Stockwinners Market Radar for October 06, 2021 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

20:36 EDT UTime invests RMB 150M to build smart telecom device production base in Nanning - UTime "announced that on October 6, 2021, the People's Government of Jiangnan District in Nanning City and United Time Technology signed an investment agreement on the establishment of the production line of smart telecom devices in accordance with which, UTime SZ agreed to establish manufacturing facilities to produce smart telecom devices in Nanning, China. Located in the National Manufacturing Trade Industrial Park of Nanning City, the Company is expected to invest approximately RMB150 million to build and operate the Nanning Production Base, with 6 Siemens Series D surface mount lines, 8 mobile phone assembly lines and 2 or 3 smart wearables production lines to be installed in the planned new plants covering approximately 20,000 square meters. In addition to mobile phones, the Company plans for a new generation of smart wearables to roll off the production line at the Nanning Production Base."

19:38 EDT Cathie Wood's ARK Investment bought 73K shares of Teladoc on Wednesday

19:36 EDT Cathie Wood's ARK Investment bought 8.3M shares of Ginkgo Bioworks on Wednesday

19:21 EDT Facebook CEO Zuckerberg sold over $45M in stock after option expiry - In regulatory filing, Facebook disclosed that its CEO Mark Zuckerberg sold over $45M in common stock on October 4th and 5th following an option expiry.

18:32 EDT Ribbon extends support for Microsoft's Operator Connect - Ribbon Communications (RBBN) announced that it is extending its support for Microsoft's (MSFT) recently introduced Operator Connect for Microsoft Teams service. Ribbon is adding Professional Services capabilities including Operator Connect API integration, configuration, provisioning, and automation support to complement its market-leading portfolio of Direct Routing certified Session Border Controllers. The newly added Professional Services capabilities combine with Ribbon's Direct Routing certified Operator Connect SBCs to enable service providers to dramatically reduce the time and resources required to bring Operator Connect to market. Operator Connect is an operator-managed service that simplifies interconnection between Teams and the PSTN. Many service providers participating in the initial Operator Connect launch are already Ribbon customers including Pure IP.

18:26 EDT Marvell CEO: It's been a five-year transformation for us - In an interview on CNBC's Mad Money, Matt Murphy said Marvell has made tremendous investments in organic products. "We're one of the most exciting companies right now in the semiconductor industry," he added. Marvell is already seeing benefits of the Inphi acquisition, Murphy noted. "We now address the sweet spot of the semiconductor industry. We're the company behind the scenes that makes things happen," he said. The data center and automotive industries will be growth drivers going forward, according to Murphy.

17:47 EDT PDC Energy's Spinney Oil & Gas Development Plan permit approved by Colorado - PDC Energy announced that the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission - COGCC - approved the company's Spinney Oil & Gas Development Plan permit application. The Spinney, an eight-well pad in rural Weld County, Colorado, marks PDC's first approved permit under the new rules, which were enacted in January 2021. As of September 30, and inclusive of the Spinney OGDP, PDC's estimated combined approved permits and drilled but uncompleted wells, reflect all projected turn-in-line activity through 2023. The company submitted its application for the Kenosha OGDP in late September and is making progress towards the targeted year-end submittal of its Guanella Comprehensive Area Plan. The Kenosha OGDP and Guanella CAP are each located in rural Weld County and represent the Company's planned turn-in-line activity into 2027.

17:04 EDT Comtech: 'We disagree with Outerbridge's assessment of our business' - Comtech confirmed receipt of a letter from Outerbridge Capital Management LLC. The company issued the following statement: "Comtech maintains regular dialogue with investors, and we are focused on executing our strategic plan to create long-term value for shareholders and all stakeholders. While we disagree with Outerbridge's assessment of our business and are disappointed by their latest comments, our Nominating and Governance Committee continues to review their proposed candidates in accordance with its standard procedures. Our Board will present its recommended slate of director nominees in Comtech's definitive proxy statement, which will be published prior to the 2021 Annual Meeting. Our Board has recently taken a number of important steps demonstrating our commitment to ongoing refreshment and sound governance - including appointing Judy Chambers to the Board, announcing the retirement of three longstanding directors following our 2021 Annual Meeting, and developing a plan to declassify the Board. Our recently announced leadership transition represents the culmination of a thoughtful and deliberate succession planning process initiated by the Board with Michael Porcelain's appointment as Chief Operating Officer in 2018 and President in 2020. Earlier this week, Comtech announced fiscal 2021 results. In the face of persisting headwinds related to the pandemic and unprecedented supply chain disruptions, we significantly improved our book-to-bill ratio year-over-year, delivered backlog growth of $38 million year-over-year, and won substantial new multi-year NG-911 and satellite earth station technologies contracts that are expected to generate several hundreds of millions of dollars of incremental revenue. As a testament to our unique market position, we were recognized by Frost & Sullivan for achieving the most significant year-over-year market share gains of any NG-911 primary contract holder and by Northern Sky Research for our leadership in the growing satellite cellular backhaul market."

17:02 EDT IAC, Meredith National Media deal structured as an all-cash stock acquisition - The transaction is structured as an all-cash stock acquisition of the entity that will hold Meredith's (MDP) Digital and Magazine businesses and corporate operations following its spin-off to Meredith shareholders in accordance with the previously announced sale of Meredith's Local Media Group business to Gray Television (GTN), which provides for a payment of $16.99 per share to Meredith shareholders. The IAC (IAC) acquisition of remaining Meredith Corporation provides for a purchase price of $42.18 per share in cash, subject to adjustment in certain scenarios described in the acquisition agreement. The transaction is expected to be funded by IAC with a combination of cash on hand and newly incurred debt and is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals and completion of the spin-off. The transaction has been unanimously approved by the Boards of Directors of both IAC and Meredith Corporation and is not conditioned on an IAC or Meredith Corporation shareholder vote. Dotdash's proven model and content investment strategy have driven expanding Adjusted EBITDA margins year-over-year, which is expected to extend to Meredith's already growing portfolio. On a pro forma basis, the combined company expects Adjusted EBITDA from digital assets to exceed $450M in 2023.

16:47 EDT Faraday Future names DRAXLMAIER Group as interior consoles supplier - Faraday Future "announced DRXLMAIER Group as the lead interior consoles supplier for the flagship FF 91 vehicle. DRAXLMAIER will supply the FF 91 front and rear center consoles. Consistent with FF's user-focused product approach, the consoles will include iPad storage, dual inductive phone charging for front and rear occupants, and lockable storage for rear occupants. Variants of the FF 91 interior with different finishes and material executions will also be offered. The partnership with DRAXLMAIER is an important step in bringing the FF 91 to market. The FF 91 Futurist Alliance Edition and FF 91 Futurist models represent the next generation of intelligent internet electric vehicle (EV) products. They are high-performance EVs, all-ability cars, and ultimate robotic vehicles, allowing users to experience the third internet living space. The models also encompass extreme technology, an ultimate user experience and a complete ecosystem."

16:39 EDT Avnet falls 2.7% to $36.65 per share after announcing loss of Maxim business

16:38 EDT Avnet loses Maxim Integrated relationship after acquisition - Avnet (AVT) states: "Maxim Integrated (MXIM) has notified Avnet that, due to its acquisition by Analog Devices (ADI), Maxim intends to end its distribution relationship with the company's electronic components business. Maxim products accounted for approximately 3% of the company's sales during FY21. The company will continue to pursue opportunities to support its customers and further strengthen and grow its supplier partnerships. Maxim's distribution agreement with Premier Farnell remains in place."

16:35 EDT MoneyGram enters into partnership with Stellar Development Foundation - MoneyGram "announced a partnership with the Stellar Development Foundation, a non-profit organization that supports the development and growth of Stellar, an open-source public blockchain that allows money to be tokenized and transferred anywhere in the world. MoneyGram's network, integrated with the Stellar blockchain and facilitated through Circle's USD Coin, will enable cash funding and payout in local currency for consumers using USDC, as well as near-instant backend settlement capabilities. For consumers, the partnership will provide the ability to seamlessly convert USDC to cash, or cash to USDC. This increases the utility and liquidity of digital assets while also enabling more consumers to participate in the digital economy. The impact of this partnership is expected to grow as more wallets and companies join the Stellar network. This partnership also revolutionizes the settlement process. For the first time, settlement with MoneyGram will occur in near-real-time using Circle's USDC, the world's fastest growing dollar digital currency. This enables an accelerated collection of funds, improving efficiency and reducing risk."

16:31 EDT PS Business Parks sells Lusk Business Park for $315.4M - PS Business Parks has entered into a purchase and sale agreement by and between the company and an affiliate of Longfellow Real Estate Partners. The agreement provides that, upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth therein, Longfellow will acquire the company's Lusk Business Park, located in the Sorrento Mesa submarket of San Diego, California, for a gross purchase price of $315.4M. As of October 6, the due diligence period expired without exception and the required purchase deposit became non-refundable. The company expects the net proceeds from the Lusk Sale, after payment of transaction costs, will be approximately $311M. The company noted that the net sale price of $311M equates to a cap rate of roughly 1.6% based on FY21 forecasted net operating income of $5.1M. The company went on to note that it anticipates approximately $50.5M of the net sale proceeds will qualify as a Section 1031 exchange for its recently acquired Port America Industrial Park in Dallas, Texas. If the company is unable to find a suitable Section 1031 exchange opportunity for the remainder of the net sale proceeds from the Lusk Sale by year end, it expects to declare and pay, by year end, a one-time special dividend sourced by a portion of the disposition proceeds. Based on its preliminary estimate of 2021 REIT taxable income, the company currently expects the special dividend would be between $166M-$183.5M, or $4.75-$5.25 per common share and unit. The remainder of the net sale proceeds would be available to the company for use for the redemption of its Series W preferred shares which yield a preferred coupon rate of 5.2% which the company recently announced it will redeem in full on November 3.

16:28 EDT LiqTech's Middle East joint venture receives first oil and gas order for $4M - LiqTech has received its first oil and gas order through its joint venture in the Middle East. This initial order is valued at approximately $4.0M in sales to the joint venture, which is 49% owned by LiqTech and is focused on deploying the company's proprietary silicon carbide ceramic filtration technology to oil and gas producers in the Middle East to mitigate local water scarcity. The order was received from one of the major oil field services companies in the world. The customer will be deploying LiqTech's water filtration systems for a fixed monthly rental fee paid to the joint venture. LiqTech will recognize a portion of the profits from the joint venture over the rental term, as well as revenue and profit from the upfront system sales to the joint venture.

16:26 EDT Horizon Technology provides Q3 portfolio update - Horizon Technology provided its portfolio update for Q3 and an update on the lending platform of Horizon Technology Finance Management, its investment adviser. The company reported a record $99M of originations for HRZN. The Horizon Platform originated a record $141M of new loans. At quarter end, the Horizon Platform committed backlog was $123M, and HRZN commitments were $101M. HRZN received $50M in loan prepayments during the quarter.

16:20 EDT Redwood Trust investing in rental ownership platform Flock - Redwood Trust is investing in Flock Homes, a real estate technology startup that optimizes the rental ownership experience for individuals through an integrated platform that converts owners into passive investors. The investment was completed through Redwood's RWT Horizons venture arm, which targets early and mid-stage companies transforming sectors like financial and real-estate technology. Through the deployment of Flock's technology-enabled platform, individual rental property owners can exchange property for shares in a portfolio of homes without incurring taxable events. Flock clams to be the first company offering this solution to owners of individual rental properties.

16:18 EDT TopBuild acquires California Building Products, no terms - TopBuild has acquired California Building Products , a residential and light commercial insulation company serving Bakersfield, Modesto and Fresno, California. CBP generated approximately $18M in revenue for the trailing twelve months ended June 30. Robert Buck, President and CEO of TopBuild, noted, "California Building Products is a great addition to TopBuild, enhancing our residential presence in northern California. The leadership team of the company will remain in place, continuing to focus on growing this business, expanding the already solid customer base, and strengthening our operations in the region." Year-to-date, TopBuild has completed seven acquisitions which are expected to generate almost $250M of annual revenue.

