Stockwinners Market Radar for December 29, 2021 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

20:32 EST Viatris wins court decisions on Sanofi appeal of Lantus patent invalidations - Viatris "announced that it is pleased with decisions issued today which affirm the U.S. Patent and Trademark Appeal Board's prior rulings that found the challenged claims of Sanofi's Lantus SoloSTAR device patents, U.S. Patent Nos. 9,603,044, 8,992,486, 9,526,844, 9,604,008, and 8,679,069, unpatentable." The company states that "these affirmances reinforce the company's continuing efforts to break down barriers to patient access for important medicines such as Semglee through its Global Healthcare Gateway(R). Viatris and Biocon Biologics Ltd. launched their interchangeable Semglee products last month, which are the first, and currently the only, interchangeable biosimilars to Lantus(R), providing more affordable options for the millions of Americans living with diabetes."

20:27 EST Tesla Cathie Wood's ARK Investment sold 27.9K shares of Tesla today

19:25 EST Four Corners Property Trust acquires Portillo's restaurant property for $3.3M - Four Corners Property Trust announces the acquisition of a Portillo's restaurant property for $3.3M. The property is located in the retail corridor in Wisconsin and is occupied under a long-term triple net lease.

18:19 EST SK hynix completes first phase of Intel NAND and SSD business acquisition - SK Hynix announced that it has completed the first phase of the transaction to acquire Intel's NAND and solid-state drive business. Following the recent merger clearance from China's State Administration for Market Regulation on Dec. 22, SK hynix closed the first phase of the transaction by acquiring Intel's SSD business and the Dalian NAND flash manufacturing facility in China. In exchange, SK hynix will pay $7B in consideration.

17:32 EST Angion Biomedica CEO buys $730K in common stock - In a regulatory filing, Angion Biomedica disclosed that its CEO Jay Venkatesan bought 277K shares of common stock for $730K on December 27th, boosting his stake by about 20%.

17:16 EST Lockheed Martin awarded $847.03M Navy contract modification - Lockheed Martin was awarded a not-to-exceed $847.03M fixed-price incentive modification to a previously awarded advance acquisition contract This modification increases the scope to procure long lead materials, parts, components, and efforts associated with the production of 105 Lot 17 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft for the Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, non-U.S. Department of Defense participants and Foreign Military Sales customers. Work is expected to be completed in May 2026. FY22 aircraft procurement funds in the amount of $292.69M; FY22 aircraft procurement funds in the amount of $191.94M; non-U.S. DOD participant funds in the amount of $236.5M and FMS funds in the amount of $125.7M will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command is the contracting activity.

16:47 EST Revive Therapeutics updates on phase 3 clinical trial for Bucillamine in COVID - Revive Therapeutics "provides an update on the company's U.S. Food & Drug Administration Phase 3 clinical trialto evaluate the safety and efficacy of Bucillamine, an oral drug with anti-inflammatory and antiviral properties, in patients with mild to moderate COVID-19. To date, the Study has screened approximately 700 subjects. The Independent Data and Safety Monitoring Board supported the continuation of the Study in its last meeting as there were no serious adverse events or safety concerns. In light of Phase 3 clinical studies and FDA approvals of oral antiviral treatments by Pfizer and Merck, it was evident that to ensure a diversified patient population to support future global regulatory submissions for Bucillamine, including the FDA, the company has decided to fill a part of its patient enrollment quota outside of the U.S. and target Eastern Europe, such as in Turkey, where the reported cases of COVID-19 are high with 32,176 new COVID-19 infections reported on December 28, 2021. In addition, the company in collaboration with Delta Health will add research sites from the largest hospital group in Turkey, MLP Care and Istinye University, which has 30 directly owned hospitals in 15 cities and its affiliated university medical centers for a combined capacity of over 6000 in-patient hospital beds across Turkey. As a result of the Company's plans to diversify its patient population globally, incorporate viral load and anti-inflammatory markers, and its ongoing discussions with international pharmaceutical companies seeking to obtain commercial rights to Bucillamine as a treatment for COVID-19 in various countries in Europe, India and Asia, the Phase 3 clinical study enrollment completion period is expected in Q1-2022. The company still expects to file an Emergency Use Authorization with the FDA if the blinded results provide evidence to the DSMB's final review to recommend to pursue EUA for Bucillamine to treat mild to moderate COVID-19."

16:32 EST Four Corners Property Trust acquires three Mr. Tire properties for $2.5M - Four Corners Property Trust announced the acquisition of three Mr. Tire properties for $2.5M. The properties are located in dense corridors in Maryland and are under a master lease to the corporate entity with approximately eight years of term remaining. The transaction was priced at a 6.5% going-in cash capitalization rate, exclusive of transaction costs.

16:19 EST Tyme Technologies gets compliance notice from Nasdaq - In a regulatory 8-K filing, Tyme Technologies states: "On December 22, 2021, the company received notice from The Nasdaq Stock Market that the closing bid price for our common stock had been below $1.00 per share for the previous 30 consecutive business days, and that we are therefore not in compliance with the minimum bid price requirement for continued inclusion on The Nasdaq Capital Market under Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(a)(2). Nasdaq's notice has no immediate effect on the listing or trading of our common stock on The Nasdaq Capital Market.":

16:11 EST American Eagle completes acquisition of Quiet Logistics - American Eagle Outfitters announced it has completed the acquisition of Quiet Logistics and strategic investments for approximately $360M in cash. Quiet Logistics is a logistics company that operates a network of in-market fulfillment centers in Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Dallas, St. Louis and Jacksonville, locating products closer to need, creating inventory efficiencies, cost benefits and affordable same-day and next-day delivery options to customers and stores.

