our ability to realize our vision of bringing better therapies to patients. In the months ahead, Infinity plans to work with investigators, key opinion leaders and regulatory authorities to carefully choose the most appropriate clinical paths forward and expects to provide an update by year end, together with an update on our maturing TNBC data." Brian Schwartz, M.D., consulting Chief Physician, Infinity Pharmaceuticals, said, "The promising survival benefit was noted after over a year of following MARIO-275 patients versus the control arm as well as compared to historical trials including CheckMate-275, particularly given the magnitude of the unmet need in 2L UC, including in the PD-L1 negative patient population. These results are reinforced by the progression free survival data which we presented at ASCO GU in February 2021 as well as the translational data that support our thesis that eganelisib reprograms macrophages in the tumor microenvironment and that validate eganelisib's mechanism of action. We believe overall survival represents a key registrational endpoint, and given these exciting new OS data, we are exploring the optimal study design for a potential registration study and expect to provide a program update by the end of 2021."

07:43 EDT Exela Technologies reports SMB user growth for DMR, DrySign - Exela Technologies announced that its Digital Mailroom and DrySign offerings delivered a record addition of new users in the second quarter of 2021. DMR and Drysign continued to grow in the preceding 90 days with DMR delivering a growth rate of 99% in its SMB customer base and Drysign delivering a growth rate of 144% in its user base, as compared to the prior period. During the second quarter, Exela delivered on its plan to launch its SMB solutions into new geographic markets with the release of DrySign in India, and DMR in the UK. The Company continues to expand its DAG offerings into the SMB market and across the international markets Exela serves, with DMR rollouts to France and Germany as the next large markets scheduled for launch in the 3rd quarter.

07:42 EDT BHP makes recommended all-cash offer of C$0.55 per share for Noront - BHP Lonsdale Investments, a wholly owned subsidiary of BHP, and Noront Resources announced that they have entered into a definitive Support Agreement pursuant to which BHP Western Mining Resources International Pty, a wholly-owned subsidiary of BHP Lonsdale, will make a take-over bid to acquire all of the issued and outstanding common shares of Noront for C$0.55 per share in cash. BHP Lonsdale owns 3.7% of the Noront shares on a fully diluted basis. The total equity value of the transaction is C$325 million. The members of the Board of Directors of Noront who voted on the matter unanimously recommend that Noront shareholders tender their shares to accept the Offer. The cash consideration of C$0.55 per share represents a premium of 129% to Noront's unaffected closing price of C$0.24 on May 21, 2021, the last trading day prior to the date that Wyloo Metals Pty first publicly announced its intention to make an offer for Noront, and a 69% premium to Noront's closing price of C$0.325 on July 26, 2021, the last trading day prior to the announcement of this transaction. In addition, the C$0.55 per share Offer price is C$0.235 per share, or 75%, higher than the C$0.315 per share proposed by Wyloo in its announcement on May 25, 2021. The Offeror intends to formally commence the take-over bid by mailing a take-over bid circular to shareholders shortly after this announcement. The bid will initially be set to expire 105 days after commencement. Noront has agreed to issue a deposit period news release upon request from the Offeror to reduce the initial deposit period to as few as 35 days from commencement, a right which the Offeror currently intends to exercise. The Offeror will ensure that there remain at least 10 days prior to the end of the initial deposit period at such time as it exercises its right to shorten the initial deposit period. The Board of Directors of Noront, acting on the recommendation of the Special Committee, and after evaluating the Offer in consultation with Noront's legal and financial advisors, has determined that the Offer is fair, from a financial point of view, to Noront shareholders and in the best interests of Noront and Noront shareholders. As such, the Board of Directors of Noront is recommending that Noront shareholders tender their shares and accept the Offer. The Offer is conditional upon, among other closing conditions, there having been deposited pursuant to the Offer and not withdrawn at the expiry of the initial deposit period more than 50% of the Noront common shares then outstanding, excluding the Noront common shares beneficially owned, or over which control or direction is exercised, by BHP Lonsdale, the Offeror and any other person acting jointly or in concert with the Offeror. BHP Lonsdale owns 21,659,385 Noront common shares, representing approximately 4.7% of the outstanding common shares. Shareholders holding an aggregate of 9.9% of the Noront common shares on a fully diluted basis, including certain Noront directors and senior management, have entered into lock-up agreements under which they have agreed to deposit their shares under the Offer. The Support Agreement provides for, among other things, a non-solicitation covenant on the part of Noront. The Support Agreement also provides the Offeror with a right to match any competing offer which the Noront Board of Directors determines to be a superior proposal. The Offeror is entitled to a termination payment of C$13.0 million if the Support Agreement is terminated in certain circumstances, including if Noront enters into an agreement with respect to a superior proposal, or if the Board of Directors of Noront withdraws or modifies its recommendation with respect to the Offer.

