Stockwinners Market Radar for October 21, 2021 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

20:37 EDT J&J announces CDC AdCom recommends COVID vaccine as a booster - Johnson & Johnson "announced that the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, or ACIP, has recommended its COVID-19 vaccine as a booster for all eligible individuals who receive an authorized COVID-19 vaccine. The Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine was recommended as a booster for adults aged 18 and older who received the Johnson & Johnson single-shot vaccine at least two months earlier. A booster dose of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine was also recommended for eligible adults at least six months following the second dose of an authorized mRNA vaccine. The ACIP recommendation has been forwarded to the Director of the CDC and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for review and adoption."

19:10 EDT SPDR Gold Shares holdings fall from 980.1MT to 978.1MT - This is the lowest level of holdings since April of 2020.

18:23 EDT Whirlpool CEO: We are very pleased with Q3 results - In an interview on CNBC's Mad Money, Marc Bitzer said he's very bullish on demand long-term. Current demand is outstripping supply which is a positive signal, he added. Whirlpool has taken over $1B of fixed costs out of the business over the past five years, he noted. Inflationary pressures are real, but manageable, he said.

17:52 EDT Moderna confirms CDC panel recommends Covid-19 booster - Moderna announced that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted to recommend the use of a booster dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine at the 50 microgram dose level for people aged 65 and older; people aged 18 to 64 who are at high risk of severe COVID-19; and people aged 18 to 64 with frequent institutional or occupational exposure to SARS-CoV-2 under the Emergency Use Authorization issued yesterday by the U.S. FDA. The positive vote was unanimous with 15 ACIP members recommending the booster.

17:34 EDT MeiraGTx COO Giroux sells $462K in company shares - MeiraGTx COO Richard Giroux disclosed in a filing that he had sold 22,000 shares of company stock at $20.99 per share between October 19 and October 20, for a total transaction amount of $461,778.

17:07 EDT Chipotle CEO says inflationary, staffing pressure to remain in Q4 - Says given the ongoing elevated wage inflation and greater new unit openings, expect labor cost to be in mid-26% vs. 25.8% in Q3. Comments taken from Q3 earnings conference call.

17:00 EDT Baxter, bioMerieux announce CE Mark for NEPHROCLEAR CCL14 test - Baxter International and bioMerieux announced the CE marking of the NEPHROCLEAR CCL14 Test. The NEPHROCLEAR CCL14 Test is designed to predict persistent severe acute kidney injury and can be used to support timely clinical decision-making and care pathways. The companies intend to commercially launch the NEPHROCLEAR CCL14 Test in western Europe in 2022. "Baxter is proud to partner with bioMerieux to offer the NEPHROCLEAR CCL14 Test as an important new diagnostic option to support individualized AKI management that gives every patient the greatest opportunity for recovery," said Reaz Rasul, general manager of Baxter's Acute Therapies business. "We remain committed to advancing purposeful innovation across the care continuum to help reduce complexity and enable efficiencies in critical care, especially as hospitals continue to feel the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic."

16:55 EDT Mattel jumps 6% to $21.50 after Q3 results beat, FY21 guidance raised

16:51 EDT Snap sees Q4 DAUs 316M-318M, up 19%-20%

16:48 EDT Snap says advertising business disrupted by changes to iOS ad tracking - Snap (SNAP) says fourth consecutive quarter of more than 20% year-over-year DAU growth. Says total content viewership and time spent have grown while user-generated Stories continue to decline. Says cautiously optimistic about the ongoing reductions in pandemic-related restrictions worldwide. Says advertising business disrupted by changes to iOS ad tracking that were broadly rolled out by Apple (AAPL) in June and July. Says ongoing magnitude and duration of global supply and labor disruptions are inherently unpredictable. Says 15 different content partners each reached over 50M Snapchatters this quarter. Says daily Spotlight submissions more than doubled when compared to last quarter. Says encouraged by ongoing quarter-over-quarter growth in both DAUs of Spotlight and daily time spent per user. Comments taken from Q3 prepared remarks.

16:37 EDT Southern Company's Georgia Power adjusts schedule for Vogtle units 3 & 4 - Georgia Power announced a revised schedule for the Vogtle 3 & 4 nuclear expansion project. The company currently projects a Unit 3 in-service date in the third quarter of 2022 and a Unit 4 in-service date in the second quarter of 2023, representing a three-month shift for each unit. The change to the schedule is primarily due to the need for additional time to address continued construction challenges and to allow for the comprehensive testing necessary to ensure quality and safety standards are fully met.

16:37 EDT Altus Midstream to combine with BCP Raptor Holdco in all-stock transaction - Altus Midstream (ALTM) announced it will combine with privately-owned BCP Raptor Holdco in an all-stock transaction. BCP is the parent company of EagleClaw Midstream, which includes EagleClaw Midstream Ventures, the Caprock Midstream and Pinnacle Midstream businesses, and a 26.7% interest in the Permian Highway Pipeline. As consideration for the transaction, Altus will issue 50M Class C common shares to BCP's unitholders, principally funds affiliated with Blackstone (BX) and I Squared Capital, resulting in combined ownership of approximately 75% of the pro forma company. The ownership by Apache Midstream, a subsidiary of Apache, will be reduced to approximately 20%, and existing Altus public shareholders will own approximately 5% of the combined company. Apache, Blackstone and I Squared have agreed to customary lock-up provisions of their respective holdings for 12 months post-closing, with a limited exception permitting Apache to sell up to 4M shares until three-months post-closing provided it invests the first $75M of proceeds in Alpine High development activity over 18 months. The transaction is expected to close during Q1 of 2022, following completion of customary closing conditions, including Altus shareholder approval and regulatory reviews. Apache currently owns approximately 79% of Altus and has agreed to vote in favor of the transaction. All material consents to the transaction have been secured by Altus in connection with its joint venture pipeline interests and bank credit facility lenders. Altus preferred equity holders have executed waivers and amendments in support of the transaction. There are no consents required for any existing BCP related financings. The new management team will be led by current EagleClaw Midstream President and CEO Jamie Welch. Apache field personnel working at Altus Midstream facilities will be offered employment with the pro forma enterprise. Following closing, the new board of directors of the company will comprise 11 members: the CEO, four independent directors, three designees of Blackstone, two designees of I Squared, and a designee of Apache. The pro forma enterprise will maintain its headquarters in Midland with corporate leadership in Houston and operate under a new name, which will be finalized prior to closing. The pro forma enterprise will be an integrated midstream company in the Texas Delaware Basin offering scale and reliability for residue gas, NGLs, crude oil and water midstream services. The combined operations include approximately 2 Bcf per day of natural gas processing capacity located near the Waha Hub in West Texas. As measured by processing capacity, Altus will become the largest natural gas processor in the Delaware Basin and third largest across the entire Permian Basin. The pro forma company will operate in two segments: Midstream Logistics and Pipeline Transportation. The expected 2022 EBITDA split between the two segments is approximately 65% Midstream Logistics and 35% Pipeline Transportation. The company expects to achieve at least $50M of annual EBITDA synergies, with total integration spend of less than $100M spread over the next three years. Capital synergies from combining the systems are estimated to be more than $175M in the five years post-closing. Beyond integration spend, future growth capital expenditure needs are projected to be modest. With minimal capital requirements for the combined operations and infrastructure already in place, Altus expects to be in a position to generate substantial free cash flow. Altus' current guidance for 2021 is unchanged. Formal and detailed 2022 guidance will be provided nearer to the closing date of the transaction. The enterprise value for the combined company is estimated at $9B at signing, with estimated 2022 pro forma combined adjusted EBITDA ranging from $800M-850M. Overall leverage based on combined, full-year 2021 results is expected to be less than 4x Debt/EBITDA and approaching 3.5x by 2023. For 2022 and 2023, Altus Class A common shareholders will continue to receive an annualized cash dividend of $6 per share, subject to regular quarterly board approval. Based on anticipated operating results, management intends to begin increasing the $6 per share dividend by at least 5% per year after 2023.

16:36 EDT Mattel sees FY22 adjusted EBITDA exceeding $1B - Says company well-positioned to achieve net sales and adjusted operating income margin goals in 2022 and 2023. Guidance taken from Q3 earnings call presentation slides.

16:35 EDT Greenidge Generation launches expansion plan - Greenidge Generation announced new details regarding its plans to expand beyond its current site in the State of New York. To achieve this expansion, Greenidge has more than doubled its recent order with Bitmain to 22,500 units; entered into an exclusive agreement with a developer with a development pipeline of at least 2,000MW of capacity in Texas; entered into a separate exclusive agreement with a company controlling over 1,000MW of power generation assets in Texas; and signed a definitive agreement to acquire a 175-acre site in South Carolina. Greenidge is evaluating over 3,000MW of options in the Texas and South Carolina markets to determine the most attractive locations to develop. The company expects to deploy substantially all of the 22,500 miners ordered from Bitmain in the last six weeks at one or more of these locations. Greenidge has more than doubled its recently announced order with Bitmain from 10,000 S19j Pros to 22,500. The units will deliver in Q2 and Q3 of 2022. In total, Greenidge has approximately 29,000 miners currently on order with Bitmain delivering between now and Q3 2022. Once deployed, these miners would bring Greenidge's total mining capacity to approximately 44,950 miners representing 4.1EH/s and 130MW of capacity. Greenidge has entered into exclusive agreements regarding the potential construction of new data centers in Texas which includes at least six sites which have over 2,000MW of electrical capacity and include several locations surrounded by abundant wind and solar power generation. In South Carolina, Greenidge has signed a definitive agreement with a subsidiary of LSC Communications to purchase LSC's facility in Spartanburg, SC. The purchase price for the 175-acre site is $15M and it is expected to close in early December. Greenidge now anticipates that it will have electrical capacity for over 500MW by 2023. Greenidge plans to continue to offset 100% of the carbon emissions associated with its mining operations at all current and future locations. Greenidge intends to finance its expansion plans with cash on hand, including the proceeds of its recent $55.2M senior notes offering, as well as operating cash flow.

16:32 EDT Jones Lang LaSalle to acquire Building Engines for $300M in cash - JLL announced it reached an agreement to acquire Boston-based Building Engines, a building operations platform that transforms how properties are run, provides exceptional experiences for operators and tenants and improves net operating income across the world's most successful commercial real estate portfolios. JLL will acquire Building Engines for a cash purchase price of approximately $300M. The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter, subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory review.

16:31 EDT Campbell Soup names Diane Johnson May chief HR officer - Campbell Soup (CPB) announced the appointment of Diane Johnson May as Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer, effective Nov. 1, 2021. "Our success starts with our people and our culture," said Mark Clouse, Campbell's President and Chief Executive Officer. "Diane's extensive food industry experience and leadership skills will be invaluable as we continue to enhance our culture, attract and retain top talent, and unlock our full growth potential." Johnson May joins Campbell from ManpowerGroup (MAN), where she served as Senior Vice President, People and Culture, North America.