16:06 EST Highwoods Properties announces $56M in additional non-core asset sales - Highwoods Properties has sold 4421 and 4401 Waterfront Drive, two non-core office buildings encompassing 97,000 square feet in Richmond, for $20.8M. Additionally, the Company has sold Progress Center, which consists of two in-service non-core office buildings encompassing 147,000 square feet and an associated development parcel in Raleigh, for $35.0M. During Q4, the company expects to record total gains of approximately $92.9M, including non-FFO gains of approximately $83.5M and FFO gains of approximately $9.4M.

15:48 EST Micron says Xi'an closure has 'some impact' on output levels of DRAM - Micron Technology released the following statement in response to the Xi'an Government's city closure: "Micron is in full compliance with the Xi'an Government's city closure, which took effect on Dec. 23, 2021. Our top priority is the health and safety of our team members, contractors and the broader Xi'an community. The city's closure has reduced Micron's team member and contractor workforce at our Xi'an site, resulting in some impact to output levels of our DRAM assembly and test operations there. We are working with suppliers operating in this region that face similar challenges. We are also working with local government officials to identify solutions that will enable us to minimize impact of the situation and maintain operations at the site safely. We are tapping our global supply chain, including our subcontractor partners, to help service our customers for these DRAM products. We project that these efforts will allow us to meet most of our customer demand, however there may be some near-term delays as we activate our network. New or more stringent restrictions may be increasingly difficult to mitigate. We will continue to address the situation proactively and work closely with our customers, suppliers and logistics partners to ensure we minimize any impact to delivery schedules. We take the threat posed by the spread of COVID-19 seriously and are employing appropriate measures to minimize the risk of virus transmission, including maximizing physical distancing and temporarily reducing workforce density at our Xi'an facility. To protect all those on our site, we have enhanced our already stringent COVID-19 protocols to include further facility reconfiguration and air flow ionization, advanced electronic contact tracing, on-site testing and encouraging vaccination." Reference Link

15:01 EST Tyler Technologies announces purchase of office property in Maine - Tyler Technologies announced it has purchased the University Inn Academic Suites building in Orono, Maine. "Tyler plans to expand its Orono-based workforce, which will accommodate 36 of its team members who currently work out of the Bangor, Maine, office. Once the full renovations are complete, the office will house approximately 75 employees...Tyler's expansion in Orono will also allow for greater collaboration with the Orono-based University of Maine... With the new office space in Orono, Tyler plans to provide a shared space to be available to the community during non-office hours. Tyler will also be working closely with the town of Orono to align with its economic development plans," the company said.

14:22 EST NextGen Acquisition Corp. II announces closing of combination with Virgin Orbit - NextGen Acquisition Corp. II (NGCA) announced the closing of its business combination with Vieco USA, Inc., the parent company of Virgin Orbit (VORB). As of the closing of the transaction, which was approved by NextGen stockholders on December 28, NextGen has changed its name to "Virgin Orbit Holdings, Inc." Virgin Orbit's common stock and warrants are expected to begin to trade on the NASDAQ Stock Market on December 30 under the ticker symbols "VORB" and "VORBW", respectively.

14:12 EST Biogen jumps 7% to $252.20 after Korea Economic Daily report of buyout talks

12:46 EST Delta expects to cancel approximately 250 flights on Wednesday - Delta Air Lines stated in an update to its corporate news hub: "Winter weather and the omicron variant are continuing to hamper operations, with Delta expecting to cancel approximately 250 of 4,158 scheduled mainline and Delta Connection flights on Wednesday. Delta will be offering eCredit vouchers to impacted customers for the delay in their travels. Today, Delta also issued waivers ahead of expected winter weather impact at our Salt Lake City and Detroit hubs in the coming days." Reference Link

12:00 EST Zhangmen Education falls -9.6% - Zhangmen Education is down -9.6%, or -62c to $5.82.

12:00 EST Boxed rises 7.9% - Boxed is up 7.9%, or $1.07 to $14.63.

12:00 EST Calix rises 16.6% - Calix is up 16.6%, or $11.39 to $79.80.

11:21 EST Lexaria Bioscience receives IRB approval for HYPER-H21-4 study - Lexaria Bioscience reports that Independent Review Board approval has been received ahead of schedule for its upcoming DehydraTECH-CBD human hypertension study HYPER-H21-4. This study should "de-risk" outcomes prior to Lexaria's planned entry into regulatory pathways for the use of DehydraTECH-CBD to treat hypertension and perhaps other forms of cardiovascular disease. This study is entirely funded through the Company's existing cash resources and is not subject to any financing requirement. Dosing is tentatively scheduled to begin by April, 2022. HYPER-H21-4 is expected to consist of 60 volunteers between the ages of 45-70 using three 150 mg doses of DehydraTECH-CBD, every day for the 6-week duration of the study. The study will use a double blinded, randomized cross-over design, and a placebo control. Some volunteers will already be using leading standard of care hypertension drugs such as ACE inhibitors with or without diuretics which will help evaluate the efficacy of DehydraTECH-CBD with and without other hypertension treatments. The extended duration of the study will allow Lexaria to gather critical data monitoring of DehydraTECH-CBD over time and will evaluate the potential for longer term health benefits. HYPER-H21-4 is more comprehensive than any work previously undertaken by Lexaria and many types of analysis will be performed including 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure; arterial stiffness and autonomic balance; brain structure and function through brain magnetic resonance imaging; blood biomarkers; renal, hepatic, sleep quality / daytime sleepiness / sleep disorders; actigraphy, geriatric depression scale, perceived stress, and Beck anxiety inventory. The wide range of data collection could provide additional insights into the long-term health benefits of DehydraTECH-CBD that might otherwise remain undetected.

