Stockwinners Market Radar for August 31, 2021 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

20:03 EDT SunCoke Energy reports temporary suspension of operations at Convent Marine - SunCoke Energy "reported the temporary suspension of operations at its Convent Marine Terminal on the Louisiana Gulf Coast, due to a power outage from the company's utility supplier which has experienced catastrophic damage to its electrical transmission and distribution systems as a result of Hurricane Ida. Convent Marine Terminal has sustained modest damage and operations there are expected to resume within 24 to 48 hours of electricity being restored."

19:41 EDT Westlake Chemical says likely incurred limited physical damage from Ida - Westlake Chemical "issued a statement regarding Hurricane Ida, which made landfall near its plants in Louisiana and Mississippi. Following initial facility assessments, Westlake believes it has incurred limited physical damage. Restart of the facilities, which Westlake shut down as a precautionary measure in advance of the storm, will primarily depend upon the availability of electricity, industrial gases, and other utilities and feedstocks."

19:09 EDT American Equity names Axel Andre CFO - American Equity Investment Life Holding Company announced that Axel Andre will join the company as its new Chief Financial Officer in September. "I am delighted to welcome Axel to be a part of our executive leadership team. I believe he brings the right combination of intellect, curiosity and proven leadership experiences, to serve as our next CFO as AEL transforms itself into a unique company at the intersection of the insurance and asset management value chain," said Anant Bhalla, CEO and President of American Equity.

17:49 EDT Boeing elects David Joyce to board of directors - The Boeing Company (BA) board of directors announced that Davi Joyce has been elected to the board, effective immediately. He will serve on the Aerospace Safety and Compensation committees. The Boeing board also announced that Admiral Edmund Giambastiani Jr. has informed the company that he will retire from the board at the end of 2021. An accomplished aerospace executive, Joyce retired from General Electric (GE) as vice chair in 2020, where he also served as president and CEO of GE Aviation from 2008 to 2020.

17:32 EDT Packaging Corp. VP Carter sells over $2M in company shares - Packaging Corp. VP Charles Carter disclosed in a regulatory filing that he had sold 14,138 shares of company stock at $151.52 per share on August 30, for a total transaction value of $2,142,248.

17:21 EDT L3Harris Technologies awarded $947.29M Air Force contract - L3 Harris has been awarded an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract in the amount of $947.29M for the AN/ALQ-172 Countermeasures Program and modernization. This contract provides for engineering services for block cycle, non-block cycle and sustaining engineering services and for Air Force Global Strike Command enhancement modernizations. Work will be performed in Clifton, New Jersey, and is expected to be completed by August 30, 2031. This award is the result of a sole source acquisition, and fiscal 2021 operation and maintenance funds in the amount of $9.79M are being obligated at the time of award. Electronic Warfare Contracting Branch, Air Force Life Cycle Management Center is the contracting activity.

17:06 EDT Ambarella jumps 6% to $110.01 after Q2 results top estimates

17:00 EDT Neptune Wellness receives Nasdaq compliance notification - Neptune Wellness Solutions announced that the company has received a written notification from the Nasdaq Stock Market LLC on August 30, 2021, notifying the company that it is not in compliance with the minimum bid price requirement set forth in Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(a)(2), which requires that the closing bid price for the company's common shares listed on Nasdaq be maintained at a minimum of $1.00.

16:46 EDT Vaalco Energy says Etame co-venturers approve FSO agreements - VAALCO Energy, Inc. announced that the Etame co-venturers approved the Bareboat Contract and Operating Agreement with World Carrier Offshore Services Corp and the Agreements are now effective. As previously announced on August 25, 2021, the new Agreements to replace the existing Floating Production, Storage and Offloading unit with a Floating Storage and Offloading unit will significantly reduce storage and offloading costs by almost 50%, increase effective capacity for storage by over 50%, and is expected to lead to an extension of the economic field life, resulting in a corresponding increase in recovery and reserves at Etame. George Maxwell, VAALCO's Chief Executive Officer, commented, "The quick approval of the Agreements by our co-venturers further solidifies the tremendous benefits of this FSO solution at Etame. We expect to have the FSO in place and operating in September 2022 prior to when our current FPSO contract expires. We will continue to maximize the value opportunities for our shareholders and look forward to beginning our next drilling campaign at Etame later this year."

16:37 EDT LTC Properties to pay $3.5M in settlement agreement with lessee affiliates - LTC Properties announced the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Texas Dallas Division approved a settlement agreement between Senior Care Centers and Abri Health Services and LTC and TXMS Real Estate Investments, among others. The settlement provides for, among other things, a one-time payment of $3.25M from LTC to the affiliates of lessee in exchange for cooperation and assistance in facilitating an orderly transition of 11 skilled nursing centers from the lessee and its affiliates to affiliates of Texas-based HMG Healthcare. The payment and the transfer of operations are expected to occur on or about October 1, 2021. The 11 properties will be leased to HMG under a one-year master lease with rent based on cash flows, and payment subject to a deferral of up to six months. LTC and HMG intend to add these 11 properties to a master lease currently existing between LTC and HMG after establishing a stabilized rent rate during this first lease year. LTC has agreed to provide HMG a secured working capital loan, the terms of which are currently being negotiated. Additionally, LTC has agreed to indemnify the new operator for expenses incurred, if any, related to certain pre-transfer claims and liabilities.

16:33 EDT Indie Semiconductor to acquire TeraXion for $159M - indie Semiconductor announced it has signed a definitive agreement to purchase TeraXion, a designer and manufacturer of innovative photonic components. This acquisition accelerates indie's vision of becoming a semiconductor and software level solutions provider for multiple sensor modalities spanning advanced driver-assistance systems and autonomous vehicles. Based on indie's closing stock price as of August 30, indie will pay approximately $159M for TeraXion, comprised of $80M in cash plus a fixed number of 8M indie Class A common shares. The transaction has been approved by the boards of directors of both indie and TeraXion and is expected to close in the fourth quarter, subject to customary closing conditions. Excluding any non-recurring acquisition-related charges and amortization of intangibles, indie expects the acquisition to be immediately accretive and will provide more financial details during its next earnings conference call.

16:31 EDT Red River Bancshares renews stock repurchase program for up to $5M - Red River Bancshares announced that its board of directors approved the renewal of its stock repurchase program. The repurchase program authorizes the Company to purchase up to $5M of outstanding shares of common stock from September 1 through August 31, 2022. Repurchases may be made from time to time in the open market at prevailing prices and based on market conditions, or in privately negotiated transactions.

16:30 EDT EnerSys CEO Shaffer sells 7,100 common shares - In a regulatory filing, EnerSys president and CEO David Shaffer disclosed the sale of 7,100 common shares of the company on August 31 at a price of $85.02 per share.

16:21 EDT PVH Corp. reports Q2 gross margin 57.7% vs. 55.9% in prior year

16:19 EDT Darling Ingredients exec van der Velden sells 13,760 common shares - In a regulatory filing, Darling Ingredients EVP of rendering and specialties Jan van der Velden disclosed the sale of 13,760 common shares of the company on August 27 at a price of $76.50 per share.

16:19 EDT FVCBankcorp acquires membership interest in Atlantic Coast Mortgage - FVCbank has acquired a membership interest in Atlantic Coast Mortgage, or ACM. As a result of such investment, the bank has obtained a 28.7% ownership interest in ACM. The transaction is effective immediately. The bank provides a warehouse lending facility to ACM, including a construction-to-permanent financing line, and has developed portfolio mortgage products to diversify its current held for investment loan portfolio. ACM is a licensed mortgage lender headquartered in Fairfax, Virginia primarily engaged in the origination of 1-4 family residential mortgage loans and construction loans. ACM was founded in 2011 and is led by a team of mortgage professionals including its CEO, Timur Tunador, a founder of ACM who has almost 30 years of mortgage banking experience. ACM is licensed in the Commonwealth of Virginia, the District of Columbia, Maryland, and 14 other states. Including its headquarters in Fairfax, Virginia, ACM currently has 12 branches located in Virginia, Maryland, the District of Columbia, and South Carolina.

16:18 EDT CNB Bank names Michael Peduzzi president, COO - CNB Financial Corporation, the parent company of CNB Bank, announced that Michael D. Peduzzi has been appointed as President and Chief Operating Officer of CNB Bank. "Mike brings superb financial skills and a deep knowledge of banking to CNB," said Peter Smith, Chairperson of the Board of Directors of CNB Bank. "He understands the investor community and projects leadership, integrity and empathy. Ten minutes into our first meeting, I knew he was a good fit. Mike will be a great addition to our team, and I look forward to working with him." Peduzzi has over 34 years' experience in banking and financial services, having most recently served as Senior Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer of a Pennsylvania community bank.

16:14 EDT Connect Biopharma gives1H update, three lead assets now in the clinic - "The first half of 2021 marked the achievement of a number of key milestones for Connect, including the transition to a public company with our oversubscribed Nasdaq Initial Public Offering in March , strong execution and progress on our development programs with our three lead assets now in the clinic targeting multiple chronic inflammatory diseases, and advancing our operational capabilities as we continue to attract key talent in both China and the U.S.," said Zheng Wei, PhD, Co-founder and CEO of Connect Biopharma. "For the remainder of 2021, despite the uncertainties related to the COVID-19 pandemic, we remain confident in executing against our corporate strategy and we look forward to important clinical trial data readouts toward the end of this year that we believe will validate our approach in developing potential first-in-class or best-in-class therapies for T cell-driven inflammatory diseases." The company noted that it completed successful listing on Nasdaq: In March , Connect Biopharma completed an IPO of American Depositary Shares on the Nasdaq Global Select Market and commenced trading under the ticker symbol "CNTB". The Company raised net proceeds of approximately USD 204.5M. Completed enrollment of Phase 2 trial of CBP-201 in moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis : In April Connect Biopharma completed full enrollment of the Phase 2 clinical trial evaluating CBP-201 in adult patients with moderate-to-severe AD. The global, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, dose-ranging clinical trial is intended to assess the efficacy, safety, and pharmacokinetics profile of CBP-201 in 220 subjects and is being conducted at 60 sites across the U.S., China, Australia, and New Zealand. CBP-201 or placebo was administered to eligible adult subjects with moderate-to-severe AD for 16 weeks with eight weeks of follow up. Cash and cash equivalents were RMB 2,025.0M or US $313.5M as of June 30 , compared to RMB 1,010.1M as of December 31. The increase in cash and cash equivalents was mainly due to proceeds received from the IPO in March .

16:12 EDT Rise Education CFO Warren Wang resigns, Alex Wu named acting CFO - Rise Education announced that Warren Wang has decided to resign from his role as the company's CFO as of August 31 due to personal reasons. Alex Wu will serve as the company's acting CFO, effective September 1. Warren Wang will remain with the company until September 30 to ensure a smooth transition. Wu has extensive experience in corporate finance, technology and management matters. Wu currently serves as an executive vice president and a member of the Asian Pacific private equity team of Bain Capital Private Equity.