16:16 EDT Twitter to sell MoPub to AppLovin for $1.05B in cash

16:13 EDT Levi Strauss says currently 4% of stores around globe are closed - The company states: "The company continued to experience temporary door closures during the third quarter due to the resurgence of COVID-19 cases and resultant lockdowns in affected geographies. Approximately 10% of company-operated doors were closed globally during the quarter, primarily in Asia, where traffic remained at very low levels and approximately 20% of company-operated and a large portion of third-party retail locations were closed. Currently, approximately 4% of company-operated stores around the globe are closed. "

16:12 EDT IES Holdings invests in Automation Intellect, terms undisclosed - IES Holdings announced that it has invested in Automation Intellect, a Charlotte, North Carolina-based Software as a Service, or SaaS, company that provides machine performance analytics to manufacturing companies. Automation Intellect's Industrial Internet of Things platform provides insights to plant managers. Automation Intellect will work closely with IES's Communication segment, which will be the preferred installation vendor for future projects. Automation Intellect is led by CEO Brad DeMarco and CTO Kurt Lueck.

16:11 EDT AeroVironment awarded $11.7M third FCS contract option from U.S. Army - AeroVironment announced the United States Army exercised the third and final option under the Flight Control Systems domain of the Army's multi-year small unmanned aircraft systems contract on Sept. 9, 2021. The value of the contract option is $11,731,740 and includes flight control system kits, ground control stations and tail booms for the Army's existing fleet of Raven tactical UAS. Delivery is scheduled to be completed by September 2022. The contract option was exercised under the Army's FCS domain awarded to AeroVironment in June 2019 and announced in November 2019 - the first of six domains comprising the Army's existing five-year Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity SUAS contract - bringing the total final value of contract to $54,632,776.

16:09 EDT SeaSpine announces first cases of 7D surgical percutaneous Spine Module - SeaSpine Holdings announced the successful completion of the first cases in both the United States and Australia for the 7D Percutaneous Spine Module. The release of the Percutaneous Module represents a new application and increased functionality for its 7D Flash Navigation System that allows SeaSpine to address the minimally invasive spine surgery market, which SeaSpine estimates at approximately $4 billion worldwide. "The addition of the 7D Percutaneous Module now allows me to effectively navigate MIS procedures with a high level of accuracy and efficiency on 7D's intuitive user interface, whilst significantly reducing intraoperative radiation exposure to the surgical team when compared to standard fluoroscopy targeting," said Dr. Michael Selby, orthopedic surgeon at Adelaide Brain & Spine in Melbourne, Australia, who was the first surgeon in the world to use the Percutaneous Module in a clinical setting. "As a spine surgeon who treats an extensive range of complex degenerative and deformity pathologies, the addition of the Perc Module to the 7D FLASH Navigation System enables me to truly optimize my spine navigation workflow, specific to the approach that is most suitable for the procedure that I am performing."

16:05 EDT National Instruments names Thomas Benjamin CTO - National Instruments announced the appointment of Thomas Benjamin as Executive Vice President, Chief Technology Officer and Head of Product Analytics. Thomas will lead NI's development of software-driven business models essential to the test and measurement market, while driving disruptive technology innovation. The CTO role will be pivotal in driving new and long-term growth opportunities for the company, including new areas tied to data, product analytics, and enterprise software. Additionally, the company announced the promotion of Scott Rust, an experienced NI leader, to the role of Executive Vice President, Platform & Products. In this role, he will lead NI's global development teams responsible for building the products required to meet customer needs and the platform capabilities to create differentiation and leverage across NI's business.

16:03 EDT AT&T, Frontier Communications strike network deal - AT&T (T) will work with Frontier Communications (FYBR) to bring fiber-optic connectivity to large enterprise customers outside AT&T's current footprint. The two companies signed multi-year strategic agreements that will also support deployment of AT&T's 5G mobility network

15:19 EDT Box announces new Box Shield features to reduce ransomware risk - Box announced new capabilities for Box Shield, the company's "flagship security control and intelligent threat detection solution," to help customers reduce the risk of ransomware by scanning files in near real-time as they are uploaded to Box. The new capabilities, which will be demonstrated at BoxWorks 2021, leverage deep learning technology and external threat intelligence to analyze files and stop sophisticated malware before it causes business disruption. "The number of ransomware attacks surged by 288% in the first half of 2021 and this will only increase as more businesses go digital," said Diego Dugatkin, Chief Product Officer at Box. "By leveraging the latest deep learning technology, we are adding an extra layer of threat detection to Box Shield, making it even easier for IT and security teams to identify malware in near real-time without slowing down work."

15:10 EDT Box announces announces new Box Shield features to reduce ransomware risk - Box announced new capabilities for Box Shield, the company's flagship security control and intelligent threat detection solution, to help customers reduce the risk of ransomware by scanning files in near real-time as they are uploaded to Box. The new capabilities, which will be demonstrated later today at BoxWorks 2021, leverage deep learning technology and external threat intelligence to analyze files and stop sophisticated malware before it causes business disruption. "The number of ransomware attacks surged by 288 percent in the first half of 2021 and this will only increase as more businesses go digital," said Diego Dugatkin, Chief Product Officer at Box. "Our approach to security is to provide customers with one secure platform to manage and secure their content, and Box Shield brings together user-friendly security controls and intelligent threat detection natively into the Box Content Cloud. By leveraging the latest deep learning technology, we are adding an extra layer of threat detection to Box Shield, making it even easier for IT and security teams to identify malware in near real-time without slowing down work."

14:41 EDT Zynga opens pre-gistration for FarmVille 3 - In an earlier blog posting, Zynga said :"Pre-registration for FarmVille 3 is now open! FarmVille 3 will feature over 150 breeds of animals ranging from chickens and cows to exotic new pets such as friendly tigers and fluffy alpacas. Players can adopt, nurture and raise baby animals including lovable chicks, lambs, piglets and many more adorable creatures. Players can pre-register now to stay up to date with the latest news on FarmVille 3 and be among the first to be alerted when the game launches on November 4 . In the first two weeks after the full worldwide launch, players who download the game will receive a special starter kit that contains interactive welcome features, such as decorative elements and the 'Early Bird profile picture', designed to help players personalize their in-game country homestead. Players can pre-register to receive more information by visiting www.FarmVille3.com." Reference Link

14:28 EDT NBCUniversal names Kelly Campbell as President of Peacock - Comcast's NBCUniversal announced Kelly Campbell as President of Peacock, joining the leadership team under Matt Strauss, Chairman, Direct-to-Consumer and International, NBCUniversal, to whom she will report. In this role, Campbell will be responsible for Peacock's streaming business and work closely with leadership across NBCUniversal television, film, news, and sports on Peacock live and original programming, the company stated. Previously, Campbell served as President of Hulu, where she led the streamer's live and on-demand businesses. Campbell will join the Peacock leadership team starting in November and will be based in the Los Angeles area. Reference Link

14:10 EDT Marvell sees long-term operating margin percentage of 38%-40% - Earlier, Marvell announced that it raised its long-term sales growth target to 15%-20% from a prior view of 10%-15%. Marvell continues discussing its long-term targets and capital allocation priorities during its investor day webcast.

13:47 EDT GM, GE in renewable energy MoU for rare earth supply supporting EVs and energy - General Motors (GM) and GE Renewable Energy (GE) announced they have signed a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, to evaluate opportunities to improve supplies of heavy and light rare earth materials and magnets, copper and electrical steel used for manufacturing of electric vehicles and renewable energy equipment. The initial focus of the collaboration will be on creating a North America- and Europe-based supply chain of vertically integrated magnet manufacturing that both companies, their respective suppliers, and other co-sourcing partners will use in the future. Metal alloys and finished magnets produced from rare earth materials are critical components used in manufacturing electric motors for automotive and renewable power generation. The companies will also work together to help establish new supply chains for additional materials, such as copper and eSteel, that are used in automotive traction motors and renewable power generation. "A secure, sustainable and resilient local supply chain for electric vehicle materials is critical to the execution of GM's vision of an all-electric future," said Shilpan Amin, GM vice president for Global Purchasing and Supply Chain. "Motors are one of the most important components of our Ultium Platform, and the heavy and light rare earth materials are an essential ingredient in our motor magnets. The combined scale of GM and GE will enable us to unlock the potential for securing low-carbon footprint, ESG-friendly, secure and cost competitive materials." Reference Link

13:36 EDT North American rail traffic dropped 2% in week ended October 2 - The Association of American Railroads, AAR, reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending October 2, as well as volumes for September..Combined U.S. carload and intermodal originations in September were 2,496,209, down 1.9%, or 47,459 carloads and intermodal units from September 2020. "Rail intermodal volume is clearly not what it has been and could be," said AAR Senior Vice President John T. Gray. "Keeping intermodal terminals functioning smoothly and at full capacity depends on consistent freight outflows to make room for new freight inflows. Unfortunately, due to limited availability of downstream truck and warehouse capacity, that's not happening right now with predictable impacts on rail intermodal volume. There is no single solution to this problem but railroads are bringing intermodal yard capacity back online to increase storage availability as well as working with customers and truckers to accelerate container pickup among other efforts. At the same time, railroads continue to see improvements in carload business with a variety of industrial goods, including steel, paper, crushed stone and chemicals showing continued progress in September." Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 39 weeks of 2021 was 19,821,747 carloads and intermodal units, an increase of 9% compared to last year. Total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 515,849 carloads and intermodal units, down 0.5% compared with the same week last year. Total carloads for the week ending October 2 were 241,910 carloads, up 4.2% compared with the same week in 2020, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 273,939 containers and trailers, down 4.4% compared to 2020. North American rail volume for the week ending October 2, on 12 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 340,442 carloads, up 2.9% compared with the same week last year, and 356,688 intermodal units, down 6.3% compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 697,130 carloads and intermodal units, down 2%. North American rail volume for the first 39 weeks of 2021 was 27,026,291 carloads and intermodal units, up 7.9% compared with 2020. Publicly traded companies in the space include CSX (CSX), Canadian National (CNI), Canadian Pacific (CP), Kansas City Southern (KSU), Norfolk Southern (NSC) , Union Pacific (UNP), Trinity Industries (TRN), Greenbrier (GBX), and FreightCar America (RAIL). Reference Link

13:21 EDT Marvell raises long-term sales growth target to 15%-20% from 10%-15% - Earlier, during its still-ongoing investor day meeting, Marvell raised its long-term sales growth target to 15%-20% from a prior view of 10%-15%.

12:52 EDT Macy's jumps 2% to $22.67 after Jana Partners call for spin off

12:31 EDT Takeda stops both Phase 2 studies of TAK-994 for 'safety signal' - Takeda Pharmaceutical announced last night that a "safety signal" has emerged in Phase 2 studies of TAK-994, an investigational oral orexin agonist. "As "an immediate precautionary measure," the company has suspended dosing of patients and has decided to stop both Phase 2 studies early. This allows for the timely interpretation of the benefit /risk profile of TAK-994 and to determine next steps for the program," it said in a statement. Takeda added that it is "committed to advancing its multi-asset orexin franchise including the oral orexin agonist TAK-861, which is currently in Phase 1 development." Shares of Takeda are down 9% to $14.62 in midday trading.

12:03 EDT WHO recommends GlaxoSmithKline's malaria vaccine for children at risk - The World Health Organization is recommending widespread use of the RTS,S/AS01 malaria vaccine among children in sub-Saharan Africa and in other regions with moderate to high P. falciparum malaria transmission. The recommendation is based on results from an ongoing pilot program in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi that has reached more than 800 000 children since 2019. WHO recommends that in the context of comprehensive malaria control the RTS,S/AS01 malaria vaccine be used for the prevention of P. falciparum malaria in children living in regions with moderate to high transmission as defined by WHO. RTS,S/AS01 malaria vaccine should be provided in a schedule of 4 doses in children from 5 months of age for the reduction of malaria disease and burden. Next steps for the WHO-recommended malaria vaccine will include funding decisions from the global health community for broader rollout, and country decision-making on whether to adopt the vaccine as part of national malaria control strategies. Financing for the pilot programme has been mobilized through an unprecedented collaboration among three key global health funding bodies: Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance; the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria; and Unitaid. The WHO notes that "RTS,S malaria vaccine is the result of 30 years of research and development by GSK and through a partnership with PATH, with support from a network of African research centers." Reference Link

12:02 EDT General Motors announces Ultra Cruise advanced driver-assistance technology - General Motors unveiled Ultra Cruise. The company said the advanced driver-assistance technology is a "significant next step in the company's journey to enable its goal of zero crashes, zero emissions and zero congestion. Designed to ultimately enable hands-free driving in 95 percent of all driving scenarios, Ultra Cruise eventually can be used on every paved road in the U.S. and Canada." Ultra Cruise will cover more than 2M miles of roads at launch in the United States and Canada, with the capacity to grow up to more than 3.4M miles. "Customers will be able to travel truly hands free with Ultra Cruise across nearly every road including city streets, subdivision streets and paved rural roads, in addition to highways," GM said.

12:00 EDT Hovnanian falls -14.6% - Hovnanian is down -14.6%, or -$14.03 to $81.95.

12:00 EDT Asana rises 5.8% - Asana is up 5.8%, or $5.96 to $109.12.

12:00 EDT Acuity Brands rises 11.1% - Acuity Brands is up 11.1%, or $19.62 to $195.95.

11:34 EDT Marvell up 2% as investor day continues - Marvell shares are up $1.37, or 2%, to $60.76 as the company hosts its investor day meeting, which began at 11 am ET.

11:18 EDT Nasdaq to cancel Nuvei trades at and above $126.84 from 9:45 to 9:46 am ET - Nasdaq stated in a regulatory notice to traders: "Pursuant to Rule 11890(b) Nasdaq, on its own motion, in conjunction with Cboe Equity Exchanges and FINRA has determined to cancel all trades in security Nuvei Corporation (NVEI) at and above $126.84 that were executed on Nasdaq between 09:45:00 and 09:46:00 ET. This decision cannot be appealed. Nasdaq will be canceling trades on the participants behalf." Reference Link

11:01 EDT Janssen says research suggests protential to prevent, treat all dengue serotypes - The Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson announced, in collaboration with the KU Leuven Rega Institute and the KU Leuven Centre for Drug Design and Discovery, the publication of new preclinical data in the journal Nature showing that an early-stage compound with a novel mechanism of action could potentially treat all serotypes of dengue fever and provide a period of protection against acquiring the dengue virus. Janssen is now moving its dengue program into clinical development, the company said in a statement. Data from the early-stage study suggest that an antiviral compound prevents the interaction between two viral proteins that play an important role in the replication process of a virus, thereby stopping the ability of the virus to reproduce, it said, adding that this represents an entirely novel mechanism of antiviral action. Janssen further stated that the compound showed efficacy against dengue infection in a prophylactic setting, and rapid and significant reduction in viral load at peak viremia in a therapeutic model. "This scientific breakthrough shows tremendous potential to treat and prevent all four dengue serotypes and help transform the world's fight against this significant and growing public health threat," said Paul Stoffels, M.D., Vice Chairman of the Executive Committee and Chief Scientific Officer, Johnson & Johnson. "We are hopeful that this early-stage science can ultimately translate into a meaningful difference for at risk communities. We look forward to working with our collaborators to accelerate clinical development."

10:56 EDT Kodak announces launch of new digital press, other new products - Kodak announced what it calls "a revolutionary new digital press, the KODAK ASCEND Digital Press, which will be available Q2 2022 in North America and Europe. In addition, the company announced what it calls "innovative additions to its comprehensive portfolio of digital and offset solutions designed to help printers boost their profitability and capitalize on new opportunities for growth." Reference Link

10:30 EDT Jeff Smith says endorsing Colfax management, wants accountability - Jeff Smith of Starboard Value is speaking on CNBC.

10:26 EDT Starboard had 'very good' conversations with Huntsman, Smith says - Jeff Smith of Starboard Value is speaking on CNBC.

10:24 EDT Jeff Smith wants Elanco to make progress on EBITDA margin growth - Jeff Smith of Starboard Value is speaking on CNBC.

10:23 EDT Jeff Smith wants to 'demand accountability' at Elanco - Jeff Smith of Starboard Value is speaking on CNBC.

10:22 EDT Starboard has had conversations with Elanco, Jeff Smith says - Jeff Smith of Starboard Value is speaking on CNBC.

10:00 EDT Hess Midstream Partners falls -9.9% - Hess Midstream Partners is down -9.9%, or -$2.88 to $26.16.

10:00 EDT Ginkgo Bioworks falls -12.9% - Ginkgo Bioworks is down -12.9%, or -$1.54 to $10.44.

10:00 EDT Palantir rises 6.1% - Palantir is up 6.1%, or $1.41 to $24.62.

09:50 EDT Starboard: Colfax can create value through improved execution post-spin - Starboard believes a substantial value creation opportunity exists at Colfax.

09:48 EDT Starboard thinks Elanco could be worth $91 a share - In slides being presented at the 2021 Active-Passive Investor Summit, Starboard Value says it thinks Elanco (ELAN) could be worth $91 a share and has a similar opportunity to Zoetis (ZTS). Starboard believes shareholders have been "bewildered" by the lack of adjusted EBITDA margin improvement despite purported significant productivity improvements. Starboard believes a substantial value creation opportunity exists at Elanco.

09:47 EDT Hess Midstream Partners falls -9.4% - Hess Midstream Partners is down -9.4%, or -$2.74 to $26.30.

09:47 EDT Manchester United falls -12.6% - Manchester United is down -12.6%, or -$2.47 to $17.15.

09:47 EDT Palantir rises 6.9% - Palantir is up 6.9%, or $1.60 to $24.81.

09:45 EDT Target partners with Sezzle and Affirm for buy now, pay later options - Target (TGT) announced: "With the help of two new partners - Sezzle and Affirm (AFRM) - we've added new payment solutions that let you buy what you need now, take advantage of our best deals, and pay at a pace that works well for you...Depending on what you want to buy and how long you'd like to spread your payments out, Sezzle and Affirm offer a range of convenient options, timelines and services based on guest eligibility...For purchases over $100 - from big-ticket gift items like electronics to that new furniture set you've been eyeing - Affirm provides a convenient way to pay at your own pace with monthly payments. Apply with Affirm to get started. Then, shop online at Target.com, choose Affirm as the payment method at checkout and pick the monthly payment schedule that works for you. You'll never pay more than you agreed at checkout as Affirm doesn't charge any late or hidden fees." Reference Link

09:36 EDT Crypto names higher in early trading as bitcoin extends rally to $55,000 - The price of bitcoin is extending its gains with an rally above the $55,000 mark - the highest level since May. Stocks levered to bitcoin prices are also rising in early trading, with Bit Digital (BTBT) up another 15%, Riot Blockchain (RIOT) up 5%, Marathon Digital (MARA) up over 4%, and Coinbase Global (COIN) up nearly 3%.

09:17 EDT Cue Health announces new collaboration with Google Cloud - Cue Health (HLTH) introduced its new collaboration with Google Cloud (GOOG, GOOGL) to address the nation's critical need for real-time respiratory viral variant sequencing and tracking. The new capabilities will be built into the Cue Integrated Care Platform, which features the Cue Health Monitoring System and first-of-its-kind molecular COVID-19 test -- authorized by the FDA for at-home, over-the-counter use, with accurate results delivered to mobile devices in approximately 20 minutes. Cue Health aims to harness the power of Google Cloud's leading-edge artificial intelligence, machine learning, analytics, and privacy and security tools to enhance and scale Cue Health's platform to the benefit of all stakeholders in the ongoing fight against this and future pandemics.

09:15 EDT Enstar Group completes ADC agreement with RSA - Enstar Group announced that one of its wholly owned subsidiaries has closed a previously announced agreement with Royal & Sun Alliance Insurance, to provide adverse development cover for certain UK, Irish, and other business of RSA and its subsidiaries.The ADC provides GBP400 million of aggregate coverage in excess of a GBP2.595 billion retention on losses occurring on or prior to December 31, 2020 within a diversified portfolio of commercial and personal insurance lines risks. Enstar and RSA co-participate on the cover, with Enstar providing 50% and RSA retaining the remaining 50%. Completion of the transaction followed receipt of regulatory approval and satisfaction of various closing conditions.

09:10 EDT Paychex acquires benefits administration software company Flock - Paychex has acquired Flock, a benefits enrollment and administration, onboarding, and human resources information system provider, based in San Francisco. Paychex provides HR services to more than 1.7 million worksite employees. Flock launched over six years ago. There will be no disruption to Flock's service operations or customer relationships as a result of the acquisition. All Flock employees will join Paychex. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

09:09 EDT WSFS Financial appoints Michelle Burroughs as VP, director of DE&I - WSFS Bank announced Dr. Michelle Burroughs as its new VP, Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, reporting to Michael Conklin, EVP and CHRO. Dr. Burroughs will support WSFS in creating and delivering a work environment designed to foster a culture of inclusion and ensure the long-term sustainability of the Company's DE&I efforts. . She most recently served as Community Engagement Director at Nemours Children's Hospital, where she was a core leader on the D.R.I.V.E. taskforce, provided strategic management of community engagement activities, and promoted equity in healthcare to reduce disparities in underserved or marginalized communities.

09:07 EDT Office Depot announces launch of '20 Minute Pickup Promise' nationwide - Office Depot, a wholly owned subsidiary of ODP Corporation, announced the launch of its "20 Minute Pickup Promise," an in-store and curbside pickup service and guarantee available now at Office Depot and OfficeMax stores nationwide.

09:06 EDT ServiceSource signs global contract with Dropbox - ServiceSource International (SREV), announced that it has signed a new contract with Dropbox (DBX). Through this agreement, ServiceSource adds to its growing roster of brand name clients in the hyper-competitive cloud solutions space, further establishing its digital inside sales services as a strategic advantage in fast-growing markets. By partnering with ServiceSource worldwide, Dropbox will fortify its virtual inside sales efforts with customer identification, acquisition, and outreach strategies, tapping into the growing appetite to buy services virtually, rather than through traditional in-person sales methods. According to a recent global Bain & Company survey, 92 percent of B2B buyers prefer virtual sales interactions, up 17 percentage points from its survey in May 2020.

09:05 EDT Del Taco expands southeast footprint with first North Carolina deal - Del Taco Restaurants has signed a deal with successful North Carolina-based franchise group, Ram Restaurants to open five units within the Raleigh and Durham areas. The deal, expected to bring Del Taco restaurants to North Carolina for the first time, comes weeks after Del Taco announced a development agreement for Southern Virginia. "On the heels of a great run of multi-year same store sales growth and a stated desire to penetrate the Southeastern US, we are seeing incredible demand for Del Taco across the region and have been working diligently to solidify partnerships with likeminded franchisees to bring forth our vision for growth in these markets," said Jeff Little, SVP of Development. "The Ram team has demonstrated a strong dedication to providing top notch customer service and the quality of fresh, delicious food we want to serve, which aligns perfectly with our beliefs at Del Taco. We are very happy to partner with the team to bring Del Taco to the residents of North Carolina."

09:04 EDT Omnicom Media Group acquires Jump 450 Media, terms not disclosed - Omnicom Media Group, a subsidiary of Omnicom Group, announced it has acquired Jump 450 Media, a performance marketing agency focused on customer acquisition for brands across the digital ecosystem. The company will continue to be led by its current management team.

09:03 EDT Taboola selected as exclusive content recommendations provider by LINE - Taboola announced LINE Today Hong Kong has selected Taboola to power recommendations across LINE, the global mobile platform. LINE messaging app reaches more than 188M global monthly active users and provides a wide range of varieties of services to its users. LINE Today serves as a news and content hub within the LINE app, which connects users with leading destinations for mobile news and content consumption in several countries and Taboola's recommendation will live on LINE Today Hong Kong. LINE will power recommendations by using several Taboola tools, including Taboola Feed across the LINE Today Hong Kong home page and all of its articles. "LINE has built an incredible mobile-first brand that places communication, content, and entertainment at the forefront," said Adam Singolda, CEO and founder, Taboola. "Their massive reach particularly in the APAC region, coupled with our ability to recommend content ensures that people will receive quality news on their devices. We're excited to bring discovery and recommendations to one of the world's most popular messaging apps, and unlock new ways for LINE to monetize."

09:02 EDT Nucor to acquire coil processing facility in Shelbyville, Indiana - Nucor announced that it is expanding its Nucor Fastener division with the acquisition of an existing state-of-the-art coil processing facility in Shelbyville, Indiana. This facility includes an automated clean and coat line, 2 STC furnaces and wire drawing capabilities. In addition to coil processing, the company will also be expanding its fastener manufacturing capabilities by installing bolt making equipment at the Shelbyville facility. This new operation will employ approximately 33 team members at the outset with the potential to double those jobs as it reaches full capacity.

09:01 EDT Momentive annnounces new integrations for GetFeedback - Momentive announced several new integrations between GetFeedback and the Salesforce platform and Slack. The company said, "GetFeedback is an agile customer experience solution that can be easily deployed in days, not months, without depending on a heavy investment in technical resources or third-party experts. It is purpose-built for the Salesforce ecosystem and is a top-rated customer feedback solution on Salesforce AppExchange. The enhanced Slack integration, Salesforce integration, and new GetFeedback app enable users to embed the voice of the customer across more areas of the business, driving awareness of CX feedback and accountability for CX results across teams. These new capabilities can help CX teams turn insight into action faster, reduce siloed data, scale their efforts, and demonstrate the impact of CX initiatives to key stakeholders."

08:56 EDT Alkaline Water to launch in 587 Sam's clubs nationwide - The Alkaline Water Company (WTER) is pleased to announce that the Alkaline88 1-liter 12 pack will be available this fall at Sam's Club (WMT). Sam's Club is a leading membership warehouse club with nearly 600 clubs and millions of members in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. Beginning in early November, Alkaline88will be available in 587 Sam's Clubs locations across the country. "Alkaline88's single-serve 1-Liter in Sam's Club is the Company's first entry into the all-important club channel," said the company.

08:47 EDT Neogen 's AquaPrime NeoKlor, AquaPrime Activator listed for use in Canada - Neogen's AquaPrime NeoKlor and BioSentry AquaPrime Activator have been reviewed by the Organic Materials Review Institute - OMRI -, and the institute has determined that Neogen's complete chlorine dioxide water treatment system is in compliance with the Canadian Organic Regime regulations, with usage restrictions. With the OMRI's new listing of AquaPrime NeoKlor and AquaPrime Activator, Neogen can offer a complete chlorine dioxide treatment option to organic livestock producers in Canada.

08:45 EDT Resonant expands strategic partnership with Murata Manufacturing - Resonant (RESN) has expanded its multi-year commercial partnership with Murata Manufacturing (MRAAY) for the development of 5G XBAR RF filters. The expanded agreement targets RF filter designs utilizing Resonant's proprietary XBAR technology across additional bands. "Extending our agreement with Murata is a tremendous validation of our partnership and XBAR technology as we continue working together to build a high-volume manufacturing platform," said George B. Holmes, Chairman and CEO of Resonant. "Murata continues to be an excellent strategic partner to leverage our XBAR technology, specifically developed to meet the exacting demands of the wide bandwidth, high frequency RF market required by next generation wireless networks. This agreement brings us one step closer towards XBAR technology reaching the market with dominant scale and solving many of the challenges next-generation networks face today."

08:43 EDT Lexington Realty sends letter to shareholders on portfolio transformation - Lexington Realty Trust issued a letter to its shareholders. The letter details the company's portfolio transformation and reiterates the Board of Trustees and management team's commitment to enhancing value for all its shareholders. CEO T. Eglin and Lead Independent Trustee Richard Frary wrote the following to shareholders: "LXP's portfolio transformation has been part of a comprehensive, multi-year plan to re-position the Company, including its portfolio, capital structure, and governance... As a result of undertaking a transition to industrial, there have been short-term costs, in particular to our earnings and Funds from Operations growth, which have been impacted by the sale of non-core assets at higher capitalization rates and the redeployment of proceeds into higher-quality, higher-growth industrial properties. Recent performance has proven that LXP's leadership made the right call to deliver long-term growth and superior returns for shareholders, despite short-term dilution... Since December 31, 2015, shortly after the Board began its refresh, through June 30, 2021, LXP has: Transitioned its portfolio from ~30% industrial assets to ~94%... Significantly improved portfolio quality... De-levered the balance sheet from 6.7x to 4.9xv, maintaining investment grade ratings, significant liquidity, and access to capital for growth... With ongoing input from our shareholders, we have also established the groundwork for future growth. We are currently executing on a number of important, value-enhancing initiatives including: Completing the transformation. By year-end 2022, we expect to complete the full transition of LXP's portfolio to 100% industrial assets... Pursuing prudent external growth... Enhancing portfolio returns... Continuing disciplined capital allocation... Enhancing corporate governance... In short, we are confident that LXP's transformation will continue to deliver superior value creation. Our strategy has driven sustained outperformance, as evidenced by LXP's improved portfolio quality, AFFO multiple expansion, and TSR performance. We are very excited about the Company's path forward and will, as always, continue to evaluate all opportunities to maximize shareholder value."

08:41 EDT Acasti Pharma awarded composition-of-matter patents for GTX-101, GTX-102 - Acasti Pharma announces that the European Patent Office, Chinese Patent Office and the Mexican Patent Office have issued composition of matter patents for GTX-101, a novel bio-adhesive film forming topical spray formulation of bupivacaine for the treatment of Postherpetic Neuralgia. PHN is a persistent and often debilitating neuropathic pain caused by nerve damage from the varicella zoster virus, which may persist for months and even years. GTX-101 could provide significant benefits over the current standard of care including greater convenience, faster onset of action and longer duration of pain relief. The granted patents are valid until 2036. In addition, the Japanese Patent Office has granted a composition of matter patent for GTX-102, a novel, easy-to-use oral mucosal spray formulation of betamethasone, intended to improve neurological symptoms of Ataxia-telangiectasia. A-T is a progressive, neurodegenerative genetic disease that primarily affects children causing severe physical disability, for which no treatment currently exists. The granted patent is valid until 2037.

08:40 EDT LM Funding announces purchase of additional 4,000 Antminers - LM Funding America announced that it has further expanded the scope of its cryptocurrency mining operations with the purchase of an additional 4,000 S19J Pro Antminer Machines from Bitmain for a total purchase price of $25.3 million. Previously, the Company announced the purchase of 1,000 Bitmain Miner Machines for a total purchase price of $6.3 million. LMFA announced that it has placed another order for 4,000 Bitmain Miner Machines for a total purchase price of $25.3 million. The Bitmain S19J Pro Antminer Machines are a high efficiency, high hash rate machine mining SHA-256 algorithm produced by Bitmain that generates a maximum hash rate of 100 TH/s and has a power consumption of 3,000 KW/h. LMFA has paid deposits for the purchase of the Bitmain Miner Machines and will require additional financing for the balance of the purchase price when due prior to delivery. LMFA anticipates that once all 5,000 machines are delivered and on-site, LMFA will have a total of approximately 504 petahash of capacity capable of generating approximately 100 Bitcoin per month based on difficulty rates.1 The Company expects all 5,000 newly purchased miners will be operational by the third quarter of 2022. LMFA also announced that it has contracted with Miami based Bit5ive subsidiary Uptime Armory LLC to manufacture 18 Pod5ive specialty containers and with Uptime Hosting LLC to house LMFA's mining machines.

08:39 EDT Saratoga Investment closes $50M senior secured revolving credit facility - Saratoga Investment announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Saratoga Investment Funding II, an entity formed for purposes of entering into this financing arrangement, closed a new $50M senior secured credit facility with Encina Lender Finance. The Facility will be supported by loans held by SIF II and pledged to Encina under the terms of the credit agreement. The Facility closed on October 4, 2021. SIF II may request an increase in the commitment amount to up to $75M during the first two years. The terms of the Facility require a minimum drawn amount of $12.5M at all times during the first six months, which increases to the greater of $25M or 50% of the commitment amount in effect at any time thereafter. The term of the Facility is three years. The interest rate on the borrowings under the Facility is LIBOR plus 4.0%, with LIBOR having a floor of 0.75%. Concurrently with the closing of this Facility, all remaining amounts outstanding on the Company's existing revolving credit facility with Madison Capital Funding, LLC were repaid and the facility terminated.

08:38 EDT Entera presents Phase 2 six-month bone mineral density data for PTH formulation - Entera Bio presented the 6-month bone mineral density data from its completed Phase 2 clinical trial of EB613, an oral formulation of human parathyroid hormone, or PTH, for the treatment of osteoporosis. The Late Breaking Presentation "A Six-month Phase 2 Study of Oral PTH in Postmenopausal Women with Low Bone Mass - 6 Month Bone Mineral Density Results" was selected for a prestigious oral presentation, given by Entera's Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Arthur Santora. The oral presentation was given at 12:15 PM PDT at the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research Annual Meeting in San Diego on Monday, October 4, 2021. Many scientific leaders in the field of Osteoporosis expressed great excitement with the data and the possibility of an oral osteoanabolic agent which elderly osteoporosis patients would be willing to take. This Phase 2 Dose Ranging study in Osteoporosis showed clinically significant changes in increases in BMD at the spine, femoral neck, and total hip. These BMD changes were associated with an increase in P1NP and a decrease in the serum CTX biomarker. A difference between the increase in P1NP, a marker of bone formation and the change in CTX, a marker of bone resorption, usually indicates an increase in bone mass, and is sometimes referred to as an "anabolic window." Key secondary endpoints for the trial included changes in lumbar spine, femoral neck and total hip BMD, the bone markers P1NP, osteocalcin and serum CTX after 6 months of treatment. The most important secondary objective in the study was the demonstration of a statistically significant increase in BMD of the lumbar spine. Patients receiving 2.5 mg oral PTH for 6 months had a placebo-adjusted increase of 3.78% in lumbar spine BMD. Additionally, there was a highly statistically significant dose dependent increase in LS BMD across all dose groups. In previously published studies with subcutaneous injectable PTH no significant increases in BMD of the total hip and or the femoral neck were generally observed at 6 months. In contrast, EB613 showed dose-dependent increases in BMD at the total hip and femoral neck at 6 months, with the greatest increases in BMD observed in the 2.5 mg group. The increase in BMD at these sites has great clinical relevance as a high percent of osteoporotic fractures occur at the hip. The safety profile of EB613 was consistent with the known profile of subcutaneous PTH. The most common drug-related AEs were headache, nausea, dizziness and presyncope; all drug-related adverse events were either mild or moderate, and there were no serious drug-related AE. There were no treatment-emergent hypercalcemia AEs. Entera's Phase 2, 6-month, dose-ranging, placebo-controlled study evaluated EB613 in 161 postmenopausal women with low BMD. Subjects in the 2.5 mg group were either treated with 2.5 mg from Day 1 or titrated to 2.5 mg over 2 months. The primary endpoint of change in P1NP at 3 months was met and previously announced by Entera. The key secondary efficacy objective was the change in lumbar spine BMD vs. placebo at 6 months. Changes in biomarkers of bone turnover and change in proximal femoral BMD were evaluated through 6 months. Six-month BMD and biomarker data are summarized below: Significant and dose-dependent increases in BMD of the lower spine, total hip, and femoral neck at 6 months, with the greatest increases in the 2.5 mg EB613 treated group; Subjects receiving 2.5 mg EB613 for 6 months had a placebo-adjusted increase of 3.78% in lower spine BMD; this group combined with the titrated 2.5 mg group showed lower spine BMD increase of 2.73%; Pooled 2.5 mg EB613 group had significant placebo-adjusted 2.76% increase in femoral neck and a 1.84% increase in total hip BMD at 6 months. Significant decrease in serum CTX of 21% from baseline at 6 monthswhile P1NP was unchanged; The safety profile of EB613 was consistent with and similar to the known profile of injectable PTH.

08:36 EDT Tenax announces FDA clearance of IND application for imatinib to treat PAH - Tenax Therapeutics announced that the FDA has reviewed and cleared its Investigational New Drug application for a novel formulation of imatinib. Tenax intends to initiate in October, and complete before the end of 2021, a comparative pharmacokinetic PK study, bridging to the start of a Phase 3 trial of their delayed-release formulation for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension, PAH. "Tenax is thrilled we can now advance our imatinib PAH program towards pivotal testing," said Christopher Giordano, Chief Executive Officer of Tenax Therapeutics. "Imatinib has already been clinically proven to be effective in PAH, and with our unique formulation, we anticipate a better tolerated, and thus more effective, treatment option with the potential to advance the current standard of care for patients suffering from this rare and fatal condition." FDA's authorization to proceed is a highlight in what has already been a transformative year for Tenax. Mr. Giordano commented, "We have added incredible talent to the team, while maintaining an aggressive pace of product development, and we remain on track to be the first company to commence a Phase 3 trial of a new formulation of imatinib in patients with PAH." Tenax will now proceed to enroll patients in a short study comparing the pharmacokinetics of its reformulated imatinib drug candidate with the currently approved oral formulation of imatinib. In a prior Phase 3 study, imatinib mesylate as an add-on therapy was shown to improve exercise capacity and hemodynamics in patients with advanced PAH1. However, excessive dropouts, many from nausea and vomiting due to gastric irritation, led to the program's termination. Tenax has reformulated imatinib to specifically address the gastric intolerance associated with this older, oral formulation. The Company anticipates results from the PK study in the fourth quarter of 2021 and expects to initiate a single Phase 3 study in the second quarter of 2022.

08:35 EDT Cassava Sciences initiates Phase 3 efficacy trial of simufilam - Cassava Sciences announced it has initiated an initial Phase 3 efficacy study of simufilam, the Company's investigational drug for patients with Alzheimer's disease. A second Phase 3 efficacy study of simufilam in Alzheimer's disease is expected to begin by year end. Cassava Sciences' Phase 3 efficacy studies of simufilam in Alzheimer's disease are being conducted under Special Protocol Assessments from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The SPAs document that FDA has reviewed and agreed upon the key design features of Cassava Sciences' Phase 3 study protocols.

08:34 EDT Ballantyne Strong appoints Michael Mitchell, Larry Swets to board - Ballantyne Strong (BTN) announced the appointments of Michael Mitchell and Larry Swets, Jr. to its Board of Directors. Mitchell most recently served as a Partner at Locust Wood Capital. Swets currently serves as the CEO and member of the board of FG Financial Group (FGF).

08:32 EDT PDS Biotechnology appoints Matthew Hill as Chief Financial Officer - PDS Biotechnology (PDSB) announced that Matthew Hill will join PDS Biotech as its Chief Financial Officer effective as of October 18, 2021, to lead the company's financial strategy through its next phase of growth. Hill brings more than 25 years of experience in finance and operational leadership roles for life science companies. He is joining PDS Biotech after spending the last several years at Strata Skin Sciences (SSKN) as their Chief Financial Officer. Hill will replace Seth Van Voorhees in the role of CFO.

08:31 EDT Ritchie Bros. CFO Sharon Driscoll to retire in two years - Ritchie Bros. CFO Sharon Driscoll has advised the company that she intends to retire within two years. As part of an effective succession process, Driscoll will continue to serve as CFO until the company appoints her successor and will then assume a role as an Executive VP serving as an advisor to Ritchie Bros.' CEO. The company will initiate a search to identify Driscoll's successor.

08:23 EDT Upstart CEO sells about $41.5M in common stock - In regulatory filings, Upstart disclosed that its CEO Dave Giroouard sold 125K and 12.5K shares of common stock on October 1st in transaction sizes of $37.7M and $3.8M respectively. Shares of Upstart are down about 2.5% in pre-market trading at $289 per share.

08:20 EDT Nordic American Tankers announces sale of suezmax - In a shareholder letter, CEO Herbjorn Hansson said, "In our information to the market of July 28, we advised you of our fleet expansion, involving the selling and buying of vessels. We have now sold a suezmax. The transaction is fixed and firm. The vessel is due for delivery to the new owner in October/November this year. The transaction is a part of the NAT fleet expansion. Our policy is always to underpromise and overdeliver."

08:19 EDT Microchip, Cisco's Acacia collaborate to enable market transition to 400G optics - Microchip Technology (MCHP) and Acacia, now part of Cisco (CSCO), announced they are bringing to market interoperable solution sets consisting of Microchip's DIGI-G5 OTN processor and META-DX1 terabit secured-Ethernet PHY and Acacia's 400G pluggable coherent optics. The purpose of the collaboration is to establish an ecosystem to support 400G CFP2-DCO, QSFP-DD and OSFP modules for the 400ZR specification as well as the OpenZR+ and Open ROADM Multi-Source Agreement applications. The collaboration between Microchip and Acacia helps to enable the use of 400G coherent pluggables in OTN and Ethernet systems as follows: For converged packet/OTN optical platforms, Microchip's DIGI-G5 and Acacia's 400G CFP2-DCO module are designed to enable terabit-class OTN switching line cards, muxponders, and switchponders. The DIGI-G5 interoperates with Acacia's 400G CFP2-DCO module using a Flexible OTN or NxOTU4 interface to efficiently support OTN traffic, including Open ROADM MSA interface modes and 200G/400G ITU-T standards currently being drafted; For compact modular optical systems, Microchip's META-DX1 and Acacia's 400ZR and OpenZR+ modules are designed to enable 400G flexible line rate muxponders/transponders with support for multiple client optics types including QSFP28, QSFP-DD, and OSFP modules, helping service providers to transition from 100 GbE to 400 GbE using the same hardware; and For data center routing and switching platforms, Microchip's META-DX1 and Acacia's 400ZR and OpenZR+ modules are designed to enable dense 400 GbE or FlexE with per port MACsec encryption coherent line cards. This helps customers leverage IP routers/switches over DWDM infrastructure in DCI deployments.

08:16 EDT Unity Biotechnology reports granting of employment inducement awards - UNITY Biotechnology announced that from September 21, 2021, through October 5, 2021, the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors granted 4 new employees stock-based awards covering an aggregate of 138,500 shares of UNITY common stock, including options to purchase an aggregate of 138,500 shares of UNITY common stock. The stock-based awards were granted pursuant to the UNITY 2020 Employment Inducement Incentive Plan, as amended, which was approved by the Board in March 2020 to provide for grants to newly hired employees as a material inducement for them to commence employment with UNITY in accordance with Nasdaq Stock Market Rule 5635(c)(4).

08:15 EDT Cboe Global Markets reports September multiply-listed options ADV up 17.4% y/y - Cboe Global Markets reported September monthly trading volume statistics across its global business lines, reporting multiply-listed options ADV up 17.4% year-over-year, index options ADV up 39.1% year-over-year and futures ADV up 32.2% year-over-year.

08:15 EDT Porch Group's Homeowners of America launches in Tennessee - Homeowners of America, a property and casualty insurance provider and subsidiary of Porch Group, announced the launch of service in Tennessee. "The introduction of HOA in Tennessee confirms our active scaling of homeowners insurance services nationwide," said Matt Ehrlichman, Porch founder, chairman, and CEO. "Each expansion increases the Porch presence within the insurance industry and Tennessee's market opportunity reinforces our dedication to driving value for HOA agents and customers."

08:13 EDT ChargePoint closes acquisition of hastobe - ChargePoint Holdings announced significant milestones, including the closing of its previously announced acquisition of leading European electric mobility platform hastobe. Initiating a charge with the ChargePoint app on a CP4300 "Today we announce our accelerating leadership position in the European EV charging market with the closing of our acquisition of hastobe, which combined with our acquisition of ViriCiti and our existing broad portfolio of charging infrastructure solutions position ChargePoint well in commercial and fleet segments. With these acquisitions, we grew our talent pool across and have state-of-the-art research and development centers across Europe," said Pasquale Romano, CEO of ChargePoint. "These key milestones further strengthen our commitment to the European EV charging market, to complement our position as a leader in EV charging in North America."

08:13 EDT Philips says Radboud announces results from study using Philips Lung Suite - Royal Philips and Radboud university medical center have announced the results of a clinical study conducted by Radboudumc aimed at setting a new standard of safety and accuracy in the diagnosis of small peripheral lung lesions. The study outcomes represent a promising milestone in the global innovation effort to set a new clinical standard for detecting lung cancer at an early stage, potentially leading to improved prognoses for patients. Radboudumc's observational study reported the diagnostic accuracy and procedural radiation dose for patients undergoing an endobronchial lung biopsy supported by Philips Lung Suite - a solution that uses 3D imaging with augmented fluoroscopy to support high precision diagnosis and minimally-invasive therapy in one room. Diagnostic accuracy of 90% was reported while reducing the average total effective radiation dose per procedure by more than half from 47.5 Gycm2 to 25.4 Gycm2 The median long-axis diameter of the 248 lesions navigated to during the study was 13 mm. The results of the study were published in the October 2021 issue of the Journal of Bronchology & Interventional Pulmonology: Volume 28 - Issue 4.

08:11 EDT Vaxart begins recruiting in Phase II COVID-19 oral tablet vaccine trial - Vaxart has begun recruiting subjects for its Phase II COVID-19 oral tablet vaccine clinical trial. Vaxart expects to begin dosing the first of 96 U.S. subjects, split evenly between COVID-19 naive and mRNA vaccinated subjects, later this month.

08:09 EDT aTyr Pharma appoints Robert Ashworth as VP, regulatory affairs - aTyr Pharma (LIFE) announced the appointment of Robert Ashworth, Ph.D., to Vice President, Regulatory Affairs. Dr. Ashworth will serve as a member of the company's executive leadership team, overseeing regulatory affairs functions and strategies. Prior to joining aTyr, Dr. Ashworth was Vice President, Regulatory Affairs, Quality and CMC at OncoSec Medical (ONSC), where he developed and executed the regulatory strategy for novel immunotherapy products for cancer.

08:09 EDT Fortress Biotech announces closing of acquisition of Caelum by AstraZeneca - Fortress Biotech (FBIO) and a company it founded, Caelum Biosciences, announced the closing of AstraZeneca's (AZN) acquisition of Caelum, pursuant to the Development, Option and Stock Purchase Agreement in place between Fortress, Caelum, AstraZeneca's Alexion and the other parties thereto. AstraZeneca acquired Caelum for the agreed option exercise price of approximately $150M. Distributions will be made to all existing Caelum stockholders. The agreement also provides for additional potential payments to Caelum stockholders totaling up to $350M, payable upon the achievement of regulatory and commercial milestones. Fortress is eligible to receive approximately 43% of all proceeds from the transaction.

08:07 EDT Greenrose Acquisition sets special shareholder meeting to vote on combination - Greenrose Acquisition announced that it has filed its definitive proxy statement relating to its previously announced proposed business combination and set the time and date of 9:00 a.m. on October 27, 2021 for its special shareholder meeting to vote on the Business Combination. The Proxy Statement is being mailed on or about October 5, 2021 to Greenrose's shareholders of record as of the close of business on September 23, 2021. Greenrose's Business Combination will comprise its proposed merger with Connecticut-based Theraplant, LLC and the acquisition of certain assets of Arizona-based True Harvest. It is expected that the Company will proceed with its planned mergers with each of Shango Holdings and Futureworks at a later date due to the time required to obtain state regulatory approvals. If each Business Combination Transaction proposal is approved at the Special Meeting, the parties anticipate that the Business Combination will close on or about November 1, 2021, subject to the satisfaction or waiver of all other closing conditions. Upon closing the Business Combination, the combined company will be named The Greenrose Holding Company and will continue to be listed on the OTC under the symbols "GNRSU," "GNRS," and "GNRSW." Greenrose also intends to list on the NEO exchange as soon as practicable after the close of the Business Combination.

08:07 EDT Freshworks selected by Radisson Hotel Group to improve IT efficiencies - Freshworks has helped Radisson Hotel Group improve IT efficiencies and increase response time within its distributed workforce, by using the IT service management solution Freshservice. With nine distinctive brands and more than 1,600 hotels in operation and under development, Radisson Hotel Group is one of the largest hotel chains in the world. As part of its strategic five-year plan, the company is undertaking a digital transformation, in which a number of key functions are being unified in centres of excellence. The Revenue Systems Hub for the 560 EMEA hotels in operation is located in Madrid and selected Freshservice to manage the team's workflow more efficiently.

08:06 EDT Alignment Healthcare to launch $0 Medicare Advantage plan for 2022 - Alignment Healthcare will introduce the One, or "UNICO" in Spanish, a new Alignment Health Plan option designed to serve the unique needs of seniors age 65 and over in the U.S. Hispanic community, a population that is expected to grow five-fold to 19.9 million by 2060. During the Medicare annual enrollment period from Oct. 15 through Dec. 7, 2021, seniors will be able to make important changes to their 2022 health care coverage. Starting Jan. 1, 2022, the ONE plan will be available in three states -- Arizona, California and Nevada -- with slightly different benefits. Across all three states, the ONE features a Spanish-speaking provider network, Spanish-speaking service agents and in-language member materials. In California, the ONE will be offered as a co-branded product with Rite Aid and known as "the ONE + Rite Aid," or "UNICO" + Rite Aid" in Spanish.

08:05 EDT MSG Entertainment in multi-year renewal of distribution pact with Verizon - MSG Networks (MSGE) announced that it has completed a comprehensive, multi-year renewal of its distribution agreement with Verizon (VZ) Fios. The new deal ensures Verizon Fios customers will continue to have access to MSG Networks and hundreds of exclusive, live games from the New York Knicks, New York Rangers, New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders, Buffalo Sabres and New York Red Bulls as part of their Fios TV packages and through MSG GO. Adam Levine, Executive Vice President of Business Affairs for MSG Networks said: "We are thrilled to have reached this multi-year agreement with Verizon Fios, who has been a long-time, valued partner. Live sports remains some of the most valuable programming on air, and all of our teams have passionate fan bases. We look forward to providing our lineup of sports programming to Fios subscribers for years to come."

08:04 EDT Genius Sports announces new agreement with Philadelphia Eagles - Genius Sports announced a new agreement with the Philadelphia Eagles to help activate the NFL team's sports betting partnerships. Genius Sports will help to drive fan engagement at Lincoln Financial Field. Branded screens within sports betting lounges will deliver new levels of insight to Eagles fans through real-time betting odds, league-wide scores and individual player statistics.

08:03 EDT Oportun Financial able to offer personal loans in 33 states - Oportun announced that it is now able to offer personal loans to consumers in 33 states nationwide, up from 24. The nine states added under its bank partnership expansion with MetaBank, N.A. are Alabama, Alaska, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Vermont. In addition, the company announced that Oportun's Secured Personal Loan product is now available in Texas, building on its existing markets in California and Florida.

08:02 EDT AMSC announces $22M of new energy power systems orders - AMSC announced $22M of new energy power systems orders. This includes orders for reactive compensation, enclosed capacitor banks, harmonic filters, voltage controllers, rectifiers and transformers. "Our new energy power systems business continues to expand and is accelerating. Our bookings momentum was strong at the start of the fiscal year, and we expect this strength to continue into the second half of fiscal 2021," said Daniel McGahn, Chairman, President and CEO, AMSC. "Our two recent acquisitions, along with our organic business, are all contributing to our bookings momentum. We expect our Grid business to drive total revenue growth for the Company again in fiscal 2021." AMSC's new energy power systems solutions include D-VAR and VVO offerings as well as NEPSI and Neeltran businesses. Customers utilize AMSC's solutions to provide voltage control, power factor correction, and reactive compensation to stabilize the power grid and prevent undesirable events such as voltage collapse. The systems are designed to detect and instantaneously compensate for voltage disturbances.

08:02 EDT Rigetti Computing to go public via merger with Supernova Partners Acquisition II

07:57 EDT Acuity Brands sees FY22 ABL revenue growth in high single digits - Sees FY22 ISG revenue growth in the mid-teens. Sees FY22 gross profit margin 42%+, with a tax rate of about 23% and CapEx of about 1.5% of net sales. Comments taken from Q4 earnings conference call presentation slides.

07:46 EDT Parts iD hires general managers for Boating & Marine, RV & Camper verticals - PARTS iD announced that it has hired Michael Bowers as General Manager of Boating & Marine and Terry Graham as General Manager of RV & Camper, two high-growth verticals for the business. Michael Bowers comes to PARTS iD with extensive supplier management and purchasing experience across the boating, automotive and fitness retail industries including eight years at the Brunswick Boat Group. Terry Graham is a retail industry veteran, previously holding management roles at Sears and Advance Auto Parts, as well as Camping World, where he worked as a Senior Buyer for nine years, focusing on improving the product assortment, growing the vendor base and developing market strategy.

07:42 EDT Constellation Brands expects 2022 beer net sales growth 9%-11% - Operating income growth 4%-6%. Expects Wine and Spirits net sales decline 22%-24% and operating income decline of 23%-25%. Sees Wine and Spirits organic net sales growth 2%-4%.

07:40 EDT Constellation Brands CFO says progressing toward goal of returning $5B in value - "We executed a significant number of share repurchases during the second quarter as we believe our stock is undervalued at current levels. This represents progress toward achieving our goal of returning $5B in value to shareholders through dividends and share repurchases," CFO Garth Hankinson said.

07:38 EDT Constellation Brands CEO sees 'robust' consumer demand for brands - CEO Bill Newlands said, "The strong performance of our core Beer Business, driven by robust consumer demand for our iconic brands, gives us confidence to increase our guidance for the year."

07:36 EDT Intellia's CTA authorized by New Zealand MEDSAFE for study of NTLA-2002 - Intellia Therapeutics announced the authorization of its Clinical Trial Application, or CTA, by the New Zealand Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Authority, MEDSAFE, to initiate a Phase 1/2 study evaluating NTLA-2002 for the treatment of adults with hereditary angioedema, HAE. HAE is a genetic disorder characterized by severe, recurring and unpredictable inflammatory attacks in various organs and tissues of the body, which can be painful, debilitating and life-threatening. NTLA-2002 is a systemically administered single-dose CRISPR/Cas9-based therapeutic candidate designed to inactivate the target gene Kallikrein B1 to permanently reduce plasma kallikrein activity and thus prevent HAE attacks. Intellia President and Chief Executive Officer John Leonard, said, "We believe NTLA-2002 has the potential to be a curative therapy for patients with HAE by providing continuous suppression of plasma kallikrein activity following a single dose and eliminating the significant treatment burden associated with currently available HAE therapies. This study of NTLA-2002 leverages early insights from our ATTR amyloidosis program, where we established proof-of-concept for our modular in vivo genome editing platform with interim Phase 1 data earlier this year. The NTLA-2002 program represents the second systemic in vivo CRISPR genome editing therapy candidate to enter human clinical trials." The Phase 1/2 study will evaluate the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of NTLA-2002 in adults with Type I or Type II HAE. This includes the measurement of kallikrein protein levels and activity as determined by HAE attack rate measures. The Phase 1 portion of the study is an open-label, single-ascending dose design used to identify up to two dose levels of NTLA-2002 that will be further evaluated in the randomized, placebo-controlled Phase 2 portion of the study. This Phase 1/2 study will identify the dose of NTLA-2002 for use in future studies. More information about the study will be available at clinicaltrials.gov.

07:32 EDT 4D Molecular announces FDA clearance of IND application for 4D-150 - 4D Molecular Therapeutics announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has cleared the Investigational New Drug Application for 4D-150 for wet age-related macular degeneration. The active IND enables the initiation of 4D-150 Phase 1/2 clinical trial sites, which is expected before year-end. "4D-150 is a dual-transgene intravitreal gene therapy encompassing the R100 capsid which was invented through Therapeutic Vector Evolution with the goal of robust and safe delivery to all regions and major cell types within the retina at relatively low doses," said David Kirn, M.D., Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of 4DMT. "We believe that 4D-150's design, which targets four distinct angiogenic factors with dual transgenes, has the potential for broad, robust and durable efficacy after a single low dose intravitreal administration in patients with wet AMD. 4D-150 has the potential to be administered at significantly lower doses compared to other intravitreal AAV gene therapy approaches, and 4D-150 clinical development builds on the favorable tolerability profile to date with the same R100 capsid utilized in our 4D-125 X-linked retinitis pigmentosa (XLRP) program at significantly higher doses. While 4D-125 has been well-tolerated at 1E12 vg/eye, we believe 4D-150 has the potential for clinical activity at substantially lower doses." The Phase 1/2 clinical trial is a dose-escalation and randomized, controlled, masked expansion trial of intravitreal 4D-150 and is expected to enroll approximately 60 adults with wet AMD. In the dose-escalation phase, multiple dose levels of 4D-150 will be examined in an open-label, 3+3 design with an initial dose of 3E10 vg/eye. In dose expansion, patients will be randomized 2:2:1 to receive one of 2 dose levels of 4D-150 or aflibercept. The primary endpoints of the study are safety and tolerability. Secondary endpoints include the number of supplemental aflibercept injections received, and change from baseline in best corrected visual acuity over time.

07:26 EDT AIM ImmunoTech publishes Phase 1 clinical study data of Ampligen - AIM ImmunoTech released detailed safety data from a Phase 1 clinical study which supports the company's belief that its drug Ampligen has significant potential as an intranasal therapeutic for COVID-19. AIM previously announced that the study to assess the safety, tolerability and biological activity of Ampligen as a potential intranasal therapy was completed, and that a Safety Report found the drug to be generally well tolerated and reported no Severe Adverse Events. More details are now being published on both the AIM website and on the website for the Centre for Human Drug Research. A total of 40 healthy subjects received either Ampligen or a placebo in the trial, with the Ampligen given at four escalating dosages across four cohorts, to a maximum level of 1,250 micrograms. The poster was recently presented at the FIGON Conference in the Netherlands. Dosing was administered every other day for 7 doses. The safety results shows that no severe adverse events were reported and found the drug to be generally well tolerated. The biological samples are being analyzed for non-safety-related immunological activity, with results expected in Q4 2021. Based on these safety results, AIM has moved forward in its efforts to develop Ampligen as a potential intranasal treatment for COVID-19, including: A Phase 2a Human Challenge Trial to test Ampligen as a potential intranasal prophylactic using a human rhinovirus and influenza A virus, which could help establish Ampligen as a potential prophylaxis against future viral variants and future novel respiratory viruses for which there are no current therapies, as well as mutations of known viruses such as SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19; A Pre-Investigational New Drug application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for two separate Phase 2 clinical studies to study the potential of Ampligen as both an intranasal and an infusion treatment for early-onset COVID-19; The filing of a provisional patent application for Ampligen as a potential early-onset intranasal therapy designed to enhance and expand infection-induced immunity, epitope spreading, cross-reactivity and cross-protection in patients exposed to a wide range of RNA respiratory viruses.

