Stockwinners Market Radar for August 28, 2021 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

17:02 EDT Synchrony recommends shareholder reject mini-tender offer by TRC Capital - Synchrony Financial "announced that it received notice of an unsolicited "mini-tender" offer by TRC Capital Corporation to purchase up to 2.5M shares of Synchrony's common stock at a price of $47.00 per share in cash. The offering price is 4.47% below the closing price per share of Synchrony's common stock on August 20, 2021, the last trading day before the offer was commenced. The offer is for approximately 0.44% of the outstanding shares of Synchrony's common stock. Synchrony does not endorse TRC Capital's unsolicited mini-tender offer and recommends that shareholders do not tender their shares."

16:36 EDT Amazon partners with Affirm to deliver pay-over-time option - Affirm (AFRM) announced that its flexible payment solution will soon be available to Amazon.com (AMZN) customers at checkout. Amazon and Affirm are testing with select customers now, and in the coming months, Amazon plans to make Affirm more broadly available to its customers. As a result of Amazon and Affirm's partnership, select Amazon customers now have the option to split the total cost of purchases of $50 or more into simple monthly payments by using Affirm.

16:31 EDT Brookfield Infrastructure increases ownership in Inter Pipeline to 73.0% - Brookfield Infrastructure (BIP), together with its institutional partners, announce that Brookfield Infrastructure has paid for the additional 18,369,800 Inter Pipeline (IPPLF) common shares tendered under its Offer as of August 25, 2021, increasing Brookfield Infrastructure's aggregate ownership of Inter Pipeline's common shares from 68.7% to 73.0%.

16:02 EDT Community West Bancshares authorizes extension to stock buyback plan - Community West Bancshares, parent company of Community West Bank, announced that its board extended the stock repurchase plan until August 31, 2023. The balance available for common stock repurchase from the authorized $4.5M is $1,435,783.

15:24 EDT Support.com halted for vitality after paring gains, still up 52% to $29.98

13:02 EDT Baker Hughes reports U.S. rig count up 5 to 508 rigs - Baker Hughes reports that the U.S. rig count is up 5 from last week to 508 with oil rigs up 5 to 410, gas rigs unchanged at 97, and miscellaneous rigs unchanged at 1. The U.S. Rig Count is up 254 rigs from last year's count of 254, with oil rigs up 230 gas rigs up 25 and miscellaneous rigs down 1 to 1. The U.S. Offshore Rig Count is unchanged at 15, up 2 year-over-year. The Canada Rig Count is down 9 from last week to 147, with oil rigs down 10 to 85, gas rigs up 2 to 62 and miscellaneous down 1 to 0. The Canada Rig Count is up 93 rigs from last year's count of 54, with oil rigs up 66, gas rigs up 27 and miscellaneous unchanged at 0.

13:01 EDT Blue Water Acquisition reports investor approval of combination with Clarus Therapeutics - Blue Water Acquisition Corp., a special purpose acquisition company, announced that its stockholders have voted to approve the proposed business combination with Clarus Therapeutics at its special meeting of stockholders held today, August 27, 2021. Holders of approximately 73.95% of Blue Water's issued and outstanding shares cast votes at the Special Meeting. Approximately 69.57% of the votes cast at the Special Meeting voted to approve the Business Combination. A total of 3,270,531 shares of common stock were presented for redemption in connection with the Special Meeting. There will be approximately $25.29M remaining in the trust account following redemptions. In light of receipt of the requisite approvals by Blue Water's stockholders, Blue Water expects the Business Combination to be completed promptly following the satisfaction or waiver of the other conditions to the consummation of the Business Combination, as applicable. As previously announced, the combined company will be named "Clarus Therapeutics Holdings, Inc." and its common stock is expected to start trading on the Nasdaq Global Market following the closing under the new ticker symbol "CRXT."

12:52 EDT SEC requests comments on 'gamification' practices by broker-dealers - The Securities and Exchange Commission announced that it is requesting information and public comment on matters related to the use of digital engagement practices by broker-dealers and investment advisers. "These tools include behavioral prompts, differential marketing, game-like features (commonly referred to as gamification), and other design elements or features designed to engage with retail investors on digital platforms (e.g., websites, portals, and applications), as well as the analytical and technological tools and methods (collectively called digital engagement practices (DEPs))," the agency said in a statement. The SEC is issuing the request to develop a better understanding of the market practices associated with firms' use of DEPs and is also hoping to learn "what conflicts of interest may arise from optimization practices and whether those optimization practices affect the determination of whether DEPs are making a recommendation or providing investment advice." Shares of Robinhood (HOOD) fell following the SEC's statement and are now flat in afternoon trading.

