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

19:36 EDT Primoris director buys 10K shares of common stock - In a regulatory filing, Primoris disclosed that its board member Terry McCallister bought 10K shares of common stock on August 26th in a total transaction size of $246K.

19:16 EDT Spok confirms receipt of letter from Acacia Research, will evaluate offer - Spok Holding (SPOK) "announced that it has received a letter, and is aware of a public announcement, from Acacia Research Corporation (ACTG) regarding a proposal to acquire all of the outstanding shares of common stock of Spok for $10.75 per share in cash. Spok's Board of Directors intends to evaluate the letter in consultation with its regular independent financial and legal advisors. At this time, Spok shareholders are not required to take any action."

18:21 EDT Atrion raises quarterly dividend to $1.95 from $1.75 per share - This dividend will be payable on September 30, 2021 to stockholders of record at the close of business on September 15, 2021.

17:31 EDT Walker & Dunlop to acquire Capital and Affiliates for enterprise value of $696M - Walker & Dunlop announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Alliant Capital and its affiliates, Alliant Strategic Investments and ADC Communities, a privately held alternative investment manager focused on the affordable housing sector through low-income housing tax credit syndication, joint venture development, and community preservation fund management. The acquisition brings Immediate accretion to key financial metrics, including estimated increases in 2022 total revenues of $90M to $100M, diluted EPS of $0.45 to $0.60, and adjusted EBITDA of approximately $60M. The deal's total enterprise value of $696M, comprised of $35M of cash and assumption of Alliant's securitized debt facility, which had an outstanding balance of $155M at July 31, 2021, is rated A2 by Moody's and carries a 4.75% interest rate, $90M of WD common stock, with the number of shares to be determined at closing, $100M of earn-out structured as participating interest in future cash flows over the next four years.

17:26 EDT Meridian Bank raises share repurchase authorization by $6M - Meridian announced that its Board of Directors authorized an increase in its $6M repurchase plan adopted on April 22 to repurchase up to $20M of its outstanding common stock over a two-year period. This equates to an increase of approximately 490,000 shares or an additional 8% of the outstanding shares as of June 30. Prior to the adoption of the increase, $5.4M remained under the April plan available for repurchases, equating to approximately 185,000 shares of company stock.

17:22 EDT Ligand to replace Cincinnati Bell in S&P 600 at open on 9/7 - Macquarie Infrastructure (MIC) and Real Assets Inc. are acquiring Cincinnati Bell (CBB) in a deal pending final conditions. Ligand Pharmaceuticals (LGND) has a market capitalization that is more representative of the small-cap market space.

17:19 EDT TreeHouse to replace Core-Mark in S&P 600 at open on 9/3

17:17 EDT Pactiv Evergreen names Douglas Owenby as new COO - Pactiv Evergreen announced that Douglas Owenby will join Pactiv Evergreen as Chief Operations Officer, effective September 13. Mr. Owenby will join the Pactiv Evergreen Executive Leadership Team, reporting to CEO Mike King. In this newly created, standalone role, Mr. Owenby will be responsible for all Pactiv Evergreen operating functions globally, assuming the operations leadership responsibilities that Mike Ragen, Pactiv Evergreen's CFO, accepted in 2018.

17:16 EDT Keurig Dr Pepper names Tony Milikin as Chief Supply Chain Officer, - Keurig Dr Pepper announced the appointment of Tony Milikin to the position of Chief Supply Chain Officer, effective Sept. 7, reporting to Chairman & CEO Bob Gamgort. In the role, Milikin will have end-to-end supply chain responsibility for the Company, including manufacturing, procurement, logistics, warehousing and quality, as well as environment, health and safety. He succeeds Fernando Cortes, who is leaving KDP to pursue new opportunities, after 18 years with the company. He will stay with KDP through Oct. 1 to support the transition. Milikin was most recently Chief Procurement, Sustainability and Circular Ventures Officer at Anheuser-Busch InBev.

17:04 EDT Raytheon unit Collins Aerospace in pact to acquire privately held FlightAware - Collins Aerospace, a Raytheon Technologies business has signed a definitive agreement to acquire privately held FlightAware, "a leading digital aviation company providing global flight tracking solutions, predictive technology, analytics and decision-making tools," noted the statement. Raytheon Technologies logo Closure of the acquisition is subject to the completion of customary conditions and regulatory approvals. Following closing, FlightAware will join Collins' Information Management Services portfolio within the company's Avionics strategic business unit. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed. "Global connectivity now shapes and impacts every segment of aviation. FlightAware is the recognized leader in data collection, analytics and customer experience, which will help Collins unlock the full power of the connected ecosystem for our customers," said Dave Nieuwsma, Collins Aerospace's head of Avionics. "FlightAware's flight tracking and data platform, the largest in the world, has the potential to deliver new capabilities and innovations across our entire business." "The world's aerospace companies and aircraft operators are looking to digital aviation to provide the next revolution in aviation efficiency and reliability," said Daniel Baker, CEO of FlightAware, "and we are excited to join Collins Aerospace and Raytheon Technologies at this pivotal time to continue to lead that revolution at an even broader scale."

16:44 EDT Hancock Whitney provides update following Hurricane Ida - Executives at Hancock Whitney issued updates on the company's status following Hurricane Ida. The company said, "On August 29, Category 4 Hurricane Ida made landfall in south Louisiana, affecting clients, associates, and several markets from southeast Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle. With a Gulf South business footprint spanning Texas to Florida, including a sizeable south Louisiana presence, Hancock Whitney has deep experience in storm-related business continuity. The company launched its sustainability protocol preemptively on Friday, August 27. Upon Hurricane Ida's landfall, Hancock Whitney activated post-storm recovery efforts to ensure client and associate welfare and restoration of business operations in affected markets. The company's operational and client-facing systems are 100 percent functional and performing well, leaders said. As of today, all Hancock Whitney financial centers in Louisiana remain closed, primarily because of power outages, infrastructure issues, and the storm's slow path. The company's Gulfport corporate headquarters, technology center, and operations centers opened without storm damage, reinforced with technological and structural enhancements the company has implemented since Hurricane Katrina. Most of the company's Mississippi financial centers opened today; and all Hancock Whitney financial centers in Alabama, Florida, and Texas opened today for regular business hours. Hancock Whitney is communicating directly with clients and associates and teaming with local authorities and vendors to reopen damaged facilities."

16:35 EDT Nordson enters Q4 with backlog of about $700M - The company states: "Backlog entering the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2021 is approximately $700 million, or 70% above the prior year. Customer order patterns have clearly changed in terms of both volume and extended shipment request dates during this dynamic environment. Based on the continued strength in order entry and backlog, the Company is increasing its full-year revenue and earnings guidance."

16:32 EDT Centerspace increases quarterly distribution 2.8% to 72c per share - Centerspace announced that the board of trustees has declared a regular quarterly distribution of 72c per share/unit, payable on October 11 to common shareholders and unitholders of record at the close of business on September 30. This represents a 2c increase over the prior distribution and the first increase in over 10 years.

16:31 EDT Talis Biomedical CEO Brian Coe steps down, Kim Popovits named interim CEO - Talis Biomedical announced that effective immediately Brian Coe has stepped down as President, CEO and Director and will continue to work with the company as an advisor. The company also announced that Kim Popovits has been appointed as interim CEO and will lead the search efforts to hire the company's next President and CEO. Popovits is the former Chairman of the Board, President and CEO of Genomic Health.

16:29 EDT Zoom Video drops 9% to $315 after Q2 results, guidance

16:20 EDT Opko Health completes enrollment for Rayaldee trial - Opko Health announced the completion of enrollment in its Phase 2 trial with Rayaldee as a treatment for mild-to-moderate COVID-19. The U.S. trial, "A Randomized, Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Study to Evaluate the Safety and Efficacy of RAYALDEE (calcifediol) Extended-release Capsules to Treat Symptomatic Patients Infected with SARS-CoV-2 (REsCue)," was expected to enroll approximately 160 subjects, including some with stage 3 or 4 chronic kidney disease who are at higher risk for developing more severe illness. Final enrollment reached 171 subjects and topline data are expected later this year.

16:17 EDT Bed Bath & Beyond announces Chief Brand Officer Cindy Davis steps down - Bed Bath & Beyond announced that Cindy Davis has stepped down from her positions as Executive Vice President, Chief Brand Officer, and President of Decorist effective August 30. The company also announced the appointment of Rafeh Masood, Executive Vice President and Chief Digital Officer, as Chief Digital Officer & interim Chief Brand Officer, to lead the combined brand, marketing and digital teams effective immediately.

16:09 EDT Lumentum names Grace Lee as Chief Human Resources Officer - Lumentum Holdings announced the appointment of Grace Lee as Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer, reporting to Alan Lowe, President and CEO. Lee will replace Sharon Parker who plans to retire after more than 40 years of successfully leading and positively impacting Lumentum and its predecessor companies. At Lumentum, Lee will be responsible for global people strategy and aligning it with business needs. She will lead global talent acquisition and development and total rewards, while further expanding its diversity, inclusion, and belonging initiatives. Lee brings over 25 years of leadership experience and accomplishments from a variety of industries in the high-tech sector, including life sciences, aerospace and defense, software, electronics, and energy.

16:06 EDT Ansys to acquire Zemax, terms not disclosed - Ansys announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Zemax, a leader in high-performance optical imaging system simulation. Once closed, the acquisition will expand the scope of Ansys' solution offering, giving users comprehensive, end-to-end solutions for simulating next-generation optical and photonics products. Ansys entered into the definitive agreement to acquire Zemax with EQT Private Equity, the company's current owner. The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2021, subject to receipt of regulatory clearance and the satisfaction of other customary closing conditions. The transaction is not expected to have a material impact on the 2021 financial results.