16:09 EDT Lennox director Cooper sells 1,500 common shares - In a regulatory filing, Lennox director Janet Katherine Cooper disclosed the sale of 1,500 common shares off the company on August 30 at a price of $336.2001 per share.

16:05 EDT FDA approves updated indication for Merck's Keytruda - Merck announced a label update for KEYTRUDA, Merck's anti-PD-1 therapy, for its indication in first-line advanced urothelial carcinoma in the U.S. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has converted this indication from an accelerated to a full approval. In addition, as part of the label update, this indication has been revised to be for the treatment of patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma who are not eligible for any platinum-containing chemotherapy. Previously, KEYTRUDA was indicated for the treatment of patients with locally advanced or mUC who were not eligible for cisplatin-containing chemotherapy and whose tumors expressed PD-L1, as determined by an FDA-approved test, or in patients who were not eligible for any platinum-containing chemotherapy regardless of PD-L1 status. This indication was approved under accelerated approval based on tumor response rate and duration of response. Continued approval was contingent upon verification and description of clinical benefit in confirmatory trials. The subsequent Phase 3 trial KEYNOTE-361, evaluating KEYTRUDA as monotherapy and in combination with chemotherapy for the first-line treatment of patients with advanced or mUC who were eligible for platinum-containing chemotherapy, did not meet its pre-specified dual primary endpoints of overall survival or progression-free survival, compared with standard of care chemotherapy.

15:13 EDT Coca-Cola President Brian Smith sells $556K in company shares - Coca-Cola President Brian Smith disclosed in a regulatory filing that he had sold 10,000 shares of company stock at $55.65 per share on August 27 for a total transaction value of $556,505.

14:12 EDT Endo to appeal non-infringement ruling in favor of Eagle Pharmaceuticals - Endo International (ENDP) commented on the United States District Court for the District of Delaware's non-infringement ruling in favor of Eagle Pharmaceuticals (EGRX) in patent litigation regarding Eagle's abbreviated new drug application for Par Sterile Products' Vasostrict product. Because the court found non-infringement of Endo's patents by Eagle's proposed product, it did not rule on the patents' validity, the company said. Matthew Maletta, Chief Legal Officer of Endo, said, "We are disappointed in today's ruling and respectfully disagree with the court's decision. We note that the decision turned on the court's interpretation of conflicting appellate case law. Specifically, the court stated that after expending significant effort, it remained unable to reconcile appellate case law governing the consideration of product testing data which differs from ANDA specifications. We plan to address that important issue, among others, as we appeal today's decision and continue defending our intellectual property rights to Vasostrict."

13:34 EDT STB rejects use of voting trust in proposed merger between CN and KCS - The Surface Transportation Board announced a unanimous decision rejecting the use of a voting trust agreement in connection with the proposed transaction between Canadian National Railway (CNI) and Kansas City Southern Railway (KSU). "The Board has determined that the proposed voting trust is not consistent with the public interest standard under the Board's merger regulations," the STB stated. The Board's decision in Canadian National Railway Company, Grand Trunk Corporation, and CN's Rail Operating Subsidiaries - Control - Kansas City Southern, The Kansas City Southern Railway Company, and The Texas Mexican Railway Company, Docket No. FD 36514, may be viewed and downloaded [here.]:[https://dcms-external.s3.amazonaws.com/DCMS_External_PROD/1630430814437/50915.pdf]

13:20 EDT Equity Commonwealth announces termination of Monmouth merger agreement - Equity Commonwealth (EQC) announced that its shareholders approved the proposals in connection with the proposed merger with Monmouth Real Estate Investment Corporation (MNR), or Monmouth. Earlier today, Monmouth announced it did not receive the requisite shareholder support for the merger proposal at its special shareholder meeting. As a result, Equity Commonwealth has terminated the merger agreement and has requested reimbursement of fees and expenses pursuant to its terms. "While we are disappointed with the results of Monmouth's shareholder vote, we are proud of the efforts of the EQC team throughout the process," said David Helfand, President and CEO.

13:11 EDT Delta aims to hire additional 1,500 safety and service-oriented staff - Delta is seeking to hire 1,500 safety and service-oriented professionals to join the 2021/22 flight attendant class. These 1,500 openings are in addition to another 1,500 that Delta is already filling for candidates that had made it through hiring processes before the pandemic in early 2020. In all, Delta will have 3,000 new flight attendants serving customers for our summer 2022 flying and beyond. "A career as a Delta flight attendant is one of adventure, passion and, above all else, safety," said Julieta McCurry, Delta's Managing Director - Customer Experience & Learning of In-Flight Service. "We're looking for the best of the best to join the Delta family as we connect our customers to the people and places they want to see, with the hospitality and service that sets us apart."

12:16 EDT Monmouth does not obtain stockholder approval for Equity Commonwealth merger - Monmouth Real Estate Investment Corporation (MNR) announced that, based on a preliminary count of the votes cast at the Company's Special Meeting of Stockholders, Monmouth did not obtain the necessary stockholder votes to approve the previously announced merger with Equity Commonwealth (EQC). Monmouth remains open to all available options to maximize long-term stockholder value and realize the full potential of the Company's high quality industrial portfolio. The Independent Inspector of Elections will tabulate all proxies and ballots submitted at the Special Meeting and will certify the final results. Final results will be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission once the results have been certified, which Monmouth expects to occur within the next few days. Monmouth's Board of Directors will set a record date and meeting date for Monmouth's 2021 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. Those dates will be announced shortly.

12:03 EDT Schneider National announces major battery-electric truck deployment - Schneider announced a major battery-electric truck deployment as part of the carrier's plan to reduce greenhouse emissions. Beginning in 2022, Schneider will add 50 Freightliner eCascadias, the truck manufacturer's first commercial Class 8 battery-electric truck, to its Southern California intermodal operations, making the organization one of the largest battery-electric truck fleets in North America. Schneider has plans for more BEVs and route options. Funding for the 50 BEVs was announced today as part of the Joint Electric Truck Scaling Initiative, which is sponsored by the South Coast Air Quality Management District, California Air Resources Board and the California Energy Commission. The initiative is working to significantly increase the number of zero-emission heavy-duty trucks available for goods movement while achieving necessary emission reductions.

12:00 EDT Net Element shareholders approve merger with Mullen Automotive - NetElement announced that its stockholders have approved the proposed merger of the company's wholly owned entity with Mullen Automotive. A majority of the votes cast were in favor of the Merger. The company will work on the final requirements to conclude the transaction with Mullen Automotive as referenced in the company's Form S-4/proxy statement and the Merger filings of the company with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

12:00 EDT Designer Brands falls -8.4% - Designer Brands is down -8.4%, or -$1.33 to $14.48.

12:00 EDT Azure Power rises 17.9% - Azure Power is up 17.9%, or $3.50 to $23.02.

12:00 EDT Youdao rises 20.2% - Youdao is up 20.2%, or $2.12 to $12.60.

10:47 EDT Lululemon weakness attributed to Mscience comments - Shares of Lululemon are down $12.90, or 3%, to $401.61 in early trading and the weakness has been attributed to comments from Mscience, according to contacts. The firm is lowering its Lululemon estimates, citing weaker than expected trends through quarter end, but its view remains above consensus, contacts tell The Fly.

10:06 EDT Poseida reports preliminary results from Phase 1 trial of P-PSMA-101 - Poseida Therapeutics announced preliminary results from its Phase 1 clinical trial of P-PSMA-101, the Company's solid tumor autologous CAR-T product candidate to treat patients with metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer, or mCRPC. These data will be presented at the 6th Annual CAR-TCR Summit virtual meeting at 10:00 am ET today in a presentation entitled, "P-PSMA-101 is a High-Tscm Autologous CAR-T Targeting PSMA Producing Exceptionally Deep and Durable Responses in Castration-Resistant Metastatic Prostate Cancer." As of the cutoff date, the study had enrolled a total of nine patients with mCRPC: five patients at Dose A who each received a single treatment of 0.25X10E6 cells/kg, and four patients at Dose B, who each received a single treatment of 0.75X10E6 cells/kg. All patients received a lymphodepletion regimen consisting of 30 mg/m2 fludarabine + 300 mg/m2 cyclophosphamide. Patients were heavily pre-treated, having received an average of six prior lines of therapy with a median time since diagnosis of 6.4 years. Key findings included: Five patients dosed showed measurable declines in PSA levels; Three patients treated showed a greater than 50% decline in PSA levels and had concordant improvements in PSMA-PET imaging; One patient demonstrated evidence of complete tumor elimination and remains in a durable response of greater than five months at the time of this presentation. P-PSMA-101 demonstrated a favorable safety and tolerability profile. After a previously reported case of Macrophage Activation Syndrome exacerbated by patient non-compliance, only three cases of possible Cytokine Release Syndrome were observed, which were all low grade and were managed well with early treatment. No cases of neurotoxicity were observed as of the cutoff date. Eric Ostertag, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Poseida, said: "We are excited about the preliminary data from our Phase 1 trial of P-PSMA-101, which provides further evidence of the effectiveness of our CAR-T platform for solid tumor cancers. To date, other CAR-T therapeutics have not had much success outside of hematologic malignancies. The deep and durable responses in our trial demonstrate that CAR-T products have the potential to work well against solid tumors, even at low doses, when using the appropriate technology platform."

10:03 EDT DARPA awards BAE Systems $6.5M Phase 2 contract - BAE Systems has received a $6.5 million Phase 2 contract from the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to further develop software that will enable semi-autonomous, multi-domain mission planning. The Phase 2 award under the Adapting Cross-Domain Kill-Webs, or ACK, program follows a successful Phase 1 demonstration. As part of Phase 1, BAE Systems' FAST Labs research and development organization, along with teammates Carnegie Mellon University and Uncharted Software, created software called the Multi-domain Adaptive Request Service. The Phase 1 demonstration highlighted the software's ability to update a plan in real time during a live exercise by ingesting information feeds to track the state of planned tasks, and then generating options to adapt the plan to insert new tasks. The Multi-domain Adaptive Request Service software adapts a plan with 100s of missions to insert tasks against new targets, requiring only fractions of a second per target added. Under Phase 2, BAE Systems will continue to mature and advance the software to scale up the capabilities designed to help operators make informed decisions by automatically identifying available assets across domains, and then rapidly assessing the costs and benefits of using those assets when adapting mission tasks. Phase 2 is a step toward the ultimate goal of the program: demonstrating the techniques in a full scale, operationally realistic setting.

