Stockwinners Market Radar for August 20, 2021 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

18:27 EDT Live Oak Acquisition II extends tender offer for combination with Navitas - Live Oak Acquisition Corp. II announced that it is extending its previously announced offer to acquire all issued and allotted ordinary shares and preferred shares of Navitas Semiconductor Limited, a private company limited by shares organized under the Laws of Ireland and domesticated as a limited liability company in the State of Delaware as Navitas Semiconductor Ireland, other than outstanding restricted shares of Navitas Ireland granted pursuant to Navitas' 2020 Equity Incentive Plan, until September 17, 2021, at 11:59 p.m., New York City time, unless the offer is further extended or withdrawn by Live Oak II.

18:01 EDT Boeing awarded $487M Army contract - Boeing was awarded a $487M cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for Apache AH-64 engineering services and technical support. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of February 6, 2026. U.S. Army Contracting Command is the contracting activity.

17:39 EDT Chinook Therapeutics director Akkaraju buys 208,500 common shares - In a regulatory filing, Chinook Therapeutics director Srinivas Akkaraju disclosed the purchase of 208,500 common shares of the company on August 18 at a price of $11.98 per share.

17:02 EDT Sysco says Nelson Peltz, Josh Frank to step down from board of directors - Sysco announced that Nelson Peltz, CEO and a founding partner, and Joshua Frank, partner and co-head of research, of Trian Fund Management, have informed the company that they are stepping down from the Board. Peltz and Frank indicated that the decision to step down was driven by their confidence in Sysco's leadership, business transformation and continued operating momentum. Peltz and Frank have served on the Board since August 2015 and have made significant contributions to the company's business strategies and transformation.

16:47 EDT Merck announces Leslie Brun resigns from board of directors - Merck announced that Leslie Brun, its independent lead director, has resigned from its Board of Directors, effective August 19. Brun is stepping down due to his decision to become chairman and CEO of Ariel Alternatives, a subsidiary of Ariel Investments, a private equity initiative being created to help scale minority-owned businesses to serve as tier 1 suppliers to Fortune 500 companies. Merck is currently evaluating making an investment with Ariel Alternatives. The company intends to name a new independent lead director in the near future.

16:45 EDT City Office REIT agrees to sell life science portfolio for $576M - City Office REIT announced that it has entered into definitive agreements to sell all of its holdings in the Sorrento Mesa submarket of San Diego for $576M. The transactions are expected to generate net proceeds, after estimated closing and transaction costs, of approximately $546M, which equates to $12.38 per common share. The properties to be sold are unencumbered by debt. The sales will be completed pursuant to two separate agreements. The northern portion of the portfolio is scheduled to close in December 2021 for $395M. The southern portion of the portfolio is scheduled to close in February 2023 for $181M. City Office has the ability to accelerate either closing date to align with redeployment opportunities. Both sales are subject to customary closing conditions.

16:33 EDT Kaiser Aluminum director Hockema sells 3,000 common shares - In a regulatory filing, Kaiser Aluminum director Jack Hockema disclosed the sale of 3,000 common shares of the company on August 18 at a price of $122.2592 per share.

16:31 EDT Cable One raises quarterly dividend to $2.75 from $2.50 per share - The dividend is payable on September 17 to stockholders of record at the close of business on August 31.

16:24 EDT Editas Medicine presents data on SLEEK gene editing technology - Editas Medicine announced data on a new gene editing technology termed SLEEK. The company reported these data in an oral presentation at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory's Genome Engineering: CRISPR Frontiers meeting, being held virtually August 18-20, 2021. Despite major progress in achieving gene disruption, efficient knock-in of transgenes continues to be a significant challenge for the gene editing field. To solve this challenge, SLEEK was developed enabling high knock-in efficiencies with different transgenes while also ensuring robust, transgene expression. Editas Medicine believes that SLEEK may enable the development of next generation cell therapeutics for cancer and other serious diseases. New preclinical data demonstrated that SLEEK results in the knock-in of multiple clinically relevant transgenes through a proprietary process that selects for cells containing the knock-in cargo. In addition, high percentage knock-in efficiencies were enabled by Editas Medicine's proprietary engineered AsCas12a nuclease. More than 90 percent knock-in efficiencies were observed in various clinically relevant target cells, including iPSCs, T cells, and NK cells. Additionally, SLEEK may be used to fine-tune the expression levels of transgene cargos, an important attribute of next-generation cell therapy medicines. "We find the new gene editing SLEEK technology to have immense potential, as it enables nearly 100 percent knock-in of functional transgene cargos at specific locations in the genome, which we believe to be the highest in the gene editing field across multiple cell types. We believe that this novel technology has broad applications and may result in substantially improved gene edited cell medicines, including for novel CAR-T and CAR-NK cell therapies," said Mark S. Shearman, Ph.D., Executive Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer, Editas Medicine. "We believe SLEEK is an optimal approach to achieve highly efficient multi-transgene knock-in for the next generation of cell therapy medicines, and we are leveraging this technology across many oncology programs, including for treatment of a variety of solid tumors."