16:05 EDT Galapagos announces planned retirement of CEO Onno van de Stolpe - Galapagos announced the planned retirement of CEO Onno van de Stolpe. Onno van de Stolpe co-founded Galapagos in 1999 and built and led the company as CEO from its early R&D days through to the commercial launch of Jyseleca in Europe. Onno will retire and make way for a new CEO to lead the company going forward; he plans to stay on as CEO until a successor is appointed. The Supervisory Board has initiated an external search for his replacement.

15:43 EDT Sanderson Farms provides update on operations affected by Hurricane Ida - Sanderson Farms provided an update on the company's operations and the impact of Hurricane Ida on its locations in Louisiana and Mississippi. "We are thankful that we have not had any reports of injuries to any of our employees as a result of this devastating hurricane," said Joe Sanderson, Jr., chairman and CEO of Sanderson Farms. "We have experience managing through catastrophic weather events, and we were prepared to respond to Hurricane Ida and do all we can to protect our assets. Our top priority has been and will continue to be the safety of our employees, contractors and independent contract producers, and the health and wellbeing of the animals under our care. All of our facilities have power except for Hammond, Louisiana, and the feed mill and hatchery in McComb, Mississippi. Those facilities will operate on generator power until utilities are restored. Fortunately, none of our facilities have experienced any significant structural damage. Our operations in Hammond, as well as all our Mississippi locations, will not operate today, but we expect to resume production in Laurel, Collins, Hazlehurst and Jackson, Mississippi, tomorrow. The widespread power outages are creating challenges for our employees in Hammond and McComb, but we hope these locations will be back in operation later this week. We also expect to operate over the holiday weekend, including Monday, to catch up on lost production. We are pleased to report no significant bird loss and currently have 650 broiler houses, 17 pullet houses and 48 breeder houses operating on generator power. In anticipation of the storm and resulting power outages, we topped off feed bins and fuel tanks, tested generators and prepared farms before the storm hit to ensure our growers have adequate supplies of feed and fuel to care for flocks until power is restored. Hurricane Ida was a storm of historic proportions, and we are deeply saddened by the extreme devastation and losses that have occurred. We are grateful for the support from local authorities and the heroic work of first responders who are dealing with the aftermath of the storm as conditions allow. We will continue to help those displaced by the storm, including providing ice and food to the affected areas when it is safe to do so," added Sanderson.

14:01 EDT Renewable Energy assessing Geismar plant safety following Hurricane Ida - Renewable Energy Group is issuing the following statement regarding its renewable diesel plant located in Geismar, Louisiana from President and CEO, Cynthia 'CJ' Warner: "The safety of our team members, their families and the community is our priority. In advance of Hurricane Ida's landfall, our local team brought down the plant in a safe and secure manner. Now that the storm has passed, confirming the safety of REG personnel and assessment of equipment are underway."

13:49 EDT Tio Tech A receives Nasdaq notice over delayed 10-Q filing - Tio Tech A announced that it received a notice from the Listing Qualifications Department of The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC indicating that, as a result of not having timely filed its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2021, the company is not in compliance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5250(c)(1), which requires timely filing of all required periodic financial reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Notice has no immediate impact on the listing of the company's securities, which will continue to trade on Nasdaq, subject to the company's compliance with the other continued listing requirements of Nasdaq. Under the Nasdaq listing rules, the company has 60 calendar days from the date of the Notice to file the Form 10-Q. If the company is unable to file the Form 10-Q with the SEC by October 25, 2021, the company intends to submit a plan to regain compliance with the Nasdaq listing rules on or prior to that date. If Nasdaq accepts the plan, Nasdaq can grant the company an exception of up to 180 calendar days from the due date of the Form 10-Q, or until February 21, 2022, to regain compliance. However, there can be no assurance that Nasdaq will accept the company's plan to regain compliance or that the company will be able to regain compliance within any extension period granted by Nasdaq. If the company fails to timely regain compliance with Nasdaq's listing rules, the common stock of the company will be subject to delisting on Nasdaq. The company plans to file the Form 10-Q as soon as practicably possible.

13:36 EDT Discovery Communications trading halted, volatility trading pause

13:14 EDT Coinbase erroneously sent 125,000 customers security notification - Coinbase over the weekend acknowledged that it sent roughly 125,000 customers erroneous notifications that their security settings had changed. Over Twitter the company added, "Our teams immediately recognized the problem and worked as quickly as possible to ensure these erroneous notifications were stopped and the underlying issue fixed. We're laser focused on building trust and security into the crypto community so that the open financial system we all want is a reality. We recognize that issues like this can hurt that trust. We will continue to work to gain back the trust of every one of our customers who was impacted by those notifications." Reference Link

12:45 EDT Pure Cycle announces first closing in second development phase of Sky Ranch - Pure Cycle announced that it has closed on the sale of 152 platted lots at its master planned community Sky Ranch. This represents the first closing of lots in the next development phase of Sky Ranch. The second phase of development at Sky Ranch totals 804 lots, all of which are contracted with homebuilders. This phase is divided into four subphases for development and accounting purposes, and this closing is only on the first of those subphases. Additionally, this closing was with three of the four builders as the fourth builder is on a finished lot contract, meaning closing those 67 lots will occur when the lots are ready for construction, anticipated to be in the late second or early third quarter of our fiscal 2022. As consideration for this closing the three builders made their first milestone payments totaling $3.6M. The next two milestone payments, which are due at completion of wet utilities and completion of the lots, are expected to occur over the next several months and could include price escalators per the sale contracts

12:27 EDT Apple announces acquisition of classical music streaming service Primephonic - Apple announced it has acquired Primephonic, the classical music streaming service that "offers an outstanding listening experience with search and browse functionality optimized for classical, premium-quality audio, handpicked expert recommendations, and extensive contextual details on repertoire and recordings." Apple said: "With the addition of Primephonic, Apple Music subscribers will get a significantly improved classical music experience beginning with Primephonic playlists and exclusive audio content. In the coming months, Apple Music Classical fans will get a dedicated experience with the best features of Primephonic, including better browsing and search capabilities by composer and by repertoire, detailed displays of classical music metadata, plus new features and benefits."

12:00 EDT CS Disco falls -7.9% - CS Disco is down -7.9%, or -$4.33 to $50.26.

12:00 EDT CNFinance falls -11.1% - CNFinance is down -11.1%, or -44c to $3.54.

12:00 EDT Edenor rises 20.2% - Edenor is up 20.2%, or $1.24 to $7.39.

11:50 EDT FS Bancorp announces additional share repurchase authorization - FS Bancorp, the holding company for 1st Security Bank of Washington, announced that the company's Board of Directors authorized an additional share repurchase program of up to $10 million of the company's common stock. The authorization is effective immediately and is additive to the previous $15 million share repurchase program, which has approximately $900,000 remaining authorized and available for repurchase. The repurchase program permits shares to be repurchased in open market or private transactions or pursuant to a trading plan adopted in accordance with Rule 10b5-1 of the Securities and Exchange Commission.

11:08 EDT PureTech Health PLC (ADS) trading resumes

11:03 EDT PureTech Health PLC (ADS) trading halted, volatility trading pause

10:47 EDT Generac rallies with Ida seen as positive catalyst for shares - BofA analyst Ross Gilardi says Hurricane Ida could serve as a positive catalyst for shares of Generac Holdings in advance of other potential catalysts, like more storms, its investor day and new solar product releases over the next 30 days. Generac is a designer and manufacturer of energy technology solutions and other power products, including home generators. Magnitude and duration of power outages has the biggest impact on home standby generator demand, Gilardi tells investors in a research note. The analyst points out that Generac's 47%-50% revenue growth guidance for 2021 does not include any impact from major power outages in the second half of 2021. He keeps a Buy rating on the shares with a $480 price target. Generac in morning trading is up 3%, or $11.23, to $448.34.

10:34 EDT Missfresh appoints Xi Chen as co-CFO - Missfresh (MF) announced the appointment of Xi Chen as the Co-CFO of the Company. Xi Chen joined the Company in January 2021 as the Company's Senior Vice President. Prior to joining the Company, Ms. Chen served as Chief Financial Officer at LIZHI INC. (LIZI) from 2019 to 2020.

10:09 EDT Fresenius Medical Care investing additional $25M in Humacyte - Fresenius Medical Care announced it is investing an additional $25M in the U.S. medical company Humacyte (HUMA). In connection with the merger of Humacyte with a special purpose acquisition company, or SPAC, Alpha Healthcare Acquisition (AHAC), Fresenius Medical Care is increasing its position in the newly combined entity as the lead investor of a private investment in public equity, or PIPE. Fresenius Medical Care acquired a stake in Humacyte in 2018 for $150M and agreed then on a strategic partnership. The combined company, which will be called Humacyte, is listed and trades on the Nasdaq exchange under HUMA. Fresenius Medical Care's original stake in Humacyte will be exchanged for shares in the combined company.

10:00 EDT Vinco Ventures trading halted, volatility trading pause

10:00 EDT KE Holdings falls -10.3% - KE Holdings is down -10.3%, or -$2.04 to $17.84.

10:00 EDT Hill-Rom rises 9.4% - Hill-Rom is up 9.4%, or $12.43 to $145.33.

10:00 EDT Independence Holding Co. rises 20.5% - Independence Holding Co. is up 20.5%, or $8.61 to $50.62.

09:48 EDT JMP Group falls -5.7% - JMP Group is down -5.7%, or -39c to $6.41.

09:47 EDT Poly rises 6.7% - Poly is up 6.7%, or $2.17 to $34.40.

09:47 EDT Mechel rises 8.7% - Mechel is up 8.7%, or 25c to $3.13.