10:01 EDT Semi equipment names slip as TSMC looks to lower costs - Shares of equipment semiconductor names such as Applied Materials (AMAT), Lam Research (LRCX) and KLA Corp. (KLAC) are under pressure on Tuesday following a media report saying that TSMC (TSMC) will be in talks with its equipment and materials suppliers about lowering prices for next year by 15%. COST CUTS: TSMC is expected to engage in discussions with the company's equipment and materials suppliers about lowering prices for next year by 15%, striving to cut its costs, according to DigiTimes, citing industry sources. TSMC also plans to initiate talks in the fourth quarter with fab toolmakers and materials providers about prices next year, and is looking to negotiate aggressively much lower quotes, the sources indicated. The foundry will be seeking an at least 15% cut in prices offered by its equipment and materials suppliers for 2022, the sources said. PRICE ACTION: In Tuesday morning, shares of Applied Materials, Lam Research and KLA Corp. have dropped over 1% each to $134.22, $600.04 and $337.85, respectively.

10:00 EDT Mechel falls -7.7% - Mechel is down -7.7%, or -26c to $3.13.

10:00 EDT Youdao rises 10.6% - Youdao is up 10.6%, or $1.11 to $11.59.

10:00 EDT Sequential Brands trading resumes

09:57 EDT Standard Industries announces Bob Patel to join as CEO of W. R. Grace - Standard Industries announced, in anticipation of the closing of its acquisition of W. R. Grace (GRA), that Bob Patel will join the company as CEO of Grace, effective January 2022. Patel will join Standard from LyondellBasell (LYB), where he has served as CEO since 2015 and led a period of extraordinary growth for the company. Patel will succeed Hudson La Force, who has served as CEO of Grace since 2018. La Force will continue as CEO until the end of the year and will join Standard's advisory board in January 2022.

09:47 EDT Apple announces $30M in new commitments to Racial Equity and Justice Initiative - Apple announced $30M in new commitments as part of its Racial Equity and Justice Initiative, supporting students, innovators, and advocacy organizations that are leading the charge in creating a more inclusive, more just world. These new projects include a Global Hispanic-Serving Institution Equity Innovation Hub; expanded education initiatives for community colleges and Historically Black Colleges and Universities; a new cohort of the Apple Entrepreneur Camp immersive tech lab for Hispanic/Latinx founders and developers; and funding for leaders working to advance criminal justice reform and environmental justice. These new commitments build on Apple's $100M initial investment in REJI, and will help elevate equity-focused solutions across the academic and advocacy landscapes.

09:47 EDT JMP Group falls -5.4% - JMP Group is down -5.4%, or -38c to $6.67.

09:47 EDT SmartRent rises 6.0% - SmartRent is up 6.0%, or 75c to $13.23.

09:47 EDT Sunlands Online rises 11.5% - Sunlands Online is up 11.5%, or 75c to $7.25.

09:37 EDT Eagle Pharmaceuticals up after court says Par failed to prove ANDA will infringe - Endo International's (ENDP) Par Pharmaceuticals lost a trial court ruling in its bid to prevent Eagle Pharmaceuticals (EGRX) from selling a generic version of Vasostrict, which is used to treat low blood pressure. In an opinion posted by the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware, Judge Colm Connolly stated in part: "Par alleges that Eagle's submission to the Food and Drug Administration of an Abbreviated New Drug Application for approval to market generic versions of Par's Vasostrict drug product constitutes infringement of the asserted patents... Eagle has alleged in counterclaims that the asserted patents are invalid and unenforceable... Because I conclude that Par failed to prove by a preponderance of the evidence that Eagle's ANDA product will infringe the asserted patents, I need not and do not address Eagle's counterclaims." In early trading, Eagle shares have risen $5.21, or 11%, to $53.63.

09:35 EDT Sequential Brands commences voluntary Chapter 11 proceedings - Sequential Brands Group announced that it, together with its wholly-owned subsidiaries, has commenced voluntary Chapter 11 proceedings in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware. The Company determined that, as a result of the significant debt on its corporate balance sheet, it was no longer able to operate its portfolio of brands. Accordingly, in conjunction with the filing, the Company will pursue the sale of all or substantially all of its assets under Section 363 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. The Company will seek approval from the Court of auction and bidding procedures that are designed to maximize the value of the Company's assets through an open process that enables interested buyers to submit a bid or bid on the Company's assets. The Company believes that each of its brands is well-positioned for profitability under the stewardship of new owners. In connection with this in-court process, Sequential will be obtaining $150 million in debtor-in-possession financing from its existing Term B Lenders. The Company expects this new financing, together with cash generated from ongoing operations, to provide ample liquidity to support its operations during the sale process. The proposed transactions will be implemented pursuant to the terms of a Restructuring Support Agreement reached between the Company and its Term B Lenders. Sequential has filed a number of customary motions seeking court approval to continue supporting its operations during the court-supervised process, including the continued payment of employee wages and benefits without interruption and other relief measures customary in these circumstances.

09:32 EDT Medigus says Gix Media to acquire 70% of Cortex Group for $11M - Medigus announced today that its affiliate Gix Internet, a global marketing technology solutions company for online performance-based-marketing, announced that Gix Internet's subsidiary, Gix Media signed a definitive agreement for the purchase of 70% at Cortex Group, an innovative media-tech company that has developed expertise in turning original content into a profit center through user traffic acquisition. The acquisition of 70% of Cortex's shares by Gix Media will be made for approximately $ 11 million, with the final amount to be determined on the closing date of the transaction. Cortex was established in 2015 and has since been operating with great success in the field of online advertising. Cortex is an innovative media-tech company that has developed capabilities that enable the conversion of original content into a profit center by acquiring user traffic. Cortex's business model is based on purchasing advertising space from publishers such as YAHOO, Outbrain, Google and more. Cortex employs about 17 people in its offices in Tel Aviv. According to Cortex's audited financial statements for the first half of 2021, its revenues amounted to ~$ 12.3 million, an increase of 52% compared to the corresponding period last year. Cortex's operating profit for the first half of 2021 amounted to $ 1.3 million, an increase of 124% compared to the corresponding period last year. In addition, Cortex's revenues for the period of the 12 months ended June 30, 2021 amounted to ~$ 27.5 million and operating profit amounted to ~$ 3.6 million. According to the agreement signed with Cortex and its shareholders, in the first phase, Gix Media will purchase 70% of the fully diluted issued share capital of the company from the sellers. Subsequently, upon achieving certain mutually agreed upon milestones, Gix Media will purchase the balance of the shares from the sellers, such that by the beginning of 2025, it will become the owner of 100% of the fully diluted issued share capital of Cortex. Gix Internet and Gix Media have signed a non-binding Memoranda of Understanding with a banking institute, to provide a credit line totaling up to $3.5 million and loans totaling approximately $7 million, which will be used, among other things, for the purpose of acquiring Cortex, subject to the completion of the transaction. In addition, according to Gix Internet's financial reports for the first six months of 2021, its revenues amounted to ~$ 16.4 million.

09:31 EDT Microsoft to roll out Windows 11 on October 5 - In a blog post, Aaron Woodman, general manager of Windows marketing at Microsoft, said, "Today, we are thrilled to announce Windows 11 will start to become available on October 5, 2021. On this day, the free upgrade to Windows 11 will begin rolling out to eligible Windows 10 PCs and PCs that come pre-loaded with Windows 11 will start to become available for purchase. A new Windows experience, Windows 11 is designed to bring you closer to what you love. As the PC continues to play a more central role in our lives than ever before - Windows 11 is ready to empower your productivity and inspire your creativity. Here are 11 highlights of this release: The new design and sounds are modern, fresh, clean and beautiful, bringing you a sense of calm and ease. With Start, we've put you and your content at the center. Start utilizes the power of the cloud and Microsoft 365 to show you your recent files no matter what device you were viewing them on. Snap Layouts, Snap Groups and Desktops provide an even more powerful way to multitask and optimize your screen real estate. Chat from Microsoft Teams integrated into the taskbar provides a faster way to connect to the people you care about. Widgets, a new personalized feed powered by AI, provides a faster way to access the information you care about, and with Microsoft Edge's world class performance, speed and productivity features you can get more done on the web. Windows 11 delivers the best Windows ever for gaming and unlocks the full potential of your system's hardware with technology like DirectX12 Ultimate, DirectStorage and Auto HDR. With Xbox Game Pass for PC or Ultimate you get access to over 100 high-quality PC games to play on Windows 11 for one low monthly price. Windows 11 comes with a new Microsoft Store rebuilt with an all-new design making it easier to search and discover your favorite apps, games, shows, and movies in one trusted location. We look forward to continuing our journey to bring Android apps to Windows 11 and the Microsoft Store through our collaboration with Amazon and Intel; this will start with a preview for Windows Insiders over the coming months. Windows 11 is the most inclusively designed version of Windows with new accessibility improvements that were built for and by people with disabilities. Windows 11 unlocks new opportunities for developers and creators. We are opening the Store to allow more developers and independent software vendors to bring their apps to the Store, improving native and web app development with new developer tools, and making it easier for you to refresh the look and feel across all our app designs and experiences. Windows 11 is optimized for speed, efficiency and improved experiences with touch, digital pen and voice input. Windows 11 is the operating system for hybrid work, delivering new experiences that work how you work, are secure by design, and easy and familiar for IT to deploy and manage. Businesses can also test Windows 11 in preview today in Azure Virtual Desktop, or at general availability by experiencing Windows 11 in the new Windows 365. Reference Link

09:26 EDT PharmaCyte Biotech announces CypCaps remains stable, active at 18 months - PharmaCyte Biotech announced that its clinical trial product, CypCaps, remains stable and active at 18 months after completing the 18-month timepoint of ongoing product stability testing required by the FDA. This means that the product has a shelf life of at least 18 months when stored at -80 degrees Celsius. The next scheduled timepoint in the ongoing testing will be after two years of storage at -80 degrees Celsius. Analysis after 18 months in storage at -80 degrees Celsius, the unfrozen CypCaps product passed all the specified tests, including cell viability, enzyme activity, cell potency, pH, label check, capsule appearance and integrity. This ongoing stability study was initiated prior to the submission to the FDA of the company's IND. The information and data from the stability study will form part of the updated package of information that PharmaCyte will provide to the FDA, together with data from additional studies requested by the FDA.

09:24 EDT Spotify rolls out Blend personalized experience - In a company blog post, Spotify said, "Bonding with a friend or loved one over your favorite shared music creates a relationship like no other. Starting today, Spotify's latest personalized experience, Blend, is rolling out of beta to Spotify Free and Premium users globally to help sync your tastes even further-and put your music compatibility to the test. We launched Blend Playlists in beta in early June as a new way for two users to merge their musical tastes into one shared playlist made just for them, making it even easier for users to connect, discover, and bond over the music they love with one another. Now, the experience includes new cover art to easily identify each of your Blend playlists, taste match scores to see your listening preferences compared to your friends', and shareable data stories that are unique to every listening pair and can be shared across social channels." Reference Link

09:17 EDT Matterport expands Matterport Capture Services On-Demand to 22 U.S. cities - Matterport announced the expansion of Matterport Capture Services On-Demand to 22 new U.S. cities, increasing coverage to a total of 51 cities across the country. In addition, the company launched the service in four cities in the United Kingdom including London, Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds. As simple as ordering an Uber, Capture Services On-Demand lets companies within a 35-mile radius of these cities to quickly schedule a highly-trained Matterport Capture Technician to digitize any commercial or residential property or unique space. Once captured, the space is transformed into an immersive and precise 3D digital twin and delivered to the customer's account to access, manage and share the space more effectively than ever before.

09:14 EDT Wipro and HERE Technologies team to offer location-based services - Wipro and HERE Technologies announced that they are partnering to offer location-based services, to customers from Energy & Utilities, Manufacturing, Transport & Logistics, Telecom and Automotive industry verticals. As part of this announcement, Wipro and HERE will be jointly developing solutions in the areas of asset tracking, logistics, supply chain, smart-metering and analytics, field workforce management, and private mapping-as-a-service for indoor and outdoor real-time asset tracking. An Internet of Things based smart metering solution being developed by both companies, will provide better information to customers on energy consumption and asset management. The HERE mapping-as-a-service solution enables enterprises to build private maps in the field and manage their autonomous vehicles more efficiently, by providing information to their drivers on routing time, speed, fuel consumption and hazardous conditions. HERE Tracking will help Wipro's customers monitor and track assets, field engineers and supply chain on a real-time basis both indoor and outdoor, as well as provide analytics to build operational efficiencies.

09:13 EDT Genetic Technologies CEO 'confident' decisions will deliver 'strong growth' - Commenting on the outlook, Simon Morriss stated: "We have an exceptional team working with us, a high-caliber experienced Board and SAB and a clear pathway for growth. As we enter FY22 we are confident the strategic decisions we have made over FY21 and the direction the Company is heading will deliver strong growth as we continue our entry into the billion-dollar consumer genetics market. In just a few months we have seen a significant transformation in the Company and though we have further work to do to integrate the products, platforms and team from EasyDNA we have the resources at hand to execute with confidence. We thank our shareholders for their ongoing support over the past year and look forward to reporting on our progress over FY22."

09:11 EDT Vivid Seats announces three appointments to leadership team - Vivid Seats announced three appointments to strengthen its leadership team. Dan Timm will serve as Chief Operating Officer, Tyra Neal will serve as Chief Marketing Officer and David Morris will serve as General Counsel, each reporting directly to Vivid Seats Chief Executive Officer Stan Chia. Dan Timm is an operations-focused leader with experience as an executive and investor. Before joining Vivid Seats, Timm held senior executive positions at a number of companies, including ExteNet Systems, Chatham Technologies, and The Bruss Company, and he was an operating partner at GTCR. Tyra Neal is a marketing executive with experience in both early stage and globally recognized brands. Before joining Vivid Seats, she served as Chief Marketing Officer at Shinola. David Morris is an e-commerce industry leader who brings legal and business experience working with consumer internet platforms. Prior to joining Vivid Seats, he served as Vice President and Associate General Counsel at Tripadvisor. These appointments follow Vivid Seats' announcement that it expects to become a publicly traded company, which is expected to be effective as of the closing of its proposed merger with Horizon Acquisition Corporation (HZAC), and subsequent listing on the NASDAQ under ticker "SEAT."

09:08 EDT Verizon announces availability of private mobile edge computing for enterprises - Verizon (VZ) announced the availability of an on-premises, private edge compute solution that builds upon the collaboration formed last year. Verizon 5G Edge with Microsoft (MSFT) Azure Stack Edge is "a cloud computing platform that brings compute and storage services to the edge of the network at the customer premises providing enterprises with increased efficiencies, higher levels of security, and the low lag and high bandwidth needed for applications involving computer vision, augmented and virtual reality, and machine learning," the company said. With On Site 5G and edge computing, retailers can process information in near real time to gain actionable data-driven insights to increase inventory accuracy and power fast and flexible supply chains. Manufacturers can maximize performance of their assets, optimize their operations. Logistics and supply chain solutions company Ice Mobility has used Verizon 5G Edge with Azure Stack Edge and is now exploring additional 5G applications that leverage initial computer vision and 5G Edge investments. "Our partnership with Microsoft brings 5G Edge to enterprises, dropping latency at the edge, helping critical, performance-impacting applications respond more quickly and efficiently," said Sampath Sowmyanarayan, Chief Revenue Officer of Verizon Business. "5G is ushering in next-generation business applications, from core connectivity to real-time edge compute and new applications and solutions that take advantage of AI transforming nearly every industry."

09:06 EDT Rogers enters partnership with Festival International de Jazz de Montreal - Rogers Communications is announcing that it has signed a five-year agreement with the Festival International de Jazz de Montreal, making it the exclusive telecommunications sponsor for the event. Starting in 2022, Rogers will be the official presenter of one of the Festival's most respected stages, the Blues stage, that has been graced by artists such as Steve Hill, Jordan Officer and Matt Schofield. Rogers will also present a series of indoor concerts and will offer festival goers an improved experience, namely thanks to the launch of 5G onsite.

09:04 EDT Walgreens increases starting wage for hourly team members - Walgreens is further investing in its hourly team members who provide trusted care and services in communities across the U.S. Walgreens will increase the starting hourly wage for all team members to $15.00 an hour, taking effect in phases beginning in October of this year and are expected to be fully implemented by November 1, 2022. "I am extremely proud and grateful of the work our team members are doing across our 9,000 Walgreens locations serving our customers, patients and communities each and every day," said Roz Brewer, CEO, Walgreens Boots Alliance. "Investing in and rewarding our team members is not only the right thing to do, it's highly important to retaining and attracting a talented workforce, and to continuing to serve our critical role in community health care." Total investment to support the starting wage increase is anticipated to be approximately $450 million over the next three years, with one-third of the amount invested in Fiscal Year 2022. The company anticipates that it will partially absorb the investment through the normal course of business.

09:02 EDT RDS Logistics Group deploys '100% electric vehicles' in partnership with Toyota - RDS Logistics Group announced the deployment of a new electric vehicle fleet. The new fleet will consist of seven electric terminal yard hostlers as part of RDS Logistics Groups' ongoing effort to promote sustainability. The EVs will be used at the Toyota Ontario Parts Center to increase overall performance and eliminate emissions. The delivery of the EV fleet marks the first electric vehicle deployment at the Ontario facility since the two companies joined forces over 24 years ago in 1997.

09:02 EDT BioRestorative Therapies receives patent in Japan related to ThermoStem program - BioRestorative Therapies announced that the Japanese Patent Office has issued the Company a patent related to its metabolic ThermoStem Program. Claims granted under the new patent cover methodologies related to brown adipocytes from human brown adipose-derived stem cells. Brown adipocytes are a type of fat tissue found in humans that regulate metabolic activity. Initial preclinical research indicates that increased amounts of brown fat in animals may be responsible for additional caloric burning as well as reduced glucose and lipid levels. Researchers have found that people with higher levels of brown fat may have a reduced risk for obesity and diabetes. "We are pleased to see that we have been granted a significant patent by the Japanese Patent Office for our ThermoStem Program," said Lance Alstodt, the Company's CEO. "The value of our intellectual property assets under our ThermoStem Program continues to grow as we are gaining additional international protection."

09:00 EDT Hims & Hers appoints Mike Chi as Chief Growth Officer - Hims & Hers Health has appointed Mike Chi as the company's first-ever Chief Growth Officer. Chi brings a wealth of experience in the women's market and will be responsible in this new role for driving continued growth across Hims & Hers' multi-specialty telehealth platform. "Mike has a proven record of delivering strong results, specifically when it comes to driving growth in traditionally women's focused markets," said Andrew Dudum, CEO of Hims & Hers. "Mike will help lead the charge as we look to continue delivering robust growth in our established Hims categories and double down on our emerging new Hers-focused specialties, such as Mental Health and Dermatology. He is truly a unique mind with a relentless work-ethic and expertise in channel level marketing that is rarely seen in marketing leaders."

08:49 EDT OneConnect reviews whistleblower complaint, denies 'slanderous' allegations - OneConnect Financial Technology a technology-as-a-service platform for financial institutions in China, responded to certain allegations made about the Company circulated online. "The Company first became aware of these allegations on August 20, from an anonymous whistleblower complaint containing multiple unsubstantiated claims, including that the Company's audited financial statements contain material misstatements. The Company has carefully reviewed the whistleblower complaint. Based upon its review and evaluation, the Company strongly denies these slanderous and meritless allegations. That said, to provide additional comfort to our shareholders' against these allegations, the Company's independent Audit Committee immediately took action by initiating a thorough investigation of the allegations raised in the whistleblower complaint by August 24 . The audit committee is tasked with fully reviewing all allegations and have appointed Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP as outside counsel to advise the Audit Committee. On August 25 the Company reported the incident to the Shenzhen police and has been cooperating with the police's investigation. Our Company will take appropriate legal action against any public dissemination of untrue statement and retains the right to rebut the allegations. The Company is committed to maintaining the highest standards of corporate governance, as well as transparent and timely disclosure in compliance with the applicable rules and regulations of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission and the New York Stock Exchange," said the company in a statement.

08:42 EDT Thoma Bravo completes acquisition of Proofpoint - Thoma Bravo announced the completion of Thoma Bravo's acquisition of Proofpoint for approximately $12.3B in cash. The acquisition was previously announced on April 26, 2021, and Proofpoint's stockholders approved the transaction at the Special Meeting of Shareholders held on July 23, 2021. Upon completion of the acquisition, Proofpoint stockholders were entitled to receive $176.00 in cash for each share of Proofpoint common stock they own. Proofpoint common stock has ceased trading and is no longer listed on the Nasdaq stock exchange. Gary Steele, Chairman and CEO of Proofpoint, said, "We are excited about this next chapter in our company's journey. Proofpoint is well positioned to benefit from Thoma Bravo's significant experience investing in software companies and overall approach to value creation. We look forward to building on our offerings to continue preventing, defending and responding to both today's and tomorrow's cybersecurity threats. I'm extremely grateful to our team members whose dedication and hard work have contributed to Proofpoint's success and made this possible and, together, I know we'll deliver even more innovative solutions for our customers."

08:40 EDT Fluidigm announce results from study using CyTOF, Maxpar Direct Technologies - Fluidigm announced the publication of new data "further validating the potential of its mass cytometry technologies, including CyTOF systems and the Maxpar Direct Immune Profiling Assay, to enable deep profiling of immune and inflammatory responses that play critical roles in infection and other significant health conditions," the company said. The recently published study in Nature Communications evaluated key inflammatory pathways in pregnant women infected with SARS-CoV-2 compared with uninfected pregnant women and women who were not pregnant. As part of the study, researchers used the Maxpar Direct Immune Profiling Assay, six additional Fluidigm labeled antibodies and two custom-labeled antibodies to simultaneously evaluate 38 immune markers on blood cells collected from patients. Key findings of the study include: Evaluation of 62 cytokines in 14 infected pregnant women, 28 uninfected pregnant women and 15 age-matched women who were not pregnant found that pregnant women generally had more anti-inflammatory cytokine profiles compared with controls, and that this was increased in pregnant women who were infected; Mass cytometry evaluation found that, regardless of infection status, pregnant women had similar types, proportions and activities of different circulating immune cells with the exception of low-density neutrophils, which were present at higher levels in infected pregnant women; and Mass cytometry evaluation also found that the expression of genes that play critical roles in the development and activity of T cell subsets was similar among all three groups of women. "This publication, which is likely the first detailed immunological study of pregnant women with SARS-CoV-2 infection, is the latest of more than 30 peer-reviewed studies in 2021 alone using Fluidigm mass cytometry, including Imaging Mass Cytometry and Maxpar Direct technologies, to study COVID-19 and SARS-CoV-2 infection," said Andrew Quong, Chief Science Officer of Fluidigm and an author on the publication. "Fluidigm is proud that its mass cytometry technologies are enabling rapid advancement of our knowledge in this critical area. With this study, the research team has provided critical insights that can be used to optimize pregnancy and health outcomes for pregnant women infected with SARS-CoV-2 and their babies."

08:38 EDT OLB Group unit DMint orders data centers for cryptocurrency mining - The OLB Group announced that DMint, Inc, a wholly-owned subsidiary of OLB, is expecting their first batch of cryptocurrency data centers to come online mid-September . Located in Bradford, PA, the centers will be powered through clean gas energy generated through DMint mineral rights. "These new data centers employ the latest efficiencies for maximizing performance of the miners with an eye on the environmental impact and cost of power," said Ronny Yakov, Chief Executive Officer of OLB. "We expect this approach to generate excellent revenue and will enable further expansion of all services and functions important to keeping our merchants competitive. Crypto commerce is becoming increasingly popular with merchants and consumers, and OLB is striving to make it accessible to all." Dmint's first data centers will accommodate some 1000 miners that are expected to be in operation before the end of September 2021, generating more than $3M new revenue for OLB. DMint has plans to increase capacity to some 24,000 miners over the next 24 months.

08:35 EDT IAA 'breaks ground' on two branches in Maryland and New York - IAA announces breaking ground on two new state-of-the-art branches in Maryland and New York, as well as an expansion in the Long Island, NY area. IAA Elkton MD will become the fifth branch in Maryland. IAA Monticello will support the Hudson Valley market as IAA's seventh branch in the state. Additionally, the Long Island expansion will strategically enhance IAA's ability to serve the needs of the catastrophe-prone East Coast. "As we approach peak CAT season, the timely expansion in the Long Island area will help us serve the growing needs of the Eastern Seaboard," said Tim O'Day, President of U.S. Operations. "At the same time, the new branches in New York and Maryland will help to provide needed capacity for the East Coast market."

08:34 EDT Phunware, Kontakt.io selected by VHC for mobile healthcare solution - Phunware together with Kontakt.io announced the delivery of Digital Front Door on mobile for Virginia Hospital Center Health System, VHC, in Arlington, Virginia, covering more than 850,000 square-feet of indoor medical space. Virginia Hospital Center Health System is a 437-bed, not-for-profit teaching facility in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. Phunware's digital front door enables mobile application solutions for healthcare providers and offers integrations with Electronic Health Records such as Epic. Additional capabilities include, but are not limited to: Location Based Services that includes real-time " mapping and wayfinding for easily navigating; Virginia Health Center facilities with real-time, ADA compliant instructions; Mobile Engagement; Content Management Engine that includes sending pertinent information to patients while in the hospital and at home; save my parking location functionality; and Physician and Services Directories. "A native, digital front door on mobile is exactly the kind of cutting edge innovation that providers need to implement in order to reimagine their continuum of care in a mobile-first world," said Alan Knitowski, President, CEO and Co-Founder of Phunware. "We are thrilled to be working with the forward-thinking leadership team at Virginia Hospital Center on their digital transformation initiatives not only to enhance their patient experience on mobile, but also to improve their operational efficiencies, financial performance and clinical outcomes as well."

08:34 EDT GreenPower Motor launches BEAST all-electric school bus - GreenPower Motor Company announced the official launch and formal unveiling of the BEAST, a purpose built, all-electric, zero-emissions school bus. GreenPower will showcase the BEAST at the Advanced Clean Transportation, or ACT, Expo at Booth #911. The BEAST, or Battery Electric Automotive School Transportation, an all-electric 40 foot Type D battery electric school bus, delivers a class-leading range of up to 150 miles on a single charge via a 194kWh battery pack.

08:33 EDT Beyond Meat receives favorable ruling in legal case with Don Lee Farms - Beyond Meat announced the ruling it received in its legal case with Don Lee Farms, a former co-manufacturer that was terminated by Beyond Meat after failing to meet its standards for quality and safety. In the ruling, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Holly Fujie granted Beyond Meat's motion for summary adjudication on Don Lee Farms' claims for misappropriation of trade secrets and unfair competition. As a result, those claims will not proceed to trial, which is now set for May 16, 2022. The company said, "The Court's ruling puts an end to the fictional narrative Don Lee Farms has attempted to use throughout this case that Beyond Meat misappropriated Don Lee Farms' trade secrets to manufacture the Beyond Burger and other products. Beyond Meat will vigorously defend against Don Lee Farms' remaining claims against Beyond Meat, which are premised on Beyond Meat's alleged breach of the parties' contract and Don Lee Farms' allegation that it was fraudulently induced to continue working with Beyond Meat despite profiting from the parties' relationship. Beyond Meat also intends to pursue its own claims against Don Lee Farms-including its claim that Don Lee Farms misappropriated Beyond Meat's trade secrets to create its own line of copycat products. Beyond Meat seeks millions of dollars in damages from Don Lee Farms and its owners Donald Goodman, Daniel Goodman, and Brandon Goodman. Beyond Meat invested millions of dollars in research and development to bring its revolutionary products to consumers around the world. Don Lee Farms served as Beyond Meat's co-manufacturer from 2014 to the spring of 2017, when Beyond Meat discovered dangerous pathogens at Don Lee Farms' facility in Mansfield, Texas. Unwilling to risk consumer safety, Beyond Meat terminated its relationship with Don Lee Farms. Don Lee Farms retaliated by suing Beyond Meat in 2017, asserting, among other things, claims for trade secrets misappropriation and unfair competition. Although Don Lee Farms had no prior experience manufacturing plant-based meat products, it claimed it owned the procedures for manufacturing Beyond Meat's proprietary plant-based meat products. The Court has now outright rejected that claim."

08:26 EDT Google to invest EUR1B in German digital infrastructure, clean energy - In a blog post, Marc Oman, senior lead, Google Data Center Energy & Infrastructure said, "Imagine a world where you could decarbonize your business just by asking your energy provider to do so. That's exactly what we're setting out to do at Google: to show it can be done, but more importantly, to make it easier for others to do the same. Today's agreement with ENGIE (ENGIY), a large European utility, is helping us do just this. As part of our broader announcement that, between now and 2030, Google will be investing approximately 1 billion euros in digital infrastructure and clean energy in Germany, Google has signed a first-of-its-kind agreement in Europe to purchase the clean energy that will help ensure that our operations in Germany will operate at nearly 80% carbon-free energy on an hourly basis beginning in 2022. In line with our 2030 commitment to operate on carbon-free energy 24/7 at all our campuses and data centers worldwide, we will continue to work to increase this percentage to 100%. Beyond our own goals, this agreement establishes a roadmap for other companies to follow as we work together to decarbonize electricity use and support Europe's green recovery." Reference Link

08:18 EDT America First Multifamily Investors announces sale of Vantage at Bulverde - America First Multifamily Investors announced that on August 26, 2021, Vantage at Bulverde, a 288-unit market rate multifamily property located in Bulverde, TX, was sold at the direction of the managing member of Vantage at Bulverde. The Partnership's investment in the property was originated in March 2018 and the Partnership previously contributed equity totaling approximately $8.6M. As a result of the sale, the Partnership's equity investment in the Property Owner was redeemed. At closing of the sale, the Partnership received net cash of approximately $18.9M and will: Recognize investment income of approximately $1.4M, Recognize a gain on sale of approximately $6.9M, before final settlements of proceeds and expenses, Realize approximately 13c of net income per Beneficial Unit Certificate, basic and diluted, from the sale in the third quarter, and Realize Cash Available for Distribution of approximately 13c per BUC, basic and diluted, from the sale in the third quarter. "The results from our investment in the Vantage at Bulverde property demonstrates the value of our equity investing strategy for the benefit of our unitholders," said Kenneth Rogozinski, Chief Executive Officer of the Partnership. "Because of successes like this, we will continue to work with Vantage to identify opportunities for additional investment in this asset class."

08:15 EDT Atlas Air, Sharp Technics K establish Memorandum of Agreement for join venture - Atlas Air Worldwide has signed a Memorandum of Agreement to enter into a joint venture with Sharp Technics K to develop a dedicated maintenance, repair and overhaul facility at Incheon International Airport in South Korea. The maintenance facility is expected to open in 2025. "Incheon International Airport is a key airport for us in our global network as we serve customers around the world," John Dietrich, President and Chief Executive Officer of Atlas Air Worldwide, said. "Our partnership with Sharp Technics K will enable us to further streamline maintenance planning with their integrated approach to servicing our fleet."

08:14 EDT AEye teams with Benchmark for making optical module for its LiDAR sensors - AEye (LIDR) announced a partnership with Benchmark Electronics (BHE). Benchmark will ensure the quality and reliability of AEye's 4Sight LiDAR sensors while rapidly scaling manufacturing to meet volume production needs. The engagement specifically focuses on manufacturing critical optical components and modules in AEye's sensors targeted for a broad range of industrial markets. AEye's modular system design and software programmability uniquely enable the company to produce a single LiDAR system that can be optimized for multiple markets - driving innovation that optimizes both performance and cost. Utilizing mature proven technologies and standard processes, AEye partners with well-established global automotive-grade component suppliers and leading contract manufacturers to create this next generation of adaptive LiDAR. "Our modular, software definable architecture allows us to select best-in-class partners and maintain a capital-light business model. We needed a world-class partner to help us bring our optical modules to market quickly and we found the perfect partner with Benchmark," said Rick Tewell, Chief Operating Officer of AEye. "Benchmark's team has done outstanding work and we look forward to leveraging their manufacturing excellence and ability to scale to satisfy our worldwide customer base."