16:19 EDT Nexstar to acquire The Hill for $130M, sees accretion - Nexstar Media Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Nexstar, announced that it acquired The Hill for $130M, in a transaction that is expected to be immediately accretive to Nexstar's operating results. Combined, The Hill and Nexstar are used by a third of all U.S. digital media viewers. With more than 100 journalists who cover political news and events and provide a wide variety of content to its users, The Hill's business model is primarily advertising supported by direct, programmatic, and licensing revenue. Nexstar's growing national cable news network, NewsNation, and its local news gathering platform counts 5,500 journalists producing over 275,000 hours of local and national news annually.

16:17 EDT Amerco announces special cash dividend of 50c per share - The dividend will be payable September 21 to holders of record on September 7.

16:12 EDT Site Centers director MacFarlane sells 95,497 shares - In a regulatory filing, SITE Centers director Victor MacFarlane disclosed the sale of 95,497 common shares of the company on August 18 at a price of $14.71 per share.

16:11 EDT Commercial Vehicle Group names Kristin Mathers as Chief Human Resources Officer - CVG (CVGI) announced that Kristin Mathers will join CVG on September 1 as the new Chief Human Resources Officer. Mathers comes to CVG from Baker Hughes (BKR) in Houston, Texas where she served most recently as Vice President of Talent Management with responsibility for all aspects of global talent acquisition, recruitment, succession & retention, leadership programs, and training & development.

15:16 EDT Andersons announces $100M share repurchase program - The Andersons announces its Board of Directors have authorized a share repurchase program of up to $100M of outstanding company common stock. The authorization for this plan will be in effect for a period of three years.

13:35 EDT Dave Portnoy says Barstool Sportsbook coming to New Jersey next week - Dave Portnoy, founder of Barstool Sports, tweeted an image that stated that Barstool Sportsbook is "coming to New Jersey next week". Penn National has an investment in Barstool Sports and is the operator of the Barstool Sportsbook app. Reference Link

13:01 EDT Baker Hughes reports U.S. rig count up 3 to 503 rigs

12:44 EDT EU opens investigation into Illumina's Grail acquisition - The European Commission has decided to open an investigation to assess whether Illumina's decision to complete its acquisition of GRAIL, while the Commission's in-depth investigation into the proposed transaction is still ongoing, constitutes a breach of the "standstill obligation" under Article 7 of the Merger Regulation. The standstill obligation prevents the potentially irreparable negative impact of transactions on the market, pending the outcome of the Commission's investigation. This investigation is separate from the Commission's in-depth investigation into the substance of the case which will continue in line with the timelines foreseen in the Merger Regulation. Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager, in charge of competition policy, said: "We deeply regret Illumina's decision to complete its acquisition of GRAIL, while our investigation into the transaction is still ongoing." Reference Link

12:00 EDT Blend Labs falls -9.6% - Blend Labs is down -9.6%, or -$1.89 to $17.89.

12:00 EDT Rafael Holdings falls -19.0% - Rafael Holdings is down -19.0%, or -$8.43 to $35.99.

12:00 EDT Rockley Photonics rises 14.1% - Rockley Photonics is up 14.1%, or $1.05 to $8.46.

11:46 EDT Bristol-Myers' Opdivo approved for adjuvant treatment of patients with UC - Bristol Myers Squibb announced that Opdivo 240 mg every two weeks or 480 mg every four weeks was approved by the U.S. FDA for the adjuvant treatment of patients with urothelial carcinoma who are at high risk of recurrence after undergoing radical resection, regardless of prior neoadjuvant chemotherapy, nodal involvement or PD-L1 status. The approval is based on the Phase 3 CheckMate -274 trial, which compared Opdivo 240 mg to placebo. This application was approved under the FDA's Real-Time Oncology Review pilot program. "This approval is a major milestone for patients who have undergone major surgery to remove the bladder or parts of the urinary tract and are in need of additional treatment approaches that can help reduce the risk of their UC returning," said Matthew D. Galsky, M.D., a CheckMate -274 primary investigator and Professor of Medicine, Director of Genitourinary Medical Oncology, Co-Director of the Center of Excellence for Bladder Cancer, and Associate Director for Translational Research at The Tisch Cancer Institute and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. "Nivolumab provides a new FDA-approved treatment shown to reduce the risk of disease recurrence or death based on the safety and efficacy findings from CheckMate -274, and has the potential to become a new standard of care option in this setting."

11:21 EDT Azul jumps 3% to $20.04 after WSJ report of Latam deal talks

10:47 EDT Adial Pharmaceuticals reaches full enrollment target for ONWARD Phase 3 trial - Adial Pharmaceuticals announces it has reached its full enrollment target of 290 subjects in the Company's ONWARD Phase 3 trial evaluating AD04 as a therapeutic agent for the treatment of Alcohol Use Disorder in persons with certain target genotypes related to the serotonin transporter and receptor genes. ONWARD trial completion is expected in the first quarter of 2022.