12:31 EDT CIBC's better-than-expected results spur analysts to boost price targets - Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CM) released its third quarter earnings before the open on Thursday. QUARTERLY RESULTS: The Canadian bank reported Q3 adjusted earnings per share of C$3.93 against a consensus estimate of C$3.41, on adjusted revenue of C$5.06B against a consensus of $4.94B. CIBC CEO Victor Dodig commented on the results, saying, "We continue to deliver purpose-driven growth across all of our business units as we work with our clients to help them achieve their ambitions. This quarter's record top-line revenue and earnings per share underscore the breadth and quality of the growth we have across all of our key business units, as we continue to successfully navigate an uncertain environment by staying focused on our clients and on the wellbeing of our team. This quarter we continued to make strategic investments in our future growth as we have throughout the pandemic." ANALYST REACTION: National Bank analyst Gabriel Dechaine raised his firm's price target on CIBC to C$168 from C$159 and kept an Outperform rating on the shares. Similarly, Scotiabank analyst Meny Grauman raised his firm's price target on shares to C$168 from C$166 and also kept an Outperform rating on the shares. Analysts from Canaccord, BMO Capital, Credit Suisse, and TD Securities also raised their price targets on CIBC following the earnings report. STOCK MOVEMENT: Despite the better-than-expected results and the bullish analyst commentary, shares of CIBC dropped from C$152.20 on Thursday's open to C$147.92 at time of writing.

12:13 EDT Manchester United jumps after reaching deal with Juventus for Ronaldo - Manchester United confirmed that the club has reached agreement with Juventus for the transfer of Cristiano Ronaldo, subject to agreement of personal terms, visa and medical. Shares of Manchester United are up 9% to $18.82 in midday trading. Reference Link

12:04 EDT Manchester United extends rally, up 10% to $19 after Ronaldo signing

12:00 EDT Small Cap Bear 3x falls -7.8% - Small Cap Bear 3x is down -7.8%, or -$2.42 to $28.79.

12:00 EDT Bill.com rises 27.4% - Bill.com is up 27.4%, or $60.02 to $279.07.

12:00 EDT Navios Acquisition rises 46.0% - Navios Acquisition is up 46.0%, or 96c to $3.06.

11:47 EDT Genentech to voluntarily withdraw U.S. accelerated approval for Tecentriq - Genentech announced that the company has made the decision to voluntarily withdraw the U.S. accelerated approval for Tecentriq in combination with chemotherapy, for the treatment of adults with unresectable locally advanced or metastatic triple-negative breast cancer whose tumors express PD-L1, as determined by a U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved test. Genentech made this decision following consultation with the FDA based on the agency's assessment of the current mTNBC treatment landscape and in accordance with the requirements of the accelerated approval program. This decision only impacts the mTNBC indication in the U.S. It does not affect other approved indications for Tecentriq in the U.S. and outside the U.S., including mTNBC. This is not related to any changes in either the efficacy or safety associated with Tecentriq. Tecentriq was granted accelerated approval by the FDA for the mTNBC indication in March 2019, making it the first immunotherapy agent to be approved in this setting. Approval was based on the progression-free survival results of the Phase III IMpassion130 study for people with mTNBC whose tumors express PD-L1. Continued approval for this indication was contingent upon the results of IMpassion131, the postmarketing requirement. This study did not meet its primary endpoint of PFS for the initial treatment of people with mTNBC in the PD-L1-positive population. The results of both studies were discussed at the FDA Oncology Drugs Advisory Committe, which voted 7 to 2 on April 27, 2021, in favor of maintaining the accelerated approval of Tecentriq in combination with nab-paclitaxel for the treatment of people with PD-L1-positive mTNBC. Since then, Genentech has been working diligently with the FDA on a possible alternative PMR. However due to the recent changes in the treatment landscape, the FDA no longer considers it appropriate to maintain the accelerated approval. This led to the difficult decision to voluntarily withdraw the U.S. mTNBC indication. Genentech will work with the FDA over the coming weeks to complete the withdrawal process. Genentech is notifying healthcare professionals in the U.S. about this withdrawal. Patients in the U.S. being treated with Tecentriq for PD-L1-positive mTNBC should discuss their care with their healthcare provider.