10:41 EST Chubb names Paul Johnstone as COO of Chubb Canada - Chubb has appointed Paul Johnstone, Chubb Canada's current EVP, Personal Risk Services, to the role of Chubb Canada COO, reporting to John Alfieri, President, Chubb Canada. In this new role, Johnstone will have executive operating responsibility for the organization's retail property and casualty insurance business, including its high-net-worth personal lines segment in Canada, and he will also provide oversight for the businesses accident and health offerings that are provided to Canadian-based clients, served by independent brokers and agents through Chubb's four Canadian branches. In addition, he will help support Chubb Canada's strategic priorities and information technology, including architecture, with a focus on increased digitization, and will look to further strengthen key relationships with distribution partners throughout the region. Melanie Wilcox, who currently serves as SVP and Assistant Region Manager for Chubb Canada Personal Risk Services, will succeed Johnstone as Head of Personal Risk Services, Canada. In this capacity, she will lead all strategic initiatives and oversee underwriting, marketing, business development, operations, and risk consulting teams to support efforts in meeting the insurance needs of successful families and individuals across Canada. She will report to Alfieri, with matrixed reporting to Ana Robic, Vice President, Chubb Group and Division President, North America Personal Risk Services. These appointments are effective January 1, 2022.

10:21 EST Astra Space down 9% after called 'worst space SPAC' in Kerrisdale short report - Shares of Astra Space are down 67c, or 9%, to $7.04 after Kerrisdale's report.

10:01 EST Cepton cancels in-person participation in CES 2022 due to COVID concerns - Cepton Technologies announced that it has decided to cancel its in-person presence at the upcoming CES 2022 from January 5th to 8th, 2022, due to concerns over surging cases of Covid / Omicron variant in the U.S. For the safety of its employees, customers and partners, Cepton will move all in-person communications online to share details about its lidar portfolio and discuss its latest developments in intelligent lidar perception, including dynamic and static applications. Particularly, the Cepton team will be available for online meetings to present the Nova and Vista-X90 lidars, Cepton's latest automotive-grade lidar sensors tailored to the needs of global automotive OEMs for next-generation advanced driver assistance systems and autonomous driving capabilities.

10:00 EST Vertical Aerospace falls -8.4% - Vertical Aerospace is down -8.4%, or -72c to $7.89.

10:00 EST Kuke Music rises 8.4% - Kuke Music is up 8.4%, or 37c to $4.80.

10:00 EST Calix rises 13.8% - Calix is up 13.8%, or $9.43 to $77.84.

09:47 EST Irsa Inversiones y Representaciones SA falls -7.5% - Irsa Inversiones y Representaciones SA is down -7.5%, or -32c to $3.93.

09:47 EST J.Jill rises 6.9% - J.Jill is up 6.9%, or $1.22 to $18.82.

09:47 EST Calix rises 11.7% - Calix is up 11.7%, or $7.99 to $76.39.

09:40 EST Insignia Systems trading resumes

09:32 EST Nevada reports November statewide gaming win up 71.38% to $1.32B - Nevada reports November Las Vegas Strip gaming win up 115.86% compared to 2020 to $755.06M. Publicly traded companies in the casino and gambling space include Boyd Gaming (BYD), Caesars (CZR), Churchill Downs (CHDN), DraftKings (DKNG), Flutter Entertainment (PDYPY), Gan Limited (GAN), Las Vegas Sands (LVS), MGM Resorts (MGM), Penn National (PENN), William Hill (WIMHY) and Wynn Resorts (WYNN).

09:17 EST Apollo Funds announce first close of $816M investment supporting NextEra Energy - Apollo (APO) announced that funds managed by its affiliates have made a first close on a $816M in a convertible equity portfolio financing agreement with NextEra Energy Partners, LP (NEP) in a 2.5 GW contracted renewable energy generation portfolio. Participation in the investment by leading pensions and insurers underscores the attractiveness of the assets and a shared interest among Apollo and some of the world's leading institutions to support the clean energy transition. The Portfolio consists of 13 utility-scale wind and solar assets, three of which include battery storage, that are geographically diversified across nine US states. The assets have in place long-term power purchase agreements with diversified, investment-grade counterparties. NextEra, one of the largest global renewable energy producers, will provide asset management and O&M services to the portfolio, aligning Apollo with a world-class operating partner. Apollo, through its managed funds and accounts, has been one of the most active alternative investors in energy transition equity, debt and hybrid investments, ranging from renewable energy assets and infrastructure, including offshore and onshore wind, solar and storage, to carbon reduction technologies, to helping finance the transformation of traditional energy companies toward a cleaner future. In the transaction, Allen & Overy LLP and Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP served as legal counsel to the Apollo Funds.

09:10 EST Nielsen expands its Nielsen Impact Score, now includes over 100 college programs - Nielsen announced the expansion of its Nielsen Impact Score, NIS, to now include over 100 college football programs in its database. The NIS "helps universities recruit collegiate athletes by demonstrating the marketing value of each athletic program," the company said. The Nielsen Impact Score is a marketing value index that compares programs across three key inputs: National Exposure; Local Market Impact; and Social Media Engagement

09:05 EST SciSparc CEO provides update on 2022 goals - SciSparc provides updates on 2022 goals. "Looking forward to 2022, we are aiming to show progress in our clinical programs in Tourette Syndrome, Alzheimer's disease and Agitation and Autism Spectrum Disorder. We are planning on expanding our partners network and continuing to raise awareness of our unique technologies and novel treatments by showcasing them in leading events worldwide. We plan on strengthening our professional team and advisory board as well as increasing exposure to investors in North America," added Amitai Weiss, Chief Executive Officer of SciSparc.