10:33 EDT Deere 'optimistic' it will be price/cost positive in 2022

10:26 EDT Deere expects challenges with supply chain to continue through FY21, FY22 - The company does not expect operations to shut down at this time.

10:00 EDT Rafael Holdings falls -7.7% - Rafael Holdings is down -7.7%, or -$3.41 to $41.01.

10:00 EDT San Juan Basin Royalty Trust falls -18.5% - San Juan Basin Royalty Trust is down -18.5%, or -93c to $4.10.

10:00 EDT VirnetX rises 8.5% - VirnetX is up 8.5%, or 30c to $3.87.

10:00 EDT AiHuiShou rises 10.4% - AiHuiShou is up 10.4%, or 93c to $9.83.

09:47 EDT Blend Labs falls -11.9% - Blend Labs is down -11.9%, or -$2.35 to $17.43.

09:47 EDT Cango rises 6.8% - Cango is up 6.8%, or 24c to $3.82.

09:47 EDT Foot Locker rises 12.0% - Foot Locker is up 12.0%, or $6.50 to $60.89.

09:37 EDT Flora Growth Corporation trading resumes

09:31 EDT Greenpro's Angkasa-X signs MOU with Silkwave to develop first GEO-LEO - Greenpro Capital announced that its incubator company, Angkasa-X has signed a Memorandum of Understanding, or MOU, with Silkwave in forming a joint-venture strategic partnership to develop and operate the world's first GEO-LEO integrated satellite network and services platform to provide innovative integrated satellite-services to address the ASEAN region's varying needs in Internet connectivity, multimedia infotainment, vehicle-connected services, precision tracking and navigation, environmental monitoring and surveillance, and accelerating digital transformation to grow the digital economy for all communities in the ASEAN region. The Partnership is set to establish a Space Technology Ecosystem in Penang, Malaysia and to nurture the state into a supply chain and distribution hub for global satellite technologies for the ASEAN market. Both parties aim to set up an ASEAN-Greater Bay Area Space-Satellite Industry Alliance to accelerate technology and investment transfer to develop the ASEAN region as one of the world's largest satellite markets. Greenpro CEO, Dr. Lee said, "The Partnership is the first between a GEO and a LEO platform, which will bring about unprecedented synergies such as universal connectivity along with abundant low-cost and innovative infotainment and broadband data services to mass-market consumers throughout the ASEAN region. This will usher in a new era of digital transformation in this growth market and leapfrog it into one of the most advanced satellite service markets in the world."

09:19 EDT Foot Locker says delivered 'significant' margin gains in Q2 - Says has signed licensing agreement to enter Indonesia market. Says Q2 in-store foot traffic increased by double-digits. Says FLX membership increased 25% from Q1 to 25M members. Expects low double-digit sales growth from Atmos. Sees WSS reaching $1B in sales in next five years. Says financial position "remains strong." Comments taken from Q2 earnings conference call.

09:09 EDT Cryo-Cell completes acquisition of real estate property - Cryo-Cell Institute for Cellular Therapies' first clinic site is conveniently located in Durham NC, near the Raleigh-Durham International Airport. The 8,326 sq. ft. facility is well situated, with several nearby hotels to choose from for the families that are expected to be traveling from all over the world to the Institute to receive cellular therapies. The architectural planning for renovation of the clinic, which is scheduled to open in early 2022, has already begun. The clinic is expected to be outfitted with the most advanced technology, the safest and most efficient, yet comfortable and child friendly, layout possible and will be in compliance with all governing standards and latest guidelines with regard to COVID protection. Cryo-Cell Institute for Cellular Therapies will offer FDA-regulated cord blood treatments for conditions such as autism spectrum disorders, cerebral palsy, and hypoxic brain injuries.

09:03 EDT Sirius XM, TikTok announce launch of TikTok Radio - SiriusXM and TikTok announced the launch of TikTok Radio, the highly anticipated full-time music channel featuring the trending sounds that are redefining pop culture from TikTok. Presented by TikTok creators, tastemakers, top artists, and DJs, TikTok Radio will be available beginning August 20, at Noon ET, in vehicles and as a streaming channel on the SXM App, desktop, and all connected devices.

09:03 EDT Hexo announces $140M public offering - HEXO Corp announced the pricing of its previously announced overnight marketed public offering of units of the Company. The underwriters for the Offering have agreed to purchase 47,457,628 Units at a price of US$2.95 per Unit for total gross proceeds to the Company of approximately $140M, before deducting underwriting commissions and Offering expenses. Each Unit will be comprised of one common share of the Company and one half of one common share purchase warrant of the Company. Each Warrant will be exercisable to acquire one common share of the Company for a period of five years following the closing date of the Offering at an exercise price of $3.45 per Warrant Share, subject to adjustment in certain events. A.G.P./Alliance Global Partners and Cantor Fitzgerald Canada Corporation are acting as lead underwriters and joint bookrunners for the Offering, together with ATB Capital Markets Inc. which is acting as co-manager for the Offering. In addition, the Company has granted to the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional 7,118,644 Units offered in the Offering on the same terms and conditions. The Company expects to use the net proceeds from the Offering to satisfy a portion of the cash component of the purchase price payable to the Redecan shareholders on closing of the Redecan acquisition and for expenditures in relation to the Company's U.S. expansion plans. The Offering is expected to close on or about August 24, 2021 and will be subject to market and other customary conditions, including approval of the Toronto Stock Exchange.