11:37 EDT Cassava says scientific integrity allegations 'false and misleading' - The company said in a statement, "Cassava Sciences is aware of allegations that are being made by a party that yesterday admitted it holds a short position in the Company's stock. (A short position allows an investor to profit from a drop in the Company's stock price.) Cassava Sciences believes claims made by this party regarding scientific integrity are false and misleading. The Company stands behind its science, its scientists and its scientific collaborators, and is responding to ensure the facts are known and respected."

11:35 EDT Cassava Sciences comments on plasma p-tau analysis - Cassava Sciences (SAVA) released a statement regarding plasma p-tau analysis from a previously disclosed randomized, controlled Phase 2b clinical study in patients with Alzheimer's disease. The company said, "For this study, Cassava Sciences contracted with Quanterix Corp., a highly regarded, independent laboratory, to perform sample testing on blinded samples. The Phase 2b clinical study was conducted by Cassava Sciences. Quanterix' sole responsibility with regard to this clinical study was to perform sample testing, specifically, to measure levels of p-tau in plasma samples collected from study subjects." Added CEO Remi Barbier: "To ensure data integrity, it is standard industry practice to keep separate the people who generate the data from the people who analyze the data. That certainly was the case here. Anything different is a distortion of the facts."

11:17 EDT Avenue Therapeutics dispute resolution request denied by FDA - Avenue Therapeutics disclosed earlier that it received an appeal denied letter from the Office of Neuroscience of the FDA in response to its formal dispute resolution request submitted in July with respect to the Complete Response Letters previously issued by the FDA to Avenue related to its intravenous tramadol New Drug Application. Avenue intends to continue to pursue regulatory approval for IV tramadol..

10:16 EDT Izea surpasses $23.5M in managed services bookings YTD - IZEA Worldwide announced that it has surpassed $23.5M in Managed Services Bookings Year to Date. Total managed services bookings for the full 2020 fiscal year were $17.3M. "We started to see a material uptick in year over year bookings beginning in Q4 of 2020, and that trend has continued throughout 2021," commented Ted Murphy, Founder and CEO of IZEA. "We have added three new Fortune 500 customers in the month of August alone, and Managed Services bookings for the third quarter so far are already up 50% compared to Q3 2020, with another month to go. SaaS customer count has broken its previous record thus far in the third quarter, led primarily by IZEAx Discovery and continued expansion of IZEAx Unity Suite among smaller brands and agencies."

10:00 EDT Huaneng Power falls -5.7% - Huaneng Power is down -5.7%, or -$1.14 to $19.01.

10:00 EDT Big Lots falls -10.9% - Big Lots is down -10.9%, or -$5.93 to $48.32.

10:00 EDT Bill.com rises 18.6% - Bill.com is up 18.6%, or $40.80 to $259.85.

09:56 EDT IronNet Inc (Class A Stock) trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:47 EDT Navios Maritime Partners falls -7.2% - Navios Maritime Partners is down -7.2%, or -$1.84 to $23.82.

09:47 EDT Ubiquiti rises 6.8% - Ubiquiti is up 6.8%, or $20.46 to $321.00.

09:47 EDT Bill.com rises 13.6% - Bill.com is up 13.6%, or $29.84 to $248.90.

09:31 EDT Inpixon secures order for hundreds of RF sensors for U.S Federal Government - Inpixon announced it has received a purchase order for hundreds of high-end, next-generation, multi-tech radio frequency sensors for a U.S. federal government customer.

09:22 EDT Terreno Realty acquires property in Hayward, CA for $8.3M - Terreno Realty acquired an industrial property located in Hayward, California on August 26, 2021 for a purchase price of approximately $8.3M. The property consists of two industrial distribution buildings containing approximately 41,000 square feet on 2.0 acres. The property is 92% leased to 10 tenants, all of which expire by December 2025. The estimated stabilized cap rate of the property is 4.9%.

09:18 EDT Bank of Marin announces retirement of EVP Reizman, appoints new EVP - Bank of Marin announced the retirement of Beth Reizman, Executive Vice President, or EVP, Chief Credit Officer. Reizman will retire on January 3, 2022. In the interim, on September 30, 2021, Reizman will step down from her role as Chief Credit Officer and remain on staff at Bank of Marin to facilitate a smooth transition of duties to her successor. Misako Stewart, age 53, currently Senior Vice President, Senior Credit Manager, will succeed Reizman as Executive Vice President, Chief Credit Officer.