09:26 EDT Terreno Realty acquires industrial property in Carlstadt, New Jersey for $17.9M - Terreno Realty acquired an industrial property in Carlstadt, New Jersey on August 27 for a purchase price of approximately $17.9M. The 4.9-acre improved land parcel at 245 Paterson Plank Road is immediately adjacent to Terreno Realty Corporation's Michele Place property and American Dream, the MetLife Sports Complex and Exit 16W of the New Jersey Turnpike. The property is vacant, and the estimated stabilized cap rate is 4.5%. Estimated stabilized cap rates are calculated as annualized cash basis

09:23 EDT 22nd Century announces entry into the global specialty hops market - 22nd Century Group announced entry into the global specialty hops market, its third and newest plant franchise. The Company released an update letter to shareholders from CEO James Mish describing its opportunities and plans in this market.The letter read in part, "Following the exciting progress in our tobacco and hemp/cannabis franchises detailed on our second quarter results conference call earlier this month, I am proud to announce our third plant-based franchise - the global specialty hops market. Like our existing franchises, the hop plant market is ripe for disruption and offers opportunities for 22nd Century to provide unique and significant competitive advantages to commercial partners. The addition of hops, a critical input for the $500 billion global brewing industry as well as a growing source of medically-important molecules, expands our total addressable markets to an estimated $1.3 trillion...The key hops market participants are located in Europe and many of our commercial partnerships will be in that continent. To reinforce our presence there, we are establishing a new subsidiary in the Netherlands, 22nd Century Group Europe B.V., to open new revenue opportunities in hops, as well as serve our tobacco and hemp/cannabis plant franchises through an expanded global footprint. The proceeds of our recent common equity financing are being used to accelerate advancements in this new market and each of our plant franchises...Our value addresses both scientific methodology and speed to market. We will leverage our existing know-how with the tobacco and hemp/cannabis plants along with the proprietary tools and technologies possessed by our upstream partnerships with CannaMetrix and KeyGene to bring hop breeding into the 21st century. Our relationships with the world's leading alkaloid plant producer-breeders, including Extractas Bioscience, Sawatch Agriculture, and Folium Botanical, will facilitate year-round growing capabilities at locations in both the southern and northern hemispheres. Our R&D program objectives include creating new proprietary hop plants and valuable IP using our know-how and technologies, utilizing double haploids, gene-editing, molecular breeding, and other non-GMO technology. Non-GMO products are critical for success in international markets where such products are preferred or GMO products are banned. We are well-positioned and advancing disruptive hop plant varieties and valuable IP in a fraction of the time it takes using traditional plant breeding methods still used by virtually all hop breeding companies today. This traditional process typically takes more than a decade to create a new hop plant variety, entailing high cost and risk due to this extended time and uncertain outcome - whereas our approach can reduce this development time to two years for the underlying plant technology and IP, similar to our hemp/cannabis program. We are advancing commercial partnerships rather than competing with global hops producers, beer developers and marketers, flavor and fragrance suppliers, and nutritional/pharmaceutical companies in the hop plant space. The market participants are very well recognized brands, with Germany and the United States being the dominant global hops producers. The largest suppliers of hop plants include several large international growers in this market space that is uncrowded, namely Hopsteiner, Barth-Haas Group, Yakima Chief, Kalsec, and HVG. The largest manufacturers and marketers of beer are Anheuser-Busch InBev, Carlsberg, Molson Coors, and Tsingtao. We are approximately six months into our initial hops two-year development cycle and expect monetization of hop plant varieties and IP with upfront license fees beginning in 12 to 18 months. We are advancing programs with established global hops producers, beer developers and marketers, flavor and fragrance suppliers, and nutritional/pharmaceutical companies in the hop plant space, and accelerating the development of disruptive hop plants and IP on applications delivered to consumers in traditional product formulations as well as in revolutionary new ingredients for functional foods and beverages such as "smart beer.""

09:20 EDT Chicken Soup for the Soul's Crackle premieres 'The Jesus Rolls' on Sept. 1 - Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment announced that the comedy The Jesus Rolls will be exclusively available for free on Crackle beginning Wednesday, September 1st. Written and directed by and starring John Turturro, the film is produced by Robert Salerno, John Penotti, Fernando Sulichin, Sidney Kimmel and Paul-Dominique Win Vacharasinthu. Max Arvelaiz, Lawrence Kopeikin, Michael Lewis, Bruce Toll and Robert S. Wilson are executive producers. The star-studded cast also includes Bobby Cannavale, Audrey Tautou, Susan Sarandon, Jon Hamm, and Christopher Walken. Crackle will also offer the film with a commentary track featuring John Turturro and Bobby Cannavale.

09:19 EDT Information Analysis Incorporated announces $2.8M equity financing - Information Analysis announced that it has sold 1,400,000 Units at a price of $2.00 per unit in a private placement financing. Each Unit was sold at a price of $2.00 and consists of one share of IAI common stock and one warrant exercisable through August 31, 2026 for a share of common stock at an exercise price of $3.00 per share. The financing was led by the Company's newly appointed Chairman and CEO, Mr. Jaime Benoit, who invested $1.5 million, along with participation from existing investors, which included the entire Board of Directors. There were no fees paid to placement agents in this offering.

09:17 EDT Altura Energy announces name change to Tenaz Energy, new management, board - Altura Energy announced it has entered into a definitive reorganization and investment agreement which provides for, among other things: the appointment of a new management team; and (the reconstitution of the board of directors of Altura, all as described below. The New Management Team will cause Altura to enter into agreements to issue units and subscription receipts of Altura, by way of private placement, for minimum gross proceeds of $25.0 million. Completion of the Transaction is subject to a number of conditions and approvals including, but not limited to, the approval of the TSXV and shareholders of Altura. It is expected that Altura will hold a shareholder meeting to approve amongst other items: a Change of Management as described herein upon approval of the TSXV; a change of Altura's name to "Tenaz Energy Corp."; and a consolidation of the Common Shares on such basis as agreed upon between the Company and the counterparties to the Investment Agreement. The New Management Team has an extensive track record of value creation and has outperformed public market peers by executing a growth-and-income business model in the energy sector. Most recently, certain members of the New Management Team constituted part of the leadership of Vermilion Energy, a globally diversified E&P with assets in North America, Europe, and Australia. Prior to Vermilion, certain members of the New Management Team constituted part of the management of Baytex Energy, an oil-focused producer in Canada and the United States. Anthony Marino: President, Chief Executive Officer and Director. He led Vermilion Energy as President and CEO, which produced over 100 mboe/d in ten countries across North America, Europe, and Australia. Michael Kaluza Chief Operating Officer; His roles have included COO of Vermilion, VP Corporate Development of Baytex and COO of Delphi Energy. Bradley Bennet Chief Financial Officer Most recently Mr. Bennett was Treasurer of Vermilion. New Board of Directors: The New Board, as described below, has extensive technical and managerial experience in global oil and gas markets, with strengths in mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance, capital markets and environmental, social and governance matters. In addition to Mr. Marino, the following non-executive Directors will constitute the remainder of the Board following completion of the Transaction. Marty Proctor Chair Mr. Proctor is the Vice-Chair of ARC Resources and Director of GreenFirst Forest Products. Anna Alderson Independent Director. Ms. Alderson is a former Audit Partner at KPMG specializing in energy and financial services. John Chambers Independent Director: Mr. Chambers is a Director of Altura and Sun Gold Resources, Chairman of Westside Capital and sits on the advisory board of BlueX Energy. Mark Rollins Independent Director Mr. Rollins is currently the non-executive Chairman of Advance Energy Inc, non-executive Chairman of Roquefort Investments plc, and a Director at Alpina.

09:16 EDT Diana Shipping announces time charter contract for m/v Phaidra - Diana Shipping announced that, through a separate wholly-owned subsidiary, it has entered into a time charter contract with Uniper Global Commodities SE, Dusseldorf, for one of its Post-Panamax dry bulk vessels, the m/v Phaidra. The gross charter rate is $28,000 per day, minus a 5% commission paid to third parties, for a period until minimum July 1, 2022 up to maximum September 15, 2022. The charter is expected to commence on September 1, 2021. The "Phaidra" is a 87,146 dwt Post-Panamax dry bulk vessel built in 2013. The employment of "Phaidra" is anticipated to generate approximately $8.40M of gross revenue for the minimum scheduled period of the time charter. Diana Shipping Inc.'s fleet currently consists of 36 dry bulk vessels. The Company also expects to take delivery of one Kamsarmax dry bulk vessel by the end of February 2022. As of today, the combined carrying capacity of the Company's fleet, excluding the one vessel not yet delivered, is approximately 4.6M dwt with a weighted average age of 10.45 years.

09:14 EDT FuboTV to launch integrated free-to-play with September CONMEBOL - fuboTV "will take its integrated predictive, free-to-play games and FanView live stats feature out of beta just in time for the September window of the South American Qatar World Cup 2022 Qualifying matches, CONMEBOL. fuboTV has exclusive streaming rights to CONMEBOL through March 2022. Starting September 2, fuboTV subscribers can seamlessly stream CONMEBOL matches, use FanView to monitor stats and scores next to and under a reduced-size video player and play free predictive games - all on one screen, using their remote control and without having to open another app. Both free games and FanView can be toggled on or off, letting consumers choose their live experience. fuboTV tested both features during the CONMEBOL match window in June. The integration of free games and FanView into the live soccer matches increased engagement - subscribers watched fuboTV for up to 37% more minutes than those who did not engage. The company will add two new features for the September 2 launch - users will be able to see where they place on a leaderboard for each game. They can also subscribe to notifications for latest updates," said the company in a statement.

09:10 EDT Save Foods appoints Dariela Farcas as PR, IR Director - Save Foods announced that it has appointed Dariela Farcas as Director of Public Relations, or PR, and Investor Relations, or IR. In this role, Dariela will be responsible for leading the Company's investor and public relations programs, providing the investment community and other stakeholders with an accurate presentation of Save Foods' products, growth strategy, business performance and market outlook.