16:30 EDT Cambium Networks Corporation trading resumes

16:22 EDT T2 Biosystems announces distribution agreements in Singapore, South Korea - T2 Biosystems announced the execution of territory exclusive distribution agreements in Singapore and South Korea. Under the terms of the agreements, T2 Biosystems will sell T2Dx Instruments, along with T2Bacteria, T2Candida and T2Resistance Panels through these distributors. The execution of these exclusive distribution agreements marks T2 Biosystems' entry in the Asia-Pacific market. According to the Asia Pacific Sepsis Alliance, the estimated national sepsis incidences in this region ranges from 120 up to 1,600 per 100,0001. Together, T2 Biosystems and its new distribution partners are collaborating with health authorities in Singapore and South Korea to gain regulatory approvals and offer patients the highest quality sepsis care available, beginning with a purchase of two T2Dx Instruments that was shipped to Singapore in September and a purchase order for four T2Dx Instruments to be shipped to South Korea by year-end.

16:22 EDT Dynavax names Scott Myers board chairman - Dynavax Technologies announced the appointment of Scott Myers to its Board of Directors. Mr. Myers was also elected Board Chairman, succeeding Dr. Andrew Hack who has served as interim Chairman of the Board since May 2020. Dr. Hack will continue to serve on the Board of Directors."I am excited to have Scott join the Board of Directors as he brings tremendous depth and breadth of highly relevant experience as we continue to accelerate the growth of Dynavax," commented Andrew Hack, Dynavax Board member and Managing Director, Bain Capital Life Sciences. "On behalf of the entire Board, we look forward to working with Scott and the management team to continue to build a leading vaccine company on the foundation of significant experience and expertise in vaccine development and commercialization."

16:21 EDT Plus Therapeutics reports Q3 cash balance $21.3 M, versus $8.3M at year-end - Plus Therapeutics announced financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, and provided an overview of recent business highlights "In the third quarter, we made meaningful progress executing our strategy to develop novel radiotherapeutics for rare and central nervous system cancers," said Marc H. Hedrick M.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Plus Therapeutics. "We increased the ReSPECT-GBM trial dose by 40%, were accepted to present an update of the ReSPECT-GBM trial data at the 2021 Society for Neuro-Oncology Annual Meeting in November, received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for our Investigational New Drug application for leptomeningeal metastases, entered into an additional agreement for the production of our radiopharmaceutical products, and strengthened our leadership team with the appointment of a highly experienced Chief Medical Officer with decades of radiopharmaceutical development experience." As of September 30 the Company's cash balance was $21.3 M, compared to $8.3M as of December 31, 2020. Net loss for the third quarter of 2021 was $3.7 million, or 28c per share, compared to a net loss of $1.7 million,39c per share, for the same quarter in 2020. The increase in net loss is primarily due to the aforementioned increase in research and development expenses.

16:19 EDT Genesco names Tom George as CFO - Genesco (GCO) announced that Thomas George has been named senior vice president-finance and CFO, effective October 20, elevating his role from the interim position he has held since December 2020. George is expected to serve in this position through at least March 2024. George comes to Genesco with significant financial executive experience in the consumer brand and retail sectors. He previously served nine years as CFO of the global footwear company, Deckers Brands (DECK).

16:17 EDT ICF International awarded $35M in public health contracts by CDC - ICF was recently awarded three recompete contracts with a combined value of $35M by The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, to provide digital transformation, health surveillance, data management, technical assistance and communications services to its programs. The agreements include: a $15M task order with the Division of HIV Prevention's Data Coordinating Center to centralize and modernize two of its largest HIV behavioral clinical surveillance systems; an $11M task order with the Division of Cancer Prevention and Control's National Program of Cancer Registries to provide data collection, monitoring, analytical and evaluation support to the Cancer Surveillance System, and a $9M task order with the Office on Smoking and Health to provide communications, marketing and partnership engagement services.

16:16 EDT PVH Corp. chairman Manny Chirico to retire from board - PVH Corp. announced that Manny Chirico, Chairman of the Board of Directors, will retire from the Board effective December 31, 2021. Henry Nasella, who currently serves as Presiding Director, will become the independent, non-executive Chairman at that time. Chirico was first named to the Board in 2006 and became Chairman in 2007. He served as the company's Chief Executive Officer from 2006 until February 2021, when Stefan Larsson succeeded him. Nasella joined PVH's Board of Directors in 2003 and has been the Presiding Director since 2007.

16:14 EDT Chipotle sees at or slightly above 200 new restaurant openings in 2021

16:14 EDT Snap drops 26% to under $56 after conservative Q4 guide

16:13 EDT U.S. Xpress sees gradual margin expansion - Fuller commented, "As we think about the future of our industry and where we want to be positioned, we are making investment decisions based upon a longer-term horizon of three to five years. We believe that at that time, the convergence of digital processes, artificial intelligence, automation, alternative fuels, and workforce choices will have dramatically shaped the future of our industry, and those who embrace digital transformation will be in a position to succeed. The decisions and investments that we are making today are designed to position us as a leader in the future state of freight transportation. Between now and then, we will remain focused on investing in our future with an emphasis on growing Variant's tractor count, and consequently, we expect gradual margin expansion, though our quarterly results may fluctuate until we reach maturity."

16:11 EDT Rattler Midstream to acquire certain assets from Diamondback Energy for $160M - Rattler Midstream (RTLR) announced that Rattler Midstream Operating entered into a definitive purchase agreement to acquire certain water midstream assets from subsidiaries of Diamondback Energy (FANG) for $160M in cash in a drop down transaction. The assets subject to the drop down consist primarily of produced water gathering and disposal systems, produced water recycling facilities, and sourced water gathering and storage assets acquired by Diamondback through transactions with QEP Resources, Inc. and Guidon Operating and certain of its affiliates in early 2021. Additionally, Rattler and Diamondback have mutually agreed to amend commercial agreements covering the produced water gathering and disposal and sourced water gathering services between Rattler and Diamondback to add certain Diamondback leasehold acreage to the Rattler dedication. Rattler intends to fund the transaction, expected to close in Q4, through cash on hand and borrowings under its revolving credit facility.

16:10 EDT 1st Source board increases quarterly dividend 10.71% to 31c per share - 1st Source announced that at its October 2021 meeting, the Board of Directors approved a cash dividend of 31c per common share, up 10.71% from the 28c per common share declared a year ago. The cash dividend is payable to shareholders of record on November 2, 2021 and will be paid on November 12, 2021.

16:08 EDT Metracrine reports interim results from MET642 trial - Metacrine reported interim results from a Phase 2a clinical trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of MET642, a farnesoid X receptor, or FXR, agonist, in approximately 60 non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, or NASH, patients after 16 weeks of treatment. The company also announced it is prioritizing its clinical development effort and resources to advance MET642 into a Phase 2 trial in inflammatory bowel disease, or IBD, in the first half of 2022. The Phase 2a trial is a 16-week, randomized, placebo-controlled, multi-center trial evaluating the safety, tolerability and pharmacological activity of MET642, as measured by reductions in liver fat content with magnetic resonance imaging-derived proton density fat fraction, or MRI-PDFF, changes in liver enzymes, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, or LDL-C, levels and incidence of pruritus, at 3 mg and 6 mg dose levels. MET642 lowered liver fat content, with mean relative reductions of 26.9+/-27.8 percent in the 3 mg cohort and 9.3+/-55.8 percent in the 6 mg cohort, compared with 7.5+/-21 percent in the placebo arm. Post-hoc comparative assessment of relative liver fat reduction in the interim cohort found the decrease with 3 mg to be statistically significant compared to placebo. MET642 achieved greater than 30% liver fat reduction in 47% of patients in the 3 mg cohort and 35 percent in the 6 mg cohort, compared with 12% in the placebo arm. MET642 was generally well-tolerated, with no treatment-related serious adverse events, or AEs. All treatment-related AEs were mild-moderate with no apparent dose relationship. Mild-moderate pruritus was reported in one patient in the 3 mg cohort and one patient in the 6 mg cohort. No pruritus-related treatment discontinuations occurred. MET642 treatment resulted in on-target mean increases in LDL-C of 5% with the 3 mg dose and 19% with the 6 mg dose, versus a decline of 10% with placebo, from baseline to week 16. In addition, the vompany is conducting an independent review of preliminary findings from a recently completed nine-month animal toxicology study for MET642, which may result in the need for an additional long-term animal toxicology study to support Phase 3 clinical trials in IBD. Metacrine expects the independent review to be completed before the end of 2021.

16:05 EDT Intel CFO Davis announces plans to retire - Intel CFO George Davis announced plans to retire from Intel in May 2022. "He will continue to serve in his current role while Intel conducts a search for a new CFO and until his successor is appointed," the company stated.

16:00 EDT Cambium Networks Corporation trading halted, news pending

14:33 EDT Archer Daniels announces agreement to sell ethanol production complex in Peoria - ADM announced that it has reached an agreement to sell its ethanol production complex in Peoria, Illinois, to BioUrja Group. The deal is expected to close in the coming weeks. "The sale of our Peoria facility is an important element of the strategic review of our dry mill ethanol assets. By reducing our ethanol capacity by 135 million gallons and redeploying the resulting capital to other strategic growth investments, we're continuing the dynamic transformation of ADM's business portfolio that we began a decade ago. We continue to execute on our strategic priorities, and we are excited about the opportunities ahead of us as we drive sustainable growth," said ADM CEO Juan Luciano.

14:13 EDT Zurn Water Solutions initiates quarterly dividend of 3c per share - Zurn Water Solutions announced that its board initiated a quarterly common stock dividend of 3c per share payable in cash on December 7, to stockholders of record as of November 19. "As we launch Zurn Water Solutions our Board of Directors has decided to initiate a dividend to reflect our unwavering commitment to delivering shareholder value," said Todd Adams, CEO. "Our robust cash flow, strong financial characteristics and low leverage supports our ability to consistently pay a dividend while continuing to invest in our core business to drive organic growth as well as to execute strategic acquisitions."

13:01 EDT Wabtec wins equipment contract to modernize Metra commuter rail service - Wabtec Corporation announced an order to improve passenger experience, reliability, and safety for Metra, the commuter rail system in the Chicago metropolitan area serving the city of Chicago and its surrounding suburbs. The contract includes the latest brakes, passenger access doors, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning, and event recorder solutions for 200 new rail cars.

12:57 EDT Southwest sees business travel ending 2021 down 60% vs. 2019

12:47 EDT Southwest: Underlying revenue trends have picked up, but still sees loss for Q4

12:39 EDT Southwest: 2022 to be another transition year

12:37 EDT Southwest: Immediate priority is to bulk up staffing

12:35 EDT Southwest executive transition going 'really well,' says incoming CEO

12:34 EDT Southwest CEO: Business travel 'far from recovered' to 2019 levels - Comments taken from Q3 earnings conference call.