09:16 EDT Walgreens Boots Alliance announces three appointments to leadership teams - Walgreens Boots Alliance announced three key executive leadership positions, as Danielle Gray was appointed Executive Vice President and Global Chief Legal Officer for WBA, Tracey Brown was named President of Retail Products and Chief Customer Officer for Walgreens, and Jeff Gruener will join Walgreens as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Gray joins WBA as Executive Vice President and Global Chief Legal Officer, and will be responsible for supporting the company's business strategy, goals and mitigating any legal barriers to achieving business objectives. She will set the organization's legal and compliance agenda. As President of Retail Products and Chief Customer Officer, a newly created position, Brown will be responsible for the Walgreens customer experience across all consumer touchpoints and will help to create and execute key strategies that move the business forward in a complex and dynamic competitive landscape. Gruener, SVP and Chief Financial Officer, will be responsible for leading the finance organization for Walgreens, which represents the U.S. segment of WBA. He will help to create and execute key strategies to advance business priorities related to financial matters for Walgreens.

09:14 EDT Newpark Resources CEO buys 30K shares of common stock - In a regulatory filing, Newpark Resources disclosed that its CEO Paul Howes bought 30K shares of common stock on August 26th in a total transaction size of $68.7K. Shares of Newpark Resources are up 4.8% in pre-market trading at $2.40.

09:05 EDT Cassava sinks after Quanterix says did not interpret Alzheimer's data - Shares of Cassava Sciences (SAVA) after Quanterix (QTRX) issued a statement in response to news reports related to Cassava. Quanterix said: "Cassava previously engaged Quanterix' Accelerator laboratory to perform sample testing based on blinded samples provided by Cassava. Quanterix or its employees did not interpret the test results or prepare the data charts presented by Cassava at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference in July 2021 or otherwise." Shares of Cassava are down 28%, or $19.75, to $51.10 in premarket trading. Quanterix' Simoa technology provides sensitivity for detecting and measuring biomarkers across a wide range of disease states, including neurology, oncology, and infectious disease. Simoa technology "has been trusted by 24 of the top 25 top pharmaceutical companies, and Quanterix customers have described the use of Simoa technology in over 1,300 research papers and presentations worldwide," the company stated in its press release.

09:04 EDT American Electric names Murphy Vice President of Applications, Business Solution - American Electric Power has named Anne Murphy vice president of Applications and Business Solutions, effective Aug. 30. She will be responsible for technology solutions for numerous AEP business units and organizations including: Energy Delivery; Generation; Grid Solutions; Commercial Operations; Supply Chain, Procurement and Fleet; and Security and Risk. Murphy has been employed with AEP as a contractor since January 2021 and will continue to report to Therace Risch, executive vice president and chief information and technology officer. In her most recent role, Murphy was the chief information officer at GreatCall.

09:03 EDT Green Plains engages Korn Ferry to search for director candidates - Green Plains announced updates to its board of directors as part of an ongoing board refreshment initiative. After seven years of service, Gene Edwards is retiring from the board of directors. The company has retained Korn Ferry to lead the search for qualified, diverse candidates to fulfill its previously announced commitment to add further diversity to the board prior to the 2022 annual meeting. Also, as described in the company's Form 8-K filed July 26, 2021, the company intends to reduce the size of its board to eight members by the 2023 annual shareholders meeting. As part of the refreshment initiative, the board of directors has also rotated the leadership and adjusted the composition of its key committees. Green Plains previously announced that its newest director, Martin Salinas, Jr., would serve as audit committee chair. In addition, the company announced today that Kim Wagner was named chairperson for the Nominating and Governance Committee and was appointed to the Audit Committee, and Brian Peterson was named chairperson for the Compensation Committee.

09:02 EDT Northrim BanCorp raises quarterly cash dividend to 38c per share - Northrim BanCorp announced that the Board of Directors increased its regular quarterly cash dividend to 38c per share. The dividend will be payable on September 17, 2021, to shareholders of record at the close of business on September 9, 2021.