07:21 EDT Elbit Systems awarded ID/IQ Army contract with $76M ceiling - Elbit Systems has received a firm-fixed-price, Indefinite-Delivery/Indefinite-Quantity contract from the U.S. Army to provide Integrated Helmet And Display Sight System equipment needed to support the AH-64 Apache helicopter fleet. This contract has a potential maximum value of approximately $76M and the company has already received its first delivery order worth approximately $6M. These IHADSS parts will be delivered to the Army from the company's Fort Worth engineering and manufacturing facility during the 5-year period of performance that runs through September 2026.

07:15 EDT SunPower CFO says Q3 key guidance metrics likely to fall short - In its analyst call discussing the acquisition of Blue Raven Solar, SunPower CFO Manavendra Sial also stated that residential business outlook for 2021 remains "strong", but Q3 key guidance metrics will likely fall below the lower end of prior ranged due to C& solutions, project schedule delays and costs, as well as the underperformance of the Light Commercial business.

07:12 EDT Emerita Resources provides update on Aznalcollar court proceedings - Emerita Resources announces that the presiding judge of Provincial Court No. 3 of Seville has just rejected a "last ditch" appeal by the accused in the trial relating to the awarding of the Aznalcollar public tender. The judge has confirmed her previous ruling that the trial should proceed to the final phase which includes sentencing of the guilty parties. The Court has reconfirmed that crime have been committed. The Appeal will also be reviewed by the Provincial Court of Appeal which has been consistent in its ruling throughout the entire trial process and where 5 judges unanimously agreed that the trial should proceed. The Appeals Court will see the same documents as have just been ruled on by the Court and there will be no new information submitted. Given the Appeals do not present any new facts or points of law it is expected the Appeals will be dealt with quickly and the Appeals Court will limit itself to reaffirming and ratifying its previous resolutions. With the dismissal of these Appeals, the Court can approve the "Oral Trial Opening Order" which confirms that the investigative and evidentiary phase is complete and that the trial can commence. The Public Prosecutor will summon parties and provide an opportunity for them to modify their pleas and defense briefs. Once completed, a judge will be appointed for the Oral Trial to hear the final statements of all parties and review the evidence. The investigation is concluded, and all permissible evidence is before the court and once the concluding statements from both sides are made the judge will be appointed to determine the individual responsibilities and penalties. According to the Company's external Spanish legal counsel, these appeals are viewed as attempts to buy time by the accused as the process quickly nears a close and they have essentially exhausted all avenues at this point. It is anticipated the date will be set for the Oral Trial very soon after completion of the Appeals Court's review of the Appeals. It is viewed by Counsel as a very positive development for Emerita and it is particularly noteworthy that the Court reaffirms that crimes have been committed. According to Emerita's Counsel this is a very important step, in that trials in Spain do not proceed to this stage without certainty of guilt and it is very rare that accused are found not guilty at this stage. With respect to the title to the Aznalcollar property, Emerita's Counsel has advised the Company that under Spanish law if there is commission of a crime in awarding a public tender that bid must be disqualified and the tender must be awarded to the next qualified bidder. Emerita is the only qualified bidder in this particular tender. Further, the Court, in reviewing the case during the previous appeal process, has indicated that the other bid did not meet the requirements laid out in the tender process and should have been disqualified on that basis. In the settled title dispute related to the Iberia Belt West project, the court's ruling included very specific instructions with respect to rectifying the awarding of the public tender. In that case it resulted in Emerita obtaining the rights to the project.

07:11 EDT GXO Logistics, Abercrombie & Fitch to open high-tech distribution center - GXO Logistics (GXO) and Abercrombie & Fitch (ANF) announced an agreement to open a new 715,000-square-foot distribution center in Goodyear, Arizona. The facility will serve as Abercrombie & Fitch Co.'s new hub for its West Coast operations when it becomes fully operational in late 2021. The facility will feature advanced automation, including robots that help teammates increase productivity and improve safety. Intelligent analytics, including AI and machine learning, will also be deployed at the site to deliver fast, efficient distribution of products to customers. The distribution center will create more than 300 jobs in the Phoenix metropolitan area and add to GXO's growing presence in the market.

07:09 EDT Landos Biopharma announces publication on omilancor - Landos Biopharma announced the publication of a peer-reviewed article titled "First-in-class topical therapeutic omilancor ameliorates disease severity and inflammation through activation of the LANCL2 pathway in psoriasis" in Scientific Reports. The peer-reviewed publication demonstrates omilancor's therapeutic efficacy in animal models of psoriasis. Dr. Josep Bassaganya-Riera, Chairman, President, and CEO of Landos, said, "Omilancor is currently in clinical development for three indications - ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease and eosinophilic esophagitis. Demonstrating therapeutic efficacy of a topical omilancor formulation in non-Gastrointestinal indications further validates LANCL2 activation and broadens the therapeutic potential of the LANCE A.I. platform and expansible inflammation and immunology pipeline. The topical omilancor formulation has the potential to offer patients a new, non-steroidal treatment for psoriasis leveraging the innovative LANCL2-based mechanism of action and could be a safe and effective long-term treatment option for this widespread and often debilitating skin condition." The Scientific Reports article reports novel results from two preclinical models of psoriasis where administration of omilancor topically reduced disease severity, resulting in a 60% reduction of psoriasis area and severity index score, a two-fold decrease of skin thickness and scaling and over 50% reduction of inflammatory reactions within the lymph nodes and spleen. Furthermore, activation of the LANCL2 pathway by omilancor through engagement of immunometabolic mechanisms led to significant downregulation of proinflammatory markers, decreased induction of Th17 responses and activation of skin cells without inducing systemic immune suppression. Overall, topical omilancor treatment promoted the preservation of healthy skin composition and structure and demonstrated the potential to restore tissue homeostasis.

07:08 EDT Recro Pharma reports inducement grants for new staff - Recro Pharma announced the expansion of its team through the addition of new employees to support product development, business development, quality, technical operations, functional support roles and to enhance leadership in the company's San Diego operations. Notably, Recro has appointed Tim Bourque as vice president and head of operations for Recro San Diego. Mr. Bourque joins Recro from Ajinomoto Bio-Pharma Services, where he was most recently senior director of supply chain and facilities. In his new role with Recro, he will support the continued successful integration of Recro and IriSys, while also leading the Recro San Diego site to drive growth and support customer excellence. In connection with the hiring of these personnel, the compensation committee of Recro's board of directors approved inducement stock option grants to purchase an aggregate of 161,960 shares of Recro's common stock. The option awards were granted pursuant to the NASDAQ inducement grant exception as a component of each individual's employment compensation and were granted as an inducement material to his or her acceptance of employment with Recro in accordance with NASDAQ Listing Rule 5635(c)(4). The option awards were granted on September 30, 2021. The option awards will have an exercise price equal to the closing price of Recro's common stock on September 30, 2021 and a ten-year term and will vest in equal monthly installments over four years. The option awards are subject to each individual's continued service with Recro through the applicable vesting dates.

07:07 EDT CynergisTek announces 'large' six-figure service deal with primary care firm - CynergisTek announces large six-figure service expansion with growing primary care practice located in the Southern U.S. for a full range of assessment and validation services. In the agreement, CynergisTek will validate the organization's security controls to determine the effectiveness of their people, processes, and technology against today's threats in relation to the expected functionality of these controls. The organization has hundreds of primary care practices and is projecting fast merger and acquisition growth and has partnered with CynergisTek to perform technical, compromise, or program assessments to understand the security risks of the newly acquired practices. Lastly, network-connected medical devices are subject to additional risks, including illicit control over the device, and CynergisTek will utilize a three-prong approach to assess the client's medical devices providing them with a categorized list of devices and their associated risks.

07:06 EDT Electric Last Mile Solutions signs agreement with Cox Automotive - Electric Last Mile Solutions announced it has signed an agreement with Cox Automotive to provide service and support solutions for its commercial EV customers nationwide. ELMS' Urban Delivery has already been shipped and sold to customers and now, these customers have service solutions from Cox Automotive. This new arrangement provides a full scope of service solutions to ELMS customers, including preventative maintenance, vehicle pick-up and delivery, battery servicing, vehicle and collision repairs, and roadside assistance. "Our customers now have a collection of service solutions at their disposal from Cox Automotive, who are experts in providing trusted, reliable commercial vehicle maintenance and repairs," said Ron Feldeisen, Chief Revenue Officer, ELMS. "This allows fleet and commercial owners to maximize vehicle uptime and improve cost efficiencies to get the most out of their vital resources."

07:06 EDT Calibre Mining reports Q3 gold production 44,579 ounces - Calibre Mining is pleased to announce operating results for the three months ended September 30, 2021, and cash on hand at quarter-end. Third Quarter 2021 Highlights: Gold production of 44,579, and gold sales of 44,471 ounces; Year to date gold production of 133,537 ounces, on track to deliver at the high-end of guidance, 170,000 - 180,000 ounces; with the fourth quarter anticipated to be the strongest of 2021; Cash of $72.9M at September 30, 2021; an increase of $6.6M from June 30, 2021 and no debt; 843 tonnes per day of ore delivered from the Pavon Norte mine to the Libertad mill, a 53% increase over Q2 2021 and averaging 1,077 tpd in September, exceeding our target rate of 1,000 tpd three months earlier than expected; Advancing the high-grade Eastern Borosi Project, including: Reporting the highest-grade intercepts to date; Completing infill drilling and initiating resource expansion and discovery drilling; Pre-feasibility study level technical studies well underway; Completing environmental baseline studies concurrently with community engagement and; On target to submit permit applications in early Q1 2022 for open pit and underground operations; Multi-rig exploration drill programs active across 100%-owned mine sites and satellite opportunities; Multiple new mineral exploration concessions granted during the quarter; Significant progress on our World Gold Council Responsible Gold Mining Principles self assessment. Highlight Drill Results: Eastern Borosi Project: 25.07 g/t Au over 9.7 metres Estimated True Width; 39.21 g/t Au over 3.1 metres ETW; 24.85 g/t Au over 3.9 metres ETW; and 33.64 g/t Au over 3.2 metres ETW. Highlight Drill Results: Libertad Near Mill: 3.11 g/t Au over 11.4 metres ETW from 3.1 metres; 1.71 g/t Au over 22.3 metres ETW from 57.8 metres; and 1.35 g/t Au over 18.2 metres ETW from 58.4 metres. Highlight Drill Results: Limon Near Mill: 9.02 g/t Au over 3.0 metres ETW from 343.6 metres; 6.39 g/t Au over 6.2 metres ETW from 241.1 metres; and 6.82 g/t Au over 4.3 metres ETW from 285.9 metres.

07:04 EDT Cathie Wood's ARK Investment bought 151.7K shares of Robinhood on Tuesday

07:04 EDT Cathie Wood's ARK Investment bought 35K shares of Square on Tuesday

07:03 EDT Cathie Wood's ARK Investment bought 154K shares of Teladoc on Tuesday

07:02 EDT Voyager, Pfizer enter license option agreement for TRACER AAV Capsids - Voyager Therapeutics (VYGR) announced an agreement through which Pfizer Inc (PFE) may exercise options to license novel capsids generated from Voyager's RNA-driven TRACER screening technology as part of Pfizer's efforts to develop, manufacture, and commercialize gene therapies, utilizing two undisclosed transgenes to treat certain neurologic and cardiovascular diseases. Proprietary AAV capsids derived from Voyager's TRACER platform have demonstrated superior blood-brain-barrier penetration, enhanced cardiac muscle tropism, and increased transgene expression in target tissues compared to conventional AAV capsids as measured in non-human primates. Voyager presented data at the 24th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy for one capsid candidate demonstrating more than 1,000-fold increased transgene expression compared to conventional AAV9 across a wide array of brain regions when dosed intravenously in NHPs. Results presented also included another capsid candidate showing significantly enhanced cardiac muscle transduction and dorsal root ganglia de-targeting compared to conventional AAV9. Voyager is performing further screening with its TRACER platform to identify additional proprietary AAV capsids targeting multiple tissue and cell types for use in gene therapies to treat a broad range of diseases. Under the terms of the agreement, Pfizer will have the right to evaluate novel capsids selected for central nervous system and cardiac tropisms from Voyager's TRACER platform and to exercise options to license capsids for exclusive use in Pfizer's development of AAV gene therapies incorporating two undisclosed transgenes. These transgenes will be distinct from those planned for Voyager's internal pipeline. Voyager will retain global rights to all licensed capsids for use with other transgenes and to all other applications of its TRACER technology. Voyager will receive $30M upfront and is entitled to receive up to $20M in exercise fees for two options, exercisable by Pfizer within 12 months of signing. In addition, Voyager will be eligible to earn up to $580M in total development, regulatory, and commercial milestones associated with licensed products incorporating the two undisclosed Pfizer transgenes together with a Voyager licensed capsid. Voyager is also eligible to receive mid- to high-single-digit tiered royalties based on net sales of Pfizer's products incorporating the licensed capsids.

06:58 EDT Asensus Surgical's Senhance Surgical System seelcted by hospital in Japan - Asensus Surgical announced Hirosaki University Hospital has entered into an agreement to lease and utilize a Senhance Surgical System. Asensus Surgical's technology platform, Senhance Surgical System, is a digital laparoscopic platform that leverages augmented intelligence to provide performance and patient outcomes through machine learning. The Senhance Surgical System is powered by the Intelligent Surgical Unit.

06:51 EDT RPM CEO says 'we are continuing to implement price increases, where appropriate' - "Our Construction Products Group, Performance Coatings Group and Specialty Products Group generated solid sales and adjusted EBIT growth for the fiscal 2022 first quarter. Their performance was particularly impressive given the raw material shortages, supply chain disruptions and inflation all of our segments have experienced and which have resulted in a negative impact on first-quarter sales of approximately $200 million. Sales and earnings for our Consumer Group decreased during the quarter as a result of these factors, as well as a difficult comparison to the prior-year period. All indicators suggest that the underlying demand for our consumer products is still strong and that the supply and material disruptions the segment is currently experiencing are temporary," stated RPM Chairman and CEO Frank Sullivan. "Across the company, we are continuing to implement price increases, where appropriate, in order to protect our margins. We also continue to benefit from incremental cost savings resulting from our recently concluded MAP to Growth operating improvement program," stated Sullivan. "Additionally, we are making strategic investments for growth, as evidenced by the two acquisitions we recently completed and the manufacturing facility we purchased. The 178,000-square-foot plant located on 120 acres in Texas will serve as a manufacturing center of excellence for all four of our operating segments. It is fully operational and has an experienced operating team that will enable us to add long-term resilience in our supply chain, improve fill rates and more easily expand production of a number of our high-growth product lines in the coming quarters."

06:48 EDT RPM expects 'raw material, freight and wage inflation to persist' in FY22 - "Looking ahead to our fiscal 2022 second quarter, we expect raw material, freight and wage inflation to persist, as will the raw material shortages and supply chain challenges we have been experiencing. In addition, we face another difficult comparison to the prior year when consolidated adjusted EBIT increased 29.7%," stated CEO Sullivan. "We anticipate these factors to be partially offset by price increases, operational improvements and additional manufacturing capacity." "Based on these factors, we expect our fiscal 2022 second-quarter consolidated sales to increase in the mid-single digits," stated Sullivan. "Our Construction Products Group, Performance Coatings Group and Specialty Products Group are anticipating double-digit sales growth. Our Consumer Group is anticipating another double-digit decrease in sales due to continued raw material shortages and a difficult comparison to the prior-year period when pandemic-fueled demand rapidly drove organic growth up 15%. However, we do expect the segment's sales to be above its pre-pandemic level, which is a fairer comparison. While underlying demand for our products and services is strong, significant material shortages and inflationary pressures remain. Accordingly, we expect that the second-quarter results will be directionally similar to the first quarter, with significant year-over-year declines again in our Consumer Group, which is still lapping tough comparisons, and double-digit sales and earnings increases for our other three segments in aggregate. This will result, on a consolidated basis, in a decline of adjusted EBIT of 15% to 25% versus the second quarter of fiscal 2021." "Moving forward, we will maintain the positive momentum created by our operating improvement program as we complete its remaining projects, leverage resources across RPM to manage supply chain issues and meet customer demand, identify new opportunities for efficiencies through our continuous improvement culture, and make investments in growth opportunities, including capacity expansions," Sullivan concluded.

06:40 EDT Integra Resources increases scope of Pre-feasibility Study at DeLamar - Integra Resources has increased the scope of its Pre-feasibility Study aiming at a 32,000 to 35,000 tons per day heap leach facility and an 8,000 to 10,000 tpd mill facility. The augmented scope and increased throughput at DeLamar, subject to on-going studies, is expected to result in a 50% or greater increase in gold and silver production profile over a longer time-frame relative to the 2019 PEA which showed 124,000 oz AuEq per year over 10 years. The PFS is expected to be completed in Q4 2021. Metallurgical testing of the DeLamar unoxidized material has demonstrated that a portion of this resource can be processed through a larger mill with a similar flowsheet to that used in the PEA. Consequently, the company is considering an 8,000 to 10,000 tpd mill in the PFS as compared to the 2,000 tpd plan in the PEA. The potential increase in mill processing capacity, subject to on-going studies, is expected to result in a 50% or greater increase in gold and silver production profile than that considered in the 2019 PEA. The company does anticipate an increase in capex for the upcoming PFS; however, the expectations are that the increase in capex will be in-line with the larger production profile presented. The company expects to derive a larger percentage of economic contribution from an increase in silver ounces in the PFS.

06:36 EDT Dow Inc. signs eight new renewable power purchase agreements - Dow announced that it has signed eight new renewable power purchase agreements, or RPAs, spanning Europe and the Americas. The power supplied by the new agreements is expected to reduce Dow's scope 2 emissions by more than 600,000 metric tons of CO2e per year. The new RPAs provide access to an additional 132 megawatts of clean power capacity from wind and solar, with zero capital investment from the company, bringing Dow's total access to more than 850 MW of clean energy.

06:30 EDT AES Corp. partners with Google on Nest Renew - AES Corp. (AES) announced that it is partnering with Google (GOOG) on Nest Renew, a new service for Nest thermostats. At launch, AES will offer Nest Renew through its U.S. utilities, AES Indiana and AES Ohio. Utility customers who enroll in Nest Renew will benefit from cost-saving and energy efficiency features. This announcement builds on AES' 10-year strategic alliance with Google, as the companies jointly explore new technologies and innovations.

06:13 EDT Yelp launches limited-edition wallpaper collection together with Chasing Paper - Yelp announced a new collaboration with home decor brand Chasing Paper to introduce a series of three wallpaper prints featuring beloved small businesses across the country, with proceeds benefiting nonprofits that support local entrepreneurs and business communities. The collection features unique prints made up of sketches of iconic small businesses in three cities: New York City, San Francisco and Austin. All of Yelp's contributions to the collaboration and a portion of Chasing Paper's proceeds will go back to supporting local businesses.

06:08 EDT Burger King to test plant-based nuggets from Impossible Foods - Burger King will be the first global quick-service restaurant brand to test plant-based nuggets from Impossible Foods. Guests in Des Moines, IA, Boston, MA and Miami, FL will get a first taste of Impossible Nuggets made from plants starting October 11, available in an eight-piece order with a choice of dipping sauce.

06:05 EDT Telefonica Tech, CyberArk partner on SaaS-based cybersecurity solutions - Telefonica Tech and CyberArk are teaming up to deliver an expanded portfolio of SaaS-based cybersecurity solutions that prioritize a security-first approach to protecting against identity-driven risk. Customers will benefit from being able to secure access for all human and machine identities without sacrificing business agility. As part of this agreement, both Telefonica (TEF) B2B customers as well as Telefonica telecommunications operators will have access to a new set of innovative cybersecurity offerings, built on the CyberArk Identity Security Platform. Telefonica Tech will offer the CyberArk (CYBR) platform as a managed service, addressing the Identity Security needs of customers - from large enterprises to SMBs - in multiple countries including Brazil, Germany, Spain, the UK and the USA.

06:02 EDT Walmart, Home Depot partner to expand same-day and next-day delivery - Two of the world's leading retailers are working together to expand same-day and next-day delivery capabilities for home improvement customers in the U.S. With Walmart (WMT) GoLocal, The Home Depot (HD) customers have another option for same-day or next-day delivery on a variety of home improvement products. The company will offer delivery with Walmart GoLocal in select markets in the coming weeks, with plans to expand to multiple markets across the country by the end of the year. Products that qualify for this scheduled delivery, including tools, fasteners, paint and other supplies that easily fit in a car, will have that option enabled at online checkout.

06:02 EDT Acuity Brands reports Q4 adjusted EPS $3.27, consensus $2.85 - Reports Q4 revenue $992.7M, consensus $963.96M. "I am proud of the progress our team made to transform our company during FY21. We improved our operations and delivered solid performance in a challenging environment," said CEO Neil Ashe. "We are entering FY22 from a position of strength with a diverse and capable team, who are driven by our values to deliver results for our customers, our investors and our environment."

05:25 EDT IBM, Honda Motor Europe announce five-year procurement operations agreement - IBM (IBM) and Honda Motor Europe (HMC) announced a five-year agreement under which IBM plans to manage and run Honda's finance and procurement operations across Europe. The contract is designed to deliver integrated end-to-end service. The contract extends an existing ten-year relationship by giving IBM Global Business Services additional responsibility for procurement operations. Under the agreement IBM plans to manage the source-to-pay, record-to-report and order-to-cash processes. The standardization and simplification of the processes is designed to enable the application of the latest advances in automation which may provide further cost and quality benefits. IBM and Honda Motor Europe signed their finance and procurement service agreement in Q1.

05:19 EDT Stratasys acquires remaining shares of Xaar 3D from Xaar, terms undisclosed - Stratasys announced it has acquired all remaining shares of Xaar 3D from Xaar, accelerating the company's growth in production-scale 3D printing. Stratasys previously owned a 45% stake in Xaar 3D. In April, Stratasys introduced the Stratasys H350 3D printer, the first system powered by Xaar 3D's powder-based SAF technology. SAF-based 3D printers are designed to deliver cost-competitive parts at production-level throughput. Since the announcement, the H350 has been successfully installed at Stratasys Direct Manufacturing and various beta customer sites in Europe and the U.S., with general availability expected before the end of this year. The Xaar 3D team will join Stratasys to continue the development of the H Series platform and SAF technology.

05:13 EDT Exxon Mobil increases participation in Scotland carbon capture, storage project - Exxon Mobil has increased its participation in the proposed Acorn carbon capture project in Scotland by signing an expression of interest to capture, transport and store CO2 from its Fife Ethylene Plant. The agreement to include the ethylene plant, located in Mossmorran, Scotland, is in addition to an earlier announced memorandum of understanding to capture and store emissions from gas terminals at the St Fergus complex at Peterhead, Scotland, which includes ExxonMobil's joint venture gas terminal. The initial phase of Acorn, which is bidding to be in the first wave of carbon capture clusters to be announced by the UK government, has the potential to deliver more than half of the country's target of capturing and storing 10M metric tons per year of CO2 by 2030. When expanded further, it will have the potential to store more than 20M metric tons per year of CO2 by the mid-2030s. The Acorn project recently announced plans to capture and store CO2 from the Grangemouth Refinery, and the addition of Mossmorran facilities will help Scotland reduce emissions in its industrial sector. The Fife Ethylene Plant recently completed a $170M investment program to upgrade key infrastructure and introduce new technologies that will significantly improve operational reliability and performance. A further project is underway to install an enclosed ground flare. On schedule to be operational by the end of 2022, the unit is designed to significantly reduce noise, light and vibration, and it is estimated the investment will reduce the use of the plant's elevated flare by at least 98%.

05:08 EDT UMC reports September sales of NT$18.75M, up 29.01%