Stockwinners Market Radar for January 22, 2022 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

17:01 EST Archer Aviation names Mark Mesler as CFO - Archer Aviation announced the appointment of Mark Mesler as the company's CFO. Most recently, Mark held the CFO role at Volansi, where he provided strategic and financial leadership for the autonomous drone technology and logistics company. Mark replaces Ben Lu, who will remain as a consultant to Archer during Mark's transition into his role.

16:32 EST AbbVie receives FDA approval for second indication of Skyrizi - AbbVie announced the FDA has approved Skyrizi for the treatment of adults with active psoriatic arthritis, or PsA, a systemic inflammatory disease that affects the skin and joints and impacts approximately 30% of patients with psoriasis.

16:18 EST Environmental Tectonics CFO Mark Prudenti to depart - Environmental Tectonics announced that Mark Prudenti has decided to leave his position as CFO to pursue an opportunity outside the company. ETC's board of directors has initiated the process to identify qualified candidates to fill the position.

16:03 EST Ekso Bionics appoints Steven Sherman CEO, Scott Davis COO - Ekso Bionics Holdings announced that Jack Peurach, who has served as the company's CEO since 2018, has informed the company's board of his decision to leave the company effective January 21 to pursue other endeavors. He has also stepped down from the company's board effective January 21. Effective January 22, the board has appointed Steven Sherman, who has served as Ekso Bionics' chairman since 2014, to become CEO, and has promoted Scott Davis, the company's executive VP of Strategy and Corporate Development, to president and COO.

16:02 EST CF Acquisition Corporation V (Class A Stock) trading resumes

15:52 EST CF Acquisition Corporation V (Class A Stock) trading halted, volatility trading pause

14:32 EST LoanDepot names Elijah Pallante chief data officer - loanDepot announced that Elijah Pallante has been promoted to Chief Data Officer. In this newly created role, Pallante will be responsible for leading the development and implementation of the company's enterprise data and information strategy. "I am extremely proud of how our company attracts the brightest minds in the industry-people who share our passion to deliver a seamless, exceptional mortgage experience to digital savvy customers," said loanDepot Founder and CEO Anthony Hsieh. "Elijah has played a critical role in supporting our goals, and now, under the leadership of Chief Digital Officer George Brady, the future is even brighter, and filled with immense opportunity that will benefit our team, and, most important, our customers."

13:27 EST Pilgrim's Pride announces $2 per hour pay increase in Mayfield, Kentucky - Pilgrim's announced a $4.5M annualized wage increase for team members at its Mayfield production facility to help support the local community recently impacted by a devastating tornado. The $2 per hour pay increase will elevate starting wages to $16.50 per hour at the Mayfield facility. The permanent pay increase, negotiated in partnership with UFCW Local 227, is in addition to the $1M investment Pilgrim's announced in December to assist with community recovery needs and support long-term rebuilding efforts resulting from the tornado that impacted the area.

13:24 EST TIM SA trading resumes

13:03 EST Baker Hughes reports U.S. rig count up 3 to 604 rigs - Baker Hughes reports that the U.S. rig count is up 3 from last week to 604 with oil rigs down 1 to 491, gas up 4 to 113, and miscellaneous rigs unchanged at 0. The U.S. Rig Count is up 226 rigs from last year's count of 378, with oil rigs up 202 gas rigs up 25 and miscellaneous rigs down 1. The U.S. Offshore Rig Count is unchanged at 18, up 2 year-over-year. The Canada Rig Count is up 21 from last week to 212, with oil rigs up 13 to 134, gas rigs up 8 to 78. The Canada Rig Count is up 40 rigs from last year's count of 172, with oil rigs up 38, gas rigs up 2.

12:52 EST Telecom Italia appoints Pietro Labriola as new CEO - Telecom Italia introduced Pietro Labriola, the new CEO of the TIM Group, with a press release that states in part: "Dedicated, enthusiastic, ready to listen: these characteristics describe Pietro Labriola, the new CEO of the TIM Group, appointed by the Board of Directors on 21 January 2021(by unanimous decision). An undisputed expert in telecommunications at an international level, Pietro Labriola joined the TIM Group in 2001 with strong knowledge from his experience at France Telecom, Cable&Wireless, Boston Consulting Group and Infostrada. He has contributed significantly to TIM's growth for more than 20 years... His appointment as CEO of the TIM Group follows his appointment as General Manager on 26 November 2020, a period during which he has entered into open and timely dialogue with all of the Group's internal and external stakeholders, paving the way to a new chapter in TIM's history." Reference Link

12:12 EST Royal Dutch Shell changes name to Shell - Shell confirmed its name has changed from Royal Dutch Shell plc to Shell plc. Shell announced the Board's decision to change its name to Shell plc on December 20, 2021. This change has now taken effect. Euronext Amsterdam, the London Stock Exchange and the New York Stock Exchange have been informed of this name change and it is anticipated that Euronext Amsterdam and the London Stock Exchange will reflect the change of name on Tuesday January 25, 2022, while the New York Stock Exchange will follow on Monday January 31, 2022.

12:00 EST Dingdong falls -11.2% - Dingdong is down -11.2%, or -65c to $5.14.

12:00 EST Vishay Precision rises 7.4% - Vishay Precision is up 7.4%, or $2.28 to $33.00.

12:00 EST AMTD International rises 15.7% - AMTD International is up 15.7%, or 74c to $5.44.

11:32 EST Consolidated Water wins two contracts for water treatment facilities - Consolidated Water has been awarded two major contracts for water treatment facilities in Arizona and Florida. The first contract was awarded to the company's California-based subsidiary, PERC Water Corporation, which develops, designs, builds, operates and manages water infrastructure facilities in the Southwestern U.S. PERC currently operates two of the most advanced water reclamation facilities in southern California. The new contract involves the design of a WRF in the city of Goodyear, Arizona for Liberty Utilities. The design will include micro or ultra-filtration membranes to enhance biological wastewater treatment which reduce facility footprint while increasing the ability to treat more challenging influent and treat all influent to a higher quality level. For the second water project win, Aerex Industries, Consolidated Water's specialty manufacturer of water treatment-related systems and products, was awarded a contract by the City of Port St. Lucie, Florida to replace membrane elements and upgrade equipment at the city's 20 million gallons per day J.E. Anderson Reverse Osmosis Water Treatment Plant. The facility treats groundwater from deep Floridan aquifer wells. This multi-phase project is expected to be completed by mid-2023.

11:24 EST GM to invest about $154M in Western New York plant for electric motor parts - General Motