Stockwinners Market Radar for September 23, 2021 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

20:33 EDT Zscaler to partner with TD Synnex - TD SYNNEX "announced a partnership with Zscaler which enables partners to purchase security solutions and services as part of the Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange platform directly from TD SYNNEX."

20:21 EDT Innovent Biologics doses first patient in phase 2 trial of IBI112 - Innovent Biologics "announced that the first patient with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis has been successfully dosed in a Phase 2 clinical trial of recombinant anti-interleukin 23p19 subunit antibody injection in China. Study CIBI112A201 is a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, parallel, placebo-controlled Phase 2 clinical trial, evaluating the efficacy and safety of IBI112 at different doses administered subcutaneously in the treatment of moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis. The primary objective of the study is to evaluate the efficacy of subcutaneous injection of IBI112 at different doses in Chinese subjects with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis. The safety of drugs and the difference of administration interval between different therapeutic regimens will also be investigated, so as to provide dose information for Phase 3 clinical studies. This is also the first Phase 2 clinical study of domestic innovative drugs targeting IL-23p19, which is a significant milestone."

18:40 EDT Nintendo unveils new 3D 'Kirby' title, new trailer for 'Bayonetta 3' - At its Direct event, Nintendo (NTDOY) made a number of new game announcements, Nintendo unveiled "Kirby and the Forgotten Land," out Spring 2022; a cloud version of "Dying Light 2" set to come to the console; more information on already announced titles "Metroid Dread," "Mario Party Superstars," "Splatoon 3," Square Enix's (SQNXF) "Triangle Strategy," and "Bayonetta 3"; new content updates "Mario Golf: Super Rush," "Animal Crossing: New Horizons," Capcom's (CCOEY) "Monster Hunter Rise," and "Hyrule Warriors Age of Calamity"; the "Castlevania Advance Collection" from Konami; a port of "Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic"; and a "Shadowrun" trilogy release from Paradox (PRXXF).

18:33 EDT Nintendo says animated 'Super Mario' film out holiday 2022 - At its Nintendo Direct presentation, Nintendo (NTDOY) said that its animated "Mario" film made by NBCUniversal's (CMCSA) "Illumination," will release in theaters in holiday 2022, with a U.S. release date of December 21, 2022. The film will star Chris Pratt as Mario, Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach, Charlie Days as Luigi, Jack Black as Bowser, Keegan-Michael Key as Toad, and Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong.

18:27 EDT Wynn Resorts CEO: I have a very bullish view on the future of Macau - In an interview on CNBC's Mad Money, Matt Maddox said Macau will be just like Las Vegas post-Covid. The demand for Macau is insatiable, he noted. According to Maddox, the recent moves by the Macau government to oversee the industry are practical, not punitive. Business in Las Vegas and Boston is incredibly strong, he said. "We've never experienced the type of business we're seeing now."

18:00 EDT Celanese lifts force majeure for certain acetyl chain products - Celanese announced that it has lifted force majeure for the following products in the Western Hemisphere: Acetic Acid; Ethyl Acetate; Acetic Anhydride; Methyl Acetate; Dimethylamine and Trimethylamine; Methyl Isobutyl Carbinol and Methyl Isobutyl Ketone; and Paraformaldehyde. Celanese declared force majeure on February 18 due to the impacts of extreme winter weather on its operations and supply chain in the U.S. Gulf Coast.

17:56 EDT Interactive Brokers Chairman Thomas Peterffy sells $2.4M in company shares - Interactive Brokers Chairman Thomas Peterffy disclosed in a filing that he had sold 40,000 shares of company stock at $59.91 per share between September 21 and September 22, for a total transaction value of $2,396,536

17:49 EDT General Electric awarded $125M Navy contract - General Electric was awarded a single-award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract with a ceiling of $125M for services and supplies in support of Military Sealift Command's, or MSC, GE brand equipment aboard the command's fleet of ships. This award will provide original equipment manufacturer authorized parts and service technicians in order to maintain the systems aboard multiple classes of ships including MSC's dry cargo/ammunition class; expeditionary sea base class; expeditionary transfer dock class; fleet auxiliary oiler class; the command ship USS Mount Whitney; oceanographic survey ship class and roll-on/roll-off class vessels. Work will be performed worldwide, with an expected completion date of September 30, 2026. The maximum dollar value of this award is $125M. Working capital funds in the amount of $3,500 are being obligated for the first order of FY21 at time of award. Additional orders may be placed throughout the five-year ordering period. Funding for the appropriate fiscal year will be utilized at the time orders are placed. This sole-source contract was procured under solicitation number via the beta.sam.gov website and one timely offer was received. The Navy's Military Sealift Command is the contracting activity.

17:26 EDT PPL Corp. gets FERC approval to acquire Narragansett Electric Company - PPL Corp "received unanimous approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to acquire The Narragansett Electric Company from National Grid USA. To date, PPL and National Grid have partnered to achieve four of the five regulatory approvals required for the transaction to proceed. PPL remains focused on securing the final approval, which is required from the Rhode Island Division of Public Utilities and Carriers, and continues to expect that the transaction will be completed by March 2022."

17:01 EDT Ball Corp. to invest nearly $290M new Nevada beverage can plant - Ball Corp announced plans to build a new U.S. aluminum beverage packaging plant in North Las Vegas, Nevada. The multi-line plant is scheduled to begin production in late 2022 and is expected to create nearly 180 manufacturing jobs when fully operational. Ball plans to invest nearly $290M in its North Las Vegas facility over multiple years. The plant will supply a range of innovative can sizes to a variety of beverage customers. Infinitely recyclable and economically valuable, aluminum cans, bottles and cups enable a truly circular economy in which materials can be and actually are used again and again. In fact, 75% of all aluminum ever produced is still in use today.

16:39 EDT Chairman of VeriSign James Bidzos sells $1.3M in company shares - Chairman of VeriSign James Bidzos disclosed in a filing that he had sold 6,000 shares of company stock at $214.56 per share between September 21 and September 22, for a total transaction value of $1,287,363.

16:32 EDT Carrols Restaurant CEO Daniel Accordino to retire - Carrols Restaurant "announced that Daniel Accordino, the company's CEO and President, will be retiring as CEO and President by June 30, 2022. He will also be stepping down as Chairman and as a member of the Board of Directors at or prior to the effective time of his retirement. The Carrols board is conducting a comprehensive search to identify a new CEO and is engaging a leading executive search firm to assist in the process."

16:28 EDT Petra Acquisition holder Glazer Capital sells $6.6M in shares - Petra Acquisition holder Glazer Capital disclosed in a filing that it had sold 654,546 shares of company stock fat $10.08 per share between September 21 and September 23, for a total transaction amount of $6,597,824.

16:23 EDT CPI Aerostructures gets NYSE American notice of non-compliance - CPI Aerostructures announced that on September 17, the Company received a notice from the staff of NYSE American indicating that the Company does not meet the Exchange's continued listing standards set forth in Part 10 of the NYSE American Company Guide . The Company is not in compliance with Section 1003 of the Company Guide since it has stockholders' equity of less than $2M and losses from continuing operations and/or net losses in two of its three most recent fiscal years and Section 1003 of the Company Guide since it has stockholders' equity of less than $4M and losses from continuing operations and/or net losses in three of its four most recent fiscal years. The Company has therefore become subject to the procedures and requirements of Section 1009 of the Company Guide and must submit a plan to the Exchange by October 17, 2021 addressing how the Company intends to regain compliance with the continued listing standards by March 17, 2023 The Company intends to timely deliver a plan of compliance to the Exchange. If the Plan is not accepted by the Exchange, then the Company will be subject to delisting proceedings as specified in the Company Guide. If the Plan is accepted, the Company will be subject to periodic Exchange reviews, including quarterly monitoring for compliance with the Plan until it has regained compliance.

16:18 EDT AvalonBay sees Q3 same store residential revenue up 0.9%-1.1% - AvalonBay Communities announced that for the three months ending September 30, 2021 it expects total residential rental revenue for Same Store communities to increase between 0.9% and 1.1% over the prior year period. The midpoint of this range is 180 basis points above what the company's expectation was for total residential rental revenue change for Same Store communities for the three months ending September 30, 2021 when the company published its outlook on July 28, 2021. This outperformance is attributable to lower-than-expected uncollectible lease revenue, due to higher-than-expected delinquent rent payments from COVID rental assistance programs, and better-than-expected effective lease rates and occupancy.

16:15 EDT Surgalign announces CFO Jonathon Singer has resigned - Surgalign Holdings announced that the Company's Chief Financial and Operating Officer, Jonathon M. Singer, has resigned from the Company, effective October 15, to pursue another opportunity. Mr. Singer's resignation did not result from any disagreement with the Company. The Company is conducting a search for Mr. Singer's successor.

16:12 EDT Primis Financial sells minority interest in Southern Trust Mortgage - Primis Bank announced that it has entered into an agreement with Southern Trust Mortgage whereby STM will repurchase all of the Bank's common membership interests and a portion of the Bank's preferred interests in STM. At closing, STM will continue to be a borrower of the Bank, but the Bank will no longer be a minority owner of STM. The company expects to record a pre-tax charge of approximately $2.9M related to the transaction in the third quarter of 2021. The company will also no longer accrue earnings related to the Bank's common membership interests in STM. The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2021.

16:08 EDT AAR Corp. says Afghanistan withdrawal to impact government business in near term - Holmes concluded, "Our continued focus on driving operating efficiency and working capital management led to another quarter of sequential margin improvement and strong cash flow. Looking forward, while the U.S. exit from Afghanistan will impact our government business in the near term, we are encouraged by the strong pipeline of offsetting government opportunities such as the recent contract award from the Department of Energy. In our commercial markets, the timing of the recovery has been impacted by the Delta variant, but as we continue to see demand increase, particularly in our parts activities, we expect continued growth and operating margin expansion."

16:05 EDT Grid Dynamics, Evinced enter into long-term partnership - Grid Dynamics Holdings and Evinced have entered into a strategic partnership to accelerate the implementation of accessibility in the mobile app development phase. "We at Grid Dynamics are extremely delighted to partner with Evinced in enriching the ecosystem of accessibility tools," says Rajeev Sharma - CTO at Grid Dynamics.

15:51 EDT Affirm up 13% following report of offering at Walmart - Shares of Affirm (AFRM) are up $14.84, or 13%, to $128.91 in late day trading after Fox Business reported that Walmart (WMT) is going to replace its seasonal layaway program this upcoming holiday season with a buy-now, pay-later option through the financial products company.

15:10 EDT Gulfport Energy up 1% after Reuters says possible sale being explored - Shares of Gulfport Energy are up 92c, or 1%, to $78.92 following Reuters' report on the company's exploration of its strategic options.

14:59 EDT ironSource announces partnership with Vodafone for Aura solution suite - ironSource (IS) announced earlier a partnership with Vodafone (VOD), which will be integrating the ironSource Aura solution suite on its Android devices across Europe, including in the UK, Germany, Spain and Italy. "Aura is designed to empower carriers to build long-lasting relationships with their customers and to improve the device experience by providing valuable content and services at the moment of device setup and throughout the lifecycle of the device. Through Aura, carriers are given the flexibility to promote their owned and operated content and services in a dynamic and seamless way," ironSource stated.

14:04 EDT Twist says antibody candidate TB202-3 shows potent binding to SARS-CoV-2 strains - Twist Bioscience reported that its internally-discovered antibody candidate TB202-3 demonstrated potent binding to diverse SARS-CoV-2 variant mutations, including strains with the E484K, N501Y, D614G, Y453F and K417N mutations in pseudovirus assays, "indicating this therapeutic antibody may be effective in treating many strains of COVID-19." The Coronavirus Immunotherapy Consortium, an academic-industry, non-profit collaborative research effort, performed the blinded analysis, confirming that TB202-3 completely blocked SARS-CoV-2 spike protein from binding to human ACE2. The results were published in Science today, the company noted. Emily Leproust, Ph.D., CEO and co-founder of Twist Bioscience, said, "With the continuous emergence of variant strains of SARS-CoV-2, antibodies that bind to regions away from the areas of frequent mutation will be critical to the ongoing global response. While broad-spectrum is a term used most often in relation to antibiotics, it applies here to Twist's antibodies, as they show efficacy in neutralizing a wide range of SARS-CoV-2 variants. These comprehensive results show that TB202-3 may be more resistant to receptor-driven selection pressure and Twist antibodies may work therapeutically against emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants." Validation and late-stage discovery studies continue for TB339-031, the company added.

14:00 EDT Facebook to offer fiber networks, expand broadband access in Virginia - Facebook said it is partnering with Appalachian Power, a utility that serves the southeastern region of the U.S., and Virginia-based internet service provider GigaBeam Networks to bring fiber-to-the-home and wireless internet service to approximately 6,000 unserved households in Grayson County. GigaBeam Networks plans to roll out its customer internet offerings in fall 2021. "Over the next few months, we are going to transform from being the least connected county in the state to one of the most connected rural counties in the U.S.," said Bill Shepley, a Grayson County administrator. Reference Link

12:31 EDT Morgan Stanley, Ally Bridge lead $135M investment in Elligo - Morgan Stanley Expansion Capital and Ally Bridge Group announced the firms have completed an investment in Elligo Health Research, a healthcare-enabling research organization powered by the novel IntElligo technology. The $135M Series E financing also included participation from Norwest Venture Partners and all major existing investors, including Cerner, Hatteras Venture Partners, Noro-Moseley Partners, Piper Sandler Merchant Banking, Shumway Capital, and Syneos Health. In addition to funding the purchase of ClinEdge, this financing allows Elligo to invest further in its technology platform and leverage data in new ways to address current challenges in the clinical trial industry, enhancing Elligo's mission of accelerating clinical research and allowing it to further the industry's goal to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion among research participants. "This investment allows Elligo to execute on a key acquisition, as well as evaluate other complementary acquisitions to add technologies and services to accelerate research, improve the patient experience, and make research more accessible," said Morgan Stanley Expansion Capital Managing Director and General Partner, Melissa Daniels, who has joined Elligo's board. "The clinical trials industry is experiencing a new phase of disruption. There's an opportunity to use technology, data analytics, and services to eliminate long-standing trial conduct pitfalls and bottlenecks that primarily impact patients."

12:03 EDT UnitedHealthcare to offer 'millions of members' free year of Apple Fitness+ - UnitedHealthcare, a UnitedHealth Group (UNH) company, has expanded its work with Apple (AAPL) to provide "millions of members" with access - at no additional cost - to Apple Fitness+, which it calls "the first fitness service built entirely around Apple Watch." UnitedHealthcare added that "this is the first such offer for Apple Fitness+ by a health insurance plan." In addition to the 12-month subscription at no additional charge, UnitedHealthcare Motion enrollees can now use program incentives earned to cover an ongoing Apple Fitness+ monthly subscription, the company noted.

12:00 EDT Charter CEO says company has some drags in Enterprise - Says has some drags in Enterprise business. Says still "very low" penetrator in Enterprise. Says Cable business becoming less capital intensive.

12:00 EDT Spire Global falls -21.3% - Spire Global is down -21.3%, or -$3.93 to $14.52.

12:00 EDT Transcontinental Realty Inc rises 18.8% - Transcontinental Realty Inc is up 18.8%, or $6.39 to $40.39.

11:51 EDT Charter CEO says company can 'fundamentally' make mobile less expensive - Says can make mobile less expensive for consumers "fundamentally" and integrate it into broadband product. Says company getting "better and better" at selling mobile. Says doesn't know yet how to take friction out of selling process.

11:34 EDT Scholar Rock says added analyses 'further reinforce enthusiasm' for apitegromab - Scholar Rock announced two poster presentations as part of the World Muscle Society Virtual Congress taking place September 20-24, including additional data analyses from the apitegromab TOPAZ Phase 2 trial. "These additional analyses from the TOPAZ Phase 2 trial further reinforce our enthusiasm for the potential of apitegromab to improve motor function for patients with SMA, and provide exploratory insights in both the ambulatory and non-ambulatory populations. We anticipate initiating a Phase 3 trial to evaluate apitegromab in patients with non-ambulatory Type 2 and Type 3 SMA by the end of 2021 as we work towards our aim of establishing apitegromab as the potential first muscle-directed therapy to treat SMA," said Yung Chyung, M.D., Chief Medical Officer of Scholar Rock.

11:12 EDT FTC releases DoorDash FOIA response documents - In response to a FOIA request, the Federal Trade Commission said in a letter that, "This is in response to your request dated July 6, 2021, under the Freedom of Information Act seeking access to investigative records, consumer complaints, and emails to/from the FTC Commissioners regarding DoorDash. In accordance with the FOIA and agency policy, we have searched our records on August 13, 2021. Regarding the investigative records, the FTC can neither confirm nor deny that it has any records responsive to this request, because to do either would reveal information that is itself exempt from public disclosure under Exemption 7(A) of the FOIA, 5 U.S.C. Section 552(b)(7)(A). Therefore, at present I can only advise that even if the records you seek exist, they would be protected under this FOIA exemption. I stress that you should not read this letter as an indication that responsive records do or do not exist. We issue this response to all similar requests. If disclosure of information could reasonably be expected to interfere with law enforcement proceedings, Exemption 7(A) authorizes agencies to withhold it. The FTC's investigations are generally nonpublic. A reply that affirms whether responsive records do or do not exist would tacitly reveal whether the FTC has an investigatory interest in the subjects of a given FOIA request." "Regarding the consumer complaints, we have located 531 responsive complaints that consumers have sent to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). You should know that the enclosed complaints have not necessarily been verified by the FTC," the letter reads. Among the documents released, there are several emails calling for an FTC investigation into delivery app corporations, with mentions of GrubHub (GRUB) and Uber Eats (UBER) alongside DoorDash (DASH). Reference Link

11:01 EDT CPSC says Polaris recalling 2011-2021 Phoenix 200 ATVs - The Consumer Product Safety Commission, or CPSC, announced that Polaris is recalling about 13,000 Model Year 2011-2021 Phoenix 200 ATVs, some of which were previously recalled in July 2020 and April 2018, as the throttle speed control stop can break and become stuck, posing a crash hazard. Reference Link

10:57 EDT Vinci Partners acquires Brazilian cosmetics platform Farmax - Vinci Partners Investments Ltd., the controlling company of a leading alternative investment platform in Brazil, announced today that "Vinci Capital Partners III", or "VCP III," the family of funds managed by Vinci Partners' Private Equity strategy, has entered into a definitive agreement for the acquisition of Farmax, a Brazilian company operating in the cosmetics and personal care industry. This transaction marks VCP III's fifth investment, resulting in a 61.3% cumulative gross allocation of the Fund's total capital commitments and a 71.1% allocation including incurred expenses. The Fund was marked at a 50.6% gross IRR in BRL and 25.7% in USD at the end of the first quarter of 2021. Gabriel Felzenszwalb, partner and senior member of the Private Equity team for Vinci Partners, said, "Farmax has a unique trajectory, having established itself in the market as a company with tradition, legacy and a solid reputation."

10:46 EDT Altice USA sees negative Q3 Internet net adds of (20,000)-(15,000) - The company says this gets it to a trend of being "flattish to slightly up" for the year.

10:30 EDT Model files suit against Zeltiq after CoolSculpting left her 'brutal disfigured' - Model Linda Evangelista announced on Instagram that a CoolSculpting fat-reduction procedure left her "permanently deformed" and "brutally disfigured." She has filed a lawsuit against Zeltiq Aesthetics, the parent company of CoolSculpting, which is owned by AbbVie (ABBV). Evangelista wrote: "To my followers who have wondered why I have not been working while my peers' careers have been thriving, the reason is that I was brutally disfigured by Zeltiq's CoolSculpting procedure which did the opposite of what it promised." Reference Link

10:17 EDT GM investors $300M in autonomous driving technology company Momenta - General Motors announced it will invest $300M in Momenta "to accelerate the development of next-generation self-driving technologies for future GM vehicles in China." GM said, "With leading autonomous driving technology and solutions, Momenta's vision is, in the next ten years, to save one million lives, save 100% driving time, and double the logistics and mobility efficiency." The company added that its "investing aggressively in a comprehensive and highly-integrated plan to lead the transformation to a more sustainable future, guided by its vision of a world with zero crashes, zero emissions and zero congestion."

10:03 EDT Innodata wins five-year contract with multinational bank - Innodata announced that it has won a contract with one of the world's largest banks to provide AI-enhanced data feeds and a data analytics platform. Innodata anticipates the five-year contract will result in approximately $2 million per year in subscription revenue during the initial two years and approximately $2.4 million per year in subscription revenue thereafter.

10:00 EDT Vipshop falls -8.1% - Vipshop is down -8.1%, or -$1.03 to $11.70.

10:00 EDT Rite Aid falls -10.2% - Rite Aid is down -10.2%, or -$1.56 to $13.68.

10:00 EDT Transcontinental Realty Inc rises 14.3% - Transcontinental Realty Inc is up 14.3%, or $4.87 to $38.87.

09:47 EDT Steelcase falls -5.8% - Steelcase is down -5.8%, or -77c to $12.58.

09:47 EDT Rite Aid falls -8.8% - Rite Aid is down -8.8%, or -$1.34 to $13.90.

09:47 EDT Transcontinental Realty Inc rises 14.7% - Transcontinental Realty Inc is up 14.7%, or $5.00 to $39.00.

09:40 EDT Sysorex awarded $16M in new government contracts - Sysorex announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, Sysorex Government Services has been awarded multiple government contracts totaling more than $16M during this third quarter of 2021, to date. These new orders are from the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Prisons and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The new contracts include five BOP orders totaling approximately $11.3M and two USDA orders totaling approximately $4.9M. Revenue recognition for these orders is expected as the contracts are performed during the next four-to-six months, subject to accounting standards prior to invoicing. Under the SecurPASS Full Body Security Screening Program, SGS previously installed more than 100 Canon body scanners in federal correctional facilities and one of the BOP contracts is for annual maintenance of these scanners totaling approximately $1.5M. The balance of the BOP contracts, which total approximately $9.8M are for security assessment services. Pursuant to the USDA contracts, SGS will procure, customize and deliver tablet computers to the USDA supporting Food Safety and Inspection Service and the U.S. Forest Service. The FSIS contract totals approximately $3.1M and the USFS contract totals approximately $1.8M.

09:35 EDT Co-Diagnostics announces corporate rebranding initiative - Co-Diagnostics announced that following its recent "transformative" growth, the company is rebranding its image to better reflect its expanded scope, mission, and upcoming expansion into new diagnostics verticals. Since April 2020, the company has sold over 22 million tests to hundreds of labs in over 50 countries and throughout the United States. "In anticipation of the introduction of this new and groundbreaking diagnostic platform, the Company is rebranding its image to better reflect its expanded scope, mission, and upcoming expansion into new diagnostics verticals, in addition to ongoing development in liquid biopsy for mutations associated with cancer, and agricultural applications. The rebranding, which includes a new logo, website, and other related visual assets and marketing materials will take place over the next several months as additional optimization, validation and clinical studies for the new device are completed prior to submission for FDA EUA regulatory review."

09:29 EDT GoodRx launches online health resource GoodRx Health - GoodRx launched GoodRx Health to provide research-based answers to vital health questions. "Unlike other consumer health destinations, GoodRx Health takes a new approach to health information with concise, actionable knowledge delivered via GoodRx Answers, Health Wizard tools for navigating tough choices, and thousands of award-winning Explainer videos on today's crucial health concerns," GoodRx said in a statement. "GoodRx empowers consumers with the information they need to be advocates for their own health," said Doug Hirsch, co-CEO and co-founder of GoodRx. "Our digital marketplace provides prices and discounts so consumers can find affordable prescriptions and medical care. With GoodRx Health, we can connect the millions of people who already come to our site with the credible and helpful information they seek about medications, health conditions, and healthcare costs."

09:23 EDT Liquid Media completes acquisition of iNDIEFLIX - Liquid Media Group announced the completion of its acquisition of iNDIEFLIX Group. The closing of the acquisition adds a key asset to Liquid's four-stage business solution engine, which is designed to drive sustainable growth for independent intellectual property owners and producers. iNDIEFLIX is a global subscription video-on-demand streaming service focused on content with a purpose. Cofounded by award-winning Producer, Director, Costume Designer and Author Scilla Andreen, its success in providing monetization opportunities for IP owners syncs perfectly with Liquid's mission to help creatives take their professional content from inception to monetization. Liquid Media's iNDIEFLIX will continue with its excellent work in the social impact area of edutainment, creating, promoting and distributing important films, video curriculum, educational materials and more to B2B and B2C audiences around the world, across corporate, private, education, government and public sectors. In parallel, iNDIEFLIX will play an important role in stage four of Liquid's business solution engine as the Company supports independents towards IP monetization in a shifting landscape. Liquid acquired iNDIEFLIX for up to 2.5M common shares of Liquid, which are scheduled to be paid out to iNDIEFLIX investors across specific performance milestones in five equal tranches of 500,000 common shares each. The first tranche of Consideration Shares was paid on closing, with four remaining milestones to be triggered by iNDIEFLIX revenues totaling up to $65M in the years ahead. Additional cash is being invested in iNDIEFLIX's ongoing operations, to be applied towards working capital and production of original content for iNDIEFLIX's education and other channels. Further details of the acquisition will be available in the Company's Q3 financial statements filed on SEDAR.

09:20 EDT E-GEAR announces licensing agreement with Eguana Technologies - E-GEAR LLC, which has agreed to be acquired by Pineapple Energy, announced it has entered into a master licensing agreement with Eguana Technologies Inc. a Calgary, Canada-based manufacturer of energy storage solutions. Under the agreement, Eguana has the right to integrate E-GEAR's industry-leading energy asset management and aggregation platform into current and future versions of its residential energy storage solutions. Eguana will have the right to further develop the code, but E-GEAR will retain ownership of the original source code and can further develop and utilize it in its various product lines. Commercial terms of the master licensing agreement were not announced.

09:18 EDT Color Star Technology to acquire Wuhan Chujing Esports - Color Star Technology's wholly-owned subsidiary, Color China, has officially signed an agreement of intent to acquire Wuhan Chujing Esports Culture Communication. The two companies will collaborate in developing a global esports pan-entertainment sector combining their respective industry advantages. Color Star will also include this new sector as a essential part of its business. The mergee, Chujing Esports, is a cultural enterprise that focuses on internet "esports+". The company has long-term, in-depth cooperation with many companies across China, including Tencent, DouYu, Huya TV, TikTok, Jinri Toutiao, and Zhangyou. Through the merger and acquisition of Chujing Esports, Color Star and Chujing Esports will fully integrate their online and offline platforms while cultivating and developing more esports influencers, esports IPs, esports competitions, and other esports products and services.

09:16 EDT Actinium Pharmaceuticals announces multiple senior leadership appointments - Actinium Pharmaceuticals announced multiple senior leadership appointments including Arun Swaminathan as Chief Business and Commercial Officer, Paul Diamond as Vice President, Patent and Legal Counsel and Avinash Desai, previously Executive Vice President, Clinical Development, Operations and Medical Affairs, to the position of Chief Medical Officer, effective immediately. Swaminathan Prior to joining Actinium, Swaminathan was the Chief Business Officer and Senior Vice President at Alteogen, a South Korea-based biopharmaceutical company that focuses on the development and commercialization of novel biologics. Swaminathan joined Alteogen after they entered into an agreement with Lynkogen and gained full rights to develop the assets. Desai most recently served as Vice President, Head of U.S. Medical Affairs - Oncology at Glaxo Smith Kline. Diamond joins Actinium from Enzo Biochem, where he was Senior Counsel, Patents and Business Development.

09:13 EDT Washington Football Team announces partnership with Grubhub - The Washington Football Team announced the launch of its groundbreaking partnership at FedExField with Grubhub, an industry leading online and mobile food ordering and delivery platform. This new partnership marks the first time a professional sports property has partnered with Grubhub and will enhance and expedite the ordering experience and payment process for in-stadium dining at FedExField. As part of this partnership, Grubhub has created a custom ordering experience specifically for FedExField that fans can easily access through the Grubhub app or by scanning QR codes on the back of seats and around the stadium. Utilizing geo location, Grubhub's technology enables fans to place an order with select vendors near their seats, pay directly through the Grubhub app, and pick up their orders through designated concession lanes. Approximately twenty vendors throughout FedExField will be available for ordering on Grubhub. FedExField also will have four food concession locations exclusively for orders placed through the Grubhub app.

09:12 EDT Remark Holdings wins $5.0M contract in construction industry - Remark Holdings has received a contract totaling $5.0M to deliver the company's AI-driven workplace safety solutions to 100 industrial real estate construction sites. Primarily in Shanghai, Shenzhen and Guangzhou, 30 sites are expected to be installed by the end of the calendar year, with the balance completed by the end of 1Q22.

09:10 EDT Aterian reaches agreement with lender to pay down term loan debt - Aterian announced that it has reached an agreement with its lender, High Trail, to pay down its outstanding secured term debt in an aggregate principal amount of $66.3M plus accrued and unpaid interest, which amount will be paid in shares of the Company's common stock in accordance with the terms of the notes evidencing such debt. The remaining $25M term loan debt will now mature in April 2023 and all financial covenants have been restructured. "I am excited to share with our shareholders that Aterian has reached an agreement with its lender to satisfy the majority of its outstanding term debt and has made material progress in reducing its container shipping costs thanks to the support of various strategic shipping partners. These are two important steps that we expect to strengthen our balance sheet and cash flows going forward and allow Aterian to create a capital structure optimized for growth and profitability in 2022," said Yaniv Sarig, Co-founder and CEO of Aterian. "Despite the remaining risk of unpredictable COVID related disruptions, we now see a clearer path to continuing our M&A strategy. We are more optimistic than ever that, on the other side of this global supply chain crisis, we will be well positioned to execute on the vision of building the leading consumer product platform."

09:10 EDT VivoPower announces contract to complete electric works for 119MWdc solar farm - VivoPower International announces that its wholly-owned subsidiary in Australia, J.A. Martin Electrical Pty has been awarded a contract to complete all electrical works for the 119MWdc Hillston Solar Farm in the Riverina region of southwestern New South Wales. Construction has already commenced with the project to be the third Australian solar farm completed by J.A. Martin in partnership with lead contractor GRS and brings J.A. Martin's total of completed and contracted solar farms to over 450MWdc. Once energized, the Hillston Solar Farm will generate approximately 235,000MWh of clean energy per year, enough to power nearly 54,000 homes and avoid over 161,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions annually.

09:08 EDT FIS recommends shareholders reject 'mini-tender' offer by TRC Capital - Fidelity National Information Services has received notification of an unsolicited "mini-tender" offer by TRC Capital Investment Corporation, TRC, to purchase up to 1 million shares, or approximately 0.16% of the outstanding common stock of FIS as of September 17, at a price of $118.25 per share in cash. TRC's offer price is approximately 4.43% less than the closing price per share of FIS' common stock on September 17, the last trading day before the mini-tender offer commenced. FIS does not endorse TRC's mini-tender offer and recommends that FIS' stockholders do not tender their shares in response to the offer because the offer is at a price below the current market price for FIS' shares. The offer is also subject to numerous conditions, including TRC's ability to obtain sufficient financing to consummate the offer. FIS also recommends that any stockholders who have tendered shares to TRC withdraw those shares by providing the written notice described in the offering documentation before the expiration of the offer. FIS urges stockholders to obtain current market quotes for their shares, to review the conditions to TRC's mini-tender offer, to consult with their brokers or financial advisors and to exercise caution with respect to TRC's mini-tender offer.

09:08 EDT Nuvei expands payout options for U.S. iGaming operators - Nuvei Corporation announced another enhancement to its suite of payout solutions, this time for U.S. regulated online sports betting and iGaming markets. Consumers can now verify their bank account through Plaid on withdrawals-not only deposits. The Company's new Verified Withdrawals product gives all players the advantage of instant withdrawals, regardless of what method they used to deposit the funds. Verified, instant withdrawals offer an enhanced user experience and are available to operators through Nuvei's Instant Bank Transfer technology. The Company was the first in the North American market to offer real-time payments in sports wagering and iGaming through its acquisition of Mazooma in August.

09:07 EDT Immuron unable to satisfy pre-conditions for proposed acquisition - Immuron would like to provide shareholders and the market with an update to our market announcements of 8 June 2021 and 7 July 2021. The Company has been pursuing a major acquisition of a private biotechnology company focused on the development of innovative vaccine technologies. The Company as a result has been in suspension in order to satisfy the requirements for the combined group - including under ASX listing rules 11.1.2 and 11.1.3 and for requalification of the combined group under chapters 1 and 2 of the ASX listing rules. The Immuron Board of Directors considered that this acquisition opportunity would have added significant value to the Company and shareholders potentially delivering a much-needed Australian developed COVID-19 vaccine candidate for commercialization. The ASX has absolute discretion to re-admit a company to the official list after such a transaction has occurred. After filing with the ASX a detailed ASX In-Principal Advice Application and subsequent lengthy discussions and exchanges with the ASX. ASX advised Immuron that based on the information provided to date, ASX does not currently have sufficient information to enable it to be satisfied that the combined group after the proposed acquisition would meet those requirements under chapters 1 and 2 of the ASX Listing Rules. Immuron as a result is now unable to satisfy the pre-conditions for this proposed acquisition due to the expiration of the existing contractual timetable and will not proceed with the proposed acquisition in its present form. There are no break fees associated with being unable to satisfy the preconditions existing contractual timetable, however professional fees associated with this transaction over the past 4 months are approximately $450k plus GST. Immuron remains focused on its existing business opportunities and the development of our lead drug candidates, currently in clinical development which have the potential to transform the existing treatment paradigms for moderate to severe campylobacteriosis, Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli infections, travelers' diarrhea and for Clostridiodes difficile infections. The company is also continuing to pursue its research programs to identify the inhibitory molecule/s in IMM-124E which demonstrated neutralizing activity against the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. As a result of Immuron not proceeding with the proposed acquisition at this time. suspension The suspension of trading in the securities of Immuron Limited will be lifted from the commencement of trading on 24 September 2021 Australian Eastern Standard Time and Immuron securities will re-commence trading on the ASX official list.

09:05 EDT Veritone, CBS announce exclusive international content licensing agreement - Veritone (VERI) announced an exclusive international content licensing agreement with CBS News (VIAC). Together for the last 11 years, CBS News and Veritone have served television producers, filmmakers, podcasters and content creators by providing access to the CBS News archives with search and discovery powered by aiWARE. With this new three-year exclusive international agreement, Veritone and CBS News will increase access to millions of hours of archival and breaking news content to the creative community.

09:04 EDT Principal Solar says eTruck on schedule with development of class 6 vehicles - Principal Solar announced that eTruck Transportation is on schedule with the development and planned availability of its class 6 hybrid heavy electric vehicle demonstration vehicles, both of which are planned for Q4 of 2021. eTruck's heavy vehicle EV conversion technology is engineered to enable transportation and logistics companies of all sizes to cost-effectively transition their existing fleets from diesel to high performance hybrid electric fleets without waiting for major truck manufacturers to engineer completely new platforms. eTruck's proprietary system lowers operational costs, reduces fuel consumption and emissions, thus enabling diesel fleets to transition towards electric power, without sacrificing performance, range, or utility. Principal Solar, via its Nexteal subsidiary, is strategically investing in emerging electric vehicle technologies that are ready for near-term commercial rollout, thereby meeting today's market demand with timely, cost-effective, and environmentally-friendly solutions.

09:04 EDT Carnival on pace to restart over 50% of fleet capacity by October - Carnival announced that it expects to return over 50% of its total fleet capacity to guest cruise operations by the end of October, representing an important milestone for the company's previously announced plans to resume service with nearly 65% of its fleet capacity to begin the New Year. To date, eight of the company's nine cruise line brands - Carnival Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, Seabourn, Costa Cruises, AIDA Cruises, P&O Cruises and Cunard - have resumed guest sailings. By the end of October, those eight brands have announced they will be operating 42 ships, marking the return of over 50% of the company's global fleet capacity, as part of overall restart efforts around the world. Additional brand updates on the resumption of guest cruise operations will be forthcoming in the coming weeks, including details on ships and itineraries. Collectively, the corporation's brands are resuming operations using a gradual, phased-in approach, with sailings from major global ports in multiple regions around the world, including the U.S., Mexico, Caribbean, United Kingdom, Western Europe and the Mediterranean, among others. The cruises operate with enhanced protocols developed in conjunction with government and health authorities, and informed by guidance from the company's public health, epidemiological and policy experts. This includes operating vaccinated cruises with updated testing and masking policies that follow the latest guidance, while creating extraordinary vacation experiences that continue to generate high guest satisfaction scores.

09:03 EDT DuPont signs virtual renewable energy PPA with NextEra Energy - DuPont (DD) has signed a virtual power purchase agreement, or PPA, with a subsidiary of NextEra Energy (NEE) with a generation capacity of the equivalent of 135 MW of new wind energy in Texas. The agreement, subject to customary performance conditions, supports DuPont's Acting on Climate goal of reducing absolute greenhouse gas emissions by 30%, including sourcing 60% of electricity from renewable energy, by 2030, and achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. A subsidiary of NextEra Energy Resources is developing the project and will build, own, and operate it. The new wind project - Appaloosa Run Wind - will be built in Upton County, Texas and is expected to be operational by the end of 2022.

09:03 EDT eHealth names Fran Soistman as CEO, succeeding Scott Flanders - eHealth (EHTH) announced that Fran Soistman has been appointed CEO and member of the eHealth Board of Directors, effective November 1. Soistman succeeds Scott Flanders, who intends to retire as CEO and as a member of the eHealth Board of Directors at that time. To help ensure a seamless transition, Flanders will remain with the company in a consulting capacity through the end of 2021. Soistman recently served as Executive Vice President at CVS Health (CVS) and President of Government Services for Aetna following its acquisition by CVS Health.

08:55 EDT Flywire and Ontario Systems partner for new digital healthcare solution - Flywire announced a partnership with Ontario Systems, a provider of enterprise workflow automation software, to offer a new digital solution for healthcare clients. Ontario's healthcare customers will have access to a new digital patient engagement solution, powered by Flywire. This solution embeds Flywire's omni-channel engagement tools directly into Ontario's Artiva HCx platform, personalizing the payment experience for patients.

08:50 EDT Kraft Heinz to acquire Hemmer, terms undisclosed - Kraft Heinz announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Hemmer, a Brazilian company focused on condiments and sauces. The acquisition of Hemmer, a 106-year-old company headquartered in Blumenau, Santa Catarina, is designed to expand consumers' taste options in Brazil. The completion of this transaction is subject to regulatory approvals by Brazil's Administrative Council for Economic Defense.

08:48 EDT Vertex expands relationship with Acumatica - Vertex announced its Vertex Cloud Indirect Tax solution is now "Fulfilled by Acumatica." By achieving this certification and integrating with Acumatica's cloud-based ERP, Vertex is enabling companies across the globe to easily automate their compliance reporting processes and make informed decisions based on more accurate, real-time tax data. Achieving the "Fulfilled by Acumatica" designation verifies the software accurately integrates with the current release of the ERP system and provides a level of assurance to the customer that it will perform correctly. Companies like Vertex who achieve this distinction have Acumatica's seal of approval to best serve their customer base.

08:46 EDT Logiq introduces geofencing for Logiq Digital Marketing platform - Logiq has expanded its Logiq Digital Marketing platform to include geofencing-based targeting. Unlike traditional geotargeting that restricts digital ads to audiences in a particular zip code, city, state or country, geofencing is a custom defined area that can outline the boundaries around a particular store, mall, or other physical venue. The technology enables geofencing by using the latitude and longitude coordinates of a consumer digital device, such as a connected TV, smartphone, tablet or PC, to determine their location.

08:44 EDT Quantum Computing appoints Willian McGann to board of directors - Quantum Computing (QUBT) has appointed William McGann, Ph.D., to serve on the company's board of directors. McGann brings over 30 years of executive leadership, technology, and science experience. Since 2019, McGann has served as the Chief Technology Officer for the Security, Detection and Automation business at Leidos (LDOS).

08:41 EDT GreenBox, Transact Europe commence revenue sharing, licensing cooperation - GreenBox announced the commencement of revenue sharing and bank licensing cooperation with Transact Europe in anticipation of the closing of the recently announced acquisition. GreenBox announced the acquisition of Transact Europe Holdings OOD on July 19, 2021, pending regulatory approval from the Bulgarian National Bank. Transact Europe Holdings OOD is the single entity shareholder of Transact Europe EAD. Transact Europe EAD is an EU regulated electronic money institution headquartered in Sofia Bulgaria and is a principal level member of Visa, worldwide member of MasterCard, and a principal member of China UnionPay. While final approval for the acquisition is pending, GreenBox and Transact Europe have approval to begin cooperation with respect to banking capabilities, such as card issuance and processing volume on GreenBox blockchain ledger technology. Revenue sharing and licensing cooperation will remain in place until the acquisition is officially closed. The acquisition will allow GreenBox to expand its offerings, including merchant accounts, payment accounts, FX services and a host of other services to prospective European clients. It will also provide GreenBox the opportunity to offer its domestic clients expansion into Europe, greatly enhancing value for its existing and prospective U.S. based clients.

08:40 EDT Ayala Pharmaceuticals announces publication highlighting activity of AL101 - Ayala Pharmaceuticals announced the publication of two case studies of adult patients with desmoid tumors treated with AL101 in Current Oncology. This publication highlights the potential of a gamma secretase inhibitor for the treatment of desmoid tumors. The data included in the case study are based on earlier Phase 1 results and compassionate use of AL101 in desmoid tumors. Both patients showcased in these case studies, Case One and Case Two, presented with significant tumor burden and symptomatic and life-threatening disease due to disease bulk and location. Both patients achieved long-lasting partial responses, or PR, with AL101 treatment with a maximal decrease in tumor size from baseline of 41% after approximately 1 year of treatment in Case One, and a maximal decrease in tumor size from baseline of 60% after about 1.6 years of treatment in Case Two. With continued monitoring, one patient was able to discontinue AL101 after 4.6 years of treatment, while maintaining a PR, and the other patient has maintained a PR at a reduced AL101 dose. The Phase 2/3 RINGSIDE trial is designed to evaluate the efficacy, safety and tolerability of AL102 in adult and adolescent patients with desmoid tumors. Part 1 of the study is open label and will enroll up to 36 patients with progressive desmoid tumors in three study arms across three doses of AL102 with initial follow up of safety, tolerability and tumor volume by MRI after 16 weeks in order to determine the optimal dose. Part 2 of the study will start immediately after dose selection from part 1 and will be a double-blind placebo-controlled study enrolling up to 156 patients with progressive disease, randomized 2:1 between AL102 or placebo. The study's primary endpoint will be progression free survival with secondary endpoints including objective response rate, duration of response and patient reported Quality of Life measures.

08:39 EDT Simulations Plus receives new funded cooperative pact for $250,000 yearly - Simulations Plus announced that it has received notice from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that it has been awarded a new funded cooperative agreement, for $250,000 per year for up to two years, to further enhance the predictive power of the mechanistic Transdermal Compartmental Absorption and Transit, TCAT model in GastroPlus in support of regulatory interactions. Dr. Viera Lukacova, Chief Scientist at Simulations Plus, said: "We have been engaged with various groups at the FDA since 2014 on numerous funded research programs focused on physiologically based pharmacokinetic modeling of complex generics and non-oral administration routes. We are delighted to have earned the FDA's confidence to broaden our relationship with another project through a competitive bidding process. This grant award has several major aims, including the expansion of dermal formulations which can be mechanistically simulated via the TCAT model within GastroPlus, implementation of new virtual population groups, and extension of bioequivalence calculations to account for local skin concentrations. These advancements will enable researchers and regulatory scientists to more quickly, and easily, simulate countless scenarios with improved accuracy, leading to updated scientific and regulatory standards for supporting innovative development and bioequivalence assessments for dermatological products." Under the cooperative agreement, FDA and Simulations Plus scientific and program staff will actively assist and participate in project activities in a partnership role with several leading pharmaceutical, generic, consumer goods, and contract research organizations. Drs. Jessica Spires and Manas Shah, Senior Scientists II at Simulations Plus, will serve as principal investigators and have primary responsibility for the scientific, technical, and programmatic aspects of the award and day-to-day management of the project.

08:37 EDT Happiness Biotech announces Electric Vehicle transaction of over $14M - Happiness Biotech announced that Taochejun Automobile and its subsidiary have signed agreements with Guang'an Ruili to purchase 1350 of the model Bestune B30 EV 400. Bestune, previously known as Besturn, is an automotive marque owned by the Chinese automaker FAW Group. Bestune B30 is the first model developed by FAW's all-new A- segment platform. Taochejun purchased 1350 pure electric vehicles with a total consideration of approximately $14.7M. Ruili is a large auto trading company in Sichuan Province, China.

08:37 EDT Viveve granted patent from Australian Patent Office for SUI treatment - Viveve announced that the Australian Patent Office has issued Patent No. 2016324168 covering Viveve's method of treatment to address stress urinary incontinence, or SUI, in women. The newly granted patent strengthens the company's intellectual property portfolio as subject enrollment advances in its U.S. pivotal PURSUIT clinical trial for SUI in women.

08:36 EDT Safe-T announces ZTNA solution integrated with Thales SafeNet service - Safe-T Group announced that it has advanced its partnership with Thales with the availability of a new joint Zero Trust Access solution combining the capabilities of its Zero Trust Network Access solution, ZoneZero, with Thales' SafeNet Trusted Access cloud-based access management service. The two companies will be presenting the solution at the Thales Trusted Access Summit, which is scheduled between October 5th and 6th 2021.

08:35 EDT ToughBuilt expands European distribution footprint across France - ToughBuilt Industries announced that several large home improvement retailers will offer ToughBuilt products in nearly 500 stores across France. ToughBuilt's new retail customers include well-recognized national and multinational chain brands including Toolstation, Setin Group and Gedimat. Michael Panosian, Chief Executive Officer of ToughBuilt, commented, "ToughBuilt continues to gain market share in Europe, successfully penetrating some of the fastest growing and leading home improvement chains. France is a multibillion-dollar market, representing a significant opportunity for ToughBuilt, which we believe will strengthen our relationships with international retailers and allow us to gain brand recognition with professional contractors and do-it-yourself consumers."

08:34 EDT Datasea signs $3.87M procurement contract for short message, 5G services - Datasea announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Shuhai Zhangxun Information Technology had signed a $3.87M procurement contract for Short Message and 5G Multimedia Message Services with Liangzi Xuntong Technology. Pursuant to the Contract, Shuhai Zhangxun will provide Messaging Services to help Liangzi Xuntong reach its clients. The Messaging Services include but are not limited to granting Liangzi Xuntong 1) access to Shuhai Zhangxun Short Message and 5G Multimedia Message platforms; 2) an access code issued by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology to adopt the services, and 3) the telecommunications gateways of the three major Chinese mobile operators to allow data to flow from one discrete network to another. Liangzi Xuntong undertakes that the total purchase value of this engagement would be no less than approximately $3.87M. The term of the Contract is one year, during which the service fees will be prepaid by Liangzi Xuntong on a monthly basis based on its estimated amount of messages to be sent and Shuhai Zhangxun will provide to Liangzi Xuntong an invoice listing the details of services and fees within the first five days of the next month.

08:33 EDT Rand Capital sells all holdings in Centivo for $2.4M in proceeds - Rand Capital announced that it sold all of its equity holdings in Centivo Corporation for gross proceeds of approximately $2.4M. Centivo was held at a fair value of $1.4M and represented 2.4% of Rand's net assets, each at June 30. With the exit, Rand expects to record a gain of approximately $1.6M in Q3.

08:33 EDT AMMO awarded US Department of Defense contract for developing SoT rounds - AMMO announces it has been awarded a contract by the Irregular Warfare Technical Support Directorate, or IWTSD, formerly CTTSO, formed and operating under the U.S. Department of Defense, to design and manufacture signature-on-target rounds, or SoT, in support of U.S. military operations. The SoT ammunition is being developed to provide warfighters with the ability to see the impact of rounds fired from their weapon systems on a wider variety of targets, both day and night. The SoT ammunition allows the machine gunner to see bullet impacts without a visible signature in flight exposing their firing location in the manner which occurs with currently utilized tracer ammunition.

08:32 EDT Stifel Financial hires Ed Ribaudo as head of leveraged finance capital markets - Stifel Financial announced the hiring of Ed Ribaudo as a Managing Director and Head of Leveraged Finance Capital Markets. In this new role, Mr. Ribaudo is responsible for leading the firm's Leveraged Finance Capital Markets and Syndicate functions and is based in Stifel's New York City office. Mr. Ribaudo joins Stifel from Houlihan Lokey, where he co-founded and built the firm's syndicated leveraged finance platform, enabling it to provide underwritten commitments on broadly syndicated leveraged loans.

08:24 EDT Ituran purchases remaining stake of Ituran Spain Holdings - Ituran has purchased the remaining 18.72% of shares that it did not own in Ituran Spain Holdings, formerly called Road Track Holding prior to its acquisition by Ituran in July 2018. This was in line with the original acquisition agreement with the former shareholders of this subsidiary. The company will pay the minority shareholders approximately $11.2M. This is based on a subsidiary valuation of $60M, which is the same valuation of the subsidiary as has been reflected in Ituran's financial statements.

08:19 EDT TFF announces topline results from Phase 1 trial of inhaled Tacrolimus Powder - TFF Pharmaceuticals announced topline results from the recently completed Phase 1 clinical trial for Tacrolimus Inhalation Powder showing a promising safety profile and demonstrating therapeutic drug levels can be achieved at low doses. Among the approximately 4,000 lung transplantation procedures performed each year worldwide, high tacrolimus blood concentrations are common and known to be associated with Acute Kidney Injury that can progress to Chronic Kidney Disease. Inhaled Tacrolimus Powder, which is delivered directly to the lung, offers a potentially attractive option for lung transplantation patients by maintaining higher concentrations at the site of the graft while not exposing other organs to supra-therapeutic plasma levels that are well known to cause renal damage in a substantial portion of these patients. Therapeutic drug monitoring is a routine practice in lung transplant recipients where tacrolimus dosing is continually titrated to maintain plasma concentrations within a narrow therapeutic window. Tacrolimus trough plasma concentrations in a range of 5-15 ng/mL are generally regarded as necessary for effective immunosuppression and a range of 10-15 ng/mL is used in the first year following transplant to minimize rejection. However, the challenge for lung transplant patients is to ensure sufficiently high local concentrations of tacrolimus are maintained in the lung to prevent acute allograft rejection without inducing renal toxicity. The trial was conducted with the standard format for a Phase 1 program: A single ascending dose phase with single inhalation doses of Tacrolimus Inhalation Powder of 0.5 mg, 1 mg, 2.5 mg and 5 mg was administered to four cohorts of healthy volunteers. The eight subjects in each cohort included six subjects randomized to receive tacrolimus and two randomized to receive placebo. A total of 24 subjects received active study drug. A multiple ascending dose phase with three total cohorts. Two cohorts received repeated administration of Tacrolimus Inhalation Powder every 12 hours over 7 days at doses of 0.5 mg and 1.0 mg, and a third cohort received repeated administration of 1.5 mg once daily for seven days. The eight subjects in each cohort included six subjects randomized to receive tacrolimus and two randomized to receive placebo. A total of 18 subjects received active study drug. Topline pharmacokinetic data from the Phase 1 study included: In the SAD phase of the study, inhaled delivery of tacrolimus resulted in mean trough blood levels of 10 ng/mL 12 hours post-dosing for subjects that received a dose of 5 mg, which falls within the desired range for maintenance immunosuppression following lung transplant. As previously reported in July, subjects from the MAD phase of the study who received doses of 0.5 mg twice daily and 1.0 mg twice daily achieved 12-hour trough steady state blood levels of tacrolimus that averaged 6.8 and 14.9 ng/mL, respectively, demonstrating that Inhaled Tacrolimus Powder can achieve blood levels generally deemed to be sufficient for efficacious immunosuppression. New data reported showed that once daily dosing with 1.5 mg of Inhaled Tacrolimus Powder resulted in mean 12-hour trough blood levels of 6.3 ng/mL and mean 24-hour trough blood levels of 4.8 ng/mL, consistent with the desired therapeutic ranges for lung transplant patients. TFF Pharmaceuticals expects to take critical steps toward beginning its Phase 2 clinical study of Inhaled Tacrolimus Powder by the end of 2021. The goal of the Phase 2 study, which will be an open-label study conducted in lung transplant patients who are experiencing kidney toxicity, is to test the hypothesis that Inhaled Tacrolimus Powder can provide adequate systemic exposure while maintaining higher drug levels in the lung, thereby reducing the risk of acute allograft rejection and improving symptoms of renal toxicity. Patients currently receiving oral tacrolimus will transition to a flexible dosing regimen of inhaled tacrolimus. The inhalation dose will be able to be adjusted weekly to achieve the desired blood level assigned by each patient's physician and ongoing biomarker-based assessments. Safety results from the Phase 1 trial included: In both phases of the trial, the reported adverse events were generally mild and consistent with those known to be related to tacrolimus exposure. There was no evidence of decreased pulmonary function, and based on the ECG assessments administered to all subjects, there were no instances of QTc prolongation. In the SAD portion of the study, no serious adverse events (SAEs) occurred. The most common side effects were mild and included headache, altered taste, throat irritation, and chest tightness. In the MAD portion of the trial, four patients experienced mild hypomagnesemia, a known adverse effect of tacrolimus. All four patients were in the 1.0 mg BID dosing cohort. Importantly, three of the four subjects had 12-hour trough blood levels of tacrolimus that exceeded the upper limit of the optimal range for lung transplant patients. All four patients, after receiving magnesium supplementation, had their magnesium levels return to baseline. Other mild AEs in the MAD portion of the study included headache, altered taste, throat irritation, and chest tightness. One subject experienced a headache with moderate severity that was deemed unrelated to study medication. A single Serious Adverse Event was reported as possibly drug-related in a subject in the 1.5 mg QD dose cohort of the MAD phase of the study. The subject experienced confusion approximately 3.5 hours after receiving the seventh dose. The effects resolved spontaneously within 30 minutes and the subject was not admitted to hospital. During this event, no abnormal lab results, ECG traces, or physical exam results were found. This, combined with the transient nature and spontaneous resolution without changes in drug concentrations, leads to an unclear relationship between the drug and the adverse event. A review by the safety management committee concluded that it was safe to continue dosing the remainder of the cohort.

08:17 EDT HarborOne buys Massachusetts savings bank branch locations from Rockland Trust - HarborOne Bancorp announced that the Bank has agreed to acquire four former East Boston Savings Bank branches located in Brighton, Cambridge and Brookline, Massachusetts from Rockland Trust Company further extending HarborOne's footprint in Greater Boston. The transaction is subject to a number of contingencies and is expected to close after the completion of Rockland Trust's acquisition of East Boston Savings Bank later this year. The new locations will accelerate the Bank's expansion strategy within Greater Boston, which began with the opening of a Boston loan production office on Broad Street in 2018, quickly followed by a full service branch at the same location in 2019. New HarborOne branch locations in Quincy and South Boston have opened over the last year. A market-driven activation strategy has generated over $370 million in loans outstanding and over $100M in deposit relationships from these locations. "These new branches will expand our Greater Boston regional presence at a time of substantial market disruption caused by the sale of several community banks," said Joe Casey, HarborOne Bank President and Chief Operating Officer. "We believe our experienced neighborhood banking teams will be in a unique position to provide the personal, consultative banking services that we are known for, and customers will come to trust the overall banking experience that we deliver."

08:15 EDT Novan reports safety data from B-SIMPLE4 phase 2 study of SB206 - Novan announced the comprehensive safety data readout as part of the Company's B-SIMPLE4 Phase 3 study of SB206 for the treatment of molluscum contagiosum. B-SIMPLE4 was a multi-center, double-blind, randomized, vehicle-controlled study that exceeded its enrollment target by randomizing 891 patients in the study, across 55 clinical sites. The primary endpoint for the study is the proportion of patients with complete clearance of all treatable molluscum lesions at Week 12. In June 2021, Novan reported statistically significant positive topline results for the primary endpoint of complete clearance of all treatable lesions at Week 12 in its B-SIMPLE4 pivotal Phase 3 clinical study of SB206. Consistent with results from the Company's prior Phase 2 and Phase 3 studies, SB206 was also found to be safe and well tolerated in the B-SIMPLE4 study at Week-12. In July 2021, the Company announced that the last patient had completed their planned Week-24 follow-up visit in the B-SIMPLE4 study. The treatment emergent adverse events profile of SB206 through the Week-24 visit was found to be favorable and consistent with the previous Phase 3 studies, B-SIMPLE1 and B-SIMPLE2. The TEAEs reported in greater than 5% of subjects in the SB206 treated groups were all at the application site with the high majority of these TEAEs being mild or moderate by severity. Molluscum, caused by the molluscipoxvirus, is known to occasionally heal with some scarring, or small pitting at the lesion site. Scar formation was assessed by the investigator, regardless of the size of the scar, throughout the study for TEAEs, as well as occurrence. The TEAEs for scarring throughout the study were slightly higher in the vehicle group vs. SB206. Subjects treated with SB206 showed a lower occurrence of scarring at the Week-24 visit when compared to vehicle. These findings were generally consistent with observations from B-SIMPLE1 and B-SIMPLE2. Paula Brown Stafford, President and Chief Executive Officer, commented, "Now with these safety data in hand, combined with our robust clinical efficacy data, we look forward to sharing our promising data package from the B-SIMPLE program with the FDA during a pre-NDA meeting targeted in the first half of 2022, as we pursue our path forward for Novan's SB206 molluscum product candidate in the U.S."

08:14 EDT MidCap Financial announces strategic capital relationship with Lafayette Square - MidCap Financial announced the start of a non-exclusive strategic capital relationship with Lafayette Square, an impact investment platform founded by Damien Dwin that is working locally to create an inclusive American economy. Through this new relationship, sourced through Apollo's Expanding Opportunity initiative, MidCap Financial and Lafayette Square expect to collaborate on future opportunities that positively impact communities across the country. In their first joint transaction, Lafayette Square and MidCap Financial Trust have agreed to provide a senior secured facility to Zero Waste Recycling, a leader in full-service recycling and non-hazardous waste processing, to support an employee-led buyout. The financing will help ZWR support long-term wealth creation for ZWR's employee base.

08:13 EDT TG Therapeutics announces publication of results from safety analysis of UKONIQ - TG Therapeutics announced the publication of results from an integrated safety analysis of UKONIQ, the company's inhibitor of PI3k-delta and CK1-epsilon, in patients with relapsed or refractory lymphoid malignancies in Blood Advances, a journal of the American Society of Hematology. Michael Weiss, the company's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer stated, "We are pleased that the integrated safety analysis of 371 patients treated with UKONIQ has been published in Blood Advances. We believe these data further support the differentiated safety profile of UKONIQ, the first and only PI3k-delta and CK1-epsilon inhibitor, which is now commercially available to patients with relapsed or refractory marginal zone lymphoma and follicular lymphoma. As we strive toward obtaining FDA approval of the investigational combination of UKONIQ and ublituximab, U2, in CLL by the PDUFA goal date of March 25, 2022, furthering our understanding of the safety and tolerability profile of UKONIQ remains paramount to us." The manuscript includes integrated comprehensive toxicity data from 4 open-label phase 1 and 2 studies that included 371 adult patients with relapsed or refractory non-Hodgkin lymphoma, including patients with follicular lymphoma, marginal zone lymphoma, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma/mantle cell lymphoma, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, and other. All patients were treated with umbralisib at 800mg or higher once daily. At data cutoff, median duration of umbralisib treatment was 5.9 months, and 107 patients received umbralisib for greater than or equal to 12 months. Key highlights from this manuscript include: the most common grade greater than or equal to 3 treatment-emergent adverse events were neutropenia, diarrhea, and increase aminotransferases; AEs of special interest were limited and included pneumonia in 29 patients, noninfectious colitis in 9 patients, and pneumonitis in 4 patients; treatment-emergent serious AEs occurred in 95/371 patients; AEs led to discontinuation of umbralisib in 51 patients; and no cumulative toxicity over time was observed.

08:12 EDT GE to buy advanced surgical visualization firm BK Medical for $1.45B - GE has entered into an agreement to acquire BK Medical, a leader in advanced surgical visualization, from Altaris Capital Partners for a cash purchase price of $1.45B. BK Medical is an innovator in global intraoperative imaging and surgical navigation, used to guide clinicians during minimally invasive and robotic surgeries and to visualize deep tissue during procedures in neuro and abdominal surgery, and in ultrasound urology. BK Medical is headquartered in Boston and Copenhagen with more than 650 employees and is delivering double-digit revenue growth. GE Healthcare Ultrasound President and CEO Roland Rott said, "Adding the fast-growing and relatively new field of real-time surgical visualization to GE's pre- and post-operative Ultrasound capabilities will create an end-to-end offering through the full continuum of care-from diagnosis through therapy and beyond. GE Healthcare and BK Medical share a passion for clinical innovation, and I'm excited to welcome BK Medical to our team." This transaction is expected to create value by further strengthening BK Medical, including through significant synergies with the benefit of GE's technology and commercial scale. This transaction enables BK Medical's Active Imaging platform to reach new customers and new markets around the world, and the combination of GE Healthcare's diagnostic imaging technology with BK's ability to enable decision-making and surgical visualization in intervention will allow better decision-making throughout the care continuum. GE Healthcare expects BK Medical to deliver rapid revenue growth as well as margin expansion and free cash flow growth. GE Healthcare also expects high-single-digit return on invested capital by year five. The parties expect the transaction to close in 2022, subject to review by the relevant regulatory authorities.

08:10 EDT Brookfield, Elion Partners announce $1B strategic partnership - Brookfield and Elion Partners announced a $1B strategic partnership expanding Brookfield's Real Estate Secondaries' logistics portfolio across core infill markets. Brookfield recapitalized Elion Logistics Park 55, a Chicago industrial park with the potential to develop approximately $1B of industrial real estate. The project includes five existing Class A industrial assets totaling four million square feet that are 100% leased, as well as the potential to develop up to 15M square feet of additional industrial properties going forward. The logistics park is located adjacent to the BNSF railway, offers numerous tenant amenities including essential travel and repair services, and benefits from tax increment financing. Park Madison Partners acted as the exclusive capital advisor for recapitalization. The investment also included an $80M equity commitment to Elion's latest affiliated value-added fund, Elion Real Estate Fund V, which held its final closing last month achieving its hard cap of $500M. A majority of Fund V's portfolio was prespecified upon Brookfield's commitment, representing more than 3.2M square feet of logistics real estate across infill coastal markets.

08:08 EDT Red Violet announces formal launch of advisory board - Red Violet announced the formal launch of its "Innovations in Identity" Advisory Board, comprised of industry luminaries and accomplished executives, to provide strategic guidance in support of the company's expansion in current and new markets. The "Innovations in Identity" Advisory Board includes the following members: Dan Hesse - Chairman of the Board of Akamai Technologies. Lou Anne Alexander - Chief Product Officer of Early Warning Services. James Mirfin - Global Head of Digital Identity and Fraud Solutions at Refinitiv. Ralph A. Rodriguez- Identity Market Expert; Executive-in-Residence, Summit Partners. Brian Russell - SVP, Head of Enterprise Platform, Identity Management and Authentication at U.S. BanK.

08:08 EDT SAIC announces Kevin Brown joins company as chief information security officer - Science Applications International announced that Kevin Brown has joined the company as chief information security officer, CISO. In this role, Brown leads the company's cybersecurity strategy and oversees critical cybersecurity areas including incident response, disaster recovery, awareness, business resilience, monitoring, remediation, threat intelligence and information governance. Brown reports to Nathan Rogers, SAIC's chief information officer. "Kevin is a seasoned cybersecurity professional who has experience working at SAIC as well as other leading technology and manufacturing companies," said Rogers. "His knowledge of cybersecurity operations and the threats that cyber professionals face on a daily basis positions Kevin as the expert SAIC needs to protect the critical systems and data for our company as well as our customers. We are pleased to welcome him back to SAIC."

08:07 EDT Twist Bioscience announces collaboration with deepCDR - Twist Bioscience announced a collaboration with deepCDR, a private company focused on applying deep learning algorithms to antibody discovery and optimization.

08:06 EDT Ault Global Holdings invests $2.25M in Unique Electric Solutions for 7% stake - Ault Global Holdings announced that it has invested in Unique Electric Solutions, or UES, a privately held developer of electric vehicle, or EV, propulsion systems for commercial trucks and school buses. The investment will enable UES to increase production while diversifying into adjacent markets. Moreover, AGH's subsidiary, TurnOnGreen will work with UES to provide commercial EV charging stations and fleet management software solutions to UES and its customers. UES manufactures EV and fuel cell electric vehicle, or FCEV, propulsion systems for medium and heavy-duty trucks, transit, and school buses. Its uniqueEV platform, driven by proprietary machine-learning software, has been field-proven through performing daily service for United Parcel Service in New York City and California since 2018. In addition, UES has secured contracts with two of New York City's largest school bus operators to convert their school buses to electric propulsion. AGH invested $2.25M for a 7% stake in UES, which can increase to 10% upon the exercise of warrants acquired by AGH. In addition, AGH has the right to participate up to 50% of any future investment by third parties in UES during the next two years. AGH and UES agreed that when UES achieves higher-volume orders for its EVs, they will look to enter into a long-term lease for manufacturing space at an AGH manufacturing facility. The company's investment will enable UES to increase output of repowered vehicles, address a backlog of pending orders and accelerate the introduction of new EVs while diversifying into market adjacencies. This partnership will allow TurnOnGreen, a supplier of EV chargers and energy storage systems, to accelerate expansion of services into new vertical markets, including federal, state, and municipal bus fleets along with last-mile delivery service fleets like UPS and other package and food delivery companies.

08:05 EDT Advantage Solutions announces client spotlight conference call with Upfield - Advantage Solutions announced that the company will host a client spotlight conference call with Upfield, on October 6, 2021 at 5:00 p.m. During the call, Advantage CEO Tanya Domier and Upfield Regional CEO for the Americas Tim Brown will discuss the evolution of the strong Upfield/Advantage partnership, the state of play across consumer packaged goods, and the full suite of solutions they deploy together. Dan Riff, Chief Strategy and Investor Relations Officer, will moderate and field questions from the audience.

08:05 EDT Point Biopharma announces initiation of randomization for Phase 3 SPLASH study - POINT Biopharma Global announced that the dosimetry and safety run-in of its Phase 3 SPLASH study evaluating PNT2002 for Metastatic Castrate Resistant Prostate Cancer met all pre-specified criteria allowing for initiation of the randomization phase without changes to the study design. The open-label safety and dosimetry lead-in dosed 27 patients with PSMA-expressing mCRPC who have progressed on novel anti-androgen therapy and are ineligible or averse to chemotherapy. This phase met all pre-specified criteria based on renal absorbed dose, clinical toxicity and preliminary efficacy. Data from the safety and dosimetry lead-in will be presented at an upcoming scientific conference. Enrollment for the randomization phase has commenced in Canada and will continue to expand to additional countries throughout North America, United Kingdom and Europe. The Phase 3 SPLASH study is a multi-center, randomized, open label assessment of PNT2002 in patients with PSMA-expressing mCRPC who have progressed on Androgen receptor-axis-targeted therapies therapy and refuse or are not eligible for chemotherapy. The randomization phase of the study is expected to enroll approximately 400 patients across North America, Europe and the UK. Patients will be randomized 2:1 with patients in arm A receiving PNT2002 and patients in arm B receiving either Abiraterone or Enzalutamide. Patients in arm B who experience centrally assessed radiographic progression and meet protocol eligibility will have the option to crossover and receive PNT2002. Patients will be subject to follow-up for up to 5 years from first PNT2002 dose. The primary endpoint of the study is radiographic progression-free survival. Key secondary endpoints include overall response rate, overall survival, and pharmacokinetics. POINT anticipates meeting with regulatory agencies in North America, United Kingdom and Europe to gain alignment on requirements for planned submissions after data readout from the SPLASH trial.

08:03 EDT Lincoln National enters $1.5B reinsurance agreement with Talcott Resolution - Lincoln Financial announced it has entered into an agreement with Talcott Resolution Life Insurance to reinsure up to $1.5B in sales of Lincoln's variable annuity living benefit rider. The transaction covers business issued from April 1 through June 30, 2022. Under the terms of the reinsurance agreement, Lincoln Financial will retain account administration and recordkeeping of the annuity policies. Lincoln Financial will cede $1.5B of living benefit riders but retain 100% of the base contract cash flows. The transaction will have no impact on Lincoln Financial's relationship with, or commitments to, its distribution partners and policyholders. Additionally, Lincoln Financial remains focused on the continued growth of its variable annuity business, with plans to introduce new products and further expand distribution to achieve successful long-term growth. The transaction is dated September 17 and is structured as a coinsurance treaty with a comfort trust to mitigate counterparty credit risk.

07:59 EDT Cathie Wood's ARK Investment bought about 760K shares of DraftKings on Wednesday

07:58 EDT Cathie Wood's ARK Investment bought 97.3K shares of Kratos Defense on Wednesday

07:55 EDT AirBoss of America announces new credit facilities - AirBoss of America announced that it has updated its senior secured credit facilities with an expanded syndicate of major banks to increase the available size, extend the maturity date, and provide the Company with improved terms, lower pricing and increased flexibility. Key changes include the following: Increased revolving credit availability to $250M with an accordion of $75M; Elimination of the Company's amortizing term loan; The maturity date is now September 23, 2026; No principal payments prior to maturity; More flexible financial covenants and conditions related to size of permitted acquisitions. The increased facilities are intended to cover upfront working capital costs necessary to execute on the Company's existing and potential future contracts, as well as provide increased flexibility to execute on the Company's inorganic growth strategies. The expanded syndicate of lenders consists of The Toronto-Dominion Bank, as sole lead arranger, National Bank of Canada, Comerica Bank, J.P. Morgan, Bank of Montreal, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce and Royal Bank of Canada.

07:47 EDT Transcode announces data supporting therapeutic potential of TTX-MC138 - TransCode Therapeutics announced that preclinical research supporting its lead candidate, TTX-MC138, was published in Cancer Nanotechnology. The article, entitled "Radiolabeling and PET-MRI microdosing of the experimental cancer therapeutic, MN-anti-miR10b, demonstrates delivery to metastic lesions in a murine model of metastatic breast cancer," resulted from research conducted at the Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging in the Department of Radiology at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. ..The key results of the study demonstrated that TTX-MC138, when injected intravenously, accumulated in metastatic lesions. These results suggest that TransCode's TTX platform delivers its therapeutic candidate as intended and the company believes supports clinical evaluation of TTX-MC138. In addition, the investigation describes the development of a microdosing PET-MRI approach that could potentially be used for measurement of TTX-MC138 biodistribution in cancer patients and its delivery to clinical metastases. The capacity to carry out microdosing PET studies in patients under an exploratory investigational new drug application protocol would represent an important step on the path to clinical translation because it could facilitate and expedite approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for initial human studies. TransCode expects to file an exploratory investigational new drug, eIND, application for TTX-MC138 in the first quarter of 2022 to support a Phase 0 study in patients with metastatic cancer. Under an eIND, FDA approval may be obtained more quickly and at lower cost than with a traditional IND for therapeutic agents.

07:47 EDT Transcode announces data supporting therapeutic potential of TTX-MC138 - TransCode Therapeutics announced that preclinical research supporting its lead candidate, TTX-MC138, was published in Cancer Nanotechnology. The article, entitled "Radiolabeling and PET-MRI microdosing of the experimental cancer therapeutic, MN-anti-miR10b, demonstrates delivery to metastic lesions in a murine model of metastatic breast cancer," resulted from research conducted at the Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging in the Department of Radiology at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. ..The key results of the study demonstrated that TTX-MC138, when injected intravenously, accumulated in metastatic lesions. These results suggest that TransCode's TTX platform delivers its therapeutic candidate as intended and the company believes supports clinical evaluation of TTX-MC138. In addition, the investigation describes the development of a microdosing PET-MRI approach that could potentially be used for measurement of TTX-MC138 biodistribution in cancer patients and its delivery to clinical metastases. The capacity to carry out microdosing PET studies in patients under an exploratory investigational new drug application protocol would represent an important step on the path to clinical translation because it could facilitate and expedite approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for initial human studies. TransCode expects to file an exploratory investigational new drug, eIND, application for TTX-MC138 in the first quarter of 2022 to support a Phase 0 study in patients with metastatic cancer. Under an eIND, FDA approval may be obtained more quickly and at lower cost than with a traditional IND for therapeutic agents.

07:40 EDT Condor Hospitality to sell hotel portfolio for $305M, adopt plan of liquidation - Condor Hospitality (CDOR) Trust announced that it has entered into an agreement with affiliates of Blackstone Real Estate Partners (BX) to sell its entire portfolio of hotels in a $305M transaction. This is an all cash transaction without the assumption of any existing debt. Completion of the transaction, which is expected to occur in Q4, is subject to customary closing conditions, including the approval of the company's shareholders. The buyer has entered into voting agreements with certain shareholders of the company that hold approximately 60% of the outstanding common shares pursuant to which such holders have agreed to vote their shares in favor of the transaction. The company also announced that the company's board of directors has unanimously adopted a plan of liquidation and dissolution. The plan of liquidation contemplates an orderly wind down of the company's business affairs. Following the closing of the sale of the hotel portfolio and the payment of outstanding liabilities, along with the taking of other actions specified in the plan of liquidation, including reserving for certain contingent liabilities and claims, the company intends to distribute certain net proceeds from the sale of the hotel portfolio to the company's shareholders in one or more liquidating distribution installments. The implementation of the plan of liquidation is conditioned on obtaining approval of the company's shareholders.

07:39 EDT Cresco Labs to acquire Cure Penn for $90M in cash and stock - Cresco Labs announced the execution of a definitive agreement to acquire 100% of the outstanding equity interests in Bay, Cure Pennsylvania or Cure Penn, for an aggregate consideration equal to $90M. The Transaction is expected to close in Q4 of 2021. Cresco Labs .The aggregate consideration amount for the Transaction is equal to Ninety Million Dollars, $90,000,000, and will be satisfied at closing through the payment of cash and stock. The Transaction will be completed on a cash-free, debt-free basis with a mutually agreed upon normalized target level of working capital. The closing of the Transaction is subject to, among other things, the approval and receipt of all required CSE and regulatory approvals...The aggregate consideration amount for the Transaction is equal to Ninety Million Dollars, $90,000,000, and will be satisfied at closing through the payment of cash and stock. The Transaction will be completed on a cash-free, debt-free basis with a mutually agreed upon normalized target level of working capital. The closing of the Transaction is subject to, among other things, the approval and receipt of all required CSE and regulatory approvals.

07:38 EDT Nouveau Monde proceeding with complete feasibility study with BBA - Production from this phase-1 anode material beneficiation line will support the ongoing engineering of the large-scale phase-2 battery material plant. Following positive results of an internal FEL-1 scoping study earlier this year, Nouveau Monde is proceeding with the complete feasibility study with its consulting firm BBA, which is scheduled to be completed in Q2-2022. Upon completion of the study, Nouveau Monde intends to transition to the execution phase of the Phase 2 project on the Company's 200,000 m2 land parcel in the Becancour Industrial Park. By expanding its advanced materials manufacturing platform, Nouveau Monde strives to position itself as a leading western producer capable of supplying tier-1 customers at every step of graphite transformation. Backed by its scaled development and proprietary technologies, the Company is actively engaging with tier-1 EV and battery manufacturers in its effort to negotiate a long-term cornerstone supply agreement

07:37 EDT MindMed and Liechti Lab provide results from psilocybin R&D collaboration - MindMed announced that Dr. Matthias Liechti presented data from several ongoing studies at the INSIGHT Conference in Berlin, Germany being conducted as part of MindMed's ongoing collaboration with the UHB Liechti Lab. Novel findings presented include: the perceptual effects of a dose of 100 mcg LSD were found to be equivalent to a dose of 20 mg psilocybin in healthy volunteers. This is the first direct clinical evidence demonstrating the equivalence of psilocybin and LSD on acute psychedelic effects. Psilocybin was found to be safe to administer together with an antidepressant. Daily pretreatment with escitalopram for two weeks prior to psilocybin administration, reduced anxiety and blood pressure increases associated with psilocybin but did not reduce the acute psychedelic experience in healthy volunteers.

07:35 EDT Iovance Biotherapeutics initiates clinical supply of TIL cell therapy - Iovance Biotherapeutics reported that the Iovance Cell Therapy Center, or iCTC, successfully manufactured and delivered the first clinical batch of tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte, or TIL, cell therapy LN-145. The first Iovance clinical study participant infused with LN-145 manufactured at iCTC is enrolled in a metastatic non-small cell lung cancer cohort in the IOV-COM-202 basket study in solid tumors. Igor Bilinsky, Ph.D., Chief Operating Officer of Iovance, stated, "We are thrilled to announce that one of our clinical study participants has received the first infusion of our internally manufactured Iovance TIL cell therapy. I applaud the efforts of our Iovance team at iCTC in achieving the important construction and manufacturing milestones that led to this moment. Moving forward, we are diversifying between internal and external TIL manufacturing for clinical studies, and iCTC remains on track to provide commercial supply upon potential product approval. Establishing our internal manufacturing capabilities is a top priority at Iovance to ensure broad access to and reduce the costs of Iovance TIL cell therapy." The iCTC, located at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, is the first centralized, scalable manufacturing facility dedicated to producing TIL cell therapies for patients with solid tumor cancers. With approximately 136,000 square feet of space, the iCTC is among the largest cell therapy manufacturing facilities today. The iCTC is currently supplying Iovance clinical studies, and commercial manufacturing is expected to begin after initial product approval. The current capacity is expected to meet the demand for thousands of patients per year with multiple types of cancers.

07:34 EDT Stealth Biotherapeutics presents preclinical data of SBT-272 in Parkinson's - Stealth BioTherapeutics presented new data from a study evaluating the effects of SBT-272 in a murine model of Parkinson's disease. SBT-272 is a novel, clinical-stage product candidate which is known to cross the blood-brain barrier. The data were presented at the International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society Virtual Congress 2021. In the study, mice were injected with viral particles. Following the injection, the mice displayed PD pathology and aggregation of alpha-synuclein and markers of neuroinflammation. Systemic daily administration of SBT-272 at two different doses significantly protected against the loss of dopaminergic neurons and the aggregation of pathological alpha-synuclein. In addition, the higher dose of SBT-272 significantly reduced two different markers of neuroinflammation. Overall, the data demonstrate that SBT-272 has a neuroprotective effect in this model of PD. The neuroprotection activity observed in the PD model was supported by an additional collaborative study in which systemic SBT-272 treatment protected brain mitochondria against damage caused by ischemic stroke. Taken together, these data show potential for SBT-272 as a systemically administered therapy for treating neurodegenerative diseases.

07:33 EDT Vivos Therapeutics announces formation of new medical consortium - Vivos Therapeutics announced the official formation of the Vivos Medical Consortium. This physician working group will collaborate to advance Vivos' OSA technology capabilities and includes physicians with specialties in sleep medicine, neurology, pediatrics, pulmonology, anesthesiology, pain medicine, otolaryngology, obstetrics and gynecology, cardiology, and forensic pathology from prominent academic institutions in the U.S. and Canada. Led by Drs. Clete Kushida of Stanford University and Cecilia Wu of the University of Alberta, the Vivos Medical Consortium will assist the company with the planning, dissemination and conduct of key research initiatives, enhancing physician-dental collaborations, and expanding novel applications of the Vivos technology for additional medical conditions. Members of the Vivos Medical Consortium include: Clete Kushida MD PhD, Co-Chair; Cecilia Wu MD, Co-Chair; Fred Lin MD; Manisha Witmans MD; Samuel DeMaria MD; Seth Heckman MD; and Yury Khelemsky MD. Commenting on the anticipated impact of the Vivos Medical Consortium, Vivos Chairman and CEO Kirk Huntsman stated, "Obstructive sleep apnea is a serious medical problem, yet it is one that, through the use of the Vivos technology, now has a highly effective medical solution that can be delivered by a dentist. With the guidance of the Vivos Medical Consortium, we look forward continuing to advance our technology and presence in the medical and dental communities and fulfilling our mission statement of combating this devastating disease by treating the underlying cause of OSA with minimal impact on quality of life. We are hopeful that our Medical Consortium will facilitate wider adoption of our technology for patients who would benefit from our non-surgical, non-invasive solution."

07:14 EDT Darden jumps 4% to $156.30 after Q1 results beat, FY22 guidance raised

07:10 EDT BioXcel to host R&D Day highlighting AI-based drug cancer development - BioXcel Therapeutics will host a virtual R&D Day beginning at 12:00 p.m., Eastern Time. The Company will discuss new applications of the artificial intelligence ecosystem to augment and accelerate its drug candidate discovery and development process for neuroscience disorders with large unmet medical need. BioXcel's neuroscience leadership team will introduce BXCL502, an emerging program to bolster the Company's novel neuroscience portfolio, and review the expansion of the Company's most advanced clinical development program, BXCL501.

07:08 EDT Enthusiast Gaming launches Project GG Alpha - Enthusiast Gaming provided an update on the development of its social network for gamers, Project GG. Project GG will be a cross-platform, gaming-centric social network, uniting gaming and esports fans on desktop and mobile. The company announced that it has deployed an initial invitation-only release of Project GG. "Project GG will enhance the company's ability to deliver a more complete fan experience with a targeted, engaged, and personalized product for gamers and customers alike and represents a significant step towards the Company's evolution to becoming a technology-powered, media, esports, and entertainment company," the company said. Project GG is intended to initially target the English-speaking gaming market. Deployment and initial growth strategies for Project GG include utilizing the Company's media and content platform to aggregate users inside Project GG. The Company's media and content platform generated approximately 10.4B views of content in Q2 2021. The Company also intends to utilize its talent roster to draw audiences into Project GG. The product will be monetized through targeted advertising, premium content, subscription offerings, and web/in-app purchases, with other monetization streams still under consideration by the Company. Project GG Alpha will serve as a test version of the gaming social network, while offering feedback to Enthusiast Gaming's design and user experience teams. Project GG Alpha is expected to be live until early 2022, at which time Project GG will transition to a beta version.

07:08 EDT Bellus Health completes patient enrollment in SOOTHE trial - Bellus Health announced that the company has completed patient enrollment in the Phase 2b SOOTHE clinical trial of BLU-5937 in refractory chronic cough and the Phase 2a BLUEPRINT clinical trial of BLU-5937 in chronic pruritus associated with atopic dermatitis. Topline results from both trials are expected in December.

07:07 EDT Darden announces additional $750M share repurchase program - During the quarter, the company repurchased approximately 1.3 million shares of its common stock for a total cost of approximately $186 million. As of the end of the first quarter, the company had approximately $277 million remaining under the current $500 million repurchase authorization. In addition, yesterday, Darden's Board of Directors authorized the company to repurchase an additional $750 million of its outstanding common stock. This brings the total remaining repurchase authorization to approximately $1 billion.

07:05 EDT KKR Invests in 400 Summer Street JV in Boston Seaport - KKR announced that it has completed a major investment in a joint venture with WS Development and the Public Sector Pension Investment Board for 400 Summer Street, a new state-of-the-art life science tower currently under construction in Boston's Seaport District. Through its investment in the joint venture, KKR will collaborate with WS Development and PSP Investments in ownership of the asset, while WS Development continues to oversee and lead development and management of the property.

07:05 EDT Else Nutrition provides update on U.S. launch of kids product line - ELSE NUTRITION HOLDINGS announced market penetration and sales growth rates across online and retail channels: Else Plant-Based Complete Nutrition for Toddlers, available in Sprouts Farmers Markets since February 2021, has extended to many additional natural food and grocery retailers and independent stores, including Big-Y, Raley's, Natural Grocers AFS, Haggen, PCC, Mother's Markets, Huckleberry's Natural Market, Rouses Markets, Harmons, Roche Bros., and more than 100 independent and co-op stores. Else is listed in 1,100+ stores and is sold on the shelves of 800+ of these and continues to grow. In less than six months, Else's sales velocity in Sprouts crossed the 1 UPSPW KPI target level ahead of expectations for the category targeted for the first 12 months. Else onboarded and is shipping product to the 2 largest natural food distributors in North America - UNFI and KeHE Distributors, which together cover almost the entire retail market in the US. Combined they have opened 14 distribution centers to supply retail stores. Else and its retail brokers, with the active assistance of its distributors, are in discussions with dozens of additional large, small and independents natural food, grocery and drug retail chains, that together represent more than 5,000 stores. Else started its U.S. online sales in August 2020 on www.elsenutrition.com and in late September on Amazon.com. Initial online sales on these two channels have demonstrated a good growth trajectory, growing at more than 10% month-over-month, and are expected to accelerate as more products are added to the Else range. Else's Amazon.com monthly sales have grown close to 600% since launch. Else products are also sold on the iHerb international online retail platform and on Thrive Market, a leading U.S. online platform that has 500,000+ subscribers. Else plans to list on additional leading online platforms in the coming months. The Company signed listing agreements and is completing the on-boarding process with Walmart.com and with Kroger-owned online platforms, both expected to significantly boost Else online reach. Launch is expected in Q4 2021. In June 2021, Else launched a new product line - Plant-Powered Complete Nutrition for Kids, 2 years and older. The product is offered initially in vanilla and chocolate flavors, in 16 oz powder cans. This new product line offers a superior, plant-based, low sugar, delicious alternative to milk and soy-based products that are currently in the market. This launch has been extremely successful thus far, with the new line already accounting for 25%+ of total unit sales on www.elsenutrition.com. In Q4 2021, Else Nutrition plans to launch a series of Plant-Based complementary nutrition products for babies 6 months and older, in several flavors. Early next year, Else plans to launch liquid RTD versions of its Complete Nutrition for Kids products, and a non-organic version of its successful Toddler product. These new SKUs will grow Else's product range and are expected to further accelerate sales in all channels. These products will be offered in the U.S., Canada, Europe and in other markets.

07:03 EDT Tonix Pharmaceuticals expands research collaboration with Columbia University - Tonix Pharmaceuticals announced it has expanded its research collaboration with Columbia University. The research collaboration is focused on studying immune responses to COVID-19 in healthy volunteers who have recovered from COVID-19 or were asymptomatic, as well as studying in vitro T cell and antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. The research is designed to fill in important gaps in understanding the detailed immune responses to COVID-19, and to provide a foundation for tailoring vaccines and therapeutics to appropriate individuals with precision medicine. "Based on the progress and results of the initial phase of these projects, we are excited to expand our research collaboration with Columbia University on these precision medicine technologies and also to potentially develop new monoclonal antibody therapeutics," stated Seth Lederman, M.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Tonix. "Data from this collaboration may provide a roadmap and tools to potentially guide the selection of appropriate individuals for COVID-19 vaccine trials and to help determine which vaccine is appropriate for each individual based on the condition of their immune system or other physiological features."

07:03 EDT Four Seasons Education authorizes share repurchase of up to $15M - Four Seasons Education approved a share repurchase program to repurchase its own ordinary shares in the form of ADSs with an aggregate value of up to $15.0M during the next twelve-month period. The company plans to fund the repurchase program out of its available working capital, existing cash balance or future cash provided by operating activities.

07:01 EDT LGI Homes expands Terrata Homes brand into Florida - LGI Homes announced Terrata Homes is now selling its newest community in the Jacksonville, Fla. market, Southern Pines. Southern Pines offers homebuyers a variety of new construction homes with spacious layouts and high-end interior finishes, all situated on acreage homesites.

06:58 EDT Johnson Controls enters joint development agreement with Phylagen - Johnson Controls announced it has signed a joint development agreement with Phylagen. Through this agreement, which includes a strategic investment in Phylagen, the companies are developing technology that leverages the science of building microbiomes to advance the future of healthy buildings.

06:51 EDT Tapestry commits to science-based targets for climate change mitigation - Tapestryhas signed the Science Based Targets initiative Business Ambition for 1.5C, committing to setting interim science-based emissions reduction targets in order to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees C and to reach net-zero global emissions by 2050 at the latest. The commitment aligns Tapestry's climate mitigation targets with the most ambitious aim of the Paris Agreement and adheres to SBTi's most rigorous guidelines to reduce the destructive impacts of climate change in the short and long term. Tapestry is committing to procure 100% renewable electricity in its stores, offices, and fulfillment centers by 2025, and establishing the $50M Tapestry Foundation to advance equity and opportunity and to combat the climate crisis.

06:49 EDT Accenture sees FY22 operating cash flow $8.2B-$8.7B - For fiscal 2022, the company expects operating cash flow to be in the range of $8.2B-$8.7B; property and equipment additions to be $700M; and free cash flow to be in the range of $7.5B-$8B. The company expects to return at least $6.3B in cash to shareholders through dividends and share repurchases.

06:47 EDT Accenture raises dividend 10%, approves $3B of additional share repurchases - Accenture plc has declared a quarterly cash dividend of 97c per share, for shareholders of record at the close of business on Oct. 14. This dividend, which is payable on Nov. 15 represents a 10% increase over the company's previous quarterly dividend. The company's Board of Directors has approved $3B in additional share repurchase authority, bringing Accenture's total outstanding authority to approximately $6.3B.

06:35 EDT Beam Therapeutics reports data on LNP development for in vivo liver editing - Beam Therapeutics announced new preclinical data highlighting advancements with the company's approach to developing novel lipid nanoparticle - LNP - formulations for in vivo liver editing. In addition, the company reported initial in vivo data demonstrating its delivery capabilities to tissues outside of the liver. Data from the company's studies in non-human primates showed that these formulations were well tolerated and had good early storage stability in ongoing studies. The findings highlight key improvements in Beam's LNP delivery system for the liver, including: increased editing potency in NHPs, demonstrating up to 60% editing at 1.0 mg/kg; well-tolerated formulations in NHPs treated with up to 1.5 mg/kg LNP, with minimal to mild increases in transient liver enzyme elevations that were resolved by day 15 post-treatment; and stable formulations with potency maintained at -20 and -80 C out to three months. In addition, Beam identified a family of LNPs for delivery of base editors to hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells in mice, leading to 40% expression of mRNA cargo in cells. Beam is evaluating this delivery approach for potential application in hemoglobinopathies and other genetic blood disorders.

06:32 EDT Exterran awarded new contract operations project - Exterran offered a commercial update. The company has been awarded a new Contract Operations project for its Exterran Water Solutions business at a similar value to the project the company announced earlier this year. With this new water project, water will now comprise over 25% of the total company's Contract Operations backlog. This new contract was included in the company's previously communicated multi-year forecast.

06:06 EDT AstraZeneca to develop self-amplifying RNA therapeutics - AstraZeneca "has reached an agreement to collaborate with VaxEquity for the discovery, development and commercialisastion of the proprietary self-amplifying RNA, or saRNA, therapeutics platform developed at Imperial College London. The strategic, long-term research collaboration aims to optimise and validate VaxEquity's saRNA platform and apply it to advance novel therapeutic programmes. AstraZeneca will support VaxEquity with research and development funding and should AstraZeneca advance any of the research programmes into its pipeline, VaxEquity could receive development, approval and sales based milestones totalling up to $195M and royalties in the mid-single digits per programme. AstraZeneca has the option to collaborate with VaxEquity on up to 26 drug targets and will also make an investment in VaxEquity to further the development of the saRNA platform. saRNA is a new platform for the development of medicines and vaccines which uses similar technology to mRNA but with the added ability to self-amplify, thereby expressing proteins for longer, resulting in higher protein levels per dose level. This has the potential to allow saRNAs to be delivered at lower concentrations than conventional mRNA therapeutics, leading to less frequent or lower dosing, lower costs and a much broader range of potential applications. The saRNA platform aims to underpin the next generation of RNA-delivered medicines enabling not only vaccines but also broad range of therapeutic applications." Reference Link

06:05 EDT Solid Biosciences' SGT-001 shows positive efficacy data at 1.5-year trial - Solid Biosciences will report positive 1.5-year functional data and patient-reported outcome measures for Patients 4-6 in the ongoing IGNITE DMD Phase I/II clinical trial of SGT-001 at the World Muscle Society 2021 Virtual Congress. The company previously reported 1-year data for the same measures in March. Analyses of the long-term biopsy data indicate evidence of durable and widespread expression of the microdystrophin protein. NSAA scores at 1.5 years showed minimal change compared with baseline and suggest benefit after treatment when compared to trajectories typically observed in natural history data, who would normally be expected to exhibit a 4.5-point decline in NSAA over 1.5 years. In contrast, Patients 4-6 exhibited a mean decrease of 1.7 points from baseline and a mean difference of +2.8 points compared with natural history data over the same time period. 6MWT distances were maintained 1.5 years post dosing, while natural history analyses suggest that similarly aged patients would normally be expected to exhibit a 63.5-meter decline over the same period. The percent predicted FVC for Patients 4-6 continued to show stability or improvement 1.5 years following SGT-001 administration, while natural history analyses suggest that similarly aged patients would normally be expected to exhibit a decline of 7.5% over the same period. Patient-reported outcome measures showed meaningful sustained improvements at 1.5 years compared with baseline. Data from natural history studies demonstrate a decline in the global, sports and transfer scales over the same period of time. No new drug-related safety findings have been reported in Patients 4-6, who have post-dosing periods of more than 1.5 years to 2.5 years, or any of Patients 1-8, who have post-dosing periods of more than 5 months to 3.5 years.

06:04 EDT Union Acquisition Corp. II shareholders approve combination with Procaps Group - Union Acquisition Corp. II (LATN) announced that its shareholders voted to approve the previously announced business combination with Procaps Group (PROC) and all other proposals presented at LATN's Extraordinary General Meeting held on September 22. Approximately 97% of the votes cast at the Extraordinary General Meeting were in favor of the Business Combination. Procaps Group and LATN have agreed to close the Business Combination prior to September 30, 2021. One business day following the closing of the Business Combination, Holdco's ordinary shares and warrants are expected to trade on the Nasdaq Global Market under the ticker symbols "PROC" and "PROCW" respectively. Institutional investors have committed to an upsized private investment in public equity of $100M in ordinary shares of LATN, which will be converted into ordinary shares of the combined company upon the closing of the business combination. The PIPE will close concurrently with the business combination. The current Procaps management team, led by its Founder, Chairman and CEO, Ruben Minski, will continue to focus on organic growth, with the support of its recently hired President, Dr. Camilo Camacho, and inorganic growth, with the vision and experience of Alejandro Weinstein, Chairman of the M&A Committee.

06:01 EDT KBR awarded digital advisory services contract by OCI Beaumont - KBR announced that it has been awarded a three-year contract to provide KBR INSITE monitoring and advisory services to OCI's integrated ammonia-methanol plant in Beaumont, Texas. "KBR INSITE aims to extend the operating life of the Beaumont plant, while helping drive carbon reduction and energy efficiency in a sustainable way. At KBR, we are fully committed to providing sustainable solutions to our clients globally, and this award from OCI is a testament of the trust that they have placed in us and our team of process experts," said Jay Ibrahim, KBR President, Sustainable Technology Solutions. "Our team will remotely monitor and evaluate the performance of OCI's ammonia-methanol production facility in Beaumont and provide timely recommendations to onsite personnel and support them in operating the plant efficiently, reliably, and safely."

05:33 EDT Elbit Systems announces $54M second production order for U.S. Army - Elbit Systems announce, that its U.S. subsidiary, Elbit Systems of America, was awarded a second production order in the amount of approximately $54M to supply Enhanced Night Vision Goggle - Binocular systems, provide spare parts, logistics support and test equipment for the U.S. Army. The order will be executed in Roanoke, Virginia and will be supplied through February 2023. This order is part of an Other Transaction Authority contract that could reach a maximum amount of approximately $442M.

05:28 EDT Pfizer, BioNTech announce FDA emergency use authorization for Covid booster - Pfizer (PFE) and BioNTech (BNTX) announced that the Food and Drug Administration has authorized for emergency use a booster dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for individuals 65 years of age and older, individuals 18 through 64 years of age at high risk of severe Covid, and individuals 18 through 64 years of age whose frequent institutional or occupational exposure to SARS-CoV-2 puts them at high risk of serious complications of Covid. The booster dose is to be administered at least six months after completion of the primary series, and is the same formulation and dosage strength as the doses in the primary series. "This first FDA authorization of a COVID-19 vaccine booster is a critical milestone in the ongoing fight against this disease," said Albert Bourla, CEO of Pfizer. "Over the last year and a half, we have aimed to stay vigilant as the pandemic has evolved - including evaluating the impact of a booster dose. We believe boosters have an important role to play in addressing the continued threat of this disease, alongside efforts to increase global access and uptake among the unvaccinated. Today's FDA action is an important step in helping the most vulnerable among us remain protected from COVID-19." As a next step, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices will meet to discuss a potential recommendation for the use and rollout of boosters to Americans. Pfizer and BioNTech say they continue to supply the vaccine, including "sufficient volume" for boosters, under their existing supply agreement with the U.S. government, which continues through April 2022. international health organizations around the world.