09:09 EDT New York Community Bancorp names Julie Signorille-Browne as CAO - New York Community Bancorp announced the appointment of Julie Signorille-Browne as Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer. Signorille-Browne will join the company on September 7 and comes to New York Community with more than 30-years of experience in bank operations, digital banking, process improvement, and M&A integration.

09:08 EDT Nuance, Cooper University Health Care announce collaboration - Nuance Communications and Cooper University Health Care announced a strategic collaboration to expand Cooper's deployment of the Nuance Dragon Ambient eXperience ambient clinical intelligence solution to 475 physicians and advanced practice providers. The collaboration builds on the success of Cooper's initial Nuance DAX deployment to enhance patient experiences, expand access to care, and advance care quality through a renewed focus on physician-patient conversation and clinical documentation improvement.

09:07 EDT Clear Secure, Checkr partner on frictionless background check process - Clear and Checkr announced a strategic partnership of Clear's identity verification technology platform with Checkr's background check platform, simplifying and securing the screening process for job applicants and employers with Clear's trusted identity verification. Job candidates and employers of all sizes and across industries will be able to leverage this new, scalable hiring solution for a more trusted and expedited hiring process. Candidates can also use Clear's Health Pass to demonstrate proof of vaccination for employers that require it.

09:06 EDT Golden Nugget Online awarded AZ online tribal event wagering operator license - Golden Nugget Online Gaming along with its partner Grand Canyon Resort, a wholly owned company of the Hualapai Tribe, announced that the Arizona Department of Gaming has awarded the partnership an online tribal event wagering operator license.

09:05 EDT Check Point announces acquisition of Avanan - Check Point Software Technologies announced the acquisition of Avanan. "Avanan will integrate into the Check Point Infinity consolidated architecture to deliver the world's most secure email security offering. Utilizing patented technology designed and built for cloud email environments, this will be the only unified solution in the market to protect remote workforce from malicious files, URLs and Phishing across email, collaboration suites, web, network, and endpoint," the company said. "Avanan's journey to reinvent email security is starting a whole new chapter. By merging with Check Point Software, we are combining Avanan's best in class A.I. that catches the sophisticated email-borne attacks everyone else misses, with Check Point Software's unparalleled security capabilities and threat intelligence," says Gil Friedrich, CEO and co-founder of Avanan. "With Check Point Software's global organization, we plan to bring our joint solution to all organizations, of all sizes and geographies, to anyone that needs better security for their email and collaboration suite." Check Point Software entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Avanan and the transaction is expected to close imminently.

09:04 EDT XBiotech announces addition of Mark Ziats as Medical Director - XBiotech announced the addition of Mark Ziats, M.D. Ph.D. as Medical Director. Ziats will be involved in developing and managing a clinical portfolio for the Company's drug candidates. Ziats will work with a multidisciplinary team, including key opinion leaders in the respective fields of medicine, to facilitate clinical development of the company's candidate drugs across all areas.

09:03 EDT Lantern Pharma: FDA grants LP-184 Orphan Drug Designation - Lantern Pharma announced that the U.S. FDA has granted LP-184 Orphan Drug Designation for the treatment of glioblastoma multiforme and other malignant gliomas. This news follows the recent announcement of the FDA granting LP-184 ODD for the treatment of pancreatic cancer.

08:59 EDT Heritage Global, ViciNFT launch NFT alliance - Heritage Global Partners and a subsidiary of Heritage Global, has formed an alliance with ViciNFT, a provider of non-fungible token, or NFT, creation and management, smart contracts, blockchain technology development, and cryptocurrency-based auction management services, to co-market and co-manage NFT auctions utilizing ViciNFT's enterprise digital asset management and blockchain engineering services. ViciNFT will include Heritage as its "preferred marketplace" for its auctions. The companies are partnering to power growth in the $2.5B NFT market among digital collectibles recorded to the blockchain. The first auction under this partnership includes the release of a second series of Michelle Phillips "Original California Girl" NFTs, following a first successful auction that totaled $100,000 in revenues, widely covered in media, in June.

08:56 EDT Cloudera: Chief Product Officer, Arun Murthy, to depart, effective immediately

08:53 EDT Cloudera suspends guidance for Q3, FY22 - Due to the announced transaction with CD&R and KKR, Cloudera will not provide financial guidance for the third quarter of fiscal 2022 and has suspended its financial guidance for the full year 2022.

08:50 EDT Vornado to sell five Manhattan retail properties for $184.5M - Vornado Realty Trust announced that it has entered into agreements to sell five Manhattan retail properties located at 677 - 679, 759 - 771 and 828 - 850 Madison Avenue, 478-482 Broadway and 155 Spring Street for $184.5 million. In the aggregate, the properties currently have negative income and street level occupancy is approximately 30%. The properties are being sold in three separate sale transactions. The sale of the Madison Avenue properties is expected to close in the third quarter of 2021 and the sale of the Soho properties is expected to close in the first quarter of 2022. The transactions are subject to customary closing conditions. There will be a total financial statement loss of approximately $7 million. The properties are unencumbered.

08:49 EDT Bridgeline Digital expands investment in BigCommerce partnership - Bridgeline Digital (BLIN) announced that they are investing in their Hawksearch BigCommerce (BIGC) Integration to expand their offering for BigCommerce users. Hawksearch has been a preferred BigCommerce technology partner since 2019. In addition to Hawksearch's current traffic builder tool, Bridgeline's product development team has integrated WooRank's SEO tools. "We're excited to strengthen our commitment to our BigCommerce partnership by developing new revenue growth opportunities for their user-base," says Ari Kahn, CEO at Bridgeline.

08:44 EDT Ziopharm appoints Kevin Boyle as Chief Executive Officer, executive promotions - Ziopharm Oncology announced the appointment of Kevin Boyle, Sr. as its new Chief Executive Officer, effective today. As previously planned, Heidi Hagen, Interim CEO, is returning to her position as a member of the Board of Directors. Boyle has also been named to the Board. In addition, the Company has announced promotions within its senior leadership. Most recently, Boyle was CEO of Kuur Therapeutics. The Board's selection of Boyle was unanimous. The CEO search committee was comprised of Robert Postma, Heidi Hagen and Mary Thistle, with support and guidance from the entire Board. The Company also announced today that it has promoted Dr. Raffaele Baffa MD, Ph.D., to Head of Research and Development, adding to his role as Chief Medical Officer. Ziopharm also announced the promotion of Dr. Adam Levy Ph.D., MBA to Executive Vice President, Corporate Development and Investor Relations.

08:42 EDT MamaMancini's expands $10.5M credit facility from M&T Bank - MamaMancini's Holdings announced that it has secured an expanded credit facility with M&T bank in the amount of $10.5M for the purpose of acquisition financing at an interest rate of 3.5% above one-day LIBOR. Previously, MamaMancini's maintained an undrawn $4.5M working capital credit facility that can be drawn through June 2023 - with the additional $6M expansion provided for the purpose of acquisition financing, which can be drawn through early August 2023 with a maturity date of 60 months from the date of draw down. Any proposed acquisition will need the approval of M&T bank to utilize this funding. Additional funding may be available depending upon the financing needs of a proposed acquisition

08:39 EDT Micron Solutions appoints Glen Bunnell as CFO - Micron Solutions announced the appointment of Glen Bunnell as its CFO, Treasurer and Principal Accounting Officer, effective September 7, 2021. Bunnell brings over 30 years of strategic financial management in the life sciences, technology and manufacturing industries, most recently serving since April 2019 as Chief Financial Officer of BostonSight, a non-profit healthcare organization, research center and manufacturing laboratory based in Needham, Massachusetts.

08:38 EDT Lincoln Financial announces CIO Cooper to succeed Glass as CEO after 2022 AM - Lincoln Financial Group announced that Dennis R. Glass, president and CEO, will transition roles following the 2022 Annual Meeting of Shareholders planned for next May, becoming the chairman of the board. Ellen G. Cooper, currently executive vice president, chief investment officer, head of Enterprise Risk and the Annuity Solutions group, will succeed Glass as president and CEO following the 2022 Annual Meeting. Cooper will also join the board at that time. Additionally, William H. Cunningham will become the lead independent director upon Glass becoming the board chair. Cooper, is a seasoned Lincoln executive with broad and deep life insurance industry experience. She joined Lincoln in 2012 as executive vice president and chief investment officer, and subsequently added the roles of head of Enterprise Risk and more recently, head of the Annuity Solutions group. During her tenure, she has been instrumental in developing and executing on the general and separate account investment strategy, overseeing over $300 billion in assets and managing the Corporation's industry leading hedge program. She has also expanded her leadership role to include responsibility for Lincoln's enterprise risk management function and was recently named head of the Corporation's market-leading Annuity Solutions business. In addition to her other roles, Cooper is a member of the Lincoln Financial Foundation Board.

08:37 EDT 180 Life Sciences CEO Woody issues letter to stockholders - 180 Life Sciences released a letter to stockholders from its Chief Executive Officer, Dr. James Woody. In the letter, Woody wrote, "I'd like to now update you on the status of our exciting pipeline, which includes three clinical programs addressing the following indications: Early Dupuytren's contracture, a fibrotic disease of the hand, which is in Phase 2b clinical trial, with results of the 181-patient randomized, placebo-controlled trial expected in Q4 of 2021, as previously disclosed. In the entire trial, there were no related adverse events, and over 85% of patients received 3 or more injections; Frozen shoulder, with a grant to initiate the clinical study recently awarded by the National Institute for Health Research, UK. We plan to start the trial for frozen shoulder within the next few weeks. We anticipate the first patients will receive their initial injection in October 2021, although continued COVID-19 outbreaks in the UK, may cause delays; Post-operative cognitive delirium disorder and dysfunction. We hope to be able to reduce or prevent this dysfunction by treating patients with anti-TNF agents at the time of surgery. We have applied for non-dilutive grant funding for this trial and are awaiting a response. In addition to these pipeline updates, in September 2021, we plan to initiate conversations with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, with the goal of potentially transitioning our trials to the U.S. Additionally, our pre-clinical discovery programs include: Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, which started preclinical studies with Celgene-BMS in human tissue in Q2 2020; A program focused on the development of unique pharmaceutical-grade oral synthetic cannabidiol analogs to treat pain, and specifically focused on the chronic pain associated with arthritis, for which we would seek FDA approval. We expect to move forward in clinical development for both inflammation and pain, and plan to initiate Investigational New Drug Application enabling studies in Q1 2022; The alpha7nAChR program, which aims to develop alpha7nAChR agonists for the treatment of inflammatory diseases, initially ulcerative colitis induced in ex-smokers. With the close of our current financing, this program will again be seeking to find lead candidates."