08:59 EDT Cardinal Health recalls Argyle UVC insertion tray, FDA says - Cardinal Health is recalling the Argyle UVC Insertion Tray because it does not include specific Instructions for Use for the Safety Scalpel N11 contained in the tray. The Safety Scalpel N11 has a permanent locking feature that will not allow a clinician to unlock the scalpel once they have closed the safety shield and pushed it forward into a locked position. If the clinician is not aware of this permanent locking feature, there could be a delay in the procedure due to obtaining a replacement scalpel, the FDA said in a statement. There have been 10 complaints reported about this device issue. There were two reports of death in which the Safety Scalpel within the UVC kit locked permanently, and the clinician was unable to unlock for use during emergency UVC placement. No other injuries have been reported. 7,197 devices in the U.S. are involved in the recall. Reference Link

08:43 EDT U.K.'s CMA finds competition concerns with Nvidia's proposed Arm purchase - The Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport has published the executive summary of the Competition and Markets Authority's 'Phase One' report into the proposed acquisition of Arm Limited by NVIDIA Corporation. The CMA has advised that it is appropriate to publish the executive summary ahead of the full report, as has been done with other cases, because this is a high-profile international case, subject to significant interest, and it will increase transparency around the matter. The CMA's executive summary includes its assessment on jurisdictional and competition issues. The government has also separately been considering the national security implications of the transaction. The Digital Secretary is now considering the relevant information contained in the full report. He will make a decision on whether to ask the CMA to conduct a 'Phase Two' investigation in due course. In the summary, the CMA said it has found "significant competition concerns associated with the merged business' ability and incentive to harm the competitiveness of NVIDIA's rivals by restricting access to Arm's CPU IP and impairing interoperability between related products, so as to benefit NVIDIA's downstream activities and increase its profits. The CMA found significant competition concerns as a result of the effect of such foreclosure in the supply of CPUs, interconnect products, GPUs, and SoCs across several global markets, spanning the datacentre, internet-of-things, automotive and gaming console applications." Reference Link

08:35 EDT Save Foods files an updated presentation with the SEC - Save Foods filed an updated presentation with the SEC on August 18, 2021. David Palach, the Company's CEO, commented: "Communicating Save Foods' amazing story to our investors is a top priority for us. Our newly filed presentation was designed to refine our portrayal to highlight the innovation underlying our holistic treatments and the immediate benefits across all aspects of the supply chain - literally from seed to table."

08:33 EDT Global Ship Lease credit rating upgraded by S&P Global Ratings - Global Ship Lease announced that S&P Global Ratings has raised the Company's long-term issuer credit rating to BB- from B+, with a stable outlook, on the basis of its larger scale, increased diversification, enhanced contract coverage, expectation that favorable charter rate conditions will continue, and forecast of solid EBITDA performance and positive free cash flow generation.

08:32 EDT Zealand Pharma increases share capital as result of employee warrants exercise - Zealand Pharma has increased its share capital by a nominal amount of DKK 9,111 divided into 9,111 new shares with a nominal value of DKK 1 each. The increase is a consequence of the exercise of warrants granted under several of Zealand Pharma's employee warrant programs. Employee warrant programs are part of Zealand Pharma's incentive scheme, and each warrant gives the owner the right to subscribe for one new Zealand Pharma-share at a pre specified price, the exercise price, in specific predefined time periods before expiration. The exercise price was DKK 135.30 per share for 1,854 of the new shares and DKK 100.80 per share for 7,257 of the new shares. The total proceeds to Zealand Pharma from the capital increase amount to DKK 982,351.80. The new shares give rights to dividend and other rights from the time of the warrant holder's exercise notice. Each new share carries one vote at Zealand Pharma's general meetings. Zealand Pharma has only one class of shares. The new shares will be listed on Nasdaq Copenhagen after registration of the capital increase with the Danish Business Authority. Following registration of the new shares, the share capital of Zealand Pharma will be nominal DKK 43,550,949 divided into 43,550,949 shares with a nominal value of DKK 1 each.