12:14 EDT Microsoft's Xbox, AMD partner to bring raytracing to 'Halo Infinite' - Noah Benesch, producting marketing manager at Microsoft's (MSFT) Xbox, said that over the last two years, the company has been working closely with AMD (AMD) to make upcoming Xbox game "Halo Infinite" a "spectacular" expereince for PC players. "AMD shares our passion about player-first development choices," Benesch said in a blog post. "They're exceptionally open to us bringing new rendering features across all hardware as well as performance improvements for all our players, even if they're not using an AMD-powered device. We're excited for all Halo Infinite's players to benefit from AMD's passion for making player-first development choices. Through this partnership we've worked closely with AMD engineers to optimize performance for AMD Ryzen Processors, including implementing changes that let Halo Infinite perform better on processors with high core and thread counts. We also worked with them to ensure Halo Infinite takes full advantage of ultra-high performance AMD Radeon RX 6000 Series Graphics, based on AMD RDNA 2 gaming architecture, and have developed incredible driver updates that deliver massive improvements in frame time performance throughout areas of the game's campaign mode." Benesch also noted that Xbox is looking forward to working closely with AMD to bring raytracing to "Halo Infinite." "Raytracing is one our top development priorities post-launch and look forward to sharing more soon," he added. Reference Link

12:08 EDT Google cuts service fee for Google Play subscription apps to 15% from 30% - Google said that it is making changes to its Play Store for Andread business structure. The company said more categories of apps will be eligible to pay less than the usual 30% fee, noting that 99% of developers qualify for a service fee of 15% or less. To help support the specific needs of developers offering subscriptions, starting on January 1, 2022, Google is decreasing the service fee for all subscriptions on Google Play from 30% to 15%, starting from day one. For developers offering subscriptions, this means that first-year subscription fees will be cut in half, Google said. "Today, we're also making changes to the service fee in the Media Experience program, to better accommodate differences in these categories," the company added. "Ebooks and on-demand music streaming services, where content costs account for the majority of sales, will now be eligible for a service fee as low as 10%. The new rates recognize industry economics of media content verticals and make Google Play work better for developers and the communities of artists, musicians and authors they represent. You can go here for more information."

12:01 EDT Heartland Financial increases quarterly dividend 8% to 27c per share - Heartland Financial USA announced that its Board of Directors approved an 8% increase in its quarterly cash dividend, raising it from 25c per share to 27c per share on the company's outstanding common stock. The dividend is payable on November 30, 2021, to stockholders of record at the close of business on November 15, 2021. This marks the third increase in 2021 and results in a 35% total increase over the prior year dividend level of 20c per share, the company said in a statement.

12:00 EDT NOW Inc. falls -12.2% - NOW Inc. is down -12.2%, or -$1.15 to $8.27.

12:00 EDT Shapeways falls -13.7% - Shapeways is down -13.7%, or -$1.48 to $9.35.

12:00 EDT Nouveau Monde rises 9.4% - Nouveau Monde is up 9.4%, or 70c to $8.12.

11:59 EDT Digital World Acquisition pauses again for volatility, up 111% to $20.98 - Digital World Acquisition Corp. and the Trump Media & Technology Group announced that they have entered a definitive merger agreement that will result in Trump Media & Technology Group becoming a publicly listed company, subject to regulatory and stockholder approval.

11:35 EDT Charles Schwab: FY22 to be 'bit of a transitional year' for expense growth - Comments taken from the company's fall business update conference call.

10:54 EDT Apple, Facebook, Google, others ordered to share payment system plans with CFPB - The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, or CFPB, announced that it has issued a series of orders to collect information on the business practices of large technology companies operating payments systems in the United States. The information will help the CFPB better understand how these firms use personal payments data and manage data access to users so the Bureau can ensure adequate consumer protection. "The CFPB's work is one of many efforts within the Federal Reserve System to make payments safer, faster, and more competitive," it stated. The initial orders were sent to Amazon (AMZN), Apple (AAPL), Facebook (FB), Google (GOOGL), PayPal (PYPL), and Square (SQ). The Bureau will also be studying the payment system practices of Chinese tech giants, including Alipay (BABA) and WeChat Pay, it stated. "Big Tech companies are eagerly expanding their empires to gain greater control and insight into our spending habits. We have ordered them to produce information about their business plans and practices," said CFPB Director Rohit Chopra. Reference Link

10:30 EDT Freeport McMoRan says 'significant opportunities' in leach technologies - Says Q3 annualized metal production reached 90% of post ramp-up targets at Grasberg. Says expects to reach 100% by end of 2021. Says encouraged by opportunities company has in the United States. Says preparing for permitting requirements in Chile. Says planning to commence long-term mine development activities from Kucing Liar. Says will help sustain low-cost production. Says mineral potential at Lone Star approx. 50B lbs. Says sees new opportunities to apply technology to leaching.

10:20 EDT KeyCorp plans to continue to be 'active' in M&A

10:16 EDT KeyCorp sees 'strong' credit trends in Q4

10:06 EDT KeyCorp: Dividends remain a priority, board will consider increase next month

10:05 EDT KeyCorp will continue to seek opportunities to right-size footprint

10:02 EDT KeyCorp sees generating positive operating leverage for FY21 - Comments taken from Q3 earnings conference call.

10:00 EDT Chart Industries falls -8.2% - Chart Industries is down -8.2%, or -$14.87 to $166.56.

10:00 EDT Danimer Scientific rises 8.4% - Danimer Scientific is up 8.4%, or $1.23 to $15.79.

10:00 EDT AutoNation rises 11.5% - AutoNation is up 11.5%, or $13.49 to $130.45.

09:47 EDT Adial Pharmaceuticals announces preclinical data for Purnovate's PNV-5030 - Adial Pharmaceuticals announced data in a pre-clinical model of pain reduction. Based on this positive data, Purnovate, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Adial Pharmaceuticals, Inc., has selected PNV-5030 as the lead compound for its program to develop a drug for the treatment of pain. PNV-5030 has been tested to be more than 1000-fold selective over the adenosine A1 receptor, which is known to have cardiovascular and central nervous system effects across several therapeutic indications. Historically, when selectivity has been achieved over the A1 receptor, water solubility has decreased, making effective tissue distribution in the human body difficult to achieve. However, PNV-5030 has demonstrated solubility more than 50 times greater than other known selective adenosine compounds of the same class. Solubility is often an important characteristic of successful drug candidates, and Purnovate believes solubility is a particularly important characteristic in determining the drug development potential of molecules of this class. In the most recent study, PNV-5030 was tested in a mouse model of somatic nociceptive pain where discomfort was initiated using a laser focused on the mouse's tail, with the time before the mouse flicked its tail away being measured by a sensor. Response groups of 12 mice were analyzed with a control group receiving vehicle alone and other groups receiving either 1mg/kg or 2mg/kg doses of morphine, a common opioid pain relief medication, alone; PNV-5030 alone; or morphine plus PNV-5030. PNV-5030 alone exhibited a significant pain reduction as compared to the control group and a similar effect to 1mg/kg morphine. Importantly, PNV-5030 demonstrated a significant effect when administered with 1 mg/kg morphine as compared to administering 1 mg/kg morphine alone. Interestingly, when combined with 1 mg/kg morphine, PNV-5030 achieved a similar level of pain reduction to the reduction obtained with 2mg/kg morphine. These results could indicate the possibility of lowering the opioid dose to achieve a similar pain reduction level by combining an opioid with PNV-5030 or even eliminating the use of an opioid for pain relief in favor of a higher dose of PNV-5030. Notably, certain mice in both the PNV-5030 plus morphine groups achieved results at the maximum time allowed under the study, and, therefore, may have shown even greater pain reduction results had the protocol allowed continuation of the test beyond the time limit.

09:47 EDT Chart Industries falls -9.4% - Chart Industries is down -9.4%, or -$17.08 to $164.35.

09:47 EDT AutoNation rises 9.1% - AutoNation is up 9.1%, or $10.65 to $127.61.

09:47 EDT Shapeways rises 15.7% - Shapeways is up 15.7%, or $1.70 to $12.53.

09:32 EDT Freeport McMoRan sees 2021 capital expenditures $2B - Sees 2021 copper sales 3.8B lbs., 2022 copper sales 4.4B lbs. and 2023 copper sales 4.4B lbs. Sees 2021 gold sales 1.3M ozs, 2022 gold sales 1.6M ozs. and 2023 gold sales 1.8M ozs. Sees 2021 molybdenum sales 85M lbs., 2022 molybdenum sales 80M lbs. and 2023 molybdenum sales 80M lbs. Sees 2022 Capex $2.9B. Comments taken from presentation slides for Q3 earnings conference call.

09:29 EDT Freeport McMoRan sees copper volume growth of 20% in 2021 vs. 2020 - In presentation slides for its Q3 earnings call, Freeport McMoRan said it sees copper volume growth of approximately 20% in 2021 vs. 2020 and sees gold volume growth of approximately 55% in 2021 vs. 2020. Freeport sees copper volume growth of approximately 15% in 2022 vs. 2021 and sees gold volume growth of approximately 20% in 2022 vs. 2021. Freeport sees 2021 consolidated copper sales of 3.8B lbs, consolidated gold sales of 1.3M ozs and 2021 consolidated molybdenum sales of 85M lbs.

09:25 EDT Tyler gets deals valued at $27M with Delaware counties for Appraisal Services - Tyler Technologies announced it has signed agreements valued at $27M with New Castle County, Kent County, and Sussex County, Delaware, to provide its Appraisal Services for the counties' upcoming reassessment projects. In addition, New Castle County has selected Tyler's iasWorld computer-assisted mass appraisal software. All three counties, which comprise the entire state of Delaware, were ordered to conduct reassessments to restore equity to all three counties' property tax systems. Each county searched for the best company to execute the appraisal, and all three selected Tyler for its expertise and proven track record.

09:20 EDT AGM Group Holdings announces order for 25,000 digital currency mining machines - AGM Group Holdings announced that it agreed to supply MinerVa Semiconductor with 25,000 units of its 100 TH/S MinerVa MV7 ASIC to build the MinerVa family of crypto miners. MinerVa is a premier high-performance ASIC design and manufacturing company and is the distributor of industrial grade crypto miners to leading global large-scale mining companies. MinerVa has influential relationships and resource networks within the Fintech and Blockchain ecosystems, and provides top-tier end-to-end technology solutions to notable global blockchain players like Terawulf Inc. and TrueNorth Data Solutions. The company will soon receive a $20M deposit in the coming days for the crypto miners. The remainder of the order value will be paid before delivery commences.

09:19 EDT ACNB Corp raises quarterly dividend to 26c per share - ACNB Corporation announced that the Board of Directors approved and declared a regular quarterly cash dividend of 26c per share of ACNB Corporation common stock payable on December 15, 2021, to shareholders of record as of December 1, 2021. This per share amount reflects a 4.0% increase over the same quarter of 2020 and will result in aggregate dividend payments of approximately $2.3M to ACNB Corporation shareholders in the fourth quarter of 2021. Compared to a year ago, ACNB Corporation paid a 25c dividend per common share in the fourth quarter of 2020.

09:17 EDT EVgo and Merchants Fleet partner to expand EV charging infrastructure - EVgo announced a partnership with Merchants Fleet, a fleet management company. EVgo will provide a full range of solutions including infrastructure planning, hardware, software, O&M and infrastructure deployment services to Merchants Fleet clients to support the electrification of fleets nationwide. The new partnership gives Merchants Fleet clients the ability to leverage a combination of depot charging solutions, charging networks and EVgo's public network comprised of over 800 fast charging and 1,200+ Level 2 locations.

09:14 EDT iClick Interactive Asia forms special comittee to consider strategic options - iClick Interactive Asia has formed a special committee consisting of four independent directors to evaluate and consider the unsolicited preliminary non-binding indicative offer dated October 13 from Infinity Equity Management and the unsolicited preliminary non-binding indicative offer dated September 23 from PAG Pegasus Fund and Oasis Management as well as other potential strategic alternatives that the company may pursue. The Special Committee has engaged Nomura International Hong Kong as its financial advisor to assist in its evaluation. The Special Committee has not made any decision with respect to the company's response to the Prior Proposals. There can be no assurance that any definitive offer will be made, that any definitive agreement will be executed relating to the Prior Proposals or that the Prior Proposals or any other transaction will be approved or consummated.

09:12 EDT Heritage Insurance sees $16M catastrophe losses in Q3 - Heritage announced that it expects to incur approximately $16M of net current accident quarter catastrophe losses, stemming from Hurricanes Elsa, Fred, Henri and Ida, and $35.5M of net current accident quarter other weather losses in third quarter 2021, representing total net current accident quarter weather losses of approximately $51.4M.

09:12 EDT Facebook introducing AR experiences for video calls on Messenger - Facebook is announcing that Group Effects are available on Messenger video calls and Messenger Rooms, and will be coming soon to Instagram. "Group Effects are new AR experiences that can augment everyone on a video call at the same time, enabling a more fun and immersive way to connect with friends and family. Whether you want to step up your competitive game or have fun with your long-distance friend, Group Effects makes video calls more entertaining. At the end of this month, we're expanding access to the new Spark AR Multipeer API to let more creators and developers build Group Effects," Facebook stated. Reference Link

09:10 EDT Elgato partners with Snap to bring Snap Lenses to mobile webcam app EpoCam - Elgato along with parent company Corsair Gaming (CRSR) announced a new partnership with Snap (SNAP) to bring the Augmented Reality Snap Lenses to EpocCam, the iOS app that turns your phone into a high-definition webcam for use with PC or Mac. This collaboration marks the first time that Snap Lenses have been integrated into a mobile webcam app. With Snap Lenses, EpocCam video feeds are enhanced in real time with Augmented Reality backgrounds, artwork, filters, and visual effects. "This partnership reinforces our ongoing commitment to providing innovative and creative new features for streamers and content creators," said Julian Fest, SVP and GM of Elgato. "EpocCam enables anyone to make high-quality video content without breaking the bank on expensive equipment, and we're happy that Snap is working with us to enrich that experience even further." At launch, Elgato will offer 15 custom-themed Snap Lenses in EpocCam, with more to be added in the future.

09:10 EDT Cboe Global Markets, MSCI extend licensing agreement through 2031 - Cboe Global Markets (CBOE) and MSCI (MSCI) announced they have signed a licensing agreement that extends and broadens their strategic relationship. The agreement builds on many years of successful collaboration between the two companies and extends Cboe's rights to offer options trading on MSCI global indices through 2031. Significantly, the agreement also expands Cboe's and MSCI's relationship, creating opportunities for the companies to work together to pursue other strategic initiatives across capital markets, and combine their complementary strengths and visions to help drive future innovation for market participants globally.

09:08 EDT Chicken Soup for the Soul acquires majority stake in Locomotive Global - Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment announced the acquisition of a majority stake in Locomotive Global Inc. Locomotive Global Inc., a production company based in India, is led by industry veterans Scott Anderson, former programming and acquisition strategy head for the Hallmark Channel who also was with Starz/Encore and Liberty Media Corporation, and Sunder Aaron, co-founder of QYOU Media India and former EVP for Sony Pictures Television Networks India. Locomotive Global is currently producing and developing a number of original productions including an original series in development with Amazon Prime Video, as well as Indian local language remakes of well-known series including Ray Donovan for Netflix India.

09:08 EDT Grocery Outlet enters pilot program with Instacart for same day delivery - Grocery Outlet announced a partnership with Instacart, the online grocery platform in North America, on a pilot program to make its iconic bargain shopping experience available online for the first time ever. The program is set to run for six months across 68 of Grocery Outlet's California stores. Through Instacart, products from Grocery Outlet's independently owned and operated stores will be available for same-day delivery. Grocery Outlet will offer daily essentials and staples for same-day delivery via Instacart.

09:06 EDT Nvidia announces GeForce NOW cloud gaming platform - NVIDIA announced its next-generation cloud gaming platform, delivering GeForce RTX 3080-class gaming on GeForce NOW, available exclusively in a new, high-performance membership tier. The GeForce NOW RTX 3080 membership tier provides gamers with access to the greatest-ever generational leap in GeForce history, delivering cloud gaming's highest resolutions and fastest frame rates, paired with the lowest latency. Each cloud GeForce NOW SuperPOD consists of over 1,000 GPUs that deliver more than 39 petaflops of graphics horsepower. Each instance is 35 teraflops of performance, nearly 3x that of an Xbox Series X.

09:05 EDT AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO proccessors selected for Nvidia GeForce NOW - AMD (AMD) announced Ryzen Threadripper PRO processors will help power the new GeForce NOW RTX 3080 membership tier from NVIDIA (NVDA). Driven by AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO processors, the new GeForce NOW RTX 3080 membership gives next-generation cloud gaming experiences to players everywhere.

09:03 EDT Borqs Technologies acquired 51% of Holu Hou Energy - Borqs Technologies announced it signed definitive agreements dated October 19, 2021 and now owns 51% interest in Holu Hou Energy, HHE, a solar energy and storage provider for the residential, multi-family residential and commercial building markets. The acquisition transaction has closed successfully. Purchase consideration in cash and ordinary shares of Borqs will be based on the performance of HHE in the years 2022 and 2023. Financial results of HHE will be consolidated into Borqs beginning with the 4th calendar quarter of 2021; and the Company reaffirms the HHE revenue forecast of $48M for the year 2022.

09:02 EDT Bluebird Bio to withdraw Europe regulatory filings for Skysona, Zynteglo - Bluebird Bio announced that as part of the winding down of its operations in Europe, it will withdraw its regulatory marketing authorization for Skysona from the European Union, and its marketing application for Skysona from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency of the United Kingdom. Bluebird anticipates withdrawing marketing authorizations for Zynteglo from both the E.U. and the U.K. by early 2022. The company "expects to continue activities for the long-term follow-up of patients previously enrolled within the EU clinical trial programs as planned, but does not intend to initiate any new clinical trials in Europe for the beta-thalassemia, cerebral adrenoleukodystrophy or sickle cell disease programs."

08:57 EDT Select Interior Concepts acquired by affiliate of Sun Capital Partners - Select Interior Concepts announced that it has been acquired by an affiliate of Sun Capital Partners, a global private equity fund. The buyer paid SIC shareholders $14.50 per share in cash, which represents a 32% premium over SIC's closing price and a 42% premium over its 30-day volume-weighted average price of $10.20 on August 6, 2021. With the completion of the transaction, SIC is becoming a privately held company and shares of SIC common stock will no longer be listed on any public markets.

08:52 EDT American Airlines sees FY22 capacity 'near' 2019 levels

08:50 EDT American Airlines working with Boeing to finalize timing of delayed 787-8s - American Airlines says it has removed 787-8s from the schedule for the winter season amid the delays.

08:48 EDT First Advantage appoints Douglas Nairne as COO, International - First Advantage Corporation announced that Douglas Nairne has joined the organization as COO - International, and Victor Sachs has joined as Senior Vice President, Customer Care - Americas. These newly created positions were established to drive First Advantage's efforts in delivering customer experience across the Company's global footprint. Nairne's most recent position was CEO of Dataflow Group. Over the course of his career, Sachs has held leadership positions within leading technology companies, including Dell, HP and, most recently, Salesforce, where he served as Head, Global Critical Incident Centers.

08:46 EDT American Airlines expects 'robust' peak travel period

08:44 EDT ElectraMeccanica leverages RISE with SAP to power ERP transformation - ElectraMeccanica Vehicles announced that it has completed its migration to SAP S/4HANA Cloud leveraging the business-transformation-as-a-service, RISE with SAP. The new ERP system integrates the company's finance, supply chain, manufacturing, sales and distribution operations processes. ElectraMeccanica collaborated with PwC Canada, a member of the global consultancy PricewaterhouseCoopers, in the selection and implementation of an ERP system as the digital foundation of the business. SAP S/4HANA Cloud will help ElectraMeccanica support its growth and go-to-market strategy to deliver environmentally-efficient electric vehicles globally. Implemented using automotive industry capabilities and best practices, SAP S/4HANA Cloud features AI, machine learning, RPA, and situation handling across finance, supply chain, manufacturing, sales and distribution processes.

08:42 EDT Olin shutting down additional chlor alkali capacity at McIntosh facility - Olin plans to permanently shut down the remaining diaphragm-grade chlor alkali capacity - approximately 200,000 Electrochemical Unit "ECU" tons - at its McIntosh, Alabama facility. The closure is expected to be completed by the end of 3Q22 and is in addition to the 200,000 ECU tons shut down at McIntosh in 1Q21.

08:41 EDT American Airlines expects domestic leisure revenues to surpass 2019 levels in Q4

08:40 EDT Agilent receives CE mark approval for PD-L1 IHC 28-8 pharmDx - Agilent announced it has received CE-IVD mark approval for the PD-L1 IHC 28-8 pharmDx to guide options for the first-line treatment of adult patients with HER2-negative advanced or metastatic gastric, gastroesophageal junction, or esophageal cancers.

08:39 EDT UGI Corporation subsidiary receives PA PUC approval to purchase renewable gas - UGI Utilities has received regulatory approval from the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, or PA PUC, to purchase renewable natural gas as part of a five-year pilot program. The pilot, the first of its kind in Pennsylvania, is intended to explore how UGI Utilities can integrate renewable natural gas, or RNG, into its supply portfolio to produce economic and environmental benefits for its purchased gas cost, or PGC, customers. The pilot allows UGI Utilities to test adding RNG to its supply portfolio while leveraging certain available economic incentives for renewables to lessen the cost impact of purchasing RNG for customers. UGI Utilities, a subsidiary of UGI Corporation, is the second largest regulated gas utility in Pennsylvania.

08:38 EDT American Airlines CEO: Q4 will be challenging, but is a 'near-term issue'

08:37 EDT Lucid Diagnostics appoints Suman Verma as chief scientific officer - Lucid Diagnostics announced the appointment of molecular biologist Suman Verma as Lucid's chief scientific officer. Verma most recently served as VP, research and development at Irvine, CA-based Bridge Diagnostics, a National Molecular Laboratory focused on infectious disease and women's health.

08:36 EDT Victory Square Technologies provides update on share buyback program - Victory Square Technologies reports on the progress of its normal course issuer bid program. The NCIB was initiated on January 25, 2021, pursuant to applicable securities laws and the rules of the Canadian Securities Exchange. In connection with the NCIB, the Company has retained the services of Haywood Securities Inc., as its Exchange member and broker to assist with the NCIB. The common shares of the Company are purchased over the facilities of the Exchange, or through alternative trading systems to the extent approved by the Exchange, at the market price on the date the Shares are acquired by or on behalf of the Company. The NCIB is an automatic securities purchase plan, such that the specific timing of any share purchase under the program will be determined by the Broker in accordance with applicable laws and standing instructions from management with respect to maximum price and total funds available for purchases. The Company has and intends to continue to not purchase Shares in the aggregate number of more than 20% of the daily trading volume, not purchase Shares in the last 30 minutes of a trading day, and only bid on Shares. There can be no assurance as to the precise number of Shares that will be repurchased under the NCIB or the price at which they will be purchased, and the Company may discontinue its purchase at any time, subject to compliance with applicable regulatory requirements. The Company intends to continue the NCIB because it believes that the market price of the Shares, from time to time, may not reflect their underlying value. The Company is of the view that expending some of the Company's available capital to purchase Shares for cancellation, so that they can be reissued at a higher share price in future financings, is expected to provide a net benefit to the Company and its shareholders.

08:35 EDT ECMOHO announces partnership with Bausch + Lomb for marketing on Pinduoduo - ECMOHO (MOHO) announced that it has reached strategic cooperation agreement with the renowned U.S. vision care brand Bausch + Lomb to promote and sell its products and services on the Chinese e-commerce website Pinduoduo (PDD). Through the partnership, ECMOHO provide consumer and Chinese family with high-quality eye care products and family health solution to satisfy the rising demand for eye health. Zoe Wang, Chairman and CEO of ECMOHO, commented: "As a leading online retail service provider in the field of healthcare and medical equipment in China, ECMOHO has been deeply involved in healthcare, medical equipment and other health-related industries since its establishment. International and domestic brands such as Puritan's Pride, Centrum, Caltrate, Harbin Pharmaceuticals, Johnson & Johnson, Sperry, Haier Biomedical, Abbott, Omron, and now Bausch + Lomb, have established in-depth strategic partnerships with ECMOHO, where our Company provides invaluable professional health content services, health key opinion leaders and key opinion consumers (KOC) professional matrices, as well as, through continuous exploration, in-depth operation of new media and new traffic, which together helps to empower our partner brands' business growth in China."

08:34 EDT Scynexis Phase 3 VANISH-303 trial results published - SCYNEXIS announced the peer-reviewed publication of results from its Phase 3 VANISH-303 and Phase 2 DOVE studies in the Infectious Diseases Society of America's Clinical Infectious Diseases. Publication Details. "Ibrexafungerp versus placebo for vulvovaginal candidiasis treatment: a Phase 3, randomized, controlled superiority trial" - The randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study evaluated the efficacy and safety of oral ibrexafungerp for the treatment of VVC, also known as vaginal yeast infection. The study found that oral ibrexafungerp was statistically superior versus placebo in completely resolving signs and symptoms of VVC at Day 10 without the need for additional antifungal treatments, including topicals. Results also showed superior mycological eradication, when compared with placebo. Symptom resolution was sustained and further increased with ibrexafungerp compared with placebo at follow-up. Post hoc analysis showed similar rates of clinical cure and clinical improvement at test-of-cure for African American patients and patients with a body mass index greater than35 compared with overall rates. Ibrexafungerp was well-tolerated. Adverse events were primarily gastrointestinal in nature and mild in severity. "Phase 2 randomized study of oral ibrexafungerp vs. fluconazole in vulvovaginal candidiasis" - The results of the double-blind, randomized, dose-finding DOVE study, evaluated different regimens of ibrexafungerp and included fluconazole as comparator, the standard of care for the treatment of moderate to severe VVC. Patients with composite vulvovaginal signs and symptoms, VSS, scores greater than or equal to seven were randomized equally to six treatments groups Symptom resolution was also evaluated at Day 25. The study identified the ibrexafungerp oral dose regimen of 300mg BID for one day as optimal for the Phase 3 program. The Day 10 clinical cure rate reported for this regimen was 51.9%, and 70.4% of patients reported no symptoms at Day 25. The active comparator resulted in a Day 10 cure rate of 58.3% and 50.0% of patients with no symptoms at Day 25. The use of rescue antifungal medication during the study was reported in 3.7% of patients receiving the selected dose regimen of ibrexafungerp. For the same analysis, 29.2% of patients receiving fluconazole received rescue antifungal medications. Ibrexafungerp was well-tolerated, with the most common treatment-related adverse events being mild gastrointestinal events.

08:33 EDT Genuine Parts raises FY21 free cash flow view to $950M-$1.15B from $900M-$1.1B

08:24 EDT Allstate reports September catastrophe loss $165M, Q3 total $1.3B - The Allstate announced estimated catastrophe losses for the month of September of $165M or $130M, after-tax. Catastrophe losses for the third quarter totaled $1.3B, pre-tax. Catastrophe losses in September were estimated at $103M, plus reinsurance reinstatement premium and modest unfavorable reserve reestimates. Two large wind/hail events, primarily impacting the Midwest, accounted for approximately 50% of September estimated catastrophe losses. During the third quarter of 2021, the Company performed its annual run-off property-liability reserve review, which resulted in unfavorable reserve reestimates totaling $111M or $88M, after-tax, primarily related to asbestos and environmental exposures.

08:19 EDT DavidsTea expands Tea Tasting Club subscription model - DAVIDsTEA is pleased to announce the expansion of its Tea Tasting Club, the brand's subscription program. Customers from across North America can now choose from four different themes online now at davidstea.com. A first for the brand, DAVIDsTEA launched its original subscription program in spring of 2021. Featuring a selection of hand-picked teas, the Tea Tasting Club aims to help tea drinkers discover new DAVIDsTEA flavours. It also provides exclusive access to tea blends not yet available to the general public, and first access to new DAVIDsTEA blends before they are launched. The Tea Tasting Club also connects the tea community through a members-only Facebook group. The subscription also features access to exclusive content via an eco-friendly digital booklet and, starting in 2022, will be shipped exclusively in a compostable mailer. Each instalment boasts a value of over $50 and can be purchased for $35, shipping included. Building on the success of the original "David's Picks" subscription program, and reflecting the feedback from customers seeking customization options, DAVIDsTEA is now launching three additional varieties to its subscription assortment: Organic, featuring all certified organic loose-leaf tea; Caffeine-Free, perfect for the whole family; and Garden to Cup, highlighting the best of the best in traditional, single-origin teas.

08:16 EDT LogicBio Therapeutics' GeneRide platform shows liver recovery potential - LogicBio Therapeutics is presenting new preclinical data on its GeneRide platform at the European Society of Gene and Cell Therapy Virtual Congress 2021, October 19-22. The newly presented preclinical data further validate previous research in methylmalonic acidemia and highlight selective advantage, a feature of the GeneRide technology, in two additional indications characterized by intrinsic liver damage, hereditary tyrosinemia type 1 - HT1 - and Wilson disease. Selective advantage enables edited hepatocytes carrying the corrective gene to survive and reproduce better than the endogenous mutated hepatocytes and to ultimately repopulate a part or whole of the diseased liver. In all these models, expansion of the corrected healthy hepatocytes correlated with improved diseased markers. HT1 mice that received the GeneRide-FAH vector were no longer reliant on the current standard of care for the disease, and demonstrated restored normal body growth, liver function, and undetectable succinyl acetone levels. In a Wilson disease mouse model, GeneRide-corrected hepatocytes repopulated the liver over time, and treated mice showed improvements in liver function, hepatomegaly, and urinary copper excretion.

08:14 EDT SPAR Group elects Whelan, Wager to board of directors - The SPAR Group (SGRP) board of directors has elected Sean Whelan and Michael Wager to the Board, effective October 14, 2021. Sean Whelan is currently the Chief Executive Officer, and was previously the Chief Financial Officer, for Encore Rehabilitation Services. Whelan is currently a Board member and Chairman of the Audit Committee with Zomedica (ZOM) and also a Board member with OptioRx. Michael Wager is currently a Senior Counsel with Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP serving in an advisory role and the Chief Strategy Officer for Byrna Technologies (BYRN). Wager is also currently a member of the board and serves as the Chairman of the Audit and Governance Committees for Michael Anthony Holdings.

08:11 EDT Lightbridge completes works under DOE GAIN voucher at INL - Lightbridge announced that it has successfully completed work under the U.S. Department of Energy's, DOE, Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear, GAIN, voucher program to support development of Lightbridge Fuel, in collaboration with Idaho National Laboratory, INL. The scope of the project included the design of an experiment for the irradiation of Lightbridge metallic fuel material samples in the Advanced Test Reactor, ATR, at INL. Together, the Lightbridge and INL teams established the test plan for the measurement of key thermophysical properties of Lightbridge Fuel material both before and after irradiation in the ATR. From there, INL performed a detailed design and established the safety case needed for insertion of the experiment in the ATR. This included the control of parameters such as sample enrichment, thermal-hydraulic capacity, maximum sample temperature, neutron fluence, and the physical location of test capsules within the ATR. The next step in the testing program is to contract for the high-assay low-enriched uranium material and fabrication of the sample coupons for insertion into the ATR. Lightbridge's goal is to have the experiment available for insertion into the ATR when its core internal change out maintenance outage is completed.

08:10 EDT Wireless Telecom's Boonton Brand introduces new sensors - ireless Telecom Group announced that its Boonton brand has introduced new sensors in its RTP4000 Real-Time True Average Power Sensor series. The RTP4018 and RTP4118 diode-based sensors incorporate Boonton's unique Real-Time Power Processing and enable users to make true average RF power measurements over an industry-best 4 kHz to 18 GHz frequency range at the industry-fastest rate of 100,000 readings per second. These sensors are a perfect complement to the RTP5000 Real-Time Peak Power Sensor series. The RTP4000 series sensors can be used in conjunction with the Boonton PMX40 RF Power Meter to provide a uniquely flexible benchtop experience while capitalizing on the performance and versatility of the USB sensors. Engineers and technicians can utilize the RTP4018 and RTP4118 in a wide variety of applications across the semiconductor, military, aerospace, medical, and communications industries.

08:10 EDT Arcturus announces Dr. Nirdosh Jagota as Chief Regulatory Officer - Arcturus Therapeutics Holdings announced the appointments of Dr. Nirdosh Jagota as the Chief Regulatory Officer and Dr. Dushyant B. Varshney as the Chief Technology Officer. "We are very pleased to have Dr. Jagota and Dr. Varshney join our management team at Arcturus. Both bring extensive experience in prominent biopharma positions, and have played key leadership roles in the approvals of numerous significant vaccines and therapeutics. As leaders in their respective fields, Nirdosh and Dushyant add invaluable expertise and depth to our leadership team as we expand manufacturing platforms for our pipeline assets and engage with regulatory agencies across the world," said Joseph Payne, President & CEO of Arcturus.

08:09 EDT Allegheny Technologies names Kimberly Fields COO, Don Newman EVP Allegheny Technologies Allegheny Technologies - Allegheny Technologies has appointed Kimberly Fields to serve as Executive VP and COO, effective January 1, 2022, and Don Newman, Senior VP, Finance and CFO, has been promoted to Executive VP, Finance and CFO, effective January 1, 2022. Fields currently serves as Executive Vice President of ATI's business segments. Fields joined ATI in 2019 as Executive VP and was promoted in December 2020 to lead both business segments, Advanced Alloys & Solutions and High Performance Materials & Components. Prior to joining ATI, Fields served as Group President for Industrial and Energy at IDEX Corporation and held commercial, manufacturing, and strategic leadership positions at GE and EVRAZ. Prior to joining ATI, Newman was CFO of Stelco Holdings. Fields and Newman will continue to report to Wetherbee and serve as members of ATI's Executive Council.

08:08 EDT Inovio announces collaboration with Colombia - INOVIO announced the signing of a non-binding memorandum of understanding with Colombia's Ministry of Health and Social Protection reflecting the intent to advance efforts to combat the pandemic and endemic threat posed by COVID-19 and to better prepare for future public health emergencies. The MOU creates a framework for a collaboration arrangement under which INOVIO and the government plan to explore knowledge sharing, technology licensing, and capacity building that support developing and producing vaccines and other biopharmaceuticals in Colombia. The potential results of these efforts include developing local manufacturing capabilities for INOVIO's DNA medicines and related products and technologies.

08:07 EDT Phathom Pharmaceuticals to present new data at ACG 2021 annual meeting - Phathom Pharmaceuticals announced that data for vonoprazan, an investigational potassium competitive acid blocker in late clinical-stage development for the treatment of gastric acid-related disorders, will be presented at the ACG 2021 Annual Scientific Meeting in Las Vegas, Nevada, organized by the American College of Gastroenterology, October 22-27. During the scientific congress, new data on vonoprazan will be shared in addition to novel insights into the burden of acid-related diseases, analysis of treatment patterns, and other newfound developments. In addition to four poster sessions and one oral presentation, Phathom will sponsor a product theater highlighting unmet needs in the treatment of H. pylori and will also have a presence on the exhibit floor at booth #929 throughout the conference and virtually via RethinkGIAcid.com. Phathom will attend ACG 2021 having recently announced positive data from its pivotal Phase 3 PHALCON-EE trial which studied vonoprazan as a treatment option for erosive esophagitis. Two New Drug Applications for vonoprazan-based regimens for the treatment of H. pylori infection were submitted to the U.S. FDA in September 2021. Based on the positive PHALCON-EE trial, Phathom also plans to submit an NDA to the FDA for the healing of all grades of EE and relief of heartburn, and maintenance of healing of all grades of EE and relief of heartburn by the end of the first half of 2022.

08:05 EDT Bally's and NHL's Nashville Predators enter sports betting partnership - Bally's and The Nashville Predators entered into a partnership designating Bally's as an Official Sports Betting Partner and the Official Free-to-Play Partner of the Nashville Predators and Bridgestone Arena. The partnership, which runs through 2025, will grant Nashville Predators intellectual property rights to Bally's, as well as provide Bally's with access to team logos, marks and certain content rights. The agreement marks Bally's first partnership with an NHL franchise and its first with a professional sports team in the state of Tennessee. Bally's will launch Smashville Selector, a free-to-play game that offers fans the chance to compete for prizes. Available as an app on Android and iOS, Smashville Selector challenges fans to correctly answer five predictive questions ahead of select Predators games. The Bally Bet sportsbook app is expected to launch in Tennessee in 2022.

08:04 EDT Enphase systems to offer integration with existing AC home standby generators - Enphase Energy announced its home energy systems will soon integrate with most leading models of home standby AC generators, providing enhanced performance and a glitch-free transition for homeowners during power outages.Homeowners can also monitor real-time power flow, start and stop their generator remotely, set quiet hours to prevent their generator from operating until their batteries fall below a designated threshold, and control it all with the Enphase app. The new feature functions without a generator automatic transfer switch and eliminates the power glitches that reset home electronic appliances when switching to generator power.

08:02 EDT PPG expects $160M unfavorable sales inpact in Q4 - Sees Q4 tax rate 20%. Sees $30M unfavorable foreign currency impact on sales in Q4. Sees Q4 total sales volumes down 4%-8%. Sees similar to Q3 sequential automotive industry OEM production in Q4. Says businesses will be impacted by softening demand related to China's reduced energy consumption mandate in Q4. Says expects raw material inflation to continue in Q4, approximately 30% year-over-year. Expects Q4 selling price increases to exceed Q3 levels. Expects $90M in acquisition-related sales in Q4. Comments and guidance taken from Q3 investor presentation slides.

07:55 EDT Embraer delivers nine commercial, 21 executive jets in Q3 - Embraer delivered a total of 30 jets in the third quarter, of which nine were commercial aircraft and 21 were executive jets (14 light and seven large). As of September 30, the firm order backlog totaled $16.8B.

07:53 EDT Essential Utilities' Pennsylvania wastewater unit in pact with Beaver Falls - Essential Utilities announced that its Pennsylvania wastewater subsidiary has signed an asset purchase agreement with the City of Beaver Falls in Beaver County to acquire the municipality's wastewater assets for approximately $41.25M. The pending fair market value transaction is subject to Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission approval. Beaver Falls' wastewater system serves approximately 7,600 customer-equivalents, including residential and commercial connections. The city currently provides sewer service to customers of Beaver Falls and seven outlying municipalities, including Patterson Township, Patterson Heights, White Township, West Mayfield, Big Beaver Borough, Eastvale Borough and North Sewickley Township.

07:49 EDT Draganfly commences drone pilot program at ASU - Draganfly announces that its Drone Pilot Training program is now being offered at Alabama State University, or ASU, in Montgomery, Alabama. Currently in week three of the nine-week course, Draganfly is sharing its industry knowledge with select ASU faculty members and students. The program includes a Federal Aviation Administration Part 107 drone preparation course. "It is an honor to further expand our partnership with ASU. From sophomores to PhD experts, the Drone Pilot Training program teaches future generations how to solve real world problems through the proper operation of unmanned aerial vehicles," said Cameron Chell, CEO of Draganfly. "With the help of ASU and their association within the HBCU community we see a lot of potential to grow this program into a national footprint of drone pilot training at the university level." Following the end of the pilot project in the winter, ASU is expected to add the course to its continuing education program. Draganfly's Drone Pilot Training program will also be commercialized next year.

07:44 EDT Homology Medicines announces presentations across gene therapy programs - Homology Medicines announced today four presentations of preclinical data spanning its clinical-stage gene therapy program for mucopolysaccharidosis type II, clinical-stage gene editing program for phenylketonuria, GTx-mAb program for paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria and assays to evaluate levels of pre-existing antibodies to the Company's adeno-associated viral vectors during the 2021 European Society for Gene & Cell Therapy Virtual Conference, ESGCT. Homology featured central nervous system data in the presentation titled, "Blood-Brain-Barrier Crossing Leads to Long-Term Efficacy in the CNS of HMI-203: Gene Therapy Development Candidate for Mucopolysaccharidosis Type II, or Hunter Syndrome," which showed a single I.V. dose of HMI-203 in the MPS II murine model: Led to dose-dependent transduction, expression and I2S activity, as well as dose- and time-dependent glycosaminoglycan-heparin sulfate, GAG-HS, and LAMP1 reductions in the brain; Reduced CSF GAG-HS levels, which were correlative to brain GAG-HS levels; and Decreased Purkinje neuron cell loss and vacuolization in the brain. Following Homology's recent announcement of its pheEDIT clinical trial with nuclease-free gene editing candidate, HMI-103, data from IND-enabling studies were highlighted in, "HMI-103: An Investigational Gene Editing Vector for Phenylketonuria (PKU)," and showed that a single I.V. dose of HMI-103*resulted in: Sustained reduction of phenylalanine in a PKU murine model on a normal chow diet, up to 41 weeks post-dose; No adverse findings in a GLP toxicology study and no evidence of germline transmission; and On-target integration was demonstrated at the human PAH locus with no evidence of off-target integration, as confirmed by next-generation sequencing. Homology's GTx-mAb platform was featured in the presentation titled, "Gene Therapy-mAb Platform Targets Complement Protein 5 Using AAVHSCs." A single I.V. dose of an AAVHSC GTx-mAb showed: Expression of full-length antibodies from the liver consistent with anti-C5 therapeutic levels; sustained and robust IgG expression in vivo in a humanized murine humanized liver model and a murine NOD-SCID model; and In vivo vector-expressed C5 mAb had potent functional activity as shown by an ex vivo hemolysis assay. The presentation titled, "Neutralizing Antibody Prevalence Toward a Hematopoietic Stem Cell-Derived AAV and Immunoassays for Clinical Trial Enrollment," showed: The 50% TI method demonstrated better sensitivity and the 3T Nab system demonstrated better specificity.

07:41 EDT PDS announces temporary suspension of recruitment in NCI-led Phase 2 trial - PDS Biotechnology Corporation announced the temporary suspension of recruitment in the National Cancer Institute-led Phase 2 clinical trial evaluating PDS0101 in combination with two investigational immune-modulating agents in advanced HPV cancers. The issue is not specific to the PDS0101 trial and is unrelated to any safety or efficacy concerns with the triple combination. The NCI anticipates that the issue should be resolved timely, at which time the PDS0101 trial recruitment will resume. The timing of clinical data resulting from this trial is not expected to be affected by the recruitment suspension. The trial is evaluating the novel combination in both checkpoint inhibitor naive and refractory patients with advanced HPV-associated cancers that have progressed or returned after treatment. The vast majority of these cancers are caused by HPV16.

07:40 EDT Hut 8 Mining purchases 12,000 new MicroBT Miners for $58.7M - Hut 8 Mining has executed on a $58.7M purchase of 12,000 new MicroBT M30S, M30S+ and M30S++ miners from Inchigle Technology, representing a cost of approximately $50/Terahash, with aggregate incremental production of 1.17 EH/s. The miners are expected to be delivered starting in January 2022, at a delivery rate of approximately 1,000 machines per month, with full deployment anticipated by December 2022. The anticipated production capacity increase of this purchase upon full deployment brings Hut 8's total contracted capacity to approximately 3.57 EH/s, in addition to 1600 Gigahash of NVIDIA GPU miners. The new fleet of miners will be deployed at the company's existing two sites in Alberta, as well as the third site under development with Validus Power.

07:39 EDT Mechanical Technology, Soluna Computing energize 25MW MDC - Mechanical Technology, the parent company of EcoChain, a cryptocurrency mining business powered by renewable energy, and Soluna Computing announced that their first greenfield modular data center, MDC, project has been energized. The project, which includes 22 buildings, began energizing on September 30, 2021, and will reach full capacity of 25 megawatts, MW, in November 2021, a month ahead of schedule. The project uses Soluna's design for MDCs to mine cryptocurrency. Alternately known as "Anaconda" in MTI investor briefings, ProjectSophie was named after Sophie Wilson. Added to their existing 3 MW pilot project that came online last year, and the 25 MW Project Marie, Project Sophie will bring the companies' combined portfolio of operating assets to over 50 MW. "Project Sophie demonstrates the team's ability to get facilities built on budget ahead of schedule," said MTI CEO Michael Toporek. "In today's supply chain challenged world, it's a tremendous accomplishment. Our team's demonstrated engineering excellence will next be engaged in building out 100MW to 200MW of facilities in 2022." MTI and Soluna's second greenfield MDC project, Project Dorothy, will come online with 50 MW by the end of Q1 2022.

07:37 EDT Frequency Therapeutics says 1st patient dosed in FX-322 Phase 2b SNHL study - Frequency Therapeutics, announced that the first subject has been dosed in a new FX-322 Phase 2b study being conducted in a refined population of individuals with SNHL. FX-322-208 is a randomized, placebo-controlled, multi-center study designed to evaluate the impact of a single administration of FX-322 on speech perception in approximately 124 subjects with SNHL. The study's primary endpoint is speech perception, a measure of sound clarity and understanding speech. The Phase 2b study's inclusion criteria are designed to enroll subjects with the same hearing loss severities and etiologies as those subjects in which statistically significant improvements in speech perception were observed in prior FX-322 clinical studies. FX-322-208 will include subjects with hearing loss associated with either noise-induced or sudden SNHL. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, in a recent Type-C meeting with the Company, agreed that speech perception is an acceptable primary efficacy endpoint. A variety of other listening tests, including multiple measures of speech perception and pure tone thresholds, will also be assessed. "The FX-322-208 Phase 2b study incorporates learnings from all of our prior studies, enabling us to identify targeted patient populations

07:36 EDT Business First Bancshares, Texas Citizens Bancorp announce merger - Business First Bancshares and Texas Citizens Bancorp announced the signing of a definitive agreement under which Business First will acquire Texas Citizens and its wholly owned bank subsidiary, Texas Citizens Bank, National Association. Following the completed transaction, the combined institution is expected to have total consolidated assets of approximately $4.9B. As of September 30, 2021, Business First had total assets of $4.4B, total loans of $3.1B, total deposits of $3.8B and total shareholders' equity of $430.2M, compared to Texas Citizens' estimated $516.9M in total assets, $365.7M in total loans, $452M in total deposits and $34.6M in common shareholders' equity. Texas Citizens Bank, which was founded in 2006, is headquartered and has six branches in the Houston area. Texas Citizens Bank's Chairman and CEO Duncan Stewart will join b1BANK and will serve as chairman, Houston region, leading business development efforts. President Mike Cornett will also join the b1BANK team as vice chair, Houston. Current b1BANK Executive Vice President, Director of Market Expansion Don Hingle will relocate to Houston as regional president, Houston. Mr. Hingle has 39 years of banking experience and has spent the last 12 with b1BANK, during which he has served in various capacities, including market president, regional president and chief credit officer. Under the terms of the merger agreement, which has been unanimously approved by the board of each company, Texas Citizens shareholders will receive 0.7038 shares of Business First stock for each share of Texas Citizens common stock, or approximately 2.1 million shares of Business First's common stock. Following the completion of the transaction, former Texas Citizens shareholders will own approximately 9.7 percent of the combined company. Based on Business First's closing stock price of $25.30 as of October 19, 2021, the transaction is valued at approximately $52.9 million in the aggregate. The merger agreement contains customary representations, warranties and covenants by Texas Citizens and Business First and is subject to customary closing conditions, including approval by Texas Citizens shareholders and the receipt of customary regulatory approvals. The transaction is expected to close during the first quarter of 2022.

07:34 EDT CI Financial to acquire McCutchen Group, terms undisclosed - CI Financial and McCutchen announced an agreement under which CI will acquire McCutchen Group, a wealth management firm with $3.4B in assets under management. As an advisor to a select group of individuals and families across the country, the Seattle-based firm provides financial advisory services ranging from investment management to tax, charitable and estate planning, as well as family office services. This transaction is expected to boost CI's U.S. wealth management assets to approximately $83B, with CI's total assets globally amounting to approximately US$260B. This transaction is expected to close later this year, subject to regulatory approval and other customary closing conditions. Financial terms were not disclosed. All financial amounts are as of September 30, 2021.

07:32 EDT Matinas BioPharma initiates dosing in Phase 1 study of MAT2501 - Matinas BioPharma Holdings announced that it has dosed the first patient in a Phase 1 single ascending dose pharmacokinetic study in healthy volunteers with MAT2501. The Company expects to complete enrollment of the Phase 1 SAD study in the first quarter of 2022, with data anticipated during the second quarter of 2022. Pending successful completion of the Phase 1 SAD study, the Company expects to start a Phase 2 program in patients with nontuberculous mycobacterial infections by the first quarter of 2023, following required longer-term preclinical toxicology studies to be conducted during 2022. MAT2501 is being developed to potentially become the first oral aminoglycoside, with the application of Matinas' proprietary LNC platform technology to the broad-spectrum antibiotic drug amikacin. Amikacin is a highly potent antibiotic used to treat chronic and acute bacterial infections, including problematic gram-negative infections. Currently, amikacin's use is severely limited due to associated major side effects including nephrotoxicity and ototoxicity, as well as inhalation complications with certain approved therapies. This Phase 1 study is a double-blind, placebo-controlled, SAD study designed primarily to evaluate the safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics of single ascending oral doses of MAT2501 in healthy adult subjects. Secondary objectives include the assessment of the effect of food on the pharmacokinetics of amikacin following a single oral dose of MAT2501. Development of MAT2501 has been supported by a $4.2 million Therapeutics Development Award from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has designated MAT2501 as a Qualified Infectious Disease Product and as an Orphan Drug for the treatment of NTM. If MAT2501 is ultimately approved by the FDA, the seven-year period of marketing exclusivity from orphan designation combined with the additional five years of marketing exclusivity provided by the QIDP designation, would provide for a potential total of 12 years of marketing exclusivity.

07:25 EDT Trump Media & Technology Group to merge with Digital World Acquisition - Shares of Digital World Acquisition Corp. are up 98c, or 10%, to $10.94 following news that Trump Media & Technology Group has entered a definitive merger agreement with the special purpose acquisition company that will result in Trump Media & Technology Group becoming a publicly listed company, subject to regulatory and stockholder approval. The transaction values Trump Media & Technology Group at an initial enterprise value of $875M, including debt, with a potential additional earnout of $825M in additional shares at the valuation they are granted for a cumulative valuation of up to $1.7B depending on the performance of the stock price post-business combination. Trump Media & Technology Group will create a social network called "Truth Social" that is now available for pre-order in the Apple App Store. Truth Social network will initially launch for invited users next month and is expected to be available nationwide in early 2022, the company said. Reference Link

07:24 EDT ChampionX announces launch of Spotlight EDGE - ChampionX Corporation announced that its Spotlight EDGE has received Microsoft's "Azure Certified Device" and "Edge Managed" certifications. The device is the only Class 1 Division 2 and ATEX finished product featured in the Microsoft Azure Certified Device Catalog.

07:21 EDT Medipharm Labs appoints Bryan Howcroft as CEO - MediPharm Labs announced that Bryan Howcroft will join MediPharm Labs as CEO and Director, effective November 15, 2021. Most recently, Bryan held the position of COO and CFO of Southmedic, a company that provides healthcare products, custom manufacturing, and distribution in over 60 countries globally. The Company looks forward to Bryan joining the team in November 2021 to plan for the strong execution of strategic priorities in 2022. These priorities are focused on increased sales, profitability and enhancing the Company's position as the go-to supplier of precision-based cannabinoids and finished products to the global pharmaceutical industry. In connection with Bryan's appointment as CEO, the Company granted 2,008,928 RSUs and 951,920 stock options to him with an exercise price set at the close of business on October 20, 2021. Each option grant has a five-year term expiring October 20, 2026. The RSUs and options vest in five equal instalments, the first of which vests immediately with the four other instalments vesting on the dates which are six, twelve, eighteen and twenty-four months from the grant date. The grants are subject to any necessary regulatory approvals.

07:20 EDT Red White & Bloom Brands appoints Colby De Zen to board - ed White & Bloom Brands announced the appointment of strategic investor and entrepreneur Mr. Colby De Zen to its board of directors, to become effective upon completion of any regulatory and/or other requirements as applicable. He is one of the managing directors of the De Zen Family Office, which has deployed significant capital in the public and private sectors, including real-estate, manufacturing, technology, trucking/logistics and cannabis.

07:18 EDT Xebec Adsorption receives EU research grant for 1 MW electrolyser system - Xebec Adsorption announced that it has received a research grant to design and manufacture a new type of electrolyser system. Under the ECO2Fuel consortium, the total approved budget of EUR20.1M will be shared among partners to execute the project which aims to convert captured CO2 and water with renewable electricity into sustainable liquid fuels. Xebec has been tasked with designing and building the industrial size 1 MW-class system that will also integrate technologies from other consortium partners which include De Nora, RWE Power, DLR, VITO and Ariema.

07:17 EDT CynergisTek gets six-figure cybersecurity service agreement with university - CynergisTek announces a one-year six-figure cybersecurity service agreement with a prestigious state university system to conduct remediation, security program development, and project management support. In the agreement, CynergisTek will offer support and cybersecurity expertise to the department overseeing and directing security efforts for the university system, including numerous campuses, multiple medical centers, and labs, representing over half a million students and faculty. The countless security challenges higher education institutions face includes complying with several regulations, balancing between providing a top-notch education, and gaining board-level buy-in towards investments to identify risk, provide training, and implement the necessary security tools, to developing a strategy that can be incorporated across the enterprise. The education industry ranks last in cyber preparedness and with a 30 percent increase in cyberattacks in July and August of 2020 compared to only a 6.5 percent increase across all other industries is an indication cyber needs to be a priority for higher education institutions. "CynergisTek is very familiar with highly regulated and targeted industries such as healthcare academic medical centers and higher education institutions," said Mac McMillan, CEO .

07:15 EDT Big Cypress Acquisition stockholders approve SAB Biotherapeutics combination - Big Cypress Acquisition's stockholders have approved the proposed business combination with SAB Biotherapeutics, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing a novel immunotherapy platform producing targeted, high potency, fully-human polyclonal antibody therapeutics and advancing programs in infectious disease and immune system disorders, at a Special Meeting of stockholders held on October 20. Approximately 98.3% of the votes cast, representing approximately 78.6% of Big Cypress' outstanding shares of common stock entitled to vote, were cast in favor of the proposal to approve the Business Combination. The Business Combination is expected to close on or about October 22, subject to the satisfaction or waiver of customary closing conditions. Upon closing, the combined company will be named SAB Biotherapeutics, and its common stock and warrants will be listed on Nasdaq under the ticker symbols "SABS" and "SABSW", respectively. The common stock and warrants of the combined company are anticipated to begin trading on or about October 25.

07:12 EDT Synthetic Biologics begins Phase 1 trial for SYN-020 in multiple indications - Synthetic Biologics has commenced enrollment and dosed eight study participants in its Phase 1, placebo-controlled, multiple-ascending dose clinical study of SYN-020 intestinal alkaline phosphatase, or IAP. SYN-020 is a recombinant bovine IAP formulated for oral delivery to the small intestine for multiple indications including celiac disease, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, age-related metabolic and inflammatory diseases, and radiation enteropathy. Synthetic Biologics has the ability to produce SYN-020 at a scale and cost viable for clinical and commercial development as an oral product. The company expects topline results from this study during 2Q22. Analyses of preliminary data demonstrated that SYN-020 maintained a favorable safety profile, was well tolerated at all dose levels, and no adverse events were attributed to study drug. No serious adverse events were reported.

07:10 EDT Mesa Air Group announces partnership with Flirtey - Mesa Air Group has signed an agreement with aerospace technology company Flirtey to order 4 delivery drones, with an option to order an additional 500 aircraft. The agreement marks Mesa becoming the first scheduled airline to launch drone delivery in the U.S. Mesa and Flirtey are initially focusing on the last-mile food delivery industry, enabling Mesa to expand beyond the global airlines market and into the global food service market. The immediate goal of the partnership is to conduct commercial drone deliveries in the last-mile food and beverage market in the U.S. The parties plan to expand the drone delivery service in the U.S. and New Zealand.

07:09 EDT Mesa Air Group announces partnership with Flirtey - Mesa Air Group has signed an agreement with aerospace technology company Flirtey to order 4 delivery drones, with an option to order an additional 500 aircraft. The agreement marks Mesa becoming the first scheduled airline to launch drone delivery in the U.S. Mesa and Flirtey are initially focusing on the last-mile food delivery industry, enabling Mesa to expand beyond the global airlines market and into the global food service market. The immediate goal of the partnership is to conduct commercial drone deliveries in the last-mile food and beverage market in the U.S. The parties plan to expand the drone delivery service in the U.S. and New Zealand.

07:05 EDT AutoNation to acquire acquire Priority 1 Automotive Group - AutoNation announced it has signed an agreement to acquire Priority 1 Automotive Group, representing approximately $420M in annual revenue. This transaction is subject to customary terms and conditions, including manufacturer approval, and is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2021. Together with the previously announced acquisition of Peacock Automotive Group, during 2021, AutoNation has announced acquisitions representing in the aggregate $800M in annual revenue.

07:03 EDT KeyCorp sees long-term ROTCE 16%-19%, cash efficiency ratio 54%-56% - Sees positive operating leverage for the long-term.

07:03 EDT KeyCorp sees Q4 NII down low single digits vs. Q3 - Q3 "relatively stable" noninterest income and average deposits, with noninterest expense down low single digits. Sees net charge-offs less than 20 basis points and a GAAP tax rate of approximately 20%. Comments taken from Q3 earnings conference call presentation slides.

06:59 EDT Geo Group signs new correctional facility lease agreement with New Mexico - Geo Group has entered into a new two-year lease agreement, with successive two-year renewal option periods through October 31, 2041, with the State of New Mexico at the company-owned, 600-bed Guadalupe County Correctional Facility. Geo has operated the Guadalupe County Correctional Facility under a management contract with New Mexico and will transition facility operations to the New Mexico Corrections Department when the new lease agreement commences on November 1. Geo will retain responsibility for facility maintenance throughout the term of the lease. The average annual rent for the initial two-year lease term is $4M, with escalators thereafter. For the first six months ended June 30, 2021, the Guadalupe County Correctional Facility generated operating revenue of approximately $4M.

06:47 EDT Pfizer, BioNTech say Covid-19 booster restores efficacy to 95.6% in trial - Pfizer Inc. (PFE) and BioNTech (BNTX) announced topline results from a Phase 3 randomized, controlled trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of a 30-microgram booster dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine in more than 10,000 individuals 16 years of age and older. In the trial, a booster dose administered to individuals who previously received the Pfizer-BioNTech primary two-dose series restored vaccine protection against COVID-19 to the high levels achieved after the second dose, showing a relative vaccine efficacy of 95.6% when compared to those who did not receive a booster. These are the first efficacy results from any randomized, controlled COVID-19 vaccine booster trial. "These results provide further evidence of the benefits of boosters as we aim to keep people well-protected against this disease," said Albert Bourla, Chairman and CEO, Pfizer. "In addition to our efforts to increase global access and uptake among the unvaccinated, we believe boosters have a critical role to play in addressing the ongoing public health threat of this pandemic. We look forward to sharing these data with health authorities and working together to determine how they can be used to support the rollout of booster doses around the world." All trial participants previously completed the primary two-dose series of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, and then were randomized 1:1 to receive either a 30-microgram booster dose or placebo. The median time between second dose and administration of the booster dose or placebo was approximately 11 months. Symptomatic COVID-19 occurrence was measured from at least 7 days after booster or placebo, with a median follow-up of 2.5 months. During the study period, there were 5 cases of COVID-19 in the boosted group, and 109 cases in the non-boosted group. The observed relative vaccine efficacy of 95.6% reflects the reduction in disease occurrence in the boosted group versus the non-boosted group in those without evidence of prior SARS-CoV-2 infection. Median age of participants was 53 years, with 55.5% of participants between 16 and 55 years, and 23.3% of participants 65 years and older.

06:46 EDT Valero forecasts 2021 capital investments of $2B - Of which approximately 60% is for sustaining the business and approximately 40% is for growth projects. Over 60% of Valero's 2021 growth capital is allocated to expanding the renewable diesel business.

06:41 EDT AT&T reports Q3 Warner Media results - WarnerMedia: Total global HBO Max and HBO subscribers of 69.4 million, up 12.5 million year over year; domestic subscribers of 45.2 million, up 7.1 million in past year; Domestic HBO Max and HBO subscriber ARPU of $11.82; Total revenues up 14.2% to $8.4 billion; Direct-to-Consumer subscription revenues up about 25%.

06:39 EDT Snap-On narrows 2021 CapEx view to $90M from $90M-$100M - Sees 2021 effective income tax rate in the range of 23% to 24%.

06:33 EDT AT&T reports Q3 928,000 postpaid phone net adds - Mobility: 928,000 postpaid phone net adds; 1,218,000 postpaid net adds; 249,000 prepaid phone net adds; Postpaid phone churn of 0.72%;Revenues up 7.0%; service revenues up 4.6%; equipment revenues up 15.0%; Operating income of $6.0 billion, up 4.6% year over year; EBITDA3 up 3.6%; Operating income margin of 31.1%; EBITDA service margin4 55.0%.Consumer Wireline: 289,000 AT&T Fiber net adds; penetration about 37%; Revenues up 3.4%; broadband revenues up 7.6% with ARPU growth of 5.2%.

06:30 EDT Tarena, Xueda Education to establish education businesses collaboration - Tarena announced that it has entered into a strategic cooperation agreement with Xueda Education to establish an in-depth collaboration framework between both parties in education businesses, including adult professional education, childhood & adolescent computer coding and robotics programming courses, robotics competitions and training camps. Pursuant to the strategic cooperation agreement, Tarena is responsible for the curriculum development and tutoring management for the relevant businesses, and Xueda is responsible for the student recruitment, marketing activities and the provision of classroom area and relevant facilities.

06:27 EDT Stantec to acquire select Cardno businesses for $500M - Stantec has entered into share purchase agreements to acquire the North America and Asia Pacific engineering and consulting groups of Cardno. Stantec will acquire the select assets for aggregate cash consideration of $500M representing 9.4x the Select Assets' 2022 expected pre-IFRS16 adjusted EBITDA post-synergies. Cardno's Latin American operations and International Development business are excluded from the acquisition. Combined Environmental Services business is to represent 20% of Stantec's pro forma net revenues. The acquisition grows Stantec's US Environmental Services practice by more than 60% and increases its exposure to the $9T in spending on ecosystem restoration that the United Nations forecasts by 2030. The combined Infrastructure business is to represent 30% of Stantec's pro forma net revenues. The acquisition nearly doubles Stantec's Australia footprint to 2,500 employees and increases United States footprint to 10,500 employees. The acquisition has Immediate double-digit accretion to adjusted EPS. 2022 expected net revenue is more than $350M, and $10M in annual cost synergies is expected to be achieved within two years. The acquisition is to be funded with existing funds and credit facilities and expected to result in an estimated 1.5x pro forma net debt to adjusted EBITDA ratio upon closing. The acquisition is expected to close by the end of 2021.

06:25 EDT Barclays expects to deliver RoTE above 10% in 2021 - For FY21, the impairment run rate is expected to remain below historical levels in coming quarters. Excluding structural cost actions and performance costs, FY21 costs are expected to be c.GBP 12B. The Group is evaluating planned structural cost actions for Q421, Barclays said in a statement. The CET1 ratio is expected to remain above the target range of 13-14% at 31 December 2021.

06:08 EDT KnowBe4 to acquire SecurityAdvisor for $80M in cash, stock - KnowBe4 announced that they have entered into a material definitive agreement to acquire SecurityAdvisor for an estimated total purchase consideration of approximately $80M, to be paid through a combination of cash and stock with both upfront and earnout components. The acquisition is expected to close during the fourth quarter of 2021, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions.

06:05 EDT Dow Inc. says robust end-market demand to continue into 2022 - "We continue to see robust end-market demand that is expected to extend into 2022, coupled with near-term logistics constraints and low inventory levels across our value chains," said Fitterling. "Looking ahead, Dow is well-positioned to increase earnings, cash flow and returns as we decarbonize our footprint and achieve our 2030 and 2050 carbon emissions reduction targets. We will continue to build on our competitive advantage with growth from higher-margin, sustainability-driven, downstream solutions, and value-accretive investments to replace end-of-life assets with carbon-efficient and higher-ROIC production. Dow expects to deliver significant long-term value for shareholders as we continue to apply our balanced capital allocation approach to grow earnings while maintaining our strong operational and financial discipline."

06:04 EDT MasterCard announces new supply chain offering - Mastercard announced a new supply chain finance capability within Track Business Payment Service designed to increase access to working capital while lowering costs, reducing complexity and risk, and accelerating automation when businesses pay and get paid. Launched in partnership with Demica, a leading global provider of supply chain finance technology, this new offering empowers Mastercard partners to provide their business customers with access to affordable working capital. Mastercard Track, an open-loop network, can now connect providers of B2B payments and their respective buyer and supplier customers to working capital.

06:02 EDT OneWater Marine to acquire T-H Marine for $185M - OneWater Marine announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire T-H Marine, a provider of branded marine parts and accessories, for approximately $185M. The transaction is expected to close in the calendar fourth quarter of 2021. OneWater will be using a combination of cash and approximately $7M in stock to fund the acquisition. In conjunction with the transaction, the company has received a commitment from Truist Securities to expand its current term facility by $200M. The company expects its net debt-to-Adjusted EBITDA ratio to be in the range of 1.2x to 1.7x after the transaction.

05:26 EDT TDH Holdings postpones annual shareholder meeting - TDH Holdings announced that it issued a letter to its shareholders, regarding the postponement of its annual general meeting of shareholders until Tuesday, December 28.

05:20 EDT SAP sees FY21 cloud revenue up 16%-19% - Sees FY21 effective tax rate 20%-21%. The company said, "The Company continues to expect software licenses revenue to decline for the full year as more customers turn to the 'RISE with SAP' subscription offering for their mission-critical core processes. This outlook also continues to assume the COVID-19 crisis will continue to recede as vaccine programs roll out globally."

05:07 EDT EO Charging launches eBus division, software platform - EO Charging announced the launch of a dedicated eBus division & software platform to support the electrification of bus fleets and the drive by local and national governments to reach clean air targets. EO's eBus software solution will integrate with any OCPP-compliant charge point, not just EO's own charging hardware. Managed by EO Cloud, EO's electric vehicle charging software, the new eBus solution enables the integration of new buses as fleets grow, as well as the integration of new charging hardware over time.