08:49 EDT Abbott announces results from GUIDE-HF clinical trial - Abbott announced results of the landmark GUIDE-HF clinical trial, a 1,000 patient randomized study designed to assess the benefits of the CardioMEMS HF System in people living with NYHA Class II, III and IV heart failure. Data adjusted for the impact of COVID-19 show a strong reduction in a composite endpoint of heart failure hospitalizations, emergency visits and death in a broad range of patients, suggesting new benefits from the CardioMEMS device. CardioMEMS is currently approved for use in NYHA Class III patients with a prior heart failure hospitalization within the last year. The GUIDE-HF study examined an expanded patient population, including patients with NYHA Class II and Class IV heart failure, to evaluate the device in patients in earlier or later-stage disease progression. An analysis of the full one-year data set, of which 28% of the follow-up data was collected during COVID-19, showed CardioMEMS-guided patients had a lower composite endpoint rate of total heart failure events and death compared to the study's control group, which was not statistically significant. In an analysis of data adjusted for the impact of COVID-19, CardioMEMS demonstrated a significant 19% reduction in the study's composite endpoint and a 28% reduction in heart failure hospitalizations.

08:43 EDT Acasti Pharma announces 8-1 reverse stock split - In connection with the merger and in furtherance to the advisory resolution passed by shareholders approving the reverse split, Acasti confirms that a reverse split of its common stock at an 8-1 ratio will be implemented to help regain compliance with NASDAQ minimum bid price rule, as described in more detail in the Circular, and is expected to be made effective on NASDAQ and the TSXV at the start of trading on August 31st.

08:40 EDT Staffing 360 Solutions expects Q3 operating results to exceed those in Q2 - Staffing 360 Solutions released a letter to shareholders from Brendan Flood, Chairman, CEO and President, which read in part, " As Chairman, CEO and President of Staffing 360 Solutions, I am pleased to take this opportunity to review our 2021 progress as we emerge from the worldwide pandemic environment, discuss recent events, and update our shareholders on the opportunities and growth initiatives we are pursuing. We are encouraged with the strong performance in our second quarter. As recently reported in our Q2 and six-month results, the mid-point in 2021 marks growth in our business and a number of improved KPIs. To highlight just two, in Q2 revenue grew 23% and gross profit grew 37% as compared with last year. Also, our balance sheet is now greatly improved as a result of the substantive progress made since June 2020, including: Maintained the $6 million reduction in overhead removed in 2020, Received full forgiveness of $19.4 million in PPP loans from the Small Business Administration, Completed capital raises totaling $43 million, Reduced non-receivables debt and redeemable preference shares from $72.3 million to $13.5 million - decreasing our interest burden by more than $3.6 million per annum, We are now in compliance with Nasdaq's Equity Requirement with today's preliminary pro forma stockholders' equity of $22.5 million - far above the $2.5 million requirement. As an emerging company in the staffing space, the recent series of financings were principally undertaken to reduce debt and to move us to an increased financially strengthened position. Thus, providing us with greater flexibility to both explore ways to pay off our high interest debt completely and selectively seek accretive acquisitions, while we simultaneously work to drive organic growth...With an improved balance sheet, we are now in a substantially strengthened financial position. Our efforts are focused on building a successful business and, just as importantly, rebuilding investor confidence and trust. I look forward to our executing on our business plan to help drive improved near-term results. We expect that Q3 operating results should exceed those reported in Q2, and that Q4 should show further improvement over Q3 as discussed on the most recent Q2 Conference Call. If all goes as anticipated, we look to achieve positive net income by the end of Q4. Organic growth in our six operating brands is being enhanced by the expansion of our geographic footprint into new regions - and aided by increasing cross sales between our brands. Our growth initiative also includes more fully exposing our clients to our entire suite of services/brands. The ability to offer clients a one-stop-shop is a sales advantage...Our goal is to grow the Company organically and through select accretive M&A transactions on our way to achieving sustainable, profitable growth to a $500 million revenue company over the next two years. We are seeing promising and positive indications in each of our five verticals, while industry trends continue to improve. We've concluded that now is the right time to enhance our investment community outreach, introducing the Staffing 360 Solutions opportunity to an expanded audience. Last week we presented at two virtual conferences, and our next virtual conference presentation is set for mid-September. Our IR plan includes regular attendance at select investment conferences and also meeting with investors targeted outside of our conference schedule."