08:13 EDT Naked Brand Group chairman 'delighted to confirm' finding merger partner - In a regulatory filing, the company disclosed its Chairman's Address ahead of today's Annual Meeting of Shareholders. As part of his address, Chairman Justin Davis-Rice states: "Before we begin with the formal portion of the shareholder's meeting, I know many of you are eager for an update on the status of our plans to find a merger or acquisition partner. As we have said previously, we believe our strong cash position and tremendous shareholder base are assets that make Naked a highly attractive partner. Whilst many smaller opportunities exist and would seem easier to execute quickly, we have always believed and still strongly believe our attributes afford us the right to be selective seeking to partner with a substantial company, one that is an industry leader, with compelling growth prospects and disruptive technology. Over the past several months, our management has travelled extensively, meeting with companies that potentially meet those criteria. I am delighted to confirm we believe we have found such a company. We have recently reached preliminary agreement on non-binding terms and are now conducting due diligence. The company is in a sector which has been forecast to have strong growth for many decades to come. There is, of course, no guarantee that we will complete the deal, on the preliminary terms we have negotiated, or at all." Shares of Naked Brand are up 17.5% in pre-market trading at 59c per share.

08:06 EDT Naked Brand Group chairman says being selective about seeking merger partner - In a regulatory filing, the company disclosed its Chairman's Address ahead of today's Annual Meeting of Shareholders: "This year has marked the transformation of Naked. With the divestiture of the bricks-and-mortar operations of Bendon we have solidified our balance sheet following the completion of multiple strategic capital financings resulting in a net cash position of $270 million after repayment of all previous bank debt . Naked has realigned its leadership team with the re-appointment of Mr. Davis-Rice as CEO and appointment of Simon Tripp, a seasoned investment banker and M&A executive, to the Board of Directors. Mr. Tripp has over 30 years of diversified business, capital markets and investment banking experience, managing both public and private companies across various sectors. We also appointed Mr. Mark Ziirsen as Chief Financial Officer, a finance executive with 30 years of financial and operational experience. Mark has extensive experience with public company finance as a corporate officer and audit committee member. His executive career spans senior finance leadership roles with major ASX listed companies. The closing of the Bendon divestiture represents a key milestone in Naked's corporate history. It has been a very long journey with many challenges that our management team had to overcome from an operational and financing perspective. I strongly believe we did what was best for our shareholders and have now positioned Naked with the necessary capital and structure to drive shareholder value in the coming months and years. We have a strong balance sheet, no debt and an asset-light operating model and we see a very favourable M&A environment around the globe. Before we begin with the formal portion of the shareholder's meeting, I know many of you are eager for an update on the status of our plans to find a merger or acquisition partner. As we have said previously, we believe our strong cash position and tremendous shareholder base are assets that make Naked a highly attractive partner. Whilst many smaller opportunities exist and would seem easier to execute quickly, we have always believed and still strongly believe our attributes afford us the right to be selective seeking to partner with a substantial company, one that is an industry leader, with compelling growth prospects and disruptive technology. Over the past several months, our management has travelled extensively, meeting with companies that potentially meet those criteria. I am delighted to confirm we believe we have found such a company. We have recently reached preliminary agreement on non-binding terms and are now conducting due diligence. The company is in a sector which has been forecast to have strong growth for many decades to come. There is, of course, no guarantee that we will complete the deal, on the preliminary terms we have negotiated, or at all." Shares of Naked Brand are up 17.5% in pre-market trading at 59c per share.

08:03 EDT Equus shareholders grant authorization to withdraw BDC election - Equus Total Return announced that shareholders, collectively holding 7,511,448 shares have authorized the Company's Board of Directors to cause the Company's withdrawal of its election to be classified as a business development company under the Investment Company Act of 1940 as part of a potential strategic transformation of Equus into an operating company. In connection with this authorization, the Company has filed an Information Statement on Schedule 14C, dated August 18, 2021. The Company has examined a number of potential transactions in a variety of sectors, including energy, natural resources, containers and packaging, real estate, media, technology, and telecommunications. These reviews have included consideration of potential strategic transactions to maximize value to shareholders as an operating company not subject to the 1940 Act. The authorization granted by the Company's shareholders allows the Board to withdraw the Company's BDC authorization on or prior to January 31, 2022 as part of a potential strategic transformation of Equus into an operating company. Although Equus has been authorized to withdraw and terminate the Company's BDC election under the 1940 Act, it will not submit any such withdrawal unless and until Equus has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire an operating company.

08:02 EDT Amyris reports 'promising in-vivo results' from study of licensed RNA vaccine - Amyris announced promising in-vivo results in a study of its licensed RNA vaccine through intranasal delivery, developed in collaboration with the Infectious Disease Research Institute. In-vivo results indicate that, when delivered to the mucosal membranes via intranasal administration, the Amyris/IDRI RNA vaccine generates antibodies and provides upper respiratory protection for SARS-CoV-2, which Amyris believes has the potential to provide fuller protection against current variants of SARS-CoV-2. The Amyris/IDRI RNA technology may also support the potential for intranasal vaccine delivery that can protect against SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory diseases, including the flu. If approved and commercialized, the Amyris/IDRI RNA vaccine is targeted to be more accessible to people in underserved countries. In addition, the intranasal vaccine may offer improved upper respiratory protection beyond currently approved vaccines.

