Stockwinners Market Radar for January 03, 2022 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

18:17 EST Aravive announces $10M investment by Eshelman Ventures - Aravive announced that the company's Chairman, Fred Eshelman, Pharm.D., through Eshelman Ventures, LLC, agreed to purchase a pre-funded warrant to purchase 4,545,455 shares of the company's common stock at a price of $2.20 per share, which was the consolidated closing bid price of the company's common stock on The Nasdaq Global Select Market on December 31, 2021. The investment strengthens the company's balance sheet by approximately $10M, enhancing the company's financial flexibility and liquidity ahead of multiple anticipated clinical milestones throughout 2022 for each of the company's clinical programs. The investment is expected to close on January 5, 2022. Additionally, Dr. Eshelman was appointed the Executive Chairman of Aravive having served as the Non-Executive Chairman of the board since April 2020.

17:06 EST Digital Realty to acquire majority stake in Teraco, sees accretion after 2023 - Digital Realty announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire a majority stake in Teraco, Africa's carrier-neutral colocation provider, from a consortium of investors, including Berkshire Partners and Permira, in a transaction valuing Teraco at approximately $3.5B. The Teraco management team will remain in place and will maintain day-to-day responsibility for operations in South Africa. The Teraco platform contains 187 megawatts of total planned capacity, including seven in-service facilities totaling 75 megawatts and one development project totaling 19 megawatts currently under construction. Teraco owns the freehold to six of its seven data centers, representing over 85% of total revenues and including its densely interconnected campus in Johannesburg. In addition, Teraco owns land adjacent to its Johannesburg and Cape Town campuses that will support the development of up to 93 megawatts of additional capacity, representing significant embedded growth potential and providing considerable runway to support customer growth. The transaction values Teraco at approximately $3.5B, representing a cap rate of approximately 3.5% on projected 2022 cash net operating income of approximately $121M. The stabilized return is expected to improve significantly over time, as approximately 60% of Teraco's in-service portfolio was developed within the past two years and the existing development pipeline and land bank could expand the platform by nearly 150%. After closing, Digital Realty will own approximately 55% of the total equity interests in Teraco, while the remaining 45% will be held by a consortium of existing investors. The rolling equity investors in Teraco will have the opportunity to put their interests to Digital Realty between 3.5-5.5 years after closing, while Digital Realty will have the right to call those equity interests between 5.5-6.5 years after closing. The transaction is expected to be approximately 1% dilutive to Digital Realty's core FFO per share in 2022, breakeven in 2023, and accretive to financial metrics and the growth trajectory of the combined organization thereafter. The Teraco investment will be financed through a combination of proceeds from Digital Realty's private capital and capital recycling initiatives, committed funding under the existing forward equity commitment and other potential future financings.

16:54 EST Liquidia Technologies appoints Roger Jeffs CEO - Liquidia Corporation announced Dr. Roger Jeffs has been appointed as CEO effective January 3 and will continue as a director on the board. He succeeds Damian deGoa who will remain a director of the company and will provide transition support through January 31. Jeffs is the vice-chairman and co-founder of Kryia Therapeutics, and currently serves on the Board of Axsome Therapeutics in addition to Liquidia.

16:34 EST Blackbaud acquires Everfi in $750M cash, stock transaction - Blackbaud announced it has acquired Everfi in a cash and stock transaction for approximately $750M, subject to certain customary adjustments. Everfi is expected to be immediately accretive to Blackbaud's revenue growth profile, adding an estimated $120M in 2022 revenue with a year-on-year growth rate approaching 20%.The company said this acquisition combined with recent company performance allows Blackbaud to significantly pull forward the timeline for achieving its long-term goal of mid-to-high single digit organic revenue growth-beginning in 2022. Under the terms of the agreement, Everfi shareholders will receive total consideration of approximately $750M, subject to certain customary adjustments. The consideration for the transaction is approximately $450M in cash and 3,844,423 shares of the company's common stock, valued at approximately $300M. The cash portion was financed with a combination of cash on hand and new borrowing under Blackbaud's credit facilities. The company expects pro forma net leverage at closing to be approximately 3.4x and anticipates deleveraging driven by free cash flow, consistent with Blackbaud's previous practices regarding leverage following acquisitions.

16:19 EST Enzo Biochem appoints CEO Hamid Erfanian to board - Enzo Biochem announced the appointments of CEO Hamid Erfanian to the company's board, effective immediately. Erfanian was named CEO of Enzo Biochem in October 2021 and joined the company in November 2021.

16:17 EST Heritage Insurance announces $25M share repurchase plan - Heritage Insurance announced that its Board of Directors has authorized the repurchase of up to $25M of its outstanding shares of common stock through December 31, 2023.

16:16 EST Life Storage raises quarterly dividend 16% to $1.00 per share - The Board of Directors of Life Storage announced an increase in the company's quarterly common stock dividend from 86c per share to $1.00 per share or $3.44 to $4.00 annualized. The increase is effective with the quarterly dividend to be paid on January 26, 2022 to shareholders of record on January 14, 2022. The dividend, based on today's opening share price, equates to an annual yield of 2.6%. "The Board is pleased to approve a 16% increase in our quarterly dividend based on our strong operating results, outlook and financial position," said Joe Saffire, the Company's Chief Executive Officer. "Our team and platforms are well positioned to continue generating strong cash flow to invest in our technology initiatives, operating platforms, properties and people while also returning capital to shareholders by maintaining our payout ratio."