08:33 EDT Phunware announces the launch of PhunCoin - Phunware announced the launch of PhunCoin, a security token. "PhunCoin is a cryptocurrency uniquely positioned for mainstream adoption because it is leveraging the global reach and distribution of a NASDAQ-listed company that specializes in consumer engagement and monetization," the company said. Managed by PhunWallet, which is available on Apple App Store and Google Play, PhunCoin works alongside PhunToken in support of a dual token economy that seeks to blockchain-enable Phunware's CDP. While PhunToken is now available for purchase here, PhunCoin will only be available to purchase pursuant to approved regulatory exemptions. To ensure the compliant tokenization of PhunCoin, Phunware has engaged Securitize, the first blockchain-based SEC-registered transfer agent.

08:31 EDT Gambling.com gets temporary supplier license from Arizona Department of Gaming - Gambling.com announced that it has been issued a temporary supplier license by the Arizona Department of Gaming to provide marketing services for licensed operators in the state. In anticipation of the launch of legal mobile sports betting, the Group has launched BetArizona.com, its latest free-to-use website which allows consumers in Arizona to compare legal online sports betting services. Sports betting fans can begin pre-registering for online sportsbooks through BetArizona.com starting on Saturday, August 28th.

08:22 EDT Quanterix releases statement regarding Cassava Sciences sample testing - Quanterix (QTRX) released the following statement in response to news reports related to Cassava Sciences (SAVA): "Cassava previously engaged Quanterix' Accelerator laboratory to perform sample testing based on blinded samples provided by Cassava. Quanterix or its employees did not interpret the test results or prepare the data charts presented by Cassava at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference (AAIC) in July 2021 or otherwise."

08:08 EDT Sheldon Razin issues statement in response to NextGen Healthcare press release - Sheldon Razin, who collectively with Lance Rosenzweig and the other participants in his solicitation owns approximately 15.2% of the outstanding common shares of NextGen Healthcare, addressed the company's August 26 press release. Razin said, "The Company's disingenuous press release relies on cherry-picked excerpts from an email exchange between Mr. Rosenzweig and Nominating and Governance Committee Chair Morris Panner in order to suggest that Mr. Razin would not make his director candidates available for interviews. The email exchange was commenced by Mr. Rosenzweig following Mr. Panner's attempts to covertly contact Mr. Razin's director candidates just days after the Company declared in its preliminary proxy statement that it does not support the election of those very individuals. As shareholders can see below, Mr. Rosenzweig stated that he and Mr. Razin are open to a dialogue with the Board of Directors and that they will permit candidate interviews once an acceptable framework for a consensual resolution is in place. Messrs. Razin and Rosenzweig urge their fellow shareholders not to be misled by the Company's seemingly desperate attempts to divert attention away from the need for boardroom change. We believe shareholders should focus on what has occurred during the six-year chairmanship of Jeffrey Margolis: The Company's shares have dramatically underperformed the broader market, relevant indices and various peers - in fact, a dollar invested in NextGen Healthcare on the day Mr. Margolis became Chairman is worth practically the same today; The Company's organic growth has been anemic; The Company's margins have eroded; The Company's balance sheet has deteriorated due to debt-fueled acquisitions, including certain questionable deals; The Company has been slow to embrace diversity across leadership roles, and; The Company has recently filed a preliminary proxy statement that includes an array of entrenchment maneuvers and manipulations of the corporate machinery, including a proposed reincorporation in Delaware that weakens shareholders' rights. We suspect yesterday's disingenuous press release was another attempt to distract shareholders from the aforementioned issues. It is unfortunate that the Company's Board of Directors, under the control of Mr. Margolis and individuals such as Mr. Panner, continue to defy the tenets of sound corporate governance and waste shareholders' resources on a low-road campaign."

08:05 EDT Chembio commercial distribution of third-party COVID-19 antigen assay - Chembio Diagnostics announced its launch of commercial distribution of an FDA Emergency Use Authorized, patent pending, rapid point-of-care COVID-19 antigen test for use in decentralized and traditional testing settings. Product inventory is on-hand and immediately available for shipment to Chembio customers across the United States. The SCoV-2 Ag Detect Rapid Test, manufactured by InBios International, is a rapid immunoassay test authorized for use in laboratories with a CLIA waiver certification. The SCoV-2 Ag Detect Rapid Test has not been FDA cleared or approved but has been authorized by FDA under an EUA for use by authorized laboratories. It has been authorized only for the detection of proteins from SARS-CoV-2, not for any other viruses or pathogens.