09:02 EST First Onsite Property acquires Bales Restoration - First Onsite Property Restoration, a subsidary of FirstService, has acquired Bales Restoration, a Seattle-based emergency water restoration, disinfectant cleaning, mold remediation, drying and inspections service provider. "The acquisition is part of First Onsite's expansion strategy to attain operational excellence for clients by focusing on geographical expansion and timely response," the company said. "Bales Restoration is widely considered one of the best commercial restoration and healthcare contributors in the Pacific Northwest region. With their market strength and their experience with complex projects in the commercial segment, they're the perfect fit for First Onsite's growth strategy in that market," stated Stacy Mazur, First Onsite CEO, U.S.

08:37 EST SEC charges Medallion Financial, COO with fraudulent schemes to boost stock - The Securities and Exchange Commission announced it has charged Medallion Financial Corp. and its President and Chief Operating Officer, Andrew Murstein of New York, NY, with illegally engaging in two schemes in an effort to reverse the company's plummeting stock price. According to the SEC's complaint, Medallion's core business was making loans backed by taxicab medallions to taxicab owners and operators. However, the popularity of ride-sharing companies like Uber (UBER) and Lyft (LYFT) led to a decline in the value of taxicab medallions and of Medallion's stock price. "Murstein and Medallion allegedly directed two separate schemes to inflate the company's stock price, in part with the help of California-based media strategy company, Ichabod's Cranium, Inc., and its owner, Lawrence Meyers, both of whom were also charged by the SEC with fraud. The complaint, filed in federal district court in Manhattan, alleges that Murstein and Medallion engaged in illegal touting by paying Ichabod's Cranium and others to place positive stories about the company on various websites, including Huffington Post, Seeking Alpha, and TheStreet.com," the SEC said. The SEC seeks permanent injunctions, disgorgement plus prejudgment interest, and civil penalties. In addition, the SEC seeks an officer-and-director bar against Murstein. Reference Link

08:34 EST Harbor Custom Development enters contract to purchase Florida site for $7.4M - Harbor Custom Development announced that it has entered into a contract with JIBA Family, LP and Bayonet Point Holdings, LLC for the purchase of 60 acres in Hudson, Florida for $7,400,000.

08:32 EST Barfresh Food Group completes 1-for-13 reverse stock split - Barfresh Food announced it completed a reverse stock split of its shares of common stock at a ratio of 1-for-13. The Company's stock will begin trading on a post-split basis on the OTCQB at the open of trading on December 29, 2021 under the temporary trading symbol "BRFHD". The "D" lettering will be removed within 20 business days if the stock is still trading on the OTCQB, or upon the listing of the Company's common stock on a National Exchange, whichever comes first. At that time, the Company's trading symbol will revert back to "BRFH." The new CUSIP number for the Company's common stock is 06753220. The reverse stock split was implemented by the Company in connection with its application to uplist the Company's common stock on a National Exchange. The reverse stock split is intended to fulfill the stock price requirements for initial listing on a National Exchange. At the effective time of the 1:13 reverse stock split, every thirteen shares of the Company's issued and outstanding common stock will be automatically converted into one share of issued and outstanding common stock, with any fractional shares rounded up to one whole share. The reverse stock split will reduce the number of shares of the Company's common stock outstanding from approximately 167.8 million shares to approximately 12.9 million shares. Shareholders holding shares through a brokerage account will have their shares automatically adjusted to reflect the reverse stock split.

08:21 EST Essity announces the acquisition of Hydrofera for $116M - Essity has acquired the company Hydrofera. The company offers technology and products within advanced wound care. The purchase price amounts to $116M with a potential additional earnout amount of $15M on a cash and debt free basis. "The acquisition supports Essity's strategic priority to grow through acquisitions in Medical Solutions," the company said. The acquisition is expected to be accretive to Essity's earnings per share in 2022. "The acquisition of Hydrofera is yet another great strategic fit for Essity further strengthening our innovation capacity and expanding our offering within advanced wound care. The company has innovations that significantly accelerate healing and reduce the patient's discomfort," says Ulrika Kolsrud, President Health and Medical Solutions at Essity.

08:16 EST TuSimple says first to successfully operate fully autonomous semi on open roads - TuSimple said it has completed the "world's first fully autonomous semi-truck run on open public roads without a human in the vehicle and without human intervention." The company announced in a press release: "The run took place on December 22nd and required TuSimple's upfitted autonomous semi-truck to begin its journey from a large railyard in Tucson, Arizona, and travel more than 80 miles on surface streets and highways at night. Along the journey, TuSimple's Autonomous Driving System successfully navigated surface streets, traffic signals, on-ramps, off-ramps, emergency lane vehicles, and highway lane changes in open traffic while naturally interacting with other motorists. The one-hour and 20-minute drive is the first time a class 8 autonomous truck has operated on open public roads without a human in the vehicle and without human intervention and is part of an ongoing test program that will continue into 2022. The test was performed in close collaboration with the Arizona Department of Transportation and law enforcement. The autonomous driving test was 100% operated by TuSimple's ADS without a human on-board, without remote human control of the vehicle, and without traffic intervention."

08:09 EST Sandvik acquires Dimensional Control Systems - Sandvik has acquired US-based Dimensional Control Systems, DCS - a global provider of dimensional quality management software and on-site engineering services. The company will be reported in the Industrial Metrology division, within business area Sandvik Manufacturing and Machining Solutions. "This acquisition is in line with our strategic focus to grow in the digital manufacturing space, with special attention on industrial software close to component manufacturing. Dimensional Control System's offering, in combination with our extensive manufacturing know-how, will enhance Sandvik's overall digital offering - and specifically our industrial metrology solutions," says Stefan Widing, President and CEO of Sandvik. DCS's software solutions include CAD simulation tools, enabling customers to improve and validate their component design and metrology measurement plan - resulting in reduced scrap, rework, downtime and non-conformance issues.

08:08 EST Diversified Healthcare Trust announces JV partner for Boston Seaport property - Diversified Healthcare Trust (DHC) announced that it has entered into an agreement with a global institutional investor to acquire an equity interest in DHC's existing joint venture that owns the two building life science complex located at 11 Fan Pier and 50 Northern Avenue in Boston, MA. The new investor will acquire from DHC a 35% equity interest in the joint venture for a purchase price of approximately $378M, with the existing partner continuing to own a 45% equity interest and DHC owning the remaining 20% equity interest. The purchase price for the 35% equity interest is based on a property valuation of $1.7B, less the $620M of existing secured debt on the property. The property included in the joint venture was acquired by DHC in May 2014 for $1.1B and consists of two 15-story, class A LEED Gold Certified life science buildings located in Boston's Seaport District. The two buildings are approximately 95% leased to Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. through 2028 and include 1.1M rentable square feet of lab, corporate office and street level retail space. DHC expects to use the cash proceeds from this transaction to fund capital expenditures, to reduce outstanding indebtedness and for other general business purposes. The joint venture is managed by The RMR Group (RMR), a leading U.S. alternative asset management company that is headquartered in Newton, MA and the manager of DHC. RMR is responsible for providing all aspects of business and property management services for more than 1,300 properties with over 93M square feet of commercial office, industrial, medical office, life science and retail space.

08:07 EST Lawson Products to combine with TestEquity, Gexpro Services in accretive deal - Lawson Products and LKCM Headwater jointly announced the execution of definitive merger agreements pursuant to which Lawson will combine in an accretive transaction on an adjusted basis with two of LKCM Headwater's portfolio companies, TestEquity and Gexpro Services, in an all stock transaction. The affiliates of LKCM Headwater that currently own TestEquity and Gexpro Services will receive solely Lawson common stock as consideration for the transactions. All three leading niche industrial distribution companies will be brought under a holding company with all three companies operating independently with their existing management teams as separate divisions. Upon closing of the combination, Lawson's capitalization is expected to consist of approximately 19,400,000 shares, of which approximately 9,100,000 shares, or 47%, would be held by existing Lawson shareholders, 3,300,000 shares, or 17%, would be held by the existing owners of TestEquity and 7M shares, or 36%, would be held by the existing owners of Gexpro Services. Existing owners of TestEquity and Gexpro Services also have the ability to earn an additional 700,000 shares and 1,000,000 shares, respectively, upon achieving certain additional accretion and other metrics set forth in the merger agreements. Affiliates of LKCM Headwater currently beneficially own approximately 48% of Lawson's outstanding shares. Upon completion of the combination, affiliates of LKCM Headwater will beneficially own approximately 75% of Lawson's shares, and their ownership would increase to approximately 77% of Lawson's shares if all of the 1,700,000 additional shares are earned. All Lawson shares outstanding immediately before the completion of the combination will remain outstanding after the combination, and existing Lawson shareholders will continue to hold shares in the combined company. Upon the closing of the combination, Lawson, TestEquity and Gexpro Services will continue to be led by their existing senior management teams. The combination is subject to various closing conditions, including receipt of regulatory approvals and the approval by the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the total voting power of Lawson shares not owned by various affiliates of LKCM Headwater present in person or by proxy at a special stockholders meeting, where a majority of the outstanding Lawson shares not owned by various affiliates of LKCM Headwater are present in person or by proxy at the special meeting. The combination is expected to close during the second quarter of 2022. The board of Lawson formed a special committee of independent directors who are independent of LKCM Headwater to evaluate and negotiate the transactions on behalf of Lawson. The committee approved, among other things, the merger agreements and the transactions contemplated thereby and recommended that Lawson's board of directors approve the merger agreements and the transactions contemplated thereby. Thereafter, Lawson's board of directors, with certain directors recusing themselves from the vote, approved among other things the merger agreements and the contemplated transactions.

08:06 EST FuelCell falls over 12% to $5.16 after Q4 earnings miss and FY22 outlook

08:05 EST Universe Pharmaceuticals enters strategic alliance with Jinggangshan University - Universe Pharmaceuticals INC announced that the Company had entered into a strategic cooperation agreement with Jinggangshan University, a public university located in Ji'an City of Jiangxi Province, for a study on the chemical constituents of Liparis Odorata, a traditional Chinese medicine, for the treatment of hyperlipidemia. Under the Agreement, JGSU agrees to conduct the aforementioned studies and provide scientific research results to the Company, and report to the Company upon completion within 24 months from the date of the Agreement.