08:36 EDT Daxor reports 26.5% rise in diagnostic sales revenue for six months - Daxor Corporation announces it filed Form N-CSR disclosing its schedule of portfolio holdings for the six months ended June 30, 2021. The Company's increase in revenue of 26.5% in the Company's diagnostic division, represents strong strides in the commercialization of its BVA-100 Blood Volume Analyzer and eight additional accounts. In addition, the filing noted that Daxor's next-generation point-of-care analyzers utilizing patent-pending fluorescence technology are on track for production as funded by the U.S. Department of Defense and slated for release in 2022. Updates on the initiation of a National Institutes of Health multicenter prospective randomized control trial in heart failure management utilizing Daxor's technology were also given. "Daxor's research trial at the VA Hospital System is in excellent shape", noted Chief Scientific Officer Jonathan Feldschuh. "We are excited to update shareholders that this landmark trial has begun and enrollment is on track." Revenue growth was driven by a combination of the sale and leasing of capital equipment and orders for the single-use blood volume diagnostics kits for critical care and heart failure management as well as other indications and additionally by orders from the U.S. Department of Defense as well as third-party companies contracting with Daxor to conduct blood volume analysis on their products. Management also noted that eight new accounts had been opened since the start of the year in a variety of avenues including purchase, lease, reference lab use, and research. "I am pleased to announce continued double-digit growth as we remain focused on accelerating our commercialization strategy despite the ongoing challenges from COVID-19," said Michael Feldschuh, CEO and President of Daxor. "To amplify the reach of our products, two new distributor agreements have been signed to drive usage in hospitals not covered by our own reps. We project having a sales team of internal and external reps of over 50 for the second half of this year now that onboarding is mostly complete. This multi-channel distribution model spearheaded by Daxor team leader Jean Oertel is anticipated to increase our sales and facilitate further awareness, adoption and integration of our much needed and valuable test for use in a broad range of medical and surgical conditions for both inpatient and outpatient care." In recognition of its accelerating sales program, the company announces that Jean Oertel has been named Senior Vice President of Commercialization. As of June 30, 2021 the company held net assets of $14,493,285 or $3.59 per share, a 7% decrease driven by the Company's continued investments in research and development, commercial sales teams, as well as production facilities for the next generation blood volume analyzers which are anticipated to come to market over the next twelve months.

08:33 EDT Sherwin-Williams elects Marta Stewart to board of directors - The Sherwin-Williams Company (SHW) announced that the Board of Directors elected Marta Stewart to the Board, effective August 29. Stewart also was appointed to the Audit Committee of the Board. Sherwin-Williams' Board now consists of eleven members, including ten independent directors. Stewart served in various key leadership positions during a 33 year career at Norfolk Southern (NSC) before retiring as Executive Vice President and CFO in August 2017.

08:32 EDT Independence Holding Co. receives preliminary non-binding going-private offer - Independence Holding Company announced that its Board of Directors received a preliminary, non-binding offer from Geneve Holdings, Inc., which through its wholly-owned subsidiaries hold an aggregate of approximately 62.5% of the issued and outstanding shares of common stock of the Company, to acquire all of the outstanding shares of Common Stock that are not already beneficially owned by Geneve in a going-private transaction. Geneve's proposed purchase price is $50 per share, payable in cash. The offer letter delivered by Geneve to the Board of Directors is publicly available in the Schedule 13D amendment filed today by Geneve with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Board of Directors of the Company formed a Special Committee of independent directors to consider the proposal and to review, evaluate, negotiate and approve or disapprove the proposal and alternatives. The consummation of the Transaction is conditioned upon the approval of the Transaction by the Special Committee and by the stockholders of the Company that hold in the aggregate a majority of the outstanding shares of Common Stock that are not held by Geneve and its affiliates and related parties. The consummation of the Transaction is also conditioned upon the consummation of the pending sales of Independence American Holdings Corp. and Standard Security Life Insurance Company of New York. No decision has yet been made with respect to the Company's response to the proposal or any alternatives thereto. The Board of Directors of the Company cautions that it has only received a proposal, which does not constitute an offer or proposal capable of acceptance and may be withdrawn at any time and in any manner. There can be no assurance that any definitive offer will be made, that any agreement will be executed or that the transaction proposed in the proposal or any other transaction will be approved or completed. The Company is not obligated to disclose any further developments or updates on the progress of the proposed transaction until either the Company enters into a definitive agreement or the Special Committee determines no such transaction will be approved.

08:30 EDT DSP Group trading resumes

08:25 EDT American Battery Metals appoints Ryan Melsert as CEO - American Battery Metals announced the appointment of current company CTO Ryan Melsert as its new CEO. Melsert's appointment is part of a leadership transition to prioritize the company's technology development and commercialization efforts and to position the company for long-term growth.

08:23 EDT BioElectronics discusses Q2 financials - BioElectronics Corporation said that it would like to clarify information about the Company and acknowledge the investor community's request for comments following Q2 financials. The company said, "Key facts from the Q2 financials many of which were found in the footnotes: The CEO again took no pay, and the Chairman invested additional cash into the Company. Two major lenders neither collected nor accrued interest on their notes. No additional stock was issued during the 2nd quarter. Products using BIEL technology are now on the shelves of major retailers including CVS and Walgreens. World class athletes are actively promoting BIEL's technology on social media. Keeping in line with BIEL's impressive year-over-year growth, the six months ended June 30, 2021 sales were 665% higher than the same period during 2020. While Q2 2021 sales were lower than Q1 2021 sales, this does not account for deferred revenue from booked orders, that amounts to $555,000. Deferred revenue will be recorded as sales in the applicable quarter when the products are shipped. BioElectronics is working to accommodate additional orders after strong product launches in Q1 2021 by their three major channel partners: KT Health, Scott Specialties in the OTC space, and Medi-Launch in the prescription medical market. Consumer acceptance of the technology has been very positive, as witnessed by strong consumer reviews for the KT Recovery+ Wave & DonJoy EME powered by ActiPatch. Feedback from surgeons for the RecoveryRx has been excellent. The Company is also making progress on international sales. In addition to re-acquiring the CE mark in late 2020, it also obtained MDSAP certification in Q1 2021, which allows for product distribution in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Leveraging these clearances, and working through Medi-Launch, the Company signed four new international distributorship contracts for its RecoveryRx line. The sales team is in ongoing discussions with several firms that have an established presence in the consumer health space, to expand distribution in Europe and the MENA region. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission recently announced that in September it will no longer allow the trading of "Pink No Information" and "Grey Market" stocks. Since BIEL reports on OTC Markets and is up-to-date on its filings, the new SEC mandate does not impact BIEL. Finally, the Company has received notification from the Small Business Administration, that the 2nd Payroll Protection Program Loan has also been forgiven in full. The Company will recognize this forgiveness of debt as "Other Income" during the 3rd quarter. "

08:22 EDT Shoals Technologies collaborates with EY for electric vehicle charging solutions - Shoals Technologies will collaborate with Ernst & Young for Shoals' electric vehicle charging systems solutions. Shoals launched four EV charging product offerings, which are expected to reduce installation costs by 20%-30% compared with conventional solutions. "The relationship leverages EY US teams' experience in economic modeling and operational plan development with Shoals' innovative EV solution offering for broad system deployments," the company said. The two companies will collaborate on methods to optimize deployment time and capital efficiency. "Together with EY, Shoals will help charge point operators to improve their ROI, increase capital efficiency and drive more pervasive deployment of charging stations," said Jason Whitaker, CEO of Shoals Technologies Group. "In other words, leverage funding from the infrastructure bill to deploy more charging stations, more economically."

08:19 EDT Zebra to acquire Antuit.ai, sees transaction immaterial to earnings in 2021 - Zebra Technologies announced it intends to acquire antuit.ai, a provider of artificial intelligence -powered Software-as-a-Service solutions specific to forecasting and merchandising for the retail and CPG industries. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approval and is expected to close in 2021. Zebra expects this transaction to have an immaterial impact to earnings in 2021. Antuit.ai, owned by a consortium led by Goldman Sachs Asset Management, utilizes AI and machine learning algorithms to ensure its customers have the right product in the right place, at the right time, at the right price based on the current state of the supply chain, store inventory, and consumer demand. Incorporating antuit.ai's AI-powered demand forecasting solution into Zebra's SaaS portfolio will enable retailers and consumer products companies to combine planning and execution to optimize margins and drive revenue growth. Antuit.ai enables retailers to deliver on their omnichannel strategy by increasing margins with effective prices and promotions, as well as optimizing inventory allocations and order fulfillment. With antuit.ai, consumer products companies can maximize forecast accuracy; anticipate consumer demand to meet retailers' service level, shelf-level, store-level, and e-commerce orders; optimize pricing and trade promotions; and unify sales, trade and demand planning.