16:15 EST Marathon Digital produces 3,197 self-mined bitcoin in FY21 - Marathon Digital published unaudited bitcoin production and miner installation updates for December 2021. Produced approximately 3,197 self-mined bitcoin in fiscal year 2021, an 846% increase year-over-year Produced 1,098 self-mined bitcoin during Q4 2021, including a record 484.5 self-mined bitcoin during December 2021. Increased total bitcoin holdings to approximately 8,133 BTC with a fair market value of approximately $375.8 million. Cash on hand was approximately $268.5 million and total liquidity, defined as cash and bitcoin holdings, was approximately $644.3 million. Received approximately 10,365 top-tier ASIC miners from BITMAIN during the month of December and 72,495 miners in 2021 with an additional 10,907 miners currently in transit. Continued installing miners at various facilities operated by Compute North as construction of new mining facilities progresses Existing mining fleet consists of 32,350 active miners producing approximately 3.5 EH/s

16:12 EST Jazz Pharmaceuticals: FDA grants Orphan Drug Exclusivity for Xywav - Jazz Pharmaceuticals announced that the U.S. FDA has granted Orphan Drug Exclusivity for Xywav oral solution, for the treatment of idiopathic hypersomnia in adults, making it the second ODE for the medication following the exclusivity granted in the treatment of cataplexy or excessive daytime sleepiness in patients 7 years of age and older with narcolepsy. As Jazz was the first sponsor to obtain FDA approval for idiopathic hypersomnia, Xywav will have seven-year market exclusivity for this indication from its FDA approval on August 12, 2021.

16:09 EST Restaurant Brands' Popeyes announces agreement to launch in South Korea - The Popeyes brand and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Silla Co. are excited to announce they have entered into an exclusive Master Franchise and Development Agreement to develop and open hundreds of Popeyes restaurants across South Korea in the coming years.

16:07 EST ASGN promotes Rand Blazer to president - ASGN Incorporated announced effective today several changes to its leadership team. Rand Blazer, President of Apex Systems, LLC, has been promoted to President of ASGN; Sean Casey, COO, has been promoted to President of Apex Systems, LLC; Matt Riley, COO, has been promoted to President of Creative Circle, LLC; John Heneghan, COO, has been promoted to President of ECS Federal, LLC; Shane Lamb continues in his position as the President of CyberCoders, Inc.; George Wilson has retired as President of ECS Federal, LLC effective today and will remain as an Executive Advisor for three months to complete the transition to John Heneghan. "These are exciting times at ASGN, and the promotions of Rand, John, Sean and Matt are all very well deserved," said ASGN Chief Executive Officer, Ted Hanson. "I have full confidence that their transitions into these new roles will be seamless and that our Company will not miss a beat. At the same time, on behalf of the Board of Directors and our entire executive management team, I would like to thank George for his incredible service and contributions to our Company since ASGN acquired ECS in 2018. George will certainly be missed, but he leaves a fully capable team under John's leadership primed for continued success as we embark upon the new calendar year."

16:06 EST MagnaChip names Shinyoung Park as CFO, succeeding Dr. Young Soo Woo - Magnachip Semiconductor announced that Shinyoung Park has been promoted to CFO, effective as of January 1, 2022. Park succeeds Dr. Young Soo Woo, who stepped down from the position effective as of the end of December 31, 2021. Park joined Magnachip in 2014 and served as Chief Accounting Officer from March 2020 to December 2021. She previously served as Corporate Controller from November 2018 to February 2020. Prior to joining Magnachip, Park held various senior advisory and audit service positions for 10 years with Deloitte in three different locations-Chicago, Illinois, Seoul, South Korea, and London, U.K.

15:43 EST ViacomCBS shares 'incredibly cheap,' Dan Niles says in blog post - In a post to his personal blog, Dan Niles, founder and portfolio manager for the Satori Fund, contends that Viacom (VIAC) is "incredibly cheap compared to streaming leaders" Netflix (NFLX) and Roku (ROKU), given that he estimates Viacom currently trades at 8 times calendar year 2022 PE. "These streaming leaders are all growing their streaming revenues slower than VIAC yet fetch much higher multiples. In addition to VIAC's asymmetric growth vs. valuation profile, VIAC's $1.1B in streaming revs in their September quarter grew to 16% of overall company revenues. NFLX is trading at 10x trailing sales. VIAC should do close to $5B in streaming revs this year, so it does not seem unreasonable to assume $50B is a reasonable valuation for this business alone. However, all of VIAC has a market cap of only $21B with ~$10B of net debt assuming current announced deals close," Niles argues in his post. He continues: "While we have admitted our mistake and cut our position in VIAC to take a tax loss for 2021, upcoming Q4 results and the outlook for streaming losses hopefully sets a bottom for the stock and sets the name up for a good rest of 2022. Investors may want to go to the sidelines until guidance is given on Q4 results or sentiment reverses for the company. Today VIAC is viewed as a melting media ice cube and streaming loser. We believe VIAC will slowly become recognized as a contender along with NFLX and DIS in the streaming wars." Reference Link

14:20 EST Delta says about 500 flights canceled today, sees 200 cancels/day next two days - Delta stated in an update posted to its corporate news hub: "The impact of winter weather, affecting a significant portion of the country and including two major Delta hubs, and the omicron variant continued to hamper Delta's operation on Monday, with the airline expecting to cancel roughly 500 flights for the day. About 200 cancellations per day are expected into Tuesday and Wednesday. These numbers reflect the total between both Delta mainline and Delta Connection operated flights out of more than 4,000 daily departures across our system." Reference Link

13:46 EST Apple crosses $3T in market cap as shares rise above $182.86 - In afternoon trading, Apple shares briefly hit $182.88, up about 3%, giving it an estimated market cap of $3T.

12:15 EST Interactive Brokers reports December DARTs down 3% y/y - Interactive Brokers Group reported its Electronic Brokerage monthly performance metrics for December. Brokerage highlights for the month included: 2.229 million Daily Average Revenue Trades, 3% lower than prior year and 20% lower than prior month. Ending client equity of $373.8B, 30% higher than prior year and about even with prior month. Ending client margin loan balances of $54.6B, 40% higher than prior year and about even with prior month. Ending client credit balances of $87.1B, including $2.2B in insured bank deposit sweeps2, 12% higher than prior year and about even with prior month. 1.68 million client accounts, 56% higher than prior year and 2% higher than prior month. 299 annualized average cleared DARTs per client account. Average commission per cleared Commissionable Order of $2.37 including exchange, clearing and regulatory fees.

12:00 EST Fathom falls -10.7% - Fathom is down -10.7%, or -85c to $7.07.

12:00 EST CNH Industrial falls -15.1% - CNH Industrial is down -15.1%, or -$2.94 to $16.49.

12:00 EST Container Store rises 13.3% - Container Store is up 13.3%, or $1.32 to $11.30.

11:56 EST Adverum Biotechnologies' treatment of blue cone monochromacy gets orphan status - Adverum Biotechnologies' treatment of blue cone monochromacy was granted orphan status by the FDA, according to a post to the agency's website. Reference Link

11:47 EST Petra Acquisition Inc (Units) trading halted, volatility trading pause

10:49 EST German American completes merger with Citizens Union Bank of Shelbyville - German American Bancorp announced that it has completed its merger with Citizens Union Bancorp of Shelbyville, Inc., the parent company of Citizens Union Bank of Shelbyville, Inc. of Shelbyville, Kentucky, effective at 12:01 a.m. on January 1, 2022. Immediately following completion of the holding company transaction, Citizens Union Bank merged with and into German American's banking subsidiary, German American Bank. Each Citizens Union common shareholder of record at closing is entitled to receive a 0.7739 share of German American common stock and a cash payment of $13.44 for each of their former shares of Citizens Union common stock, subject to their surrender of the old Citizens Union shares to the exchange agent designated by German American. Instructions and forms to accomplish that surrender and exchange process are being mailed by the exchange agent to each of Citizens Union's shareholders of record as of closing.

10:33 EST Scott Wells commences role as Clear Channel Outdoor CEO - Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings announced that Scott Wells has commenced his new role as CEO and member of the Board of Directors, and William Eccleshare has transitioned to the role of Executive Vice Chairman of the Board. These appointments were announced concurrent with the company's 2021 second quarter earnings announcement and have been planned as part of the Board's ongoing succession planning process. Since 2015, Wells served as CEO of Clear Channel Outdoor Americas, a business segment of the company.

10:21 EST Jowell Global Ltd trading resumes

10:16 EST Jowell Global Ltd trading halted, volatility trading pause

10:02 EST Home furnishing manufacturer awards IZEA marketing contract expansion - IZEA Worldwide announced that it was recently awarded an annual contract for influencer marketing services by a Fortune 500 Home Furnishing Manufacturer in December 2021. The mid-six figure award represents the largest annual commitment IZEA has received since inception of the relationship. The program will be executed over the course of 2022.

10:00 EST CNH Industrial falls -12.6% - CNH Industrial is down -12.6%, or -$2.45 to $16.98.

10:00 EST Cian rises 9.7% - Cian is up 9.7%, or $1.20 to $13.53.

10:00 EST Peabody Energy rises 11.6% - Peabody Energy is up 11.6%, or $1.17 to $11.24.

09:47 EST Flex LNG falls -6.6% - Flex LNG is down -6.6%, or -$1.56 to $21.93.

09:47 EST Wolfspeed rises 6.6% - Wolfspeed is up 6.6%, or $7.34 to $119.11.

09:47 EST Cian rises 9.7% - Cian is up 9.7%, or $1.20 to $13.53.

09:38 EST Pear Therapeutics Inc trading resumes

09:35 EST FDA approves Pfizer, BioNTech Covid booster for 12-15 year olds

09:05 EST Gentex, eSight partner to create next generation digital eyeware - eSight announces a strategic partnership with Gentex to create the next generation of assistive wearable technology for those with degenerative eyes diseases causing visual impairment. The partnership will provide scalability and affordability to the low-vision space, using advanced tech to expand production and improve access for the individuals who need it most.

09:03 EST Trebia Acquisition, System1 set January 20 meeting for combination vote - System1 and Trebia Acquisition announced a meeting date of January 20, 2022 for its extraordinary general meeting to approve the previously announced proposed business combination between Trebia and System1. Trebia also announced a record date of November 22, 2021 for holders of record entitled to vote on the matters at the Special Meeting. The closing of the Business Combination is subject to approval by Trebia's shareholders, and the satisfaction of other customary closing conditions. The Business Combination is expected to close promptly after the Special Meeting on or about January 24,, 2022. Upon closing, the combined company is expected to be listed on the NYSE and begin trading under the ticker symbol "SST" on or about January 25, 2022.

09:02 EST Zynex submits 510(k) application to FDA for CM-1600 - Zynex announced that it has submitted a 510(k) application to the U.S. FDA for the CM-1600, its next generation fluid monitoring system.

08:48 EST KORR Value nominates two candidates to Medallion Financial board - KORR Value, the largest unaffiliated shareholder of Medallion Financial (MFIN), owning together with its affiliates approximately 5.6% of the outstanding shares of common stock, has nominated two director candidates for election to the Board of Directors of Medallion Financial at the 2022 annual meeting of shareholders. KORR also issued a letter to the members of the Board expressing its concerns with a lawsuit recently filed by the Securities and Exchange Commission. The letter read, in part, "For the past five years, we have attempted to constructively work with the Board of Directors to enhance shareholder value. During a time when the popularity of ride-sharing companies like Uber and Lyft has been steadily weighing on the financial strength and prospects of the Company, we continued to maintain a long-term view of our investment and made numerous suggestions to management on ways it could preserve the remaining value of the business and potentially sell itself or its assets. Unfortunately, given the Company's failure to take meaningful actions to preserve value or enter into a value enhancing transaction, it is apparent that our suggestions have fallen on deaf ears. We were then shocked to learn of the Complaint filed in Federal Court by the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 29, 2021 charging Medallion Financial and its President Andrew Murstein with illegally engaging in fraudulent schemes intended to boost the Company's share price from 2014 through 2017. The details of these accusations are alarming, including, among other things, allegations that Mr. Murstein engaged in "illegal touting" by hiring a "stealth" public relations firm to promote the Company with positive posts on websites, including Huffington Post. The firm allegedly made posts using pseudonyms and without disclosing that it was being compensated by the Company to make the posts. Mr. Murstein also allegedly paid a second touter "hush money" when he was confronted by journalists about these posts. Given the serious nature of these allegations and to protect the remaining value of the Company from further deterioration, KORR has nominated two highly qualified nominees - Andrew Fox and Philip Scala - for election to the Board at the 2022 Annual Meeting. Their biographies are set forth in the nomination letter we submitted to the Company last week. We were forced to formally submit our nomination letter to preserve our right to nominate given the December 31 nomination deadline. However, we call upon the Board to immediately appoint Messrs. Fox and Scala on a voluntary basis to the Board so that the Company does not waste any time setting in motion an action plan that is designed to address the fallout precipitated by the SEC lawsuit, strategic and operational issues and lackluster corporate governance profile. Messrs. Fox and Scala would not only bring much needed expertise and oversight to the Board but a fresh and independent perspective that the Board now requires given the current circumstances. The actions the Board should immediately undertake are as follows: Andrew Murstein and Alvin Murstein should both resign from the Board and be suspended from their executive positions with the Company without pay pending resolution of the SEC lawsuit. After resolution of the lawsuit, the Board can make an informed decision as to any executive role the Mursteins should have with the Company. While Alvin was not charged in the SEC lawsuit, his independence may be compromised and he may not be in a position to serve the best interests of the shareholders by virtue of his family relationship with Andrew. Our director nominees - Messrs. Fox and Scala - should be appointed by the Board to fill the vacancies created by the resignation of the Mursteins. Donald Poulton, President and CEO of Medallion Bank, should be appointed "acting" CEO of the Company. We think Donald has earned this position irrespective of the current circumstances and has credibility with shareholders. Mr. Fox should be appointed Lead Independent Director. David Rudnick should resign from the Board. As the father-in-law of Andrew Murstein, his independence may also be compromised. A Special Committee of the Board consisting of Messrs. Fox and Scala and Chaired by Mr. Scala should be formed to investigate and respond to the SEC allegations with the assistance of independent legal counsel. A Strategic Alternatives Committee of the Board consisting of Messrs. Fox, Scala and Poulton and Chaired by Mr. Fox should be formed to explore strategic alternatives for the Company, including a sale process. KORR has been contacted by a number of parties who have expressed an interest in acquiring Medallion Bank. Clearly, there is real value to the bank, which generates approximately $19 million per quarter in after tax profits. The Strategic Alternatives Committee should hire a nationally recognized investment bank to assist with the strategic alternatives review and any sale process. The Company should sell the taxi medallion assets in a prudent and tax-efficient manner. Now that medallion prices have stabilized, and NYC has initiated programs and partial guarantees with other lenders, we believe a sale of these assets would result in both a positive increase in cash and book value per share. The Company should increase the existing share buyback program from its current $25 million to $50 million. The Board should take all steps necessary to de-stagger the composition of the Board such that all directors are elected annually. Consistent with our prior requests, the Company should change its name to reflect the core business since it is no longer lending to taxi medallion owners. The Company should implement a plan to significantly cut costs, including consolidating the Manhattan and Newark locations and reducing headcount of non-essential staff."

08:39 EST Research Frontiers, Gauzy demonstrate smart city applications at CES - Research Frontiers and Gauzy announced that Gauzy will be exhibiting SPD-Smart light-control technology as part of the Smart Cities exhibition at CES, featuring core collaborations with Vision Systems, and additional industry leading brands in mobility and built environments. Gauzy's demonstration at CES 2022 "provides a full smart city experience, with a focus on mobility solutions and transparent displays utilizing smart glass technology," the company said. The exhibition led by Gauzy will be showing in the Smart City pavilion at CES various commercial applications for SPD-Smart film produced by Gauzy including electronically dimmable aircraft windows, dual-zone panoramic sunroofs, smart projection systems, and information displays. "The markets for SPD-Smart film are already well-established," the company added. Research Frontiers has licensed over 40 chemical, film, and glass companies which are selling products for the automotive, aircraft, marine, train, museum and consumer electronics industries. In addition to cars, products using Research Frontiers' smart glass technology are being used in aircraft, yachts, trains, homes, offices, museums and other buildings.

08:36 EST SLR Investment amends credit facility - SLR Investment reported that it has amended its senior secured credit facility. The amendment includes a reduction in the Credit Facility's pricing grid of 25 basis points, to LIBOR + 175 - 200 basis points, based on certain conditions. The Credit Facility was expanded from $620 million to $700 million and extended from 2024 to December 2026. Additionally, the amendment enhanced the Credit Facility's flexibility.

08:36 EST AFC Gamma posts $127.3M in gross originations for December quarter - AFC Gamma announced certain business updates relating to its quarter and year ended December 31, 2021. Based on the strength of its origination and underwriting teams and its market reputation, AFC Gamma was able to evaluate a wide universe of potential investment opportunities with anticipated attractive risk-adjusted returns. Advancing its position as a leading cannabis lender, AFC Gamma is pleased to announce that for the quarter ended December 31, 2021, the company's gross funding was $125.6 million and its net funding, taking into account loan repayments and amortization, was $120.6 million. In total, AFC Gamma closed on total new commitments of $127.3 million during the quarter. For the year ended December 31, 2021, AFC Gamma's gross funding was $302.5 million and its net funding, taking into account loan repayments and amortization, was $275.5 million. In total, AFC Gamma closed on total new commitments of $341.3 million during the twelve months ended December 31, 2021. All of AFC Gamma's investments are current with no loans on non-accrual. A differentiator for AFC Gamma is cost of capital as a NASDAQ-listed public entity and access to both public and private debt and equity markets. During the quarter ended December 31, 2021, AFC Gamma was pleased to have received an increase in its credit rating from Egan-Jones, moving to a triple B plus investment grade rating. Additionally, leveraging its investment grade rating, AFC Gamma closed on a $100 million unsecured notes offering during the quarter with a fixed cash interest rate of 5.750%, due in 2027. AFC Gamma's management has established the AFC Foundation, a nonprofit organization that will collaborate with the company's borrowers to give back and support communities in states in which they operate. AFC Gamma looks forward to sharing information about the organizations that AFC Foundation will support in 2022.

08:35 EST Greenrose Acquisition closes asset purchase of True Harvest - The Greenrose Holding Company announced that it closed its previously announced acquisition of the assets of Arizona-based True Harvest, LLC. Under the terms of the acquisition, Greenrose paid consideration of $57.6 million at close, consisting of $12.5 million in cash, $23.0 million in the form of a convertible note, $4.6 million in assumed debt, and $17.5 million in shares of the Company's common stock. Contingent upon True Harvest achieving a certain price point per pound of cannabis flower relative to total flower production within 36 months of the closing of the transaction, Greenrose will pay additional consideration of up to $35.0 million in the form of an earnout, payable in shares of common stock of the Company. Greenrose completed its business combination with the acquisition of Connecticut-based Theraplant, LLC, on November 26, 2021. The Company has revised its 2022 outlook for True Harvest and Theraplant to reflect an expected Q4 2022 start for recreational cannabis sales in Connecticut. Combined, True Harvest and Theraplant are expected to generate between $120 million and $140 million in full year 2022 revenue, 2022 net income of between $8 million and $14 million, and 2022 adjusted EBITDA between the range of $75 million and $85 million.

08:33 EST L3Harris Technologies realigns to three segments from four - L3Harris Technologies announced a new alignment and organization of core businesses, moving from four to three focused segments: Integrated Mission Systems, Space and Airborne Systems and Communication Systems.

08:33 EST ASML reports fire incident at ASML Berline - ASML Holding announces that there was a fire last night inside a part of its factory in Berlin, Germany. The company said, "The fire was extinguished during the night and fortunately no persons were injured during this incident. At this point it is too early to make any statement on the damage or whether the incident will have any impact on the output plan for this year. It will take a few days to conduct a thorough investigation and make a full assessment. As soon as we have such assessment, we will provide an update."

08:32 EST Independence completes sale of Standard Security Life Insurance - Independence Holding announced the completion of the sale of its subsidiary Standard Security Life Insurance Company of New York to Reliance Standard Life Insurance Company. All conditions to the consummation of the sale were satisfied and the transaction closed effective January 1, 2022.

08:18 EST First Republic reports preliminary Q4 net charge-offs $100,000 - The bank also announced selected preliminary, unaudited financial information for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2021. As of December 31, 2021, the bank's total loans outstanding grew by approximately 20% from December 31, 2020 and approximately 5% from September 30, 2021. The bank's total deposits as of December 31, 2021 grew by approximately 36% from December 31, 2020 and approximately 7.5% from September 30, 2021. The bank estimates that will be approximately $100,000 for the fourth quarter of 2021 and approximately $2M for all of 2021, or less than one basis point of average loans for the year ending December 31, 2021. In addition, the bank's nonperforming assets are currently estimated to be eight basis points of total assets at December 31, 2021. The preliminary financial information set forth in this release is unaudited and remains subject to completion of the bank's financial closing procedures.

08:15 EST Envista expects to receive $383M in proceeds from KaVo divestiture - Envista announced that it closed the previously disclosed divestiture of its KaVo Treatment Unit & Instrument business. Envista received $317.3M in cash on the closing date and expects to receive total gross proceeds of $383M, which includes an earnout and certain adjustments to be paid out by the first half of 2022. Envista will use the proceeds to fund strategic acquisitions and internal investments.

08:13 EST Alleghany confirms Joseph Brandon assumes additional role of CEO - Alleghany confirmed that President Joseph Brandon assumed the additional role of CEO and was appointed to the Board of Directors effective December 31, 2021, consistent with the company's previously announced succession plan. Brandon succeeds Weston Hicks. Hicks retired as CEO and as a Director of Alleghany on December 31, 2021.

08:12 EST WSFS Financial completes acquisition of Bryn Mawr, announces new board members - WSFS Financial Corporation (WSFS) completed the acquisition of the Bryn Mawr Bank (BMTC) and its primary subsidiary, The Bryn Mawr Trust Company, as of January 1, 2022. In addition, in accordance with the merger agreement between WSFS and Bryn Mawr, Frank Leto, Lynn McKee, and Diego Calderin are joining the Board of Directors of WSFS and WSFS Bank. Bryn Mawr Trust and WSFS Customer relationships will continue business as usual until the anticipated systems integration and brand conversion in late Q1 2022. Frank Leto served as the President of Bryn Mawr since May 2014, and Chief Executive Officer of Bryn Mawr and Bryn Mawr Trust since January 2015. McKee is Executive Vice President, Human Resources for Aramark (ARMK). Diego Calderin is the co-founder and Managing Partner of Banbury Systems.

08:11 EST InnovAge CEO Maureen Hewitt resigns, Patrick Blair to succeed - The Board of Directors of InnovAge Holding accepted the resignation of longtime CEO and director Maureen Hewitt, effective January 1, 2022, who has decided after 15 years with the company to pursue other opportunities. The Board also elevated Patrick Blair, the President of InnovAge, to the position of President and CEO.

08:10 EST Future FinTech subsidiary launches cryptocurrency market data platform - Future FinTech Group announced that its subsidiary, FTFT Capital Investments, has launched FTFTX, an innovative global cryptocurrency market data platform that provides institutional and individual investors with real-time, high-quality and reliable cryptocurrency market data and aggregate trading information from a large number of cryptocurrency exchanges. The market data is available for Bitcoin, ETH, EOS, Litecoin, TRON and other cryptocurrencies at https://www.ftftx.com/ and via the FTFTX App on iOS and Android devices.

08:09 EST Repay Holdings acquires Payix for up to $115M - Repay Holdings announced it has acquired Payix for up to $115M. The acquisition was financed with cash on hand and available revolver capacity. REPAY also announced the upsizing of its revolver capacity by $60M, increasing its existing $125M Revolving Credit Facility to $185M. Founded in 2016 and based in Fort Worth, Texas, Payix is a leading omni-channel payment technology platform providing solutions that facilitate payments, data exchange, and communication to support customer service and collection efforts in loan repayment verticals. Payix's software supports a wide range of payment options and modalities, and integrates into loan management systems and dealer management systems by providing a SaaS approach to collections technology. REPAY acquired Payix on a cash-free, debt-free basis for up to $115M, $95 million paid at closing Up to $20M may become payable through an earnout, which is contingent on Payix's performance in 2022 Net leverage is expected to approximate 3.6x1 on a post-transaction basis and is expected to be below 3.0x by year end 2022 In 2022, Payix is expected to generate revenue of over $15M, with gross and adjusted EBITDA margins of approximately 65% and 40%, respectively On an organic basis, Payix top line and gross profit are growing substantially faster than the overall REPAY historical corporate average. Based on historical growth trends, Payix is expected to generate top line and gross profit growth in excess of 40% annually through 2023 Strategic Rationale Further enhances REPAY's position in the large and growing automotive vertical, and accelerates expansion into the attractive buy now, pay later pace Payix has generated strong topline growth and has highly predictable and recurring transaction revenue Complementary sales distribution model, driven by deep integrations with leading LMSand DMS platforms to accelerate new merchant acquisitions

08:08 EST CytRx appoints Stephen Snowdy as CEO - CytRx announced that it has appointed Stephen Snowdy to the role of CEO, effective January 10, 2022. Louis Ignarro succeeded Steven Kriegsman as chairman of the board of directors on January 3, 2022. Snowdy is a scientist, serial entrepreneur and medical venture capitalist with two decades of experience in life science investing and executive management. He joins from Visioneering Technologies, where he was CEO and executive director. He previously served as CEO at Abby Med, a start-up pharmaceutical company dedicated to the development of a novel class of cancer drugs.

08:07 EST Aqua Metals commences AquaRefining equipment shipments to ACME Metal - Aqua Metals has commenced Aqualyzer equipment shipments to ACME Metal, the world's first licensed AquaRefining facility. These shipments, both from the U.S. and from in-country equipment suppliers the company has established in Taiwan, will support the previously announced plan to install and commission the AquaRefining facility in early 2022. The facility will produce ultrapure AquaRefined briquettes for ACME Metal's Asia Pacific-based global battery manufacturing customers to develop a direct to battery-grade oxide production process. This will bring the AquaRefining process one step closer to streamlining the link between battery recycling and new battery manufacturing by eliminating the economic and environmental costs of manufacturing ingots from the recycling process.

08:06 EST Clarus promotes Kuehne to executive VP, COO, appoints Yates as CFO - Clarus (CLAR) announced that Aaron Kuehne has been promoted to the new role of executive vice president, VP, and chief operating officer, COO, and Michael Yates has been appointed as the Company's new chief financial officer, CFO, effective as of today. Kuehne joined Clarus in September 2010 and has served as CFO, secretary, and treasurer since 2013 and as executive vice president since March 2021. Yates has nearly 35 years of experience and joins Clarus from IDEX Corporation (IEX).

08:05 EST Genprex receives fast track designation for Reqorsa Immunogene Therapy - Genprex (GNPX) announced that the FDA has granted fast track designation, or FTD, for the company's lead drug candidate, Reqorsa Immunogene Therapy, in combination with Merck & Co's (MRK) Keytruda in patients with histologically-confirmed unresectable stage III or IV non-small cell lung cancer, or NSCLC, whose disease progressed after treatment with Keytruda. In the first quarter of 2022, Genprex expects to initiate its Acclaim-2 clinical trial, which is an open-label, multi-center Phase 1/2 clinical trial evaluating Reqorsa in combination with Keytruda, for this patient population. The company previously received its first FTD for Reqorsa in combination with AstraZeneca's (AZN) Tagrisso in patients with histologically confirmed unresectable stage III or IV NSCLC, with EGFR mutations that progressed after treatment with Tagrisso.

08:04 EST Xtant appoints Scott Neils as interim CFO - Xtant Medical Holdings announced the appointment of Scott Neils as Interim CFO succeeding Greg Jensen, the Company's current Vice President, Finance and CFO, effective January 3, 2022. Neils has 15 years of experience focused on public accounting and corporate finance and has served as the Company's Controller since August 2019.

08:03 EST Enphase Energy completes acquisition of ClipperCreek - Enphase Energy announced that it has completed the previously announced acquisition of ClipperCreek. Based in Auburn, Calif., ClipperCreek offers electric vehicle charging solutions for residential and commercial customers in the U.S. ClipperCreek has been a pioneer in the EV charging market since 2006 and has sold more than 110,000 Level 2 AC charging stations since its inception. The acquisition is expected to provide the following benefits: Provides Enphase distributors and installers globally with EV charging solutions that can be sold alongside solar and battery system; Launches Enphase into the rapidly growing EV sector with a respected brand and industry-leading products; Accelerates the Enphase roadmap to enable bi-directional charging capability for vehicle-to-home and vehicle-to-grid applications; Establishes a domestic manufacturing footprint for Enphase.

08:02 EST Immix Biopharma announces US FDA granted RPD for IMX-110 - Immix Biopharma announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted Rare Pediatric Disease, RPD, designation for IMX-110 for the treatment of a life-threatening form of pediatric cancer in children, rhabdomyosarcoma. IMX-110, an investigational product, is currently being evaluated in a Phase 1b/2a clinical trial. "We are pleased by FDA's acknowledgment of the urgent need for a safe and effective treatment for children with this devastating disease," stated ImmixBio's Chief Executive Officer Ilya Rachman, M.D., PhD. "We are encouraged by our Phase 1b/2a clinical data in soft tissue sarcoma. IMX-110 is a tissue-specific therapeutic that simultaneously attacks all 3 components of the tumor micro-environment, severing the critical lifelines between the tumor and its metabolic and structural support. We believe our SMARxT platform generating Tissue-Specific Therapeutics represents a distinct alternative to the traditional 'single target, single mutation' development model."

07:57 EST Hollysys CEO Chit Nim Sung resigns, Dr. Changli Wang succeeds - Hollysys Automation announced that effective as of January 1, 2022, pursuant to the resolutions of the Board of Directors of the company, Chit Nim Sung resigned from his positions as the director of the board and CEO of the company. Dr. Changli Wang, who was the founder of the company, was nominated as the director of the board and was appointed as the CEO of the company. In connection with this, Chit Nim Sung was appointed as the deputy CEO of the company. With the above changes, the Board currently consists of five members, Li Qiao, Dr. Changli Wang, Khiaw Ngoh Tan, Dr. Jianyun Chai and Dr. Kok Peng Teh.

07:48 EST IES Holdings appoints Jennifer Baldock to board of directors - IES Holdings announced the appointment of Jennifer Baldock to its Board of Directors, effective December 31, 2021. Baldock has been a member of the Board of Managers of CCF Holdings, LLC and its predecessors since 2013, where she is the chair of the Nominating and Governance Committee and a member of the Compliance Committee and the Compensation Committee. In addition, the Company announced that Joseph Dowling III, a director since 2012, has stepped down from the Board of Directors, effective December 31, 2021, due to his other professional commitments, including his responsibilities as Senior Managing Director at Blackstone and the Global Head of Blackstone Alternative Asset Management

07:34 EST Independence Holding completes sale of Madison National Life to Horace Mann - Independence Holding Company (IHC) announced the completion of the sale of its subsidiary Madison National Life Insurance Company to Horace Mann Educators Corporation (HMN). All conditions to the consummation of the sale were satisfied and the transaction closed effective January 1, 2022.

07:31 EST PolyPid announces planned CEO transition - PolyPid announced that its Board of Directors has appointed Dikla Czaczkes Akselbrad, currently the Company's Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, as PolyPid's Chief Executive Officer, effective July 1, 2022. Amir Weisberg, who currently serves as Chief Executive Officer and a director, will direct a transition period with Czaczkes Akselbrad beginning on April 1, 2022, and will retire from the Chief Executive Officer position, a role in which he has served for over 11 years, effective on July 1, 2022. Separately, PolyPid announced that Shaul Mukhtar, Ph.D., Chief Operating Officer of PolyPid, will be retiring from the Company, effective March 2022, following two and a half years with PolyPid.

07:25 EST Applied Therapeutics trading halted, news pending

07:18 EST NRx Pharmaceuticals files provisional patent with USPTO - NRx Pharmaceuticals announced that it has filed a provisional composition of matter patent application with the US Patent and Trademark Office entitled "Stable, Buffer-free Compositions of Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide." The provisional application describes compositions of vasoactive intestinal peptide, the synthetic form of which is aviptadil, that are both shelf stable and biologically active when used to treat COVID-19 and other diseases. The inventions identified in the recently-filed patent have already been incorporated into the manufacture of ZYESAMI (aviptadil) and were reviewed by the FDA as part of its review of ZYESAMI's manufacturing process in September 2021. NRx anticipates that upon regulatory approval should safety and efficacy be demonstrated, ZYESAMI now has a path to drug release and innovative drug protection in the marketplace.

07:10 EST Xeris Biopharma in agreement for $30M private placement - Xeris Biopharma Holdings announced that on January 2, it entered into a securities purchase agreement in connection with a private placement with an affiliate of Armistice Capital, for aggregate gross proceeds of approximately $30M. The Private Placement is expected to close on or around January 3 . In accordance with the Purchase Agreement, the Company will issue to Armistice an aggregate of 10,238,908 shares of the Company's common stock, par value $0.0001 per share at a purchase price of $2.93 per Share, which was the closing price on December 31, 2021, resulting in aggregate gross proceeds of approximately $30M, and warrants o purchase an aggregate of 5,119,454 shares of Common Stock at an exercise price of $3.223 per share, resulting in aggregate gross proceeds of approximately $16.5 million if fully exercised. The Warrants will become exercisable immediately upon the closing and have a term of five years from the earliest of the date of effectiveness of the Resale Registration Statement all of the Shares and the Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrants have been sold pursuant to Rule 144 or may be sold pursuant to Rule 144 without the requirement for the Company to be in compliance with the current public information required under Rule 144 and without volume or manner-of-sale restrictions, following the one-year anniversary of the date of closing provided that the holder of Shares or Warrant Shares is not an affiliate of the Company, or (d) all of the Shares and Warrant Shares may be sold pursuant to an exemption from registration under Section 4(a)(1) of the Securities Act without volume or manner-of-sale restrictions. The Company expects to use the net proceeds from the Private Placement to support its operations, including for selling and marketing its three commercial products, clinical trials, working capital, and other general corporate purposes.

07:08 EST Centerra Gold confirms negotiations with the Kyrgyz government - Centerra Gold confirmed that it is engaged in negotiations with representatives of the Kyrgyz Republic to resolve their disputes related to Centerra's Kumtor Mine and the seizure of control of the mine by the Kyrgyz government in May 2021. Further to statements in the Kyrgyz media regarding the potential negotiated transfer of the Kumtor Mine to the Kyrgyz Republic, Centerra expects that the framework for any resolution would involve the following principal terms: Centerra receiving the approximately 26.1% in Centerra common shares held by Kyrgyzaltyn JSC. Upon receipt, Centerra would cancel the shares surrendered by Kyrgyzaltyn JSC. The Kyrgyz Republic receiving, and assuming all responsibility for, the Company's two Kyrgyz subsidiaries and the Kumtor Mine. Payment by Centerra of a cash amount equal to the net amount of the three dividends paid by Centerra in 2021 that Kyrgyzaltyn JSC did not receive as a result of the seizure of the mine and certain other financial consideration associated with the settlement of inter-company balances between Centerra and its two Kyrgyz subsidiaries. The resignation from Centerra's Board of Directors of Kyrgyzaltyn JSC's two nominees. Full and final releases of all claims of the parties and termination of all legal proceedings involving the parties in all jurisdictions with no admissions of liability. Negotiations with representatives of the Kyrgyz Republic are ongoing, and there can be no assurance that any proposed resolution will be consummated or as to the final economic and other terms and conditions of any such resolution, if agreed. Any such resolution would need to be formalized in a definitive agreement and would be subject to compliance with all applicable legal and regulatory requirements and approvals, including any applicable independent valuation or shareholder or government approval requirements.

07:07 EST Indaptus Therapeutics announces appointment of Boyan Litchev as CMO - Indaptus Therapeutics announces the appointment of Dr. Boyan Litchev, M.D., as Chief Medical Officer, or CMO, effective January 31, 2022. Litchev will oversee clinical strategy, clinical development, and the conduct of all clinical programs and will report directly to Jeffrey Meckler, Chief Executive Officer of Indaptus. Before joining Indaptus, Dr. Litchev served as Senior Vice President and Head of Global Clinical Development Oncology at Shoreline Biosciences.