08:13 EDT ReShape Lifesciences appoints Al Diaz as VP, operations and R&D - ReShape Lifesciences announced the appointment of Al Diaz as Vice President of Operations and Research and Development. Mr. Diaz will be responsible for overseeing the company's manufacturing operations and research and development efforts. Most recently, he served as Executive Vice President of Operations at ClearFlow, Inc. where he was primarily responsible for the manufacturing and development of strategic direction for the company's platform technology in the cardio-thoracic market.

08:10 EDT DavidsTea launches collection of pumpkin spice-inspired teas - DAVIDsTEA is pleased to announce the launch of its most extensive collection of pumpkin spice-inspired teas for fall 2021. Infusions and accessories are now available at all 18 DAVIDsTEA flagship stores across Canada, and online at davidstea.com.

08:07 EDT ComEd, AMSC announce integration of resilient electric grid system in Chicago - ComEd and AMSC announced the successful integration of AMSC's REG system, which utilizes high-temperature superconductor wire to enhance the reliability, resiliency and performance of the electric power grid. The key component of the REG system is AMSC's breakthrough Amperium wire which combines with other sub-system design elements to increase the reliability, redundancy, and resiliency of urban power grids, greatly reducing the impact of equipment failure due to cyber threats, physical disasters, aging or weather-related events. ComEd will monitor and measure the impact of the REG system over the next year and then determine whether to deploy the technology elsewhere in northern Illinois communities. The AMSC REG system project with ComEd was funded in part by the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate initiative to secure the nation's electric grid against extreme weather or other catastrophic events.

08:07 EDT Motorola Solutions gets German Navy contract for $82.3M for secure radio - Motorola Solutions has been selected by the Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support, BAAINBw, to provide secure digital radio communications for 16 naval vessels and training platforms for the German Navy. Motorola Solutions has been selected to provide secure digital radio communications for 16 naval vessels and training platforms for the German Navy. Motorola Solutions has been selected to provide secure digital radio communications for 16 naval vessels and training platforms for the German Navy. The contract, valued at $82.3M will deliver mission-critical communications to support onboard security teams who are responsible for the safety of crews at sea and the operational readiness of naval vessels. Motorola Solutions will roll out digital TETRA, Terrestrial Trunked Radio, networks on each of the 16 vessels and integrate the systems into the navy's existing IT infrastructure. The new solution will provide onboard security personnel with visibility of the real-time operational status of each of the naval platforms, and portable TETRA radios enabling instant workgroup communications between teams.

08:05 EDT Beam Global to exhibit at the ACT Expo - Beam Global announced that it will be exhibiting at the Advanced Clean Transportation Expo 2021 at the Long Beach Convention Center in California. The EV ARC solar-powered EV charging system will be demonstrated in booth #2023 on Tuesday August 31, 12-5pm PT and Wednesday September 1, 8am-5pm PT. The EV ARC system generates and stores its own clean electricity and delivers that electricity to power EVs, day or night, and during inclement weather and power outages. The transportable but permanent unit can include the optional Emergency Power Panel for first responder use during blackouts or in locations where there is no utility connection available. Requiring no connection to the utility grid, Beam Global products eliminate disruptive construction projects, costly electric circuit upgrades and utility charges to deliver significant long-term savings.

08:04 EDT Lightning eMotors, REV Group subsidiary to manufacture all-electric school buses - Collins Bus, a subsidiary of REV Group (REVG), and Lightning eMotors (ZEV) announced a strategic partnership to manufacture and deploy zero-emission, all-electric Type A school buses. Collins Bus has deployed more than 70,000 buses over the last 50 years across the United States and Canada. The all-electric Type A school buses each will have a gross vehicle weight of 14,500 pounds and will feature NMC batteries using battery thermal management and safety systems. The buses will support both Level 2 AC charging and Level 3 DC Fast Charging, with integrated vehicle-to-grid capabilities. Other features will include a modern digital-dash display, hill-hold functionality for safety, advanced telematics, analytics, and a mobile app for drivers and fleet managers. The U.S. Senate recently voted for a $1T infrastructure bi-partisan bill. The bill includes $7.5B dedicated to building additional charging stations for electric vehicles, while another $7.5B would help fund swapping out current school buses. The bill is now in the house, pending major negotiations. The first batch of all-electric Collins school buses leveraging Lightning's EV technology is already in production, with buses expected to be delivered to dealerships and school districts this fall.

08:02 EDT Power Solutions, Hexagon Agility to feature propane engine technologies at ACT - Power Solutions International will display an 8.8-liter propane engine and fuel system in conjunction with Hexagon Agility during the Advanced Clean Transportation Expo, which is taking place August 31 through Sept. 1, 2021, in the Long Beach Convention Center, Long Beach, CA. Representatives from both PSI and Hexagon Agility will be on hand to answer questions about the alternative fuel engine and fuel system in the Propane Education and Research Council's booth, #639, during the Expo. The joint appearance follows PSI and Hexagon Agility's announcement of a master development and collaboration agreement earlier this month.

08:02 EDT Sabre and Qatar Airways finalize distribution deal - Sabre and Qatar Airways are now finalizing a new distribution deal that will provide long-term access to the airline's content through the Sabre travel marketplace. Qatar Airways intends to strengthen its partnership with Sabre to take advantage of Sabre's global reach and leading position in corporate travel for the distribution of Qatar Airways' products to travelers worldwide. Implementation work is starting to enable unique NDC offers created by Qatar Airways to be distributed through Sabre's new distribution capability, or NDC, which provides a consistent end-to-end workflow that integrates within well-established agency operations.

07:55 EDT Mesoblast told by FDA additional study required for remestemcel-L - Mesoblast announced last night that it met with the Food and Drug Administration in regard to potential emergency use authorization for remestemcel-L in the treatment of ventilator-dependent patients with moderate or severe acute respiratory distress syndrome due to Covid-19. The FDA advised Mesoblast that an additional clinical study in COVID ARDS would be required which, if statistically positive, could provide a dataset in conjunction with the recently completed 222 patient clinical study that might be sufficient to support an EUA. The FDA indicated that potency assays must be established and agreed prior to commencement of the proposed Phase 3 clinical trial, the company added. The agency "indicated that the potency assays currently in development appeared to be reasonable based on in vitro results provided in the briefing document, the in vitro activity of the product appears to be relatively well established, though the relationship between in vitro activity and the product's actual mechanism of action remains theoretical," according to Mesoblast. The company intends to meet with FDA's Office of Tissue and Advanced Therapies in Q4 to address potency assays for remestemcel-L. Shares of Mesoblast are down 14% to $6.32 in premarket trading.

07:43 EDT Icanic Brands enters LOI to acquire LEEF Holdings - Icanic Brands Company is pleased to announce that the Company has signed a binding letter of intent to acquire LEEF Holdings, a California based cannabis company. LEEF is the premier extraction company in California and is led by an expert group of legacy operators. The team has decades of experience in organic cannabis farming and sophisticated extraction practices. LEEF Corporate Highlights include: Core manufacturing competencies include ethanol extraction line, hydrocarbon extraction line, solventless extraction line and edibles production line; Supply distillate to 6 of the top 10 brands in California; Supply concentrates to 5 of the top 10 brands in California; 2020A Revenue of $33.9m, expenses of $32.0m, and EBITDA of $2.0m; 2021E Revenue of $42.7m, expenses of $34.8m and EBITDA of $7.9m; 2022E Revenue of $60.0m, expenses of $41.5m and EBITDA of $18.5m; Cannabis campus centrally located in Northern California including a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility with 4 existing licenses sitting on 14 acres with room to expand on an additional 9 acres; Pending 196-acre cultivation which would make it the largest cannabis farm in California, sitting on over 1,900 acres of prime coastal real estate which would produce approximately 225,000 pounds in 2022 and growing to approximately 390,000 pounds in 2024 resulting in substantial cost reductions through 2024. Estimated land value with licenses prior to buildout can range from USD $100k to USD $200k per acre of licensed cultivation; Pending Central California processing facility on a 5-acre Cannabis zoned property and 3 additional cannabis licenses including processing, distribution, and delivery; 49% equity holding in Aya Biosciences which focuses on the intersection of psychedelic research and which recently completed their Series A funding of $5m at a $20m post money valuation Under the terms of the LOI, the Company will acquire all of the issued and outstanding securities of LEEF in exchange for common shares of the Company. The purchase price will be comprised of the Closing Purchase Price and the Earn-Out Payments. The initial payment forming part of the Purchase Price will be equal to the higher of $120,000,000 or two times the trailing 12-months revenue of LEEF for the period ended September 30, 2021. The Closing Purchase Price will be satisfied in full through the issuance of Icanic Shares, at an issue price per share equal to the 30-day volume-weighted average trading price of the Icanic Shares on the Canadian Securities Exchange for the period ending on the business day prior to the signing of a definitive agreement. Key shareholders and management of both Icanic and LEEF have agreed to a contractual escrow that will last for a minimum of 18 months from closing with 1/6 releases beginning on the 18-month anniversary of closing with subsequent 1/6 releases every quarter thereafter. The performance earn-out payment forming part of the Purchase Price will be paid as follows: 15 months following Closing, an amount equal to 10% of the TTM revenue calculated for the 12-month period immediately following Closing, multiplied by 2.0, minus the Closing Purchase Price; 27 months following Closing, an amount equal to 10% of the TTM revenue calculated for the 12-month period immediately following the first anniversary of the Closing, multiplied by 2.0, minus the Closing Purchase Price and minus any amounts paid pursuant to the First Earn-Out Payment; and 39 months following Closing, an amount equal to 10% of the TTM revenue calculated for the 12-month period immediately following the second anniversary of the Closing, multiplied by 2.0, minus the Closing Purchase Price and minus any amounts paid pursuant to the First Earn-Out Payment and Second Earn-Out Payment. Each of the foregoing Earn-Out Payments will be satisfied in full through the issuance of Icanic Shares based on the 30-day VWAP of the Icanic Shares on the CSE for the period ending on the business day prior to the date of issuance. The Closing Purchase Price implies an approximate 2.0x LEEF estimated 2022 revenue multiple and 6.5x LEEF estimated 2022 EBITDA multiple. The Proposed Acquisition is anticipated to be completed in Q4 2021 and is subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals, including, among other things, the approval of the CSE, as well as the execution of a binding definitive agreement.