08:03 EDT Immutep announces Chinese patent grant for LAG525 - Immutep (IMMP) announced the grant of patent no. ZL201580013695.X entitled "Antibody molecules to LAG-3 and uses thereof" by the Chinese Patent Office. This new Chinese patent follows the grant of the corresponding Australian, United States, European, and Japanese patents announced in 2018 through 2020. In particular, the claims of the patent are directed to LAG525, pharmaceutical compositions comprising LAG525, nucleic acid molecules that code for the LAG525 antibody, an expression vector or host cell that comprises the nucleic acid molecules, and to the use of LAG525 in the manufacture of a preparation for the treatment of cancer or infectious disease. LAG525 is a humanised form of Immutep's IMP701 antibody which is out-licensed to Novartis (NVS). The patent is co-owned by Novartis and Immutep S.A.S. and will expire on 13 March 2035.

08:02 EDT Patriot One announces PATSCAN MSG deployed at FirstEnergy Stadium - Patriot One Technologies announced its PATSCAN Multi-Sensor Gateway was deployed at the southeast entrance at FirstEnergy Stadium to help secure the Cleveland Browns' preseason game against the New York Giants. MSG secured one of the entrances used by members of the famous "Dawg Pound," by scanning for weapons without the disruption caused by traditional walk-through metal detectors.

07:52 EDT Small Pharma appoints Lyne Fortine as chair of the board - Small Pharma announced that Lyne Fortin has been appointed non-executive independent chair of the board of directors of the Company. She will hold office as Chair of the Board until the next annual meeting of shareholders, or until her successor has been elected or appointed. Fortin has served as a director of the Company since April 29, 2021 and will continue to serve in her roles as chair of the Compensation Committee and the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee and as a member of the Audit Committee. In connection with her appointment, the Board has granted Ms. Fortin stock options to purchase up to an aggregate of 150,000 common shares in the capital of the Company pursuant to the Company's stock option plan. Each Option is exercisable for one Common Share at a price equal to $0.40 per share, being the closing price of the Common Shares on August 25, 2021. The Options are exercisable for a period of ten years from the date of grant and are subject to certain vesting criteria.

07:35 EDT NFI Group receives first order for ADL's H2.0 hydrogen bus - NFI Group announced that NFI subsidiary Alexander Dennis has been selected by the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority as supplier for 20 zero-emission hydrogen double deck buses following a competitive tendering process. This is the first order for ADL's H2.0 second-generation hydrogen double deck bus, or ADL Enviro400FCEV. The 20 ADL Enviro400FCEV buses are being directly purchased through the Liverpool City Region's Transforming Cities Fund and will be owned by the people of the City Region. With the Metro Mayor having set a target for the Liverpool City Region to become net zero carbon by 2040 at the latest the hydrogen buses will be an important addition to the region's existing fleet, which is already more than 70% low emissions. "It is an honour to support the Liverpool City Region's 'Vision for Bus' program and its evolution to net zero carbon," said Paul Soubry, President & Chief Executive Officer, NFI. "NFI and ADL have a history of innovation, and the next generation H2.0 is a showcase of our continued focus on developing the world's best buses that incorporate clean, connected technology to drive sustainable transportation."

07:32 EDT DraftKings to launch in 44th state, Arizona - DraftKings announced its daily fantasy sports product is set to go live in Arizona on Saturday, August 28, pending regulatory approval, which would make Arizona the 44th state to offer DraftKings Daily Fantasy Sports. DraftKings offers several contests for professional, collegiate and international leagues and supports the broadest selection of sports categories in the industry including popular NFL, NBA and MLB contests and other fan favorites that Arizona customers, 21 and over, will be able to experience for the first time ever. Additionally, this weekend DraftKings is hosting an earth-themed $500 free-to-play pool open to all Arizona customers, to support DraftKings' goal of planting 1M trees by Earth Day 2022.