08:15 EDT Adtran, ADVA announces business combination - Adtran and ADVA announced the entry into a business combination agreement to combine the two companies and create a global, scaled provider of end-to-end fiber networking solutions for communications service provider, enterprise and government customers. The merger combines Adtran's fiber access, fiber extension and subscriber connectivity solutions with ADVA's metro wavelength division multiplexing, data center interconnect, business ethernet and network synchronization solutions. The combination of Adtran and ADVA is expected to create significant value for the shareholders of both companies, with approximately $52M in pre-tax annual cost synergies realized within two years post-closing, driven by identified supply chain efficiencies and operating model optimization. Adtran and ADVA will combine under a new holding company pursuant to an all-stock exchange offer for 100% of ADVA's outstanding shares. Under the terms of the offer, each ADVA share will be exchanged for 0.8244 shares of common stock in the new holding company. The offer is equivalent to EUR 14.98 per ADVA share based on Adtran's three-month VWAP as of August 27, representing a premium of 22% to ADVA's three-month VWAP for the same time period, an equity value of EUR 789M, and an enterprise value of EUR 759M for an implied multiple of 1.3x LTM Revenue. Adtran shares will be exchanged for shares in the new holding company on a one-for-one basis. At the closing, Adtran shareholders will own approximately 54% of the equity of the combined company and ADVA shareholders will own approximately 46%, assuming a tender of 100% of ADVA shares. The new holding company will commence the public takeover offer after approval of the offer document by the German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority, which Adtran anticipates occurring in November. The offer will be subject to certain closing conditions, including a minimum acceptance threshold of 70% of the outstanding shares in ADVA, majority approval by Adtran shareholders, regulatory approvals, and other customary closing conditions. The business combination agreement has been approved unanimously by the Adtran board of directors and the ADVA Management and Supervisory Boards. The transaction also has the support of ADVA's largest shareholder, Egora, which has entered into an irrevocable commitment to tender into the offer shares representing 13.7% of ADVA's outstanding shares. The companies anticipate completing the transaction during the second or third quarter of 2022, subject to receipt of required regulatory approvals, as well as satisfaction of other customary closing conditions. The new holding company, in coordination with the ADVA Management and Supervisory Boards, intends to pursue a delisting and squeeze-out of the ADVA shares, following settlement of the offer or at a later date, depending on the new holding company's shareholding in ADVA, prevailing market conditions and other economic considerations.

08:14 EDT Global Crossing Airlines receives Foreign operating authority - Global Crossing Airlines Group announced that as of August 27, 2021, it has been granted its Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity for Foreign Charter Air Transportation. Under US DOT Order 2021-8-14, GlobalX can now fly internationally from the US in addition to its domestic operations.

08:11 EDT Rubius Therapeutics appoints Jim Jogerst as CBO - Rubius Therapeutics announced the appointment of Jim Jogerst as chief business officer. He will oversee business development strategy and execution, including strategic partnerships, collaborations and alliances that align with Rubius' overall corporate strategy. Jim joins Rubius from Janssen Pharmaceuticals, where he led licensing transactions in the company's Infectious Diseases and Vaccines business.

08:09 EDT Novo Integrated Sciences to acquire seven pharmacies in U.S. - Novo Integrated Sciences announced the signing of non-binding Letters of Intent to acquire seven pharmacies in the United States. The proposed all-stock transactions contemplate the acquisition, by Novo, of a 50% interest in each pharmacy. Novo expects to negotiate and enter into definitive agreements and to close the acquisitions during the second half of 2021. Robert Mattacchione, Novo's Chairman and CEO, stated, "This acquisition of seven pharmacies, which collectively generated approximately $55M in annualized revenue in 2020, would establish our footprint in the U.S. with locations in Florida, Virginia, and Arizona. We believe that the daily patient interaction will allow us to leverage our telehealth platform, mobile application , on-site diagnostic capabilities such as Zgraft, and customized nutrition and wellness product offerings, establishing Novo as a vertically integrated, multidisciplinary health care provider. As part of the proposed all-stock transactions, current management would remain in place to continue operating the pharmacies day-to-day, with a more unique Novo patient product and service offering at each of their locations."

08:09 EDT Medalist Diversified REIT acquires flex Industrial center for $7.5M - Medalist Diversified REIT acquired a flex Industrial center consisting of three buildings totaling approximately 89,290 square feet of gross leasable space in Chesapeake, Virginia, commonly referred to as the Greenbrier Business Center property, from a seller affiliated with the company's external manager for a purchase price of $7.25M, exclusive of closing costs. The company's equity investment in the acquisition of approximately $3M was funded using a portion of the net proceeds from the company's common stock public offering that Medalist closed on April 13. Management expects to use the remaining proceeds from the common stock offering for additional acquisitions during 2021. The balance of the purchase price for the Greenbrier Business Center was funded by a commercial loan that the company assumed from the seller.

08:08 EDT NRx Pharmaceuticals reports new finding from Phase 2b/3 trial of ZYESAMI - NRx Pharmaceuticals announced an additional finding in its phase 2b/3 clinical trial investigating ZYESAMI for the treatment of patients with acute Respiratory Failure due to Critical COVID-19. Previously announced results have focused on survival and recovery from respiratory failure at 60 days, and ZYESAMI's apparent role in preventing rise in the inflammatory cytokine IL-6, known as "Cytokine Storm." NRx's new analysis shows that patients treated with ZYESAMI demonstrated improvement in blood oxygen, indicative of improved lung function, within a day of starting treatment. The average difference in Respiratory Distress Ratio between those treated with aviptadil and placebo was both clinically meaningful and statistically significant. Moreover, the difference is comparable to that reported a year ago from an open label study at Houston Methodist Hospital by Dr. J Georges Yousef.

08:07 EDT IntercontinentalExchange trades record 20,732 Micro NYSE FANG+ Index futures - IntercontinentalExchange announced that a record 20,732 Micro NYSE FANG+ Index futures traded on August 26, marking its highest volume day. Average daily volume has grown to a record 8,423 contracts in August.

08:06 EDT Qumu says CFO Ristow to step down September 10, initiates search for successor - Qumu announced that Dave Ristow will be stepping down from his position as Chief Financial Officer of the Company, effective September 10, to pursue a new CFO opportunity with a technology company in the pharmaceutical industry. With support from the Board of Directors, Qumu has initiated a search for a new CFO and will provide updates as they become available. Beginning September 10 Matt Walker, Qumu's corporate controller since November 2015, will serve as the Company's interim principal accounting officer and principal financial officer until Qumu's external CFO search is complete. "Over the past four years Dave has capably assisted in transitioning Qumu from its legacy business to the SaaS focused enterprise we are today," said Company Chief Executive Officer TJ Kennedy. "During Dave's tenure, he has helped improve our balance sheet through several successful equity raises, led our debt reduction efforts, and built a steady financial planning and accounting team at Qumu. As we begin the process of identifying his successor, we are in experienced, steady hands with our current corporate finance team remaining in place. On behalf of the board and our entire organization, I'd like to thank Dave for his contributions and wish him success in his new endeavor." In order to ensure Qumu continues its progress on its SaaS transformation and strategic roadmap, Qumu will engage Mark Culhane as a consultant. Mr. Culhane is a long-time software executive.

08:06 EDT Synalloy appoints Aaron Tam as CFO - Synalloy has appointed Aaron Tam as chief financial officer, effective immediately. Tam brings over 20 years of executive level experience in finance and accounting, including serving in CFO roles across a variety of industries. Tam joins Synalloy from his role as CFO of Northstar Aerospace, an independent manufacturer of components and assemblies to the global aerospace industry, where he served since 2013.

08:04 EDT Synaptics to acquire DSP Group for $22 per share in all-cash transaction - Synaptics Incorporated (SYNA) and DSP Group, Inc. (DSPG) announced the signing of a definitive agreement, unanimously approved by the boards of directors of both companies, whereby Synaptics acquires DSP Group, a leading global provider of voice and wireless chipset solutions for converged communications, at $22.00 per share in an all-cash transaction. The combination is anticipated to generate annual run rate synergies of $30 million for the new entity to be realized within 12 months of closing and is immediately accretive to Synaptics' non-GAAP earnings. The transaction is expected to be financed through a combination of cash on hand and a fully committed, incremental debt financing arrangement with a projected close by the end of calendar year 2021, subject to DSP Group shareholder approval and customary closing conditions. DSP Group has leadership positions across multiple markets in the Internet of Audio Things with significant growth opportunities in low power SmartVoice, unified communications & collaboration, and wireless IoT devices. Most of these solutions are quite relevant to Synaptics' existing customer base, furthering the strategy of cross-selling portfolio devices. Synaptics recently announced its Low Power Edge AI initiative, which opens a significant long-term opportunity with ABI research predicting approximately 2.5 billion TinyML units to be sold by 2030. The addition of DSP Group's best-in-class SmartVoice products to Synaptics' Katana smart vision platform creates a complete portfolio that can both serve existing customer needs and address the significant future market. In addition, the combination further strengthens Synaptics' industry-leading wireless connectivity portfolio by adding DECT Ultra Low Energy, which enables a fully-featured intelligent home security solution.

08:03 EDT Willis Towers Watson select Andrew Krasner as CFO - Willis Towers Watson announced that it has selected Andrew Krasner as the company's new Chief Financial Officer. Krasner returns to Willis Towers Watson after being CFO of AssuredPartners. He succeeds Michael Burwell in this role. Mike will be taking on a senior role in the medical and data analytics industry going forward.

07:57 EDT DSP Group trading halted, news pending

07:39 EDT ISS recommends Xeris holders vote for all proposals concerning Strongbridge - Xeris Pharmaceuticals (XERS) announced that a leading independent proxy advisory firm Institutional Shareholder Services has recommended that Xeris stockholders vote for all proposals related to the Company's transaction with Strongbridge Biopharma plc (SBBP). "We are pleased that ISS supports our Board's recommendation to vote "FOR" the acquisition of Strongbridge. In its report, ISS recognizes the valuation, strategic rationale, and synergies of the combination," said Paul R. Edick, Chairman of the Board and CEO. "We encourage Xeris stockholders to follow ISS' recommendation and vote for all transaction-related proposals today."