08:03 EST Finward Bancorp, Royal Financial receive regulatory approvals for merger - Finward Bancorp and Royal Financial jointly announced that the Indiana Department of Financial Institutions has approved the proposed merger of Royal Savings Bank with and into Peoples Bank. In addition, Finward previously received the approval of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation for the merger of Royal Savings Bank with and into Peoples Bank, and the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago previously approved Finward's requested waiver from its application filing requirements. The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation also has acknowledged receipt of all required notices, and has issued a letter of no objection to the establishment by Peoples Bank of foreign trust offices at the branches currently operated by Royal Savings Bank, in connection with the merger of Royal Savings Bank and Peoples Bank. As a result, all regulatory approvals necessary for the consummation of the merger of Royal Financial into Finward, and the merger of Royal Savings Bank into Peoples Bank, have now been received. The merger is expected to be completed at the end of January 2022 and remains subject to the satisfaction of various closing conditions. Additionally, Finward and Royal Financial announced that the election form and other materials necessary for Royal Financial stockholders to make their elections with respect to the merger consideration were first made available and mailed on December 28, 2021 to Royal Financial stockholders reflected in the records of Royal Financial as of December 20, 2021. The election deadline for Royal Financial's stockholders to elect the type of merger consideration they wish to receive is 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on January 18, 2022. The merger agreement provides that, in the aggregate, 65% of the outstanding shares of Royal Financial common stock will be converted into the right to receive shares of Finward common stock and the remaining 35% of the outstanding shares of Royal Financial common stock will be converted into the right to receive cash. When the elections of all Royal Financial stockholders have been received, Broadridge Corporate Issuer Solutions, Inc., the exchange agent for the merger will determine the exact amount of cash and/or shares of Finward common stock to be distributed to Royal Financial stockholders based on their election choices and the proration procedures described in the merger agreement.

08:00 EST NEWCITY announces AMC Theatres to operate 14-screen movie theatre - NEWCITY has finalized a lease agreement with AMC Theatres to open and operate the 14-screen movie theatre at NEWCITY, with an opening date expected to in the Spring of 2022. "We are thrilled that AMC will bring movies back to NEWCITY," said John Bucksbaum, CEO of Bucksbaum Properties. "NEWCITY guests and area residents have missed their neighborhood movie theater and we look forward to seeing them enjoy the new first-class AMC experience."

07:53 EST Deutsche Bank fined EUR 8.66M over rate-rigging safeguards - In a BaFin press release, the regulatory agency said, "On 28 December 2021, the Federal Financial Supervisory Authority imposed an administrative fine amounting to EUR 8.66M on Deutsche Bank. As a supervised contributor to EURIBOR, the bank at times did not have in place effective preventive systems, controls and policies within the meaning of Article 16(2)(a) of the European Benchmarks Regulation. The bank may lodge an appeal against BaFin's administrative fine order." Reference Link

07:39 EST Aleafia Health announces closing of $19M credit facility - Aleafia Health is pleased to announce the closing of a credit facility of up to $19 million. The Credit Facility is financed by the Garrington Group of Companies, a Toronto-based private lender providing working capital financing to the underserved, small to mid-sized middle market sector across North America, providing credit facilities that generally range from $1 million to over $30 million. It consists of a revolving receivables facility of up to $7 million and a term loan of $12 million. The maturity date is December 2023. The term loan was fully drawn by the Company upon closing. The revolving receivables facility is expected to be drawn in January 2022 and further thereafter as receivables grow with the Company's revenue. The interest rate is in-line with the Company's existing credit facility and is payable monthly. The Credit Facility is secured primarily by way of first lien mortgages on the Company's Paris, Ontario and Grimsby, Ontario production facilities, and includes customary financial and restrictive covenants. The net proceeds from the Credit Facility will be used to fund working capital, to repay $5 million in principal on the existing senior secured credit facility, announced on August 23, 2021, along with accrued interest and fees, and for general corporate purposes. The term of the August Credit Facility has been extended from August 2022 to December 2023. In connection with that facility, a first lien mortgage will be granted on the Company's Port Perry, Ontario outdoor cultivation property.

07:38 EST FiscalNote announces agreement to acquire Aicel Technologies - FiscalNote (NOTE), which has previously entered into a business combination agreement with Duddell Street Acquisition Corp Duddell Street Acquisition (DSAC) to go public, announces it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Aicel Technologies, an alternative data company that provides alpha-capturing dataset solutions and extracts value and actionable insights to drive business solutions for emerging fintech markets around the world. The deal is expected to close in the first quarter of 2022, pending regulatory review and customary closing conditions. "Once completed, the acquisition of Aicel strengthens FiscalNote's existing business in alternative data sources across the emerging fintech, capital markets, and financial services industries, deepening its expertise in sophisticated data management, data ingestion, and API development for its worldwide customers," the company said.

07:36 EST Statera BioPharma submits Phase 3 clinical trial protocol to FDA for STAT-201 - Statera Biopharma announced submission to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration of its Phase 3 clinical trial protocol for STAT-201 in the treatment of pediatric Crohn's Disease. The Phase 3, multicenter, randomized clinical trial, A Multicenter, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Parallel-Group Study of the Efficacy and Safety, of STAT-201 in Pediatric Patients Aged 12 to 17 Years with Active Crohn's Disease, will evaluate the safety and efficacy of STAT-201 compared to placebo in establishing remission in pediatric CD patients. The trial sites are currently being selected and enrollment is expected to launch in early 2022. CD is a chronic relapsing inflammatory condition of the gastrointestinal tract, causing symptoms such as persistent diarrhea, abdominal pain, and rectal bleeding. Once considered rare in the pediatric population, it is currently recognized as one of the most important chronic diseases that affect children and adolescents. Approximately 20-30% of all patients with CD present when they are younger than 20 years of age. The signs and symptoms are unpredictable, resulting in physical, emotional, and economic burdens. CD continues to impose significant burdens on patients, despite current treatments, patients continue to have disease flares, smoldering disease, or experience intolerable side effects and new treatment options are needed. STAT-201, Statera's most advanced drug candidate, is an immune modulator focused on the restoration of mucosal healing and intestinal barrier function as an adjunct to the standard of care in moderate to severe CD. A Phase 2 study demonstrated proof of concept and safety as well as remission in 67% of participants and 43% of true mucosal healing with endoscopies. No serious adverse events were reported in the trial. STAT-201 also has received FDA orphan drug designation for the treatment of CD in pediatric patients.