07:38 EDT Relmada Therapeutics reports results from HAP study with REL-1017 - Relmada Therapeutics announced top-line results of the human abuse potential, or HAP, study with REL-1017, a novel NMDA receptor, or NMDAR, channel blocker and the company's lead candidate in Phase 3 development for the treatment major depressive disorder, or MDD. Top-line results showed that all three doses of REL-1017 tested in recreational opioid users, demonstrated a highly statistically significant difference vs. the active control drug, oxycodone 40 mg. The study's primary endpoint was a measure of "likability" with the subjects rating the maximum effect for Drug Liking "at the moment".

07:34 EDT Evoqua Water invests in sustainability, innovation hub in Pittsburgh - Evoqua Water announced its investment in a new sustainability and innovation hub in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to further advance the development of sustainable water treatment technologies. The facility will serve as Evoqua's center of excellence for research and innovation, addressing emerging water trends, including climate change, connectivity, and health and safety. The Hub will focus on elevating Evoqua's connected, digital technologies, enhancing its waste-to-value treatment systems, and further developing solutions to address emerging contaminants, including PFAS.

07:32 EDT Mylan wins dismissal of Kansas EpiPen direct purchaser case - Viatris (VTRS) announced that the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas granted Mylan's motion to dismiss in a lawsuit brought against it and Pfizer (PFE) by KPH Healthcare Services on behalf of an asserted class of direct purchasers of EpiPen products. The court agreed with the company's argument that KPH lacked the legal standing to assert the claims in its lawsuit and dismissed the case in its entirety with an option for KPH to file a limited amended complaint within 30 days. The company is pleased with the Court's decision, as it has always maintained that its actions were completely lawful and pro-competitive. The company will continue to defend itself vigorously should there be any further proceedings in the case.

07:30 EDT AdTheorent to become public through MCAP Acquisition Corporation combination - AdTheorent and MCAP Acquisition Corporation announced that they have entered into a definitive business combination agreement in which AdTheorent will be merged with MCAP. Upon closing of the transaction, the combined company will be named AdTheorent and it is expected to remain listed on Nasdaq. The transaction reflects an implied enterprise value for the company of approximately $775M. The AdTheorent executive team, led by CEO Jim Lawson, will continue to execute the growth and strategy for the company. Given AdTheorent's profitability and cash flow characteristics, the net cash provided by the transaction is expected to be used to support an M&A and international expansion strategy. The business combination values AdTheorent at a $775M enterprise value and at a pro forma market capitalization of approximately $1B, assuming a $10.00 per share price and no redemptions by MCAP stockholders. The transaction will provide a minimum of $100M of net proceeds to the company, including an oversubscribed and upsized $121.5M fully committed common stock PIPE. The boards of directors of both MCAP and AdTheorent have unanimously approved the transaction. Completion of the proposed transaction is subject to approval of MCAP stockholders and other customary closing conditions, including the receipt of certain regulatory approvals. The transaction is expected to close in Q4. AdTheorent is currently majority owned by H.I.G. Growth Partners, an affiliate of H.I.G. Capital. H.I.G. will continue to hold a substantial ownership position in AdTheorent.

07:25 EDT Relmada Therapeutics trading halted, news pending

07:20 EDT Olink says CORAL community to use Olink Proteomics platform - Olink Holding announced that CORAL, a new collaborative community of scientists, will use the Olink Proteomics platform to identify novel protein biomarkers and biological mechanisms for neurological diseases. CORAL is a new collaborative community of scientists that work on diverse neurological conditions studying blood and cerebrospinal fluid on the Olink Proteomics platform to identify novel biomarkers and biological mechanisms for neurological diseases. These biomarkers are required for diagnostic, prognostic, disease monitoring and/or treatment response evaluation. The CORAL activities include external validation and study of cross-disease markers and mechanisms. The CORAL members are involved in human body fluid biomarker studies, in collections from the general population and clinical trials or patients with focus on neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, Lewy bodies dementia, FTD, MS, Parkinson's disease, CIPD, ALS and epilepsy.

07:17 EDT Lithia Motors acquires Subaru of Mobile and Michael's Subaru - Lithia & Driveway announced the acquisition of Subaru of Mobile in Mobile, Alabama and Michael's Subaru in Bellevue,Washington, boosting the company's presence in its Northwest and Southeast regions. With the purchase of Subaru of Mobile, LAD crosses the border into Alabama adding a new state to the Southeast Region, the company's least dense network. Combined, these two Subaru stores are expected to generate $155M in annualized revenues, bringing LAD's total expected annualized revenue acquiredto $8B since the announcement of its 5-year Plan to achieve $50 in EPS and $50B in revenue by 2025.Both acquisitions were financed using existing on-balance sheet capacity.

07:16 EDT JetBlue sees Q3 adjusted EBITDA $75M-$175M - The company said, "For the third quarter of 2021, our planning assumption for revenue is a decline of between (4%) and (9%) year over two, another quarter of strong sequential improvement of approximately 20 points. We expect unit revenue to continue to improve on top of increasing capacity, with load factors in the mid-to-high 80s this summer. We have seen days with average load factors in the 90s. For the third quarter of 2021, our planning assumption is for capacity to be between flat to down (3%) year over two, given the strong sequential improvement in demand. Throughout the pandemic, we have been nimble in adjusting our capacity deployment to the prevailing demand environment. We'll maintain this approach given the continued uncertainty on the course of the pandemic caused by variants. "For the third quarter, we estimate our EBITDA will range between $75 and $175 million dollars, reflecting continued sequential improvement in demand partially offset by continued cost pressures from fuel prices, and airport rents and landing fees. We expect to remain in positive EBITDA territory through the end of the year, and expect to generate pre-tax profits in July and August."

07:15 EDT Archer Daniels anticipates continued momentum in 2H - "We're excited about our growth trajectory as we continue to expand our participation in large and fast-growing categories, from alternative proteins to renewable green diesel to plant-based biosolutions, with all of our strategic efforts underpinned by our unique opportunity to use ADM's integrated value chain to advance decarbonization of the food and agriculture industries. Given our great start to the year and our expectation of continued momentum in the second half, we are confident in delivering very strong full-year earnings, and we remain well-positioned for robust, sustained growth in the years to come."

07:13 EDT Sirius XM CFO says 'impressive momentum' heading into 2H21 - "SiriusXM's second quarter results give us impressive momentum heading into the back half of the year. We were pleased to raise $2 billion of new, senior unsecured notes in June with a coupon of just 4%, and we will use the remaining cash proceeds in August to repay our outstanding 2022 notes. In the first half of 2021 we returned approximately $965 million of capital to stockholders, comprised of approximately $844 million in common stock repurchases and $121 million in dividends. At the end of the quarter, SiriusXM's net debt-to-adjusted EBITDA ratio was 3.2x, and our $1.75 billion revolving credit facility was completely undrawn and fully available," said Sean Sullivan, CFO of SiriusXM.

07:13 EDT Flyht Aerospace retires secured convertible debentures - FLYHT Aerospace Solutions announced the repayment in full of its outstanding secured convertible debentures, including any accrued and unpaid interest, on July 23, 2021 through a portion of the proceeds received from its recent C$6.6 million non-brokered private placement.

07:11 EDT Flotek enters long-term agreement with Resolute Oil - Flotek Industries announced it has entered into a long-term agreement with Resolute Oil, a leader in high-quality white mineral oil serving consumer and industrial customers, to leverage capabilities and facilities to drive growth in adjacent green chemistry markets. The agreement includes options to renew until 2036. Through the agreement, Resolute Oil will fully utilize Flotek's entire 15-acre campus, including its 38,000 square foot chemical blending facility, based in Waller, TX, to manufacture United States Pharmacopeia-National Formulary-grade white mineral oil distributed globally to customers in the agricultural, energy, food & beverage, cosmetic, and personal care markets. Flotek's facility is customized for the production of green chemistries and certified by the U.S. FDA and Environmental Protection Agency, facilitating the production of food-grade chemistries.

07:09 EDT Home Depot targets 100% renewable electricity for its facilities by 2030 - The Home Depot reduced Scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions by more than 127,000 metric tons in 202, a 22% reduction in carbon intensity, while at the same time growing the business nearly 20%. The company announced a goal to reach 100% renewable electricity for its facilities by 2030, further extending its efforts to improve the environment through cleaner energy. The Home Depot also joined the Science Based Targets initiative to reduce global emissions, committing to set goals for Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions by 2023. These updates and additional goals were released in its 2021 ESG Report outlining the company's environmental, social and governance initiatives and progress made in 2020.

07:08 EDT Shutterstock forms Shutterstock.AI, acquires three leading AI platforms - Shutterstock announced the launch of Shutterstock.AI, a newly formed subsidiary with insights and data at the heart of its mission. Additionally, the newly established Shutterstock.AI has acquired three leading AI platforms, Pattern89, Datasine, and Shotzr. With these three acquisitions, Shutterstock.AI will continue to rapidly develop its own predictive performance capabilities to help creatives and customers accomplish their goals by making more data-informed content decisions. In the near term, Shutterstock.AI will commercialize data assets within Shutterstock's immense content library, which includes over 400 million images, videos, music tracks, and 3D models, as well as partner with innovative companies to grow their capabilities in computer vision and content insights to power the next generation of AI models.

07:05 EDT Sherwin-Williams falls about 2% to $280 per share after Q2 earnings miss

07:04 EDT OneWater Marine signs definitive agreement to acquire PartsVu - OneWater Marine announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire the assets of PartsVu, an online marketplace for OEM marine parts, electronics and accessories. The acquisition significantly expands the company's presence in the marine parts and accessories sector. The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2021. "We are elated to welcome Philip Osborne, Michael Newton, and the PartsVu team into the OneWater family. PartsVu strengthens our position in the marine parts and accessories sector as we continue to grow our business to meet customer needs," said Austin Singleton, Chief Executive Officer for OneWater. "PartsVu serves a broad range of customers including novice to expert boat owners, independent mechanics and small tech shops that rely on the team's expert technical knowledge and sizeable parts inventory. We believe this presents tremendous growth opportunity for OneWater."

07:03 EDT Day One Biopharmaceuticals receives FDA Rare Pediatric Designation for DAY101 - Day One Biopharmaceuticals announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted Rare Pediatric Disease Designation to the company's lead product candidate, DAY101, for the treatment of low-grade gliomas harboring an activating RAF alteration that disproportionately affects children. DAY101 is an investigational, oral, brain-penetrant, highly-selective type II pan-RAF kinase inhibitor designed to target a key enzyme in the MAPK signaling pathway. In addition to FDA Rare Pediatric Disease Designation, DAY101 has been granted Breakthrough Therapy designation by the FDA for the treatment of patients with pLGG harboring an activating RAF alteration who require systemic therapy and who have either progressed following prior treatment or who have no satisfactory alternative treatment options. In addition, DAY101 has received Orphan Drug designation from the FDA for the treatment of malignant glioma and orphan designation from the European Commission for the treatment of glioma. Day One is currently enrolling patients in a pivotal Phase 2 clinical trial of DAY101 in pediatric, adolescent and young adult patients with recurrent or progressive low-grade glioma harboring a known BRAF alteration.

06:58 EDT Aecom awarded environmental remediation contract from USACE - Aecom announced that it has been selected by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Baltimore District to continue providing nationwide environmental remediation services through the MAMMS III contract. The multiple-award contract, with a shared program ceiling of $240M, includes five base years and up to two additional option years.

06:55 EDT Sunnova Energy partners with National Grid and SolarEdge - Sunnova Energy International (NOVA) has partnered with National Grid (NGG) and SolarEdge Technologies (SEDG) to utilize its fleet of solar and storage assets in New England to help improve power quality in National Grid's service area. Sunnova's aggregated residential solar and storage portfolio delivers over 150 GWh of clean and reliable energy per year to New England's homeowners and its grid, and now this portfolio of distributed energy resources will work to make the grid more efficient by strengthening its resiliency and reliability. Sunnova and SolarEdge will provide voltage support across Massachusetts and Rhode Island, proving that distributed resources can unlock additional value to ratepayers.