07:37 EDT Canacol Energy executes long term take or pay gas sales contract with EPM - Canacol Energy announced the execution of a new long term take or pay gas sales contract with Empresas Publicas de Medellin, and provides an update on the pipeline project associated with the sales contract. Under the terms of the contract Canacol will deliver gas to EPM in Medellin starting on December 1, 2024 with an initial minimum volume of approximately 21 million standard cubic feet per day escalating to approximately 54 MMscfpd on December 1, 2025, and remaining at this level until the sales contract expires on November 30 2035. To deliver the gas a new 20" pipeline will be built between Canacol's gas treatment plant at Jobo to the city of Medellin located approximately 300 kilometers to the south. The pipeline will have an initial transportation capacity of approximately 100 MMscfpd. A subsequent phase contemplated for the pipeline project will have the ability to increase total transportation capacity to approximately 200 MMscfpd via the installation of additional compression. The Corporation will focus on the following activities related to the pipeline project, all of which are anticipated to be completed by the end of Q1 2022. Finalize work on the environmental permit to submit to the ANLA for approval, finalize the selection of the construction company that will be responsible for building and operating the pipeline, arrange the necessary financing as required to execute the project, and continue to negotiate and execute an additional 45 MMscfpd of gas sales contracts with consumers in the interior to fill the initial 100 MMscfpd capacity of the pipeline. As originally outlined in a August 4, 2020 press release, on July 31, 2020, a subsidiary of the Corporation entered into a $75 million senior unsecured bridge term loan with a syndicate of banks. Notable terms of the Bridge included an interest rate of LIBOR + 4.25%, a 2-year term, and the Corporation's ability to repay the Bridge at any time within the term without penalty. Within 30 days of the July 31, 2020 closing the subsidiary was obligated to draw the first $25 million of the Bridge, with the remaining $50 million to be available to be drawn at any time up to 12 months from the closing date. On August 12, 2021 the Bridge was amended to extend both the Bridge term and the availability period on undrawn amounts to July 31, 2023. The Bridge was entered into by the Canacol subsidiary that is intended to be used to construct and own the Medellin pipeline, with Canacol being the guarantor throughout the outstanding term of the Bridge. The initial draw from the Bridge will be used for expenditures such as engineering and environment permitting, with the following $50 million currently budgeted to order long lead time items needed for construction. It is anticipated that during the term Canacol will divest between 75% to 100% of the shares of the subsidiary to an equity partner, while maintaining up to a 25% working interest (with 25% being the maximum permitted ownership level for a gas producer under Colombian law) in the ownership of the pipeline project. Detailed discussions are ongoing with respect to this project with interested equity partners and a syndicate of banks. Once equity partners and bank syndicate agreements have been signed, and any applicable conditions precedent have been met, it is anticipated the long term funding will be advanced and the Bridge will be repaid, thus freeing Canacol of its guarantees on the Bridge.

07:35 EDT Strongbridge announces ISS recommended vote for transaction with Xeris - Strongbridge Biopharma (SBBP) announced that the independent proxy advisory firm Institutional Shareholder Services, or ISS, has recommended that Strongbridge shareholders vote "FOR" the company's transaction with Xeris Pharmaceuticals (XERS). Commenting on the ISS recommendation, the Strongbridge board of directors issued the following statement: "We are pleased that ISS's recommendation validates our belief that the proposed combination of Strongbridge and Xeris will drive significant long-term value for shareholders of the combined entity. Together with Xeris, we will create an innovative leader in endocrinology and rare diseases, positioned to best address the unmet needs of the patient communities that we serve. The combined company will benefit from additional scale and financial resources, a powerful combined pipeline, enhanced drug development talent and commercial infrastructure, and will be more strongly positioned to accelerate product launches and drive further growth. We urge shareholders to vote FOR all transaction-related proposals to enable us to move forward to unlock the potential value of our combined assets and provide our shareholders with the opportunity to participate in the success of the combined company."

07:35 EDT Vitalhub receives conditional approval to list on Toronto Stock Exchange - VITALHUB announced that it has received conditional approval subject to certain conditions to list its common shares on the Toronto Stock Exchange. Concurrent with the TSX listing, the common shares of VitalHub will be de-listed from the TSX Venture Exchange. Final approval of the listing is subject to the Company meeting certain customary conditions required by the TSX. The Company will issue a press release once the TSX confirms the date when trading of VitalHub common shares is expected to commence on the TSX.

07:32 EDT AnPac Bio's USA laboratory receives accreditation from CAP - AnPac Bio-Medical Science announced that its Philadelphia, PA Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments certified laboratory has received accreditation from the College of American Pathologists, or CAP. "The U.S. federal government recognizes the CAP Laboratory Accreditation Program as being equal-to or more-stringent-than the government's own inspection program. During the CAP accreditation process, designed to ensure the highest standard of care for all laboratory results, inspectors examine the laboratory's records and quality control of the procedures for the preceding two years. CAP inspectors also examine laboratory staff qualifications, equipment, facilities, safety program and records, and overall management," the company said. Dr. Chris Yu, CEO and Chairman of AnPac Bio commented: "AnPac Bio is proud to join an outstanding group of select laboratories globally that have received this accreditation. With the CAP accreditation of our Philadelphia laboratory, we have now consolidated our California laboratory into one single expanded ultramodern facility in the USA. The CAP Accreditation for our Philadelphia facility demonstrates that our laboratory operates at the highest standards and is another key step in delivering on our mission to detect cancer early through the power of our CDA technology."

07:15 EDT Agraflora Organics engages Michael Chyczij as master growing consultant - The Company is also pleased to announce that it has recently engaged Michael Chyczij as its Master Growing Consultant. Based in Vancouver, Mr. Chyczij has been engaged for an initial term of six months to assist AGRA with the development of Boundary Bay Cannabis products at the Delta greenhouse complex. Over his career to date, Michael has served several functions in the cannabis industry. He began experimenting with various cultivation methodologies and growing techniques 25 years ago. Mr. Chyczij's YouTube channel, Green Grow Spaces, focuses on empowering medical patients with the tools required to cultivate cannabis and has over 20,000 subscribers with over 1.5 million views.

07:12 EDT Lexicon reviews new ESC heart failure treatment guidelines on SGLT inhibitors - Lexicon Pharmaceuticals "welcomes the new recommendation by the European Society of Cardiology, or ESC, to add SGLT inhibitors as part of the standard of care for the prevention and treatment of heart failure," the company said. SGLT inhibitors have been given a Class IA recommendation in updated clinical practice guidelines released by the ESC Heart Failure working group in the EU at its annual meeting, the ESC Congress 2021 - The Digital Experience. Specifically, the guidelines recommend the following for the primary prevention of HF in patients with risk factors for its development: "SGLT2 inhibitors are recommended in patients with diabetes at high risk of cardiovascular disease or with CV disease in order to prevent HF hospitalizations." The guidelines recommend the following for the treatment of patients with HF and diabetes or for the treatment of diabetes in HF: "SGLT2 inhibitors are recommended in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus at risk of CV events to reduce hospitalizations for HF, major CV events, end-stage renal dysfunction, and CV death." and "SGLT2 inhibitors are recommended in patients with T2DM and heart failure with reduced ejection fraction to reduce hospitalizations for HF and CV death." "It is quite rare for an investigational drug to be listed in the guidelines prior to regulatory approval and we do not take the trust and confidence that ESC has placed in sotagliflozin lightly," said Craig Granowitz, M.D., Ph.D., senior vice president and chief medical officer at Lexicon. "We continue to work diligently for these patients and plan to submit a New Drug Application with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration later this year for its review of sotagliflozin, as a therapy for people suffering from heart failure and living with type 2 diabetes"

07:10 EDT CytoSorbents, Aferetica announce launch of PerSorb, PerLife in Italy - CytoSorbents and Aferetica announce the commercial launch of Aferetica's PerLife ex vivo organ perfusion system for kidney and liver transplant and CytoSorbents' PerSorb adsorber, based on the CytoSorbents ECOS-300CY sorbent technology to remove inflammatory mediators during ex vivo organ perfusion, at the European Society of Organ Transplantation Congress in Milan, Italy from August 29 - September 1.

07:07 EDT Paramount Gold Nevada initiates drill program at Frost Project - Paramount Gold Nevada announced that it has initiated a drill program at the Frost project located 12 miles southwest of the company's high-grade Grassy Mountain gold project in Eastern Oregon. As previously announced, Paramount received all required permits from State and Federal authorities to drill its Frost property in April 2021. Paramount President & COO Glen van Treek noted that the Frost property is a close analog to the Grassy Mountain high grade deposit now in the final stages of permitting. "We are extremely excited to drill Frost. Discovering a deposit so close to our proposed mine would extend mine life and substantially improve overall project economics. We have carefully assembled a strong set of data confirming the key characteristics we would like to see in a drill target and the structures have the potential size to host a significant addition to reserves." Paramount plans to send samples for assaying to the ALS lab in Twin Falls, Idaho located approximately 200 miles from Grassy Mountain. The first phase of drilling will be a 15-hole reverse circulation program of approximately 9,000 ft in total. The program is designed to test prospective targets related to interpreted silicification, and structures identified by the Paramount team based upon historic assays, field mapping and geophysical surveys Historic drilling completed in the early 1990's intersected up to 25g/T of gold and 27g/T of silver.