07:33 EDT Newcore Gold announces annual grant of equity incentive awards - Newcore Gold announces the annual grant of equity incentive awards. Newcore has granted 1,190,000 stock options, 370,000 restricted share units and 400,000 performance share units to various employees, directors and executives of the Company. The stock options were granted at a price of $0.54 per share for a period of five years. The Equity Incentive Awards are subject to regulatory approval, are granted under the Company's long-term incentive plan and are subject to vesting provisions.

07:32 EDT Agile Therapeutics partners with Pandia Health to increase access to Twirla - Agile Therapeutics announced a partnership with Pandia Health which will establish the first telehealth relationship for Agile and offer an additional point of access to Twirla transdermal system in a fast-growing channel. Pandia Health offers convenient prescription fulfillment for women with active birth control prescriptions, as well as access to expert birth control doctors who can provide prescriptions through asynchronous online visits. The Company and Pandia plan to phase in the availability of Twirla in the second half of 2021.

07:31 EDT Mudrick Capital Acquisition Corporation II, Topps merger mutually terminated - Mudrick Capital Acquisition Corporation II announced that the Agreement and Plan of Merger with Topps Intermediate Holdco, Inc. and Tornante-MDP Joe Holding LLC has been terminated by mutual agreement, after notification on August 19, 2021 from Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association that they would not be renewing their respective agreements with The Topps Company when they come up for renewal at the end of 2025 and 2022, respectively.

07:14 EDT New Mexico court rules Intrepid Potash's Pecos River water rights forfeited - In a regulatory 8K filing yesterday, the company stated: "As previously disclosed, Intrepid Potash has been involved in a multi-year adjudication proceeding in the Fifth Judicial District Court for the County of Chaves in the State of New Mexico regarding the validity of Intrepid's water rights from the Pecos River. On August 17, 2021, the Fifth Judicial District Court, which serves as the adjudication court for the Pecos Stream System, ruled that all of Intrepid's Pecos River water rights, except for 150 acre feet per year for salt processing use, were either forfeited or abandoned before 2017. Based on the ruling, Intrepid no longer has water rights available for commercial use from the Pecos River. Intrepid reserves the right to appeal the ruling and is reviewing its options. Intrepid relied primarily upon the Pecos River to deliver water under a long-term sales contract with a customer, which had a $32.5M outstanding contract liability as of June 30, 2021. Intrepid has worked closely with this customer since the inception of this proceeding, especially over the past 18 months while these water rights have been unavailable, and will continue to work with this customer on methods to satisfy its obligations through additional services or sources of water, or repay the contract liability. As of the date of this filing, Intrepid has sufficient liquidity to satisfy this obligation, if necessary, without a material adverse effect to its operations."

07:10 EDT Deere sees Construction and Forestry net sales up 30% for FY - Sees operating margin 13%-14%.

07:06 EDT Rubicon Organics sees increase in revenue trajectory throughout 2H21 - The company said, "During the second quarter of 2021, the Company maintained significant market share in the premium and organic product categories with its Simply Bare Organic brand. The brand continues to be the #1 organic dried flower product of choice in all provinces. The Company also maintained a top six position in premium in each of Ontario, Alberta and Quebec and remained the #1 premium brand in British Columbia. Consistent with industry trends and guidance, the shutting of stores in the first and second quarter of 2021 had a significant impact on sales to provincial distributors relative to forecasts, particularly in Ontario and Alberta. This trend began to reverse in the last two weeks of the second quarter as stores in Ontario partially re-opened. Exiting the second quarter and for the third quarter to date, we have seen accelerating retail sales velocity, indicating a strong consumer demand in the premium segment for our Simply Bare Organic brand. Rubicon believes that the combination of its 132% increase in SKU count, new brands in key Canadian markets and an Ontario restocking event in September of 2021 will increase our revenue trajectory throughout the second half of 2021. COVID-19 related store closures impacted Rubicon Organics' ability to achieve its previously disclosed Adjusted EBITDA and operating cash flow targets during the six months ended June 30, 2021. As a proactive measure, Rubicon Organics undertook a company-wide restructuring during the period and has achieved annualized savings of $2.6 million. The Company's current expectation for the achievement of key milestones remains in the second half of 2021, subject to the timing of shipments of new SKUs to large provincial buyers. With our recent expansion in available SKUs and increased sales velocity, we remain confident in the appeal of our brands and our strategy to win in the premium market."

07:02 EDT Conifex Timber curtailing Mackenzie lumber production - Conifex Timber announced that it has made the difficult decision to temporarily curtail lumber production at its Mackenzie, British Columbia sawmill for two weeks commencing August 23, 2021. "A combination of record high delivered log costs and the unprecedented collapse in lumber prices has necessitated a temporary curtailment for two weeks." said Ken Shields, Chairman and CEO. Bioenergy operations will remain uninterrupted.

06:54 EDT The Buckle says will not report SSS for periods most affected by store closures - Results for fiscal 2020 were significantly impacted by the company's closure of all brick and mortar stores due to the COVID-19 pandemic beginning March 18, 2020. As a result of the impact of the store closures on prior year reported net sales, the company will report total net sales compared to the past two years and does not plan to separately report comparable store sales for the periods most affected by the store closures.

06:52 EDT Foot Locker says its cautiously optimistic about second half of FY21 - Andrew Page added, "We exited the quarter with positive momentum and are cautiously optimistic about the outlook for the back-half of 2021. Recognizing we are still operating in an uncertain environment due to COVID-19, we continue to keep a close eye on the business, including temporary store closures and supply chain challenges, and we remain disciplined with expense management."

06:45 EDT MSCI signs license agreement with HKEX - MSCI announced that it has signed a license agreement with Hong Kong Futures Exchange Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited, to allow HKEX to launch an index futures contract based on the new MSCI China A 50 Connect Index, subject to regulatory approvals. This new agreement will add to the suite of MSCI Asia and Emerging Market futures and options launched by HKEX in 2020, and underscores the ongoing strategic partnership between MSCI and HKEX.

06:08 EDT Alexion discontinues Ultomiris Phase III trial based on IDMC recommendation - Alexion is discontinuing CHAMPION-ALS, the global Phase III clinical trial of Ultomiris in adults with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, parent AstraZeneca said in a statement. This decision is based on the recommendation of the Independent Data Monitoring Committee, following their review of data from a pre-specified interim analysis. The IDMC recommended that the trial be discontinued due to lack of efficacy. No new safety findings were observed and the data were consistent with the established safety profile of Ultomiris. Gianluca Pirozzi, MD, PhD, Senior Vice President, Head of Development and Safety, Alexion, said: "We are disappointed by this outcome and what it means for patients with this devastating disease. We would like to thank the entire ALS community as well as investigators and healthcare professionals who dedicated their time and expertise to this trial. We continue to be confident in the potential of targeting C5 for complement-driven diseases and remain fully committed to our efforts to serve the rare disease community." Reference Link

06:02 EDT Precision Drilling announces renewal of normal course issuer bid - The NCIB effectively renews the existing NCIB, which is scheduled to terminate on August 26. Precision believes the NCIB continues to represent another tool for the Company to enhance the value of its underlying shares. Pursuant to the renewed NCIB, the company has been authorized by the TSX to acquire up to a maximum of 1,317,158 Common Shares, or approximately 10% of the public float as of August 13, for cancellation. Purchases under the NCIB may commence on August 27 and will terminate no later than August 26, 2022, or such earlier time as the company completes its purchases pursuant to the NCIB or provides notice of termination.

05:15 EDT Pershing Square Tontine Holdings issues shareholder letter regarding lawsuit - Pershing Square Tontine Holdings CEO Bill Ackman issued the following letter: "A purported shareholder filed a lawsuit on August 17th claiming that PSTH has been operating as an illegal investment company because, among other claims, PSTH invested its IPO proceeds in securities (short-term Treasurys and money market funds that own short-term Treasurys). This is of course something all SPACs do as they preserve funds necessary to complete their initial business combinations. As the law professors who brought the case should very well know (as both are securities law experts), holding cash and government securities while seeking a business combination does not make PSTH an illegal investment company, nor does it make any of the hundreds of other SPACs that do the same, illegal investment companies either. While we believe the lawsuit is meritless, the nature of the suit and our legal system make it unlikely that it can be resolved in the short term. Even if the case were dismissed expeditiously, the plaintiff can then appeal. As a result, the mere existence of the litigation may deter potential merger partners from working with PSTH on a transaction until the lawsuit is finally resolved. Because the basic issues raised here apply to every SPAC, a successful claim would imply that every SPAC may also be an illegal investment company. As a result, the lawsuit may have a chilling effect on the ability of other SPACs to consummate merger transactions or to engage in IPOs until the litigation is resolved in PSTH's favor, as the consequences of being deemed an illegal investment company are extremely onerous. PSTH has about 11 months remaining to enter into a letter of intent with a transaction counterparty for its initial business combination, and six additional months to close that transaction. This period may be extended by up to six months by a vote of PSTH shareholders. While we have been working diligently to identify and close a transaction, and we have begun discussions with potential merger candidates, our ability to complete a transaction in the required time frame has been impaired by the lawsuit. All is not lost, however. As we have previously disclosed, we have been working on obtaining approval for the launch of Pershing Square SPARC Holdings, Ltd. ("SPARC"). If we are successful in securing SPARC's approval, and I am confident that we will get it done, we will have a clear path to mitigate the harm that this litigation has and will continue to cause to PSTH shareholders and warrant holders... The lawsuit includes misleading statements and inferences, among them that PSTH's sponsor, a wholly owned affiliate of the Pershing Square Funds (the "Sponsor"), has been "promised" "staggering compensation" of $880 million". This headline grabbing assertion is wholly fabricated - none of PSTH's directors nor its Sponsor has received or has been promised any compensation of any kind. As you may be aware, the Sponsor paid $65 million in cash for the Sponsor Warrants at the time of our IPO. The purchase price for the warrants was based on their fair value as determined with the assistance of a nationally recognized, third-party valuation firm. The Sponsor Warrants have features which increase their alignment with our shareholders that include a restriction on selling, hedging, or transferring the warrants for three years after the initial business combination takes place. The Sponsor Warrants have the potential of becoming materially more valuable in the event PSTH is successful in completing a merger with a company whose stock price increases substantially over many years. The Sponsor Warrants will likely be worthless if we do not consummate a high-quality transaction on favorable terms. Even if the Universal Music Group business combination had been completed as anticipated, the Sponsor would not have received any Sponsor Warrants, as it agreed to waive its right to receive warrants in that transaction. Notably, the proposed then abandoned PSTH/UMG de-SPAC transaction is the only SPAC business combination transaction of which we are aware where the sponsor would have received no additional consideration in the form of fees, founder stock, promotes or other benefits compared to other shareholders. Had the transaction closed, the Pershing Square Funds would have invested $1.6 billion in PSTH units on precisely the same terms as every other investor who bought stock in our IPO. As the plaintiffs are certainly aware, the time required to resolve the lawsuit and remove its overhang on the company will increase the likelihood that the Sponsor and Director Warrants will expire worthless. Rather than being "promised" $880 million in "compensation," the Sponsor and Directors have received no value, and are at risk of experiencing a total loss. This fact is not lost on the litigants, and it is one of the pressure tactics that they likely believe can be brought to bear to motivate us to settle the litigation and enrich the lawyers involved at the expense of our shareholders and warrant holders. Unfortunately for them, it won't work. We will work diligently to make rapid progress on obtaining approvals for SPARC so that we can return your cash, preserve the value of our outstanding shareholder warrants, and give you a free option to invest in our next transaction in a better structured vehicle. That would be our greatest pleasure..."