06:51 EDT Gannett, Tipico announce strategic sports betting agreement - Gannett announced an exclusive agreement with Tipico USA Technology, a U.S.-based subsidiary of European based Tipico Group of companies, the leading sports betting provider in Germany, utilizing their Tipico Sportsbook brand. This strategic alliance leverages the power and breadth of the USA TODAY NETWORK consisting of more than 250 daily local sites including The Indy Star and Detroit Free Press, and its USA TODAY Sports Media Group, including in-depth USA TODAY Sports coverage across the country with over 200 additional sports sites in the portfolio, such as For The Win, Golfweek, and MMA Junkie. Transaction Highlights: Tipico to become the exclusive sports betting and iGaming provider for Gannett, with integration of odds, props, free to play games and betting trends across the USA TODAY NETWORK. The five-year agreement includes $90M in media spend by Tipico together with performance incentives payable to Gannett for customer referrals. Subject to certain conditions being met over the five-year term of the agreement, Gannett will have the right to acquire up to 4,990 common shares in Tipico's US business, representing a minority interest. The exercise of such right will be subject to applicable laws including applicable gaming regulations. Gannett will provide Tipico exclusive access to premium marketing assets at a pre-negotiated value based upon the expected aggregate sum of the cash consideration, performance incentives, and right to acquire common shares. These assets will focus on integrating year-round custom content across the USA TODAY NETWORK, including video series, columns, blog posts, newsletters, contests, social media and events, beginning with the 2021 NFL season. Additionally, Tipico will co-brand all NFL Wire Team sites and For The Win, including a re-launch of the Bets subsection to "Bet For The Win, powered by Tipico Sportsbook" and providing co-branded digital odds pages throughout the USA TODAY NETWORK, in print and digital.

06:44 EDT Xerox sees FY21 operating cash flow 'at least' $600M - Sees FY21 free cash flow "at least" $500M.

06:37 EDT Centogene names Patrice Denefle as Chief Scientific Officer - Centogene announced the appointment of Dr. Patrice P. Denefle as Chief Scientific Officer. Dr. Denefle will join Centogene on August 16, succeeding Phil Lambert, who has decided to leave the company. Dr. Denefle is a seasoned executive and scientific pioneer with over 35 years of experience at pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies in Europe and the U.S. - spearheading translational R&D to deliver breakthrough treatments to patients. Within his role at Centogene, he will be responsible for overseeing scientific activities to deliver on the company's vision and strategy, while driving value creation.

06:36 EDT PulteGroup CEO says 'we are experiencing very favorable market dynamics' - "PulteGroup reported outstanding second quarter financial results, driven by strong top line growth in combination with a 270-basis point increase in our gross margin," said Ryan Marshall, President and CEO of PulteGroup. "With a backlog exceeding 20,000 homes valued at $9.8 billion, I believe the company is well positioned to realize further gains in the coming quarters as we work to grow our operations and continue to deliver high returns on equity, which totaled 25.7%* for the trailing 12 months. We are experiencing very favorable market dynamics, led by strong housing demand and a generally limited inventory of new and existing homes," added Marshall. "With the economy continuing to recover, a very positive job market, low interest rates and high levels of consumer confidence, we remain optimistic about demand conditions and the overall strength of the housing market going forward."

06:34 EDT PulteGroup reports Q2 net new orders up 28% to 8,322 homes - In Q2: Net New Orders Increased 28% to 8,322 Homes; Net New Order Value Increased 59% to $4.3B. Closings Increased 22% to 7,232 Homes. Home Sale Revenues Increased 31% to $3.2B. Homebuilding Gross Margin Increased 270 Basis Points to 26.6%. Backlog Increased 52% to 20,056 Homes; Backlog Value Increased 70% to $9.8B. Company Repurchased $200M of Stock in the Period. Debt-to-Capital Ratio Decreased to 22.7%; Net Debt-to-Capital Ratio of 4.5%.

06:31 EDT GE outlook assumes aviation market recovery beginning in 2H - Comments taken from Q2 earnings conference call presentation slides.

06:27 EDT GE CEO: Team delivered 'strong' overall performance in Q2 - GE Chairman and CEO H. Lawrence Culp, Jr. said, "The GE team delivered strong overall performance in the second quarter. Orders and revenue returned to growth, our operating margins expanded across all segments, and wegenerated positive Industrial free cash flow. Momentum is building across our businesses, driven by Healthcare and services overall, with Aviation showing early signs of recovery. Based on our encouraging cash results, we are increasing our full-year free cash flow outlook... With our focus on profitable growth and cash generation, I am confident we are well-positioned to achieve high single-digit free cash flow margins over time."

06:25 EDT General Electric reports Q2 Industrial organic revenues $16.9B, up 7% - Industrial profit margin of (1.3)%, +440 bps; adjusted Industrial profit margin 5.3%, +940 bps, +1,000 bps organically.