07:06 EDT uniQure completes additional patient procedures following DSMB recommendation - uniQure announced that two additional patient procedures have been completed in the second, higher-dose cohort in the Phase I/II clinical trial of AMT-130 for the treatment of Huntington's disease. These latest procedures follow a positive recommendation by the independent Data Safety Monitoring Board after reviewing available follow-up data from all participants in the trial. A total of 14 blinded administration procedures have now been completed, including four patients in the second dose cohort. In the study to date, eight patients have been treated with AMT-130, and six patients received imitation surgery. In the fourth quarter of 2021, the Company expects the DSMB to review the 1-month safety data from the two most recently enrolled patients in the higher dose cohort, as well as the 3-month data from the first two patients. Upon receiving a positive recommendation from the DSMB, the Company will commence enrollment of the final 12 patients in the second dose cohort.

07:05 EDT Akoustis to increase annual producition capacity at NY fab to 500M filters - Given the rapidly growing sales funnel activity as well as ongoing interaction with customers regarding expected ramps in 5G mobile, WiFi 6 and WiFi 6E in calendar 2022, the Company plans to increase the annual production capacity at its New York fab by the end of calendar 2021 to approximately 500 million filters per year.

07:04 EDT Trevena announces two OLINVYK abstracts highlighting safety data - Trevena announced the acceptance of two abstracts at ANESTHESIOLOGY 2021. Both abstracts highlight safety data from the OLINVYK injection program. The meeting is sponsored by the American Society of Anesthesiologists and will be held on October 8th to 12th in San Diego, California. E-Poster #1: "Elevated Body Mass Index Does Not Affect Adverse Events Associated With Oliceridine, An Intravenous Opioid Agonist." E-Poster #2: "Safety Of Intravenous Oliceridine In Patients With Renal Impairment: Findings From A Phase 3 Open-label Study"

07:02 EDT Catalent to acquire Bettera Brands for $1B - Highlander Partners announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement under which Catalent will acquire Highlander's portfolio company, Bettera Holdings, the parent company of Bettera Brands, for $1B. Bettera is a major manufacturer in the high-growth gummy, soft chew, and lozenge segments of the nutritional supplements market. Bettera, headquartered in Plano, Texas, maintains four manufacturing operations in California, Virginia, New Jersey and Indiana. Highlander formed Bettera through a series of four acquisitions beginning in 2017 and shaped it into a leading manufacturer of consumer-preferred, high quality ingredient nutritional vitamins, minerals and supplements. The transaction is expected to close by the end of 2021 and is subject to customary closing conditions.

06:53 EDT Lannett commences marketing for Mycophenolate Mofetil - Lannett announced that it has commenced marketing Mycophenolate Mofetil for Oral Suspension USP, 200 mg/mL, an internally developed product. Total U.S. sales of Mycophenolate Mofetil for Oral Suspension USP, 200 mg/mL, according to IQVIA market, were approximately $68M for the 12 months ending June, although actual generic market values are expected to be lower.

06:46 EDT Pfizer says Phase 3 JADE DARE trial met co-primary, key secondary endpoints - Pfizer announced that JADE DARE, a 26-week, randomized, double-blind, double-dummy, active-controlled, multi-center Phase 3 study, met its co-primary and key secondary efficacy endpoints. The study showed that abrocitinib was statistically superior compared to dupilumab in each evaluated efficacy measure and had a safety profile consistent with previous studies. The head-to-head study was designed to directly compare the efficacy of abrocitinib 200mg versus dupilumab 300mg, in adult participants on background topical therapy with moderate to severe atopic dermatitis. Abrocitinib 200mg was administered by once-daily oral tablet and dupilumab was administered by subcutaneous injection every other week following a 600mg induction dose. A larger percentage of patients treated with abrocitinib 200mg experienced adverse events compared to dupilumab 300mg. The proportion of patients experiencing serious adverse events, severe adverse events, and adverse events leading to study discontinuation were similar in both treatment arms. Two deaths occurred in patients treated with abrocitinib 200mg, which were characterized by the investigator as unrelated to the study drug. One death was attributed to COVID-19 and the second was attributed to intracranial hemorrhage and cardiorespiratory arrest, and classified as a major adverse cardiovascular event. There were no cases of malignancies or venous thromboembolism events confirmed through adjudication. The safety profile seen with abrocitinib was consistent with previous studies in the JADE program.

06:33 EDT SpringsWorks Therapeutics enters research agreement with Dana-Farber - SpringWorks Therapeutics announced that it has entered into a sponsored research collaboration with Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. The collaboration is designed to further investigate nirogacestat, SpringWorks' investigational gamma secretase inhibitor, with anti-B-cell maturation antigen agents in a variety of preclinical multiple myeloma models. Constantine Mitsiades, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Medicine at Dana-Farber and Harvard Medical School, will serve as the Principal Investigator for the research, which will utilize preclinical in vivo models from the Mitsiades Lab to simulate the multiple myeloma tumor microenvironment. In addition, the research will also deploy functional genomics approaches to explore determinants of response and mechanisms of resistance to GSI + BCMA combination therapy. Under the terms of the sponsored research agreement, SpringWorks will be responsible for funding the work and will retain an option to exclusively license any new intellectual property emerging from the research collaboration.

06:32 EDT Tuya announces $200M shareholder repurchase program - Tuya announced that its board of directors has authorized a share repurchase program under which the company may repurchase up to $200M of its Class A ordinary shares in the form of American depositary shares during a twelve-month period.

06:05 EDT Vapotherm announces FDA 510(k) clearance for HVT 2.0 next generation platform - Vapotherm announced it has received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. FDA for HVT 2.0. This next generation system is designed to provide high velocity therapy using an integrated air source, eliminating the need for wall air or any pressurized air source. It is estimated that 50% of U.S. hospital beds don't have wall air. When paired with an oxygen source, the HVT 2.0 will support patients whether they need respiratory support in the hospital or home setting. The company is planning a limited commercial release of HVT 2.0 in the United States in the fourth quarter.

05:28 EDT Noble Corp. provides rig update following Hurricane Ida - Noble Corp. announced that all personnel onboard the Pacific Sharav, Noble Globetrotter I, and Noble Globetrotter II ultra-deepwater drillships in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico are safe and accounted for following Hurricane Ida. Each rig successfully secured its respective well in progress and took evasive actions to avoid the storm's path. Of the three, the Noble Globetrotter II is the only vessel that encountered hurricane-force conditions. The vessel maintained stability throughout the weather event and is operating on its own power with functional marine and safety systems. A full assessment of its condition will be completed as soon as the weather clears.

05:23 EDT Regeneron, Sanofi announce Dupixent trial met primary and secondary endpoints - Regeneron (REGN) and Sanofi (SNY) announced pivotal Phase 3 results from a trial evaluating Dupixent to treat moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis in children aged six months to five years. The trial met its primary and all secondary endpoints, showing that Dupixent added to standard-of-care topical corticosteroids, or TCS, significantly reduced overall disease severity and improved skin clearance, itch and health-related quality of life measures at 16 weeks compared to TCS alone. Dupixent is the first biologic medicine to show results in this young population and remains the only approved biologic medicine in patients six years and older with uncontrolled moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis. The data reinforce the efficacy and safety profile of Dupixent in other age groups, including a lower observed rate of skin infections in the Dupixent group compared to placebo. During the 16-week treatment period, Dupixent patients were 50% less likely to experience a skin infection and the total number of infections was nearly 70% lower. These results add to the LIBERTY AD clinical program, the largest Phase 3 clinical trial program in atopic dermatitis involving approximately 3,500 children, adolescents and adults to date. Patients received Dupixent every four weeks plus TCS or placebo. The primary endpoints assessed the proportion of patients achieving an Investigator's Global Assessment, or IGA, score of 0 or 1 and 75% improvement in Eczema Area and Severity Index. The pre-specified primary analysis showed that at 16 weeks, among patients treated with Dupixent: 28% achieved clear or almost-clear skin compared to 4% with placebo, the primary endpoint; 53% achieved 75% or greater overall disease improvement from baseline compared to 11% with placebo, the co-primary endpoint outside of the U.S.; 70% average improvement from baseline in overall disease severity compared to 20% improvement with placebo; 49% average improvement from baseline in itch compared to 2% improvement with placebo; significantly improved measures of observed patient outcomes, as well as caregiver-reported health-related quality of life. The trial demonstrated similar safety results to the known safety profile of Dupixent in atopic dermatitis. For the 16-week treatment period, overall rates of adverse events were 64% for Dupixent and 74% for placebo. Most common AEs and AEs of special interest included nasopharyngitis, upper respiratory tract infection, conjunctivitis, herpes viral infections and injection site reactions. Dupixent is a fully human monoclonal antibody that inhibits the signaling of the interleukin-4 and interleukin-13 pathways and is not an immunosuppressant. It was invented using Regeneron's proprietary VelocImmune technology. IL-4 and IL-13 are key and central drivers of the type 2 inflammation that plays a major role in atopic dermatitis, asthma and chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyposis. Detailed results from this trial will be presented at a future medical meeting, and data will be submitted to regulatory authorities.

05:14 EDT Masimo announces CE marking, launch of Masimo SafetyNet Alert in Western Europe - Masimo announced the CE marking and launch in western Europe of Masimo SafetyNet Alert, an arterial blood oxygen saturation monitoring and alert system designed for use at home. Masimo SafetyNet Alert features Signal Extraction Technology wearable fingertip pulse oximetry sensor that communicates wirelessly to an accompanying Home Medical Hub and smartphone app. Masimo SafetyNet Alert monitors blood oxygen saturation and pulse rate using clinically proven Masimo SET Measure-through Motion and Low Perfusion pulse oximetry and perfusion index (Pi). The system provides escalating alerts when drops in oxygen levels are detected, designed to wake up the person suffering from opioid overdose and if they do not, to send alerts to others when help may be needed.

05:07 EDT DouYu announces $100M share repurchase program - DouYu announced that its board of directors has authorized a share repurchase program under which the company may repurchase up to $100M of its ordinary shares in the form of American depositary shares during a period of up to 12 months commencing on August 30, subject to the relevant rules under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended and the company's insider trading policy.