07:32 EST Victoria's Secret announces $250M accelerated share repurchase agreement - Victoria's Secret & Co. announced that it has entered into an accelerated share repurchase agreement with Goldman Sachs & Co. to repurchase $250M of the Company's common stock. The Company also reaffirmed fourth quarter sales, operating income and earnings guidance. Under the ASR, the Company will make an initial payment of $250M to Goldman Sachs and will receive an initial delivery of approximately 4.1M shares of the Company's common stock on December 31, 2021. The final number of shares to be repurchased will be based on the volume-weighted average price of the Company's common stock during the term of the ASR less a discount and subject to adjustments pursuant to the terms of the ASR. The final settlement of the ASR is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2022.

07:26 EST MingZhu enters into share purchase agreement to acquire Cheyi for $29M - MingZhu Logistics announced that it entered into a Share Purchase Agreement, SPA, on December 29, 2021 to acquire 100% of the equity interest of Cheyi which operates its business through its subsidiary Zhejiang CheYi Network Technology, an integrated online car-hailing and driver management services company. Pursuant to the agreement, the total consideration for the acquisition of 100% equity ownership of Cheyi BVI is an aggregate of $29,466,032, consisting of the issuance by the company to the shareholders of Cheyi BVI an aggregate of 3,189,000 fully paid Company's ordinary shares and payment of $2M at closing, and Year-2021 earnout payment of $8,826,019 and Year-2022 earnout payment of $5,884,013 if the Cheyi BVI's audited net income for its fiscal year 2021 and 2022 is no less than $3M respectively. The parties plan to close the transaction by December 31, 2021. Jinlong Yang, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of MingZhu Logistics Holdings Limited, commented, "The company is a perfect fit and brings an impressive integrated platform featuring all the support and services drivers need. This immediately broadens our portfolio and will serve as a centerpiece of our continued diversification strategy. Our priority remains unchanged. We are focused on accelerating our growth strategy by strategically deploying capital in both organic and inorganic opportunities, as we unlock MingZhu's potential and greater value for shareholders."

07:12 EST Gilat signs multi-million deal to modernize, expand satellite communications - Gilat Satellite Networks announced that one of the largest satellite service providers in Eurasia, has chosen Gilat as the baseband vendor for its satellite network. The companies signed a multi-million-dollar deal that includes the provisioning of Gilat's SkyEdge II-c platform, which will be used to modernize and expand satellite communications throughout the region for a variety of applications including maritime, land mobility and consumer coverage. Throughout this expansion and modernization, the old equipment will be replaced and legacy networks will be consolidated and unified with new networks running Gilat's SkyEdge II-c technology as the baseband to serve their satellite communication needs. Gilat will supply hubs with thousands of fixed and mobility VSATs. This will support expanded coverage over the entire region.

07:11 EST Lifeist Wellness issues long-term incentives - Lifeist Wellness announced issuance of long-term incentives in favour of directors, officers and a former director of the Company. The board of directors of the Company recognises that long term incentives, vesting over multiple years, strongly tie individual success with the long-term success of the Company without impacting cash resources. To that end, the Board approved on Friday, December 24, effective after market close, the grant of an aggregate of 229,220 stock options to officers of the Company, which are exercisable into common shares of the Company at a price of $0.075 per common share, in accordance with the rules of the TSX Venture Exchange and the Company's Stock Option Plan. The stock options granted to officers have a term of four years, vest in equal tranches every six months over three years from the grant date, and expire on December 23, 2025. In addition, at the same time, the Board approved the grant of an aggregate of 1,375,884 restricted share unit awards in favour of officers, non-employee directors and a former director of the of the Company thereby reserving 1,375,884 commons shares for issuance in connection therewith, in accordance with the rules of the TSX Venture Exchange and the Company's Restricted Share Unit Plan adopted by the shareholders at the Company's 2020 AGM. 1,146,664 RSUs granted to non-employee directors and a former director vest immediately as part of YE2021 director compensation and 229,220 RSUs granted to officers vest in equal tranches every six months over three years from the grant date.

07:07 EST Electric Last Mile Solutions announces product, tech exhibit at CES - Electric Last Mile Solutions announced it is hosting an exhibit at the Consumer Electronics Show. The exhibit will display both of ELMS' all-electric commercial vehicles - the Class 1 Urban Delivery and Class 3 Urban Utility. ELMS will also be sharing its ELMS Air telematics solution that will be equipped in all its vehicles. The ELMS Urban Delivery is the first and only Class 1 commercial electric vehicle available in the United States. The Urban Delivery boasts 20% more cargo space than the current leading Class 1 ICE model and targets a best-in-class payload of 2,100 pounds. The ELMS Urban Utility is expected to begin production as early as the second half of 2022, and it is targeting more than 5,700 pounds of max payload and 125 miles of range. The Urban Utility's customizable cab-over chassis design can be configured to cover a wide variety of customer use cases including delivery, construction, landscaping, towing and refrigeration. CEO James Taylor, Chief Strategy and Digital Officer Jonathan Ballon, and other members of the ELMS executive leadership team will be on-site at the Las Vegas Convention Center West Hall to provide vehicle and tech walkthroughs.