06:18 EDT Credit Suisse appoints Goldman executive David Wildermuth as CRO - Credit Suisse (CS) announced the appointment of David Wildermuth as Chief Risk Officer and a member of the Executive Board of Credit Suisse Group as of February 1, 2022 at the latest. Wildermuth joins Credit Suisse from Goldman Sachs (GS). David will be based in Zurich and will report directly to Group Chief Executive Officer Thomas Gottstein. Joachim Oechslin will continue to serve as ad interim Chief Risk Officer until David joins. After the handover to David, Joachim will reassume - as agreed already in early April - a senior role as Strategic Advisor to the Group CEO, the company said in a statement. Antonio Horta-Osorio, Chairman of Credit Suisse, said: "I am delighted to welcome David to Credit Suisse, where he will help shape the Group's enhanced risk management framework, an essential part of the bank's strategic realignment currently underway. David will contribute a wealth of experience and deep professional insights, having served more than three decades in various senior roles in the financial services industry."

06:15 EDT BrainStorm gets GMP approval from Israel Ministry of Health for three cleanrooms - BrainStorm announced that is has received Good Manufacturing Practice, or GMP, approval from the Israel Ministry of Health for three cleanrooms leased by the company at the Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center in Tel Aviv, Israel. The GMP approval confirms that these cleanrooms are compliant with Israeli GMPs, which are aligned with European Union GMPs, and more than doubles the company's capacity to manufacture and ship NurOwn into the EU and local Israeli markets.

06:07 EDT Hercules Capital declares Q2 supplemental cash dividend of 7c per share - Hercules Capital is pleased to announce that its Board of Directors has declared a supplemental cash distribution of 7c per share. This supplemental cash distribution will be paid out of Hercules Capital's undistributed taxable income as of June 30. The following shows the key dates of the supplemental distribution payment: Record Date August 11. Payment Date August 18.

05:45 EDT Full Truck Alliance reports 36M fulfilled orders in Q2, GTV of RMB 74B - Full Truck Alliance announced that the company facilitated 36M fulfilled orders with gross transaction value, or GTV, of RMB 74B in Q2, representing 87.9% and 57.8% year-over-year growth, respectively. As previously announced by the company, the Cybersecurity Review Office, or CRO,report of the Cyberspace Administration of China has initiated a cybersecurity review of FTA's Yunmanman apps and Huochebang apps. FTA will fully cooperate with the CRO to facilitate its review process. During the cybersecurity review, Yunmanman apps and Huochebang apps are required to suspend new user registration, and the extent of the impact on FTA's business will be affected by the duration of the suspension, among others. FTA believes the review will not affect the existing users of FTA's mobile apps.

05:33 EDT Dada ramps up autonomous delivery expansion in JD Logistics partnership - Dada Group (DADA) announced that it is set to advance an autonomous delivery operation open system, which has already been adopted by Seven Fresh and Yonghui Supermarket to normalize the scalable use of unmanned delivery vehicles for on-demand delivery service. Teaming up with JD Logistics (JD) and autonomous delivery vehicle developer White Rhino, Dada Group will jointly establish the autonomous delivery ecosystem in the supermarket scenario.

05:28 EDT Teck Resources says COVID-19 situation in Chile has improved in recent weeks - "Solid performance at our operations and key projects against the backdrop of improving market conditions made for a very positive second quarter of 2021, with adjusted profit up 281% compared to the same period last year," said Don Lindsay, president and CEO. "We managed through the most acute COVID-19 conditions in Chile since the start of the pandemic while safely achieving our best quarterly progress to date on our flagship QB2 copper growth project. The COVID-19 situation in Chile has improved in recent weeks and vaccination rates at QB2 are high, which is contributing to strong momentum on the project heading into the third quarter. Our Neptune port upgrade project is operational and ramping up to full capacity, and the new facility is being integrated into our logistics chain, which will reduce costs, enhance flexibility and improve performance."

05:14 EDT Jacobs selected to support Space Hub Sutherland - Jacobs was selected to support Space Hub Sutherland, which has the potential to become the U.K.'s first satellite launch site. On behalf of the Caithness and North Sutherland Regeneration Partnership, Jacobs will assess the local supply chain and produce a report on how available skills, such as advanced engineering, asset management and avionics could transfer to the space industry, including from the nuclear sector at nearby Dounreay and the defense sector in Moray. Jacobs will also examine potential socio-economic impacts in the region, conduct a gap analysis and identify further investment and actions required for a range of potential growth scenarios. Highlands and Islands Enterprise is developing the Space Hub Sutherland project, which is the first vertical launch site to secure planning permission in the U.K. The site is slated to host the Scottish-manufactured Orbex Prime low-carbon fuel rocket and could begin launching low-earth orbit communication and observation satellites as early as next year from a site on the Mhoine Peninsula.