07:39 EDT Strongbridge announces Glass Lewis recommends vote 'FOR' transaction with Xeris - Strongbridge Biopharma (SBBP) announced that Glass Lewis & Co. has recommended that Strongbridge shareholders vote "FOR" all proposals related to the Company's transaction with Xeris Pharmaceuticals (XERS). "Strongbridge is pleased that Glass Lewis has joined ISS in recognizing the substantial upside potential of the combined company for Strongbridge shareholders and strongly urges shareholders to follow ISS and Glass Lewis' recommendations to vote FOR the transaction," the company said.

07:38 EDT Cytocom to change corporate name to Statera BioPharma, effective September 1 - Cytocom (CBLI) announced plans to change its corporate name to "Statera BioPharma, Inc." and update its ticker symbol to "STAB" effective Wednesday, September 1. As part of the name change, Statera BioPharma (STAB) plans to release a new company logo and launch a new company website at www.staterabiopharma.com. The new corporate name, Statera, taken from the Latin word for "balance," and tagline "Restoring Immune Health" was chosen to better reflect the company's strategic focus on addressing autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, blood disorders, infectious disease and cancer. Cytocom emerged as a publicly-traded entity following the merger between the former Cleveland BioLabs and the formerly private Cytocom, completed on July 27.

07:36 EDT Mindset: Compounds from Family 4 demonstrate decrease in serotonergic toxicity - Mindset Pharma announced that compounds from its Family 4, comprised of DMT/5-MeO-DMT inspired analogs, have demonstrated a significant decrease in serotonergic toxicity, which can cause a range of mild to life-threatening symptoms, in head-to-head preclinical comparisons. Furthermore, the results reaffirm the Company's previous findings that its Family 4 drug candidates demonstrated superior efficacy compared to 5-MeO-DMT. "DMT and 5-MeO-DMT both show promise as medicinal psychedelics due to their short duration of action and high potency. However, our studies suggest that serotonergic toxicity could represent a considerable health risk as patients are more broadly treated with psychedelics, potentially leading to high blood pressure, tremors, delirium and a range of other symptoms," said James Lanthier, CEO of Mindset. "Our exciting preclinical results suggest that our next generation drug candidates have the potential to offer a safer and more convenient solution for clinic-based therapy." "In-vivo models confirmed potential safety concerns associated with serotonergic toxicity of 5-MeO-DMT, indicated by a higher number of instances of 5-HT syndrome compared to some of Mindset's NCE compounds," stated Joseph Araujo, Chief Scientific Officer of Mindset. "These results indicate the potential for 5-MeO-DMT to induce serotonin syndrome, which is a consequence of excess serotonin agonism and can lead to serious health complications. However, some of Mindset's drug candidates showed no signs of inducing 5-HT syndrome, suggesting a significantly improved safety profile compared to 5-MeO-DMT. Mindset's Family 4 compounds can potentially be developed with marked improvements in safety, efficacy, and duration of action compared to 5-MeO-DMT, making them more suitable for a wider range of indications." Mindset's Family 4 compounds are DMT and 5-MeO-DMT inspired drug candidates that offer a broad range of pharmacological diversity suitable for in-clinic settings. The Company has run a battery of specialized in-vitro and in-vivo tests on its patent-pending novel compounds to select the optimal psychedelic drug candidates for progressing towards human clinical trials.

07:34 EDT AC Immune announces data from Lauriet Phase 2 study of semorinemab - AC Immune announced that Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, has informed the Company that Lauriet, a placebo-controlled Phase 2 study evaluating the safety and efficacy of the investigational anti-tau monoclonal antibody, semorinemab, in mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease, met one of its co-primary endpoints, ADAS-Cog11. The second co-primary endpoint, ADCS-ADL, was not met. Safety data showed that semorinemab is well tolerated with an acceptable safety profile and no unanticipated safety signals. Semorinemab demonstrated a statistically significant reduction in cognitive decline from baseline by 43.6% compared to placebo as measured by the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale, Cognitive Subscale, 11-item Version at week 49 in people with mild-to-moderate AD. There was no effect on the other co-primary endpoint of reducing the rate of functional decline from baseline as measured by the Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study-Activities of Daily Living or secondary efficacy endpoints for the Mini-Mental State Examination or the Clinical Dementia Rating-Sum of Boxes. The safety was consistent with previous clinical data reported. Genentech has reported that the open label portion of the study will continue as planned. Further analyses are ongoing, and top-line data will be submitted for presentation at the CTAD conference in November. Andrea Pfeifer, CEO of AC Immune SA, commented: "The top line results of the Lauriet Phase 2 clinical trial of semorinemab are remarkable in that it is the first time we have seen a therapeutic effect by a monoclonal anti-Tau antibody therapy. We also are excited by the fact that this is the first time a monoclonal antibody has had a therapeutic impact on cognition in the mild-to-moderate AD patient population. Nevertheless, despite these interesting results, we are still cautious about what this may mean for patients as there was not an impact on the rate of functional decline or other efficacy endpoints. With that said, AD is a slow-moving chronic disease, and this small trial was relatively short, 49 weeks; so, the data from the open-label extension may be important in elucidating the potential of semorinemab in this patient population. Scientifically, these data are encouraging for the therapeutic strategies targeting Tau."

07:33 EDT 1847 Goedeker names Ellery Roberts as Executive Chairman - Roberts, who had been serving as Chairman of Goedeker, will assume the Executive Chairman role in anticipation of greater involvement in certain corporate, non-operational activities. The Board believes this will position Fouerti to successfully transition into his new role and devote the majority of his time to leading business operations and overseeing revenue-generating initiatives. The Board does not anticipate having an Executive Chairman on an indefinite basis.

07:32 EDT Axon awarded order for body-worn cameras from Six Flags - Axon (AXON) announced that Six Flags Entertainment (SIX) has equipped security staff across U.S. amusement park locations with body-worn cameras backed by Axon's digital evidence management solution, Axon Evidence. This order was received and shipped in Q2. Six Flags has deployed 600 Axon Body 2 cameras to park security across the U.S. By joining the Axon network, Six Flags will be able to effectively and safely respond to critical situations, and provide security officers with tools to ensure everyone's safety.

07:19 EDT SelectQuote CEO buys 117K shares, CFO buys 95K shares - In a regulatory filing last night, SelectQuote disclosed that on August 30th, its CEO Timothy Danker bought 117K shares in a total transaction size of $1.02M and its CFO Raffaele Sadun bought 95K shares in a total transaction size of $845.5K, boosting their respective holdings by 8% and 11%. Shares of SelectQuote are up 2.3% in early pre-market trading at $9.09.

07:17 EDT Atlas Technical awarded $18M Quality Assurance contract with Caltrans - Atlas Technical Consultants announced it was awarded an $18M Quality Assurance/Verification Services contract with the California Department of Transportation for three years. With this award, Atlas, through its acquired company, Alta Vista Solutions, has reached $48M in current contract value as the prime consultant. "Atlas continues to strengthen our work in the quality assurance and quality management sector, and we are extremely thrilled to have the opportunity to continue to serve as the premier provider of independent quality assurance activities to Caltrans," said Atlas CEO, L. Joe Boyer. "We are proud that we have consistently provided Caltrans the assurance that the quality of materials incorporated into construction projects meet or exceed requirements." In the current contract, Atlas will support Caltrans Division of Engineering Services, Material Engineering and Testing Services, Headquarters region. Work will be focused on the maintenance, development, and construction of proposed transportation facilities with an alternative method of procurement including Public Private Partnerships projects, Design-Build Projects, and Construction Manager General Contractor projects. Services will include as-needed inspection, sampling, material testing, and quality management activities for structural materials at fabrication facilities and construction sites.

07:14 EDT Vectivbio to acquire Comet Therapeutics - VectivBio announced that it will acquire Comet Therapeutics, a privately held company that has been developing drugs to address previously untreatable Inherited Metabolic Diseases, or IMDs. Under the terms of the agreement, VectivBio will acquire Comet Therapeutics in exchange for equity and cash payable at closing, as well as additional equity or cash payments upon the achievement of certain specified future development milestones. The board of directors of both companies have unanimously approved the transaction. "The acquisition of the CoMET platform is in line with our core mission of developing disease-modifying treatments for rare severe diseases," said Luca Santarelli, M.D., Founder and Chief Executive Officer of VectivBio. "The platform's potential to deliver a pipeline of medicines that target the fundamental molecular pathophysiology of IMDs by unlocking previously inaccessible pathways, would provide us with the opportunity to transform the lives of these patients. We are eager to begin work on our new programs and look forward to progressing our first candidate towards the clinic." The transaction is expected to close by the end of September 2021, subject to customary closing conditions. Comet Therapeutics' current investors include Sofinnova Partners, INKEF Capital, Canaan and Mission BioCapital.

07:12 EDT AT&T sets goal to help businesses reduce a gigaton of global emissions by 2035 - AT&T (T) has set an industry-leading target to help businesses collectively reduce a gigaton of greenhouse gas emissions, 1B metric tons, by 2035, an effort which will contribute to a better, more sustainable world. The company will work with businesses including Microsoft (MSFT), Equinix (EQIX), and Duke Energy (DUK), along with research universities, and a range of other organizations to deliver broadband-enabled climate solutions at global scale. This collaborative builds on AT&T's standing commitment to aggressively reduce its own emissions, while enabling the transition to a net-zero economy.

07:10 EDT Silicon Labs reports preliminary results from modified Dutch auction - Silicon Labs announced preliminary results of its "modified Dutch auction" tender offer which expired at 12:00 midnight, New York City time, at the end of the day on August 30. Based on the preliminary count by American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, the depositary for the tender offer, a total of 4,148,034 shares of Silicon Lab's common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, were properly tendered and not properly withdrawn at or below the purchase price of $160.00 per Share, including 2,628,577 Shares that were tendered by notice of guaranteed delivery. In accordance with the terms and conditions of the tender offer and based on the preliminary count by the Depositary, Silicon Labs expects to purchase approximately 4,148,034 Shares through the tender offer at a price of $160.00 per Share, for an aggregate cost of approximately $663,685,440, excluding fees and expenses relating to the tender offer. The total of 4,148,034 Shares that Silicon Labs expects to purchase represents approximately 9.3% of the total number of Shares outstanding as of August 30.After the $663,685,440 million expected to be used for repurchases under the tender offer, Silicon Labs intends to return approximately $1.34B of the proceeds from the divestiture of its infrastructure and automotive lines of business to shareholders through a combination of special dividends and/or share repurchases. Matthews South acted as dealer manager for the tender offer.

07:09 EDT DarioHealth awarded contract from PeopleOne Health - DarioHealth announced that it has been selected by regional primary care provider PeopleOne Health to be the digital behavioral health solution of choice for patients beginning this September. This contract represents Dario's continuing growth in the provider market, leveraging its expanded product portfolio. PeopleOne Health is integrating Dario's digital behavioral health solution to address a wide range of mental health needs to support high-value, holistic care to its growing base of direct consumer and employer partner populations. Dario's solution uses AI-driven screening to assess and triage individuals to the most appropriate care, including integrated digital tools and coaching, giving patients a seamless path from primary care to proven mental health support.