07:04 EST Can-Fite files patent for treatment for various advanced solid tumors - Can-Fite BioPharma announced the Company is filing new patent applications in several countries for the treatment of all advanced solid tumors based on new clinical data showing that a patient with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma , the most common form of liver cancer, was cleared of all tumor lesions following treatment with Namodenoson, an A3 adenosine receptor ligand. These pending patent applications are the latest in Can-Fite's growing IP portfolio covering its platform technology, as well as its drug candidate Namodenoson and its use in a variety of advanced cancers. Can-Fite's Namodenoson, a small orally bioavailable drug that binds with high affinity and selectivity to A3AR, was recently found to clear all cancer lesions in a patient treated under an Open Label Extension program of its concluded Phase II study for the treatment of HCC. In the first quarter of 2022, Can-Fite expects to commence patient enrollment in its pivotal Phase III trial for Namodenoson in the treatment of patients with advanced HCC with underlying Child Pugh B7 cirrhosis to support a New Drug Application submission and approval. "Can-Fite's IP portfolio.

07:03 EST Paragon 28 announces FDA clearance for R3ACT Stabilization System - Paragon 28 announced that the FDA has given 501(k) marketing clearance to its R3ACT Stabilization System. The R3ACT Stabilization System, expected to commercially launch in early 2022, will complement Paragon 28's ankle fracture and soft tissue portfolio and further expands Paragon 28's product offering in the foot and ankle space.

06:53 EST Oak Street Health says COO Geoff Price will transition to CIO - Oak Street Health announced that COO Geoff Price will transition to the newly formed role of CIO. Oak Street Health's current President, Brian Clem, will transition to the COO role. These moves are effective as of January 1, 2022. In his role as Chief Innovation Officer, Price will lead strategic efforts to expand the Company's model.

06:52 EST NRx Pharmaceuticals files BTD request with FDA for Zyesami - NRx Pharmaceuticals announced that it has filed a new Breakthrough Therapy Designation, or BTD, request with the FDA focused on patients with Critical COVID-19 and respiratory failure who are at immediate risk of death despite treatment with remdesivir and other approved therapies.

06:33 EST Celsius Holdings CEO sells $1.5M in common stock - In a regulatory filing, Celsius Holdings disclosed that its CEO John Fieldly sold 20K shares of common stock on December 27th in a total transaction size of $1.5M, reducing his stake by about 7%.

06:29 EST Chembio Diagnostics says FDA declined EUA for DPP Respiratory Antigen Panel - In a regulatory filing yesterday, the company stated: "On December 21, 2021, the FDA, notified us that it was declining to review our application for an emergency use authorization, or EUA, for the DPP Respiratory Antigen Panel. The DPP Respiratory Antigen Panel is a test system designed, when used in combination with the DPP Micro Reader optical analyzer, to provide simultaneous, discrete and differential detection of SARS-CoV-2, Influenza A and Influenza B antigens from a single patient respiratory specimen, such as a nasal swab, in approximately 20 minutes. As we disclosed previously, during the clinical trials for the DPP Respiratory Antigen Panel we encountered delays resulting principally from the near absence of influenza in the United States. As a result, we had incorporated in our clinical data for the DPP Respiratory Antigen Panel foreign-sourced influenza-positive samples preserved in viral transport media, which we intended to mitigate the impact of the extremely low incidence of influenza in the United States. The FDA notice informed us that, in order to proceed, we will need to prospectively collect Influenza A and Influenza B samples and then submit a new EUA application for the DPP Respiratory Antigen Panel. We cannot assure you that we will be able to compile the additional specimens requested by the FDA in a timely manner or at all, and therefore we cannot assure you that we will be able to submit a new EUA application for the DPP Respiratory Antigen Panel at any specific time in the future or at all."

06:09 EST SEI announces departure of Executive Vice President Steve Meyer - SEI announced the departure of Steve Meyer as an Executive Vice President and Head of Global Wealth Management Services, effective immediately. "Meyer's departure is unrelated to the company's strategy, operations, or financial results," the company said in a statement.

06:05 EST Aspen Aerogels provides update on termination of BASF supply arrangement - Aspen Aerogels provided an update on the termination of its supply arrangement with BASF Polyurethanes, or BASF. Since October, Aspen and BASF have been working together to effect an arrangement whereby Aspen would be solely responsible for the future development and commercialization of the company's Spaceloft A2 insulation product in the sustainable building materials and other markets. With the execution of the amendment to the supply agreement, Aspen has assumed direct responsibility for the commercialization of Spaceloft A2.

05:35 EST Chart Industries receives $120M in orders for four liquefaction projects - Chart Industries was awarded over $120M of orders for four liquefaction projects, with four different customers over the past week. Additionally, this past week we have received releases on engineering work on two of the big LNG export terminal projects expected to proceed to Final Investment Decision in 2022. Highlights of the four liquefaction project awards include: a15 ton per day hydrogen liquefier to be built in North America with a new hydrogen liquefaction customer; a BioLNG facility and associated station infrastructure for 20 BioLNG stations with its European customer, Verbio; an integrated utility scale liquefaction plant with the first in the nation hybrid drive with a Northeast United States customer; a nitrogen refrigeration cycle liquefaction system at an existing LNG peak shaving facility for use by a regulated United States utility company.

04:50 EST Viper Energy shortens period of special allocations to Diamondback - Viper Energy Partners (VNOM) disclosed that it entered into the second amendment to the second amended and restated limited liability company agreement of the operating company to shorten the remaining period of special allocations to Diamondback Energy (FANG) of the operating company's income and gains over losses and deductions by one year, so that the special allocation period will end on December 31, 2022, rather than on December 31, 2023. The second amendment was approved by the board of the general partner of Viper.