07:05 EST Kaixin Auto announces commitment of $20M strategic investment from investors - Kaixin Auto announces that it has secured commitment of $20M strategic investment from multiple investment institutions, of which $2M has been funded. The remaining is expected to be funded by the end of first quarter of the year. This is the first round of financing after Kaixin announced its new energy vehicles strategy. The financing will be used in the development and design of new energy trucks for mass production and delivery in the second half of the year.

07:04 EST 4D pharma appoints John Doyle as CFO - 4D pharma announced the appointment of John Doyle as CFO. Doyle brings over 15 years of experience leading and developing the financial operations, strategy and investor relations functions at public healthcare companies. Doyle joins 4D pharma after serving as CFO at Chiasma Inc.

07:04 EST Casi Pharmaceuticals receives Nasdaq deficiency letter - Casi Pharmaceuticals announced that on December 30, 2021, CASI received a deficiency letter from the Listing Qualifications Department of the Nasdaq Stock Market notifying CASI that, for the previous 30 consecutive business days, the bid price of CASI's common stock had closed below the minimum $1.00 per share requirement for continued inclusion on the Nasdaq Capital Market pursuant to Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(a)(2). In accordance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5810(c)(3)(A), CASI has been provided an initial period of 180 calendar days, or until June 28, 2022, to regain compliance with the Bid Price Rule.

07:02 EST Altra completes acquisition of Nook Industries - Altra Industrial Motion announced that it has acquired Nook Industries. "The acquisition of Nook advances our strategy to focus Altra's portfolio on highly engineered products in the motion control and power transmission markets and increase our exposure to attractive secular trends," said Carl Christenson, Altra's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "With Nook, Altra is positioned to benefit from cross-selling opportunities that leverage our expanded and complementary linear motion control product offerings, while also gaining strong customer relationships in strategic end markets such as medical, factory automation and defense. We also have the opportunity to utilize Altra's scale to leverage fixed costs, while also capitalizing on Nook's production capacity to better satisfy increasing customer demand."

07:02 EST Rexford Industrial acquires eight industrial properties for $270M - Rexford Industrial Realty announced the acquisition of eight industrial properties for an aggregate purchase price of $270M. The acquisitions were funded using cash on hand and proceeds from forward equity settlements. For the full year 2021, the company acquired $1.9B of industrial properties, bringing the company's total portfolio to 296 properties comprising approximately 37.1M square feet within prime infill Southern California "last-mile" submarkets.

06:31 EST Ovid Therapeutics enters exclusive license agreement with AstraZeneca - Ovid Therapeutics (OVID) announced the company has entered into an exclusive license agreement with AstraZeneca (AZN) for a library of early-stage small molecules targeting the KCC2 transporter, including lead candidate, OV350. The company seeks to optimize and accelerate development of these KCC2 transporter activators in epilepsies and potentially other neuropathic conditions. Under the terms of the agreement, AstraZeneca will receive an upfront payment of $5M in cash and $7.5M in shares of Ovid common stock. AstraZeneca is eligible to receive potential clinical development milestones of up to $8M and regulatory milestones of up to $45M. Total commercial milestones could reach $150M and tiered royalty payments range from the single digits up to 10% on net sales. At the time of proof of clinical efficacy, AstraZeneca will have the right of first negotiation to opt in on a strategic collaboration.

06:07 EST Escalade to acquire Brunswick Billiards from Life Fitness, terms undisclosed - Escalade announced the signing of a definitive agreement to purchase the assets of the Brunswick Billiards business from Life Fitness, a portfolio company of KPS Capital Partners. The acquisition of Brunswick Billiards presents a significant opportunity to expand Escalade's reach into the billiards and indoor recreation markets. Brunswick Billiards complements Escalade's portfolio of billiards brands including Cue & Case, Lucasi, Mizerak, American Heritage and American Legend as well as Escalade's broader offering in the indoor recreation market including Stiga table tennis, Accudart and Unicorn darting, Atomic game tables, and Victory Tailgate licensed and customized games. Brunswick Billiards will continue to be based in Bristol, Wisconsin and led by John Kazik, general manager, and his management team. Escalade's purchase of the Brunswick Billiards business is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to be completed in January 2022.

06:04 EST AZZ Inc. to acquire Steel Creek, sees accretion - AZZ Inc. announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire all the assets of Steel Creek Galvanizing Company, a privately held hot-dip galvanizing company based in Blacksburg, South Carolina. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. AZZ expects the acquisition will be accretive to earnings within the first year of operation. AZZ will operate the new facility as AZZ Galvanizing - South Carolina. The new galvanizing facility will be integrated into AZZ's existing network of hot-dip galvanizing plants, increasing its total galvanizing network to 40 sites in North America.

06:01 EST Escalade to acquire assets of the Brunswick Billiards business from Life Fitness - Escalade announced the signing of a definitive agreement to purchase the assets of the Brunswick Billiards business from Life Fitness, a portfolio company of KPS Capital Partners, LP. Brunswick Billiards is the largest and oldest provider of billiards tables, game tables, and game room furniture in the United States. Brunswick Billiards will continue to be based in Bristol, Wisconsin and led by John Kazik, General Manager, and his management team. Escalade's purchase of the Brunswick Billiards business is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to be completed in January 2022.

05:08 EST Elbit Systems subsidiary awarded $53M contract from UAE Air Force - Elbit Systems announced that its subsidiary in the United Arab Emirates, or UAE, Elbit Systems Emirates was awarded an approximately $53M contract to supply Direct Infrared Countermeasures, or DIRCM, and airborne Electronic Warfare, or EW, systems for the Airbus A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport aircraft of the UAE Air Force. The contract will be performed over a five-year period. Under the contract, Elbit Systems Emirates will deliver a multi-turret configuration of the J-MUSIC Self-Protection System together with the company's Infra-Red-based Passive Airborne Warning System, providing high levels of protection and redundancy. The Company's DIRCM systems have accumulated more than 350,000 operational flight hours to date, and are installed onboard more than 25 types of aircraft.