07:08 EDT Canaan secures purchase order from Genesis Digital Assets - Canaan announced that it has secured a purchase order from Genesis Digital Assets, a leading Bitcoin mining firm with extensive experience in building and operating industrial-scale Bitcoin mining data centers, for 20,000 of its Bitcoin mining machines. In conjunction with the Order, Canaan has granted Genesis Digital Assets an option to purchase up to 180,000 additional mining machines.

07:06 EDT Evogene's Canonic announces pre-launch of cannabis inflorescence products - Canonic Ltd, a company focused on the development of medical cannabis products and a wholly owned subsidiary of Evogene, announced the pre-launch of its first-generation medical cannabis inflorescence products. Canonic's first product line, G-nnovation, is based on cannabis varieties that were selected and developed to express high levels of THC and premium consumer traits. As part of the pre-launch, G-nnovation products will be marketed in Israel to a limited number of licensed patients through Telepharma pharmacy, with whom Canonic recently engaged. Full commercial product launch in Israel is expected in 2022.

07:05 EDT Chico's sees Q3 consolidated year-over-year net sales up 32%-35% - Sees Q3 gross margin rate improvement of 20%-22% over last fiscal year; SG&A as a percent of net sales to improve 500 to 600 basis points year-over-year; and Income tax rate of 34% to 35%.

07:05 EDT Piedmont Lithium completes 9.9% investment in IronRidge Resources - Piedmont Lithium announced that the company has completed a 9.9% investment in IronRidge Resources following satisfaction of conditions pursuant to the subscription agreement between PLL and IRR announced July 1. Piedmont previously entered into a project agreement with IRR to acquire up to 50% of IRR's lithium portfolio in Ghana via staged investments over three to four years supporting exploration, definitive feasibility study, and initial capital costs for IRR's Ewoyaa Project. The Ewoyaa Project has an initial Mineral Resource estimate of 14.5Mt at 1.31% Li2O1. An SC6 supply agreement signed between PLL and IRR in June gives Piedmont the right to purchase 50% of the production from the Ewoyaa Project at market pricing terms for life-of-mine. A scoping study announced by IRR in January outlined a business case for 295,000 tons per year of SC6 production from the Ewoyaa Project. Ewoyaa is approximately 70 miles from the port of Takoradi with favorable logistics to ports in North America2. SC6 production from Ewoyaa is expected to support Piedmont's future lithium hydroxide production plans in North America. Offtake rights from Ewoyaa could support a phased expansion of the Carolina Lithium Project in North Carolina or provide optionality for lithium hydroxide production in Quebec in combination with SC6 offtake from Sayona Quebec and North American Lithium.

07:05 EDT Global-e Online, Klarna expand international partnership - Klarna and Global-e announced an expanded partnership to offer flexible payment options to consumers across the U.S., UK, France, Spain, Italy, and Australia. Klarna's payment solutions will now be available to all merchants selling internationally via Global-e's cross-border e-commerce platform. Global-e's international merchants can seamlessly offer Klarna to further enhance their offering of a localized online shopping experience.

07:03 EDT Olink, CellCarta enter strategic collaboration for Olink Target 96 & Target 48 - CellCarta and Olink Proteomics AB announced a strategic collaboration to offer Olink Target 96 & Target 48 to pharmaceutical and biotech customers, advancing targeted protein biomarker quantification in clinical studies. CellCarta is a global leader in precision medicine and with more than 20 years of experience in mass spectrometry the company continues to invest in the field of proteomic biomarkers to better understand diseases and support therapeutic development projects. With the acquisition of the first Olink Signature Q100 instruments and the collaborative support of Olink, CellCarta becomes the first global clinical CRO to offer the technology. The Olink platform offers an unmatched high-multiplex technique to quantify protein biomarkers using minimal clinical sample volume, with exceptional sensitivity and specificity, while covering a broad dynamic range. Differing from other multiplex protein detection platforms, Olink's PEA technology provides high specificity by avoiding cross-reactivity binding or interference at signal readout with its dual recognition approach with matched pairs of antibodies labeled with complementary DNA oligos. Olink fills the need for a robust technology that elevates clinical proteomics and is a must in a field driven by low abundant biomarkers, such as immuno-oncology. Through this collaboration, CellCarta will bring the Q100 platform into its CAP/CLIA laboratories to address the need for proteomic biomarkers for clinical trials and support multi-omics analysis with its CellEngine software. CellCarta's global footprint, with sites in the US, Canada, Belgium, Australia, and China, will allow for rapid deployment of the platform and support clients in their global clinical programs.

06:56 EDT CDC Director endorses ACIP recommendation for use of Pfizer-BioNTech's vaccine - Last night, CDC Director Rochelle P. Walensky, M.D., M.P.H., endorsed the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices', or ACIP, recommendation for use of the Pfizer-BioNTech's licensed vaccine for people 16 and older. This recommendation follows FDA's decision to fully approve Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine. The ACIP recommendation comes 9 months after the committee's interim recommendation and after an exhaustive review of the scientific evidence demonstrating safety and effectiveness, and supporting continued use of the vaccine. "We now have a fully approved COVID-19 vaccine and ACIP has added its recommendation. If you have been waiting for this approval before getting the vaccine, now is the time to get vaccinated and join the more than 173 million Americans who are already fully vaccinated," said CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky. Reference Link

06:51 EDT Velodyne Lidar and MOV.AI announce collaboration - Velodyne Lidar and MOV.AI announced the companies are collaborating to provide robot manufacturers with enterprise-grade automation solutions, including mapping, navigation, obstacle avoidance and risk avoidance. The MOV.AI Robotics Engine PlatformTM, combined with Velodyne's lidar sensors, addresses the growing demand for automation in dynamic collaborative environments such as e-commerce, logistics, manufacturing and hospitals. The MOV.AI Robotics Engine Platform, powered by Velodyne's Puck lidar sensors, delivers advanced tools that allow autonomous mobile robots (AMR) manufacturers and integrators to address the challenges of safely moving in changing and unstructured environments like material handling and warehouse logistics. These markets are being driven by the dramatic growth of e-commerce.

06:49 EDT Tapestry appoints Johanna Hanneke Faber to board of directors - Tapestry (TPR) announced that Johanna Hanneke Faber has been appointed to Tapestry's Board of Directors. The appointment of Faber to the Board brings the membership to eleven, including ten independent directors. Faber currently serves as President, Global Foods and Refreshment at Unilever (UL).

06:38 EDT Yandex restructures JV ownership with Uber in $1B deal - Yandex (YNDX) announces that it has entered into a binding agreement with Uber (UBER) to restructure the ownership of their joint ventures, MLU B.V. and Yandex Self-Driving B.V. Under this agreement, for total consideration of $1.0 billion in cash, Yandex will receive: Uber's 33.5% indirect interest in Yandex.Eats, Yandex.Lavka and Yandex.Delivery, giving Yandex 100% ownership in all three businesses; Uber's 18.2% interest in Yandex Self-Driving Group, giving Yandex 100% ownership in the business; and An additional 4.5% interest in the newly restructured MLU, which will focus on mobility businesses, giving Yandex and its employees a total of approximately 71% ownership in the joint venture. This includes: approximately 68.3% ownership of Yandex and management in the joint venture; and approximately 2.8% reserved for employee equity incentive program of MLU. In addition, Yandex receives a two-year American call option to acquire the remaining 29% of Uber's interest in the newly restructured MLU at a strike price of $1.8 billion, subject to agreed increases over the option period -- going up to approximately $2.0 billion if exercised in September 2023. The newly restructured MLU will continue to focus on mobility businesses, including ride-hailing and car-sharing. Yandex will also get an extension of the current license for the exclusive right to use the Uber brand in Russia and certain other countries until August 2030, assuming exercise of the option. The transaction will be implemented in two stages: Stage 1: Acquisition of 4.5% of MLU and 18.2% in SDG. Stage 2: Demerger of Yandex.Eats, Yandex.Lavka and Yandex.Delivery from MLU and subsequent acquisition of Uber's interest in these businesses. The transaction has been approved by the Boards of Directors of Yandex and Uber. Shareholder approval is not required. The approval of Yandex's Class A shareholders may be required for the purchase of Uber's remaining interest in MLU pursuant to the call option. The transaction is not subject to antitrust or other regulatory approvals. Reference Link

06:17 EDT Cathie Wood's ARK Investment bought 345.7K shares of Genius Sports on Monday

06:08 EDT High Tide expands into Durham Region in Ontario - High Tide announced that its Canna Cabana cannabis retail store located at 170 Kingston Road East in Ajax, Ontario, has begun selling recreational cannabis products for adult use. This opening represents High Tide's 93rd branded retail location across Canada, and 23rd in Ontario, selling recreational cannabis products and consumption accessories. The new Canna Cabana store is High Tide's first to open in Ajax. It is located in Ajax's central retail corridor, within a popular commercial plaza which is anchored by a large big box grocery wholesaler and several other national retail chains.

05:22 EDT WISeKey partners with Polygon to offer NFT solutions - WISeKey (WKEY) announced it has joined forces with Polygon, to offer Trusted NFTs solution to masses with the launch of WISe.ART NFT platform in September. Polygon is a platform for Ethereum ($ETH) scaling and infrastructure development, as well as for networking Ethereum-compatible blockchains. The Ethereum ecosystem has been eagerly awaiting the upcoming Ethereum 2.0 upgrade to potentially improve the network's scalability issues.

05:13 EDT Ashland to sell performance adhesives business to Arkema for $1.2B-$1.3B - Ashland (ASH) announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, Ashland LLC, has signed a definitive agreement to sell its performance adhesives business to Arkema (ARKAY) in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $1.65B or 20 times LTM EBITDA. The transaction is expected to close by the end of calendar year 2021, subject to receipt of regulatory approvals and satisfaction of other customary closing conditions. Ashland expects net proceeds from the sale to total approximately $1.2B-$1.3B.

04:44 EDT Inspire Medical says CMS panel votes to increase proposed reimbursement - Inspire Medical Systems announced last night that a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services panel has unanimously approved a recommendation to increase the previously proposed reimbursement for Inspire procedure performed in ambulatory surgical centers. The panel voted unanimously, with no abstentions, to recommend to CMS that it reset the device offset rate to 85.71%. The panel also unanimously recommended that there be no multiple procedure discounting, or at least that any applied discounting policy be consistent with that applied to other devices, Inspire said in a statement. CMS will review the panel's recommendations, and the final rules will be published later in 2021.