05:09 EDT Tiziana Life Sciences to change corporate structure, delist shares in London - Tiziana Life Sciences announced that it has formally commenced its strategic plan to change its corporate structure by establishing Tiziana Life Sciences Ltd, or New Tiziana, a Bermuda-incorporated company, as the ultimate parent company of the of the Tiziana Group. The reorganization will be achieved by a scheme of arrangement under Part 26 of the Companies Act 2006..As set out below, upon implementation of the Scheme, holders of ordinary shares in Old Tiziana will receive shares in New Tiziana in exchange for their Old Tiziana Shares. It is proposed that the New Tiziana Shares will be directly listed on Nasdaq following the Scheme becoming effective. At the same time the Old Tiziana Shares will be delisted from the standard segment of the official list of the Financial Conduct Authority, or FCA, and from trading on the main market of the London Stock Exchange plc in London and the ADSs will cease trading on Nasdaq. Holders of Old Tiziana Shares and ADSs will instead receive New Tiziana Shares which will only trade on Nasdaq. Details of the Scheme and the required shareholder and court convened meetings to approve it will be sent to shareholders shortly. Following a review of the appropriate place(s) of listing and domicile for the parent company of the Tiziana Group, the board of directors of Old Tiziana has concluded that the interests of its business and shareholders are best served by aligning the place of the listing with the principal business activities of the Tiziana Group, which are predominately based in the U.S. Therefore, the board intends to establish a direct listing on Nasdaq. Given this intention, the board concluded that England was not the most appropriate domicile for the parent company of the Tiziana Group because it is not possible to directly list shares of English companies on Nasdaq. Therefore, if Old Tiziana remained the parent company of the Tiziana Group, only ADSs in respect of Old Tiziana Shares could be listed on Nasdaq. The board believes that listing shares on Nasdaq directly, as opposed to maintaining its current listing of ADSs, will provide for greater analyst coverage, liquidity and reduce costs for shareholders. Therefore, the scheme will establish a new Tiziana Group holding company, New Tiziana, incorporated in Bermuda, with its tax residence in the United Kingdom. Bermuda is a well-established jurisdiction for companies traded on Nasdaq and New Tiziana Shares can be directly listed on Nasdaq. The scheme will require the approval of shareholders at the Court Meeting and the General Meeting. If the Scheme is approved by the requisite majorities at the court meeting and the relevant resolutions are passed at the general meeting, an application will be made to the Companies Court of England and Wales to sanction the Scheme. If the scheme is sanctioned by the Companies Court, the Court order sanctioning the Scheme will be delivered to the UK Registrar of Companies at which point the Scheme becomes legally effective. At the same time as the scheme becomes effective the Old Tiziana Shares will be delisted from the standard segment of the official list of the FCA and from trading on the main market of the London Stock Exchange plc in London. The Old Tiziana ADSs will also cease trading on Nasdaq. Holders of all Old Tiziana Shares and ADSs will instead receive New Tiziana Shares, which will only trade on Nasdaq .