07:17 EDT BioNTech evaluates mRNA vaccine manufacturing solutions in Rwanda, Senegal - BioNTech agreed to evaluate the establishment of sustainable vaccine manufacturing capabilities in Rwanda and Senegal to support vaccine supply for the Member States of the African Union. Following the invitation of the kENUP Foundation, President Paul Kagame of Rwanda, President Macky Sall of Senegal, and President Ursula von der Leyen of the European Commission met Ugur Sahin, CEO and Co-Founder of BioNTech in Berlin to discuss the development of sustainable vaccine production for Africa. The meeting resulted in a joint communique affirming BioNTech's intention to manufacture mRNA vaccines arising from its Malaria and Tuberculosis vaccine development programs on the African continent. BioNTech has already started the evaluation of manufacturing capabilities, following the Company's announcement of its aim to develop a well-tolerated and highly effective Malaria vaccine and to implement sustainable end-to-end vaccine supply solutions on the African continent. The decision to evaluate manufacturing solutions in Rwanda and Senegal follows the guidance of the African Union, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention and the African Medical Agency under formation. The prospective locations of the necessary manufacturing sites are expected to co-locate with the World Health Organization's upcoming Vaccine Hubs. These efforts will be aligned with the Team Europe Initiative on manufacturing and access to vaccines, medicines and medical technologies led by the European Commission in collaboration with the EU Member States.

07:03 EDT Akoustis receives volume commercial order for WiFi 6 XBAW filters - Akoustis Technologies announced that it has received a volume commercial order for its patented WiFi 6 XBAW filters from its second WiFi 6 OEM customer. Akoustis' 5.2 GHz and 5.6 GHz WiFi 6 filters have been designed into a new router platform. The new router design will use multiple 5.2 GHz and 5.6 GHz XBAW coexistence filters for a tri-band multi-user, multiple-in-multiple-out enterprise router. The 5.2 GHz filter module covers the UNII 1 and UNII 2A bands of the WiFi 6 standard, while the 5.6 GHz filter module covers the adjacent UNII 2C and 3 bands. The company expects its customer to ramp commercial production of the new router in late calendar 2021. Jeff Shealy, founder and CEO of Akoustis, stated, "Given the robust activity in our WiFi 6 and WiFi 6E filter sales pipeline, we expect to receive multiple new design wins in the coming months." The company also plans to increase the annual production capacity at its New York fab by the end of calendar 2021 to approximately 500M filters per year.

06:56 EDT Alamos Gold announces share repurchases under NCIB - The company repurchased 600,000 shares at a cost of $4.5M, or $7.50 per share, under its Normal Course Issuer Bid thus far in August. Year-to-date the company has repurchased 800,262 shares for $6M. Including the upcoming dividend, the company has returned $35M to shareholders thus far in 2021 through dividends and share buybacks. The company has paid dividends for 12 consecutive years during which time $223M has been returned to shareholders through dividends and share buybacks.

06:55 EDT Peloton subpoenaed by DOJ, HHS over reporting of Tread injuries - Peloton Interactive disclosed that the Department of Justice and U.S. Department of Homeland Security have subpoenaed the company for documents and other information related to its reporting of injuries associated with its Tread products. Further, the Securities and Exchange Commission is also investigating Peloton's public disclosures concerning these matters.

06:50 EDT MultiPlan announces $250M share repurchase plan - MultiPlan announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase program authorizing the company to repurchase up to $250M of its Class A common stock from time to time in open market transactions at prevailing prices or by other means in accordance with federal securities laws. The repurchase program is effective immediately and is expected to be completed before it expires on December 31, 2022.

06:34 EDT Hibbett Sports sees FY22 CapEx $70M - The company stated, "During the second quarter of Fiscal 2022, we continued to evaluate attractive investment opportunities for deploying our capital. We now plan to invest approximately $70.0 million of capital on attractive organic growth opportunities that we believe will lead to higher sales and on various infrastructure projects that will enhance our distribution and back-office efficiency during Fiscal 2022. We believe that these growth opportunities will enhance the consumer experience both in stores and online and modernize our technology and processes. In addition to our capital expenditure plans, we intend to opportunistically allocate capital to share repurchases and remain dedicated to returning capital to our stockholders in the form of our recently initiated regular quarterly dividend of $0.25 per share."

05:16 EDT Mogu announces new $10M share repurchase program - Mogu announced that its board of directors has authorized a new share repurchase program, where the company is authorized to repurchase up to $10M of its shares, effective until August 26, 2022. The company expects to fund the repurchases under this program with its existing cash balance.

05:12 EDT Amazon Web Services selected by Sun Life Financial as cloud technology provider - Amazon Web Services, or AWS, an Amazon (AMZN) company, announced that Sun Life (SLF) has selected AWS as its long-term strategic cloud technology provider to become a cloud-first organization, drive ongoing innovation, and develop new digital client experiences. Sun Life will use AWS's portfolio of cloud technologies, including analytics, machine learning, storage, security, and databases, in an effort to drive operational efficiency and innovation to the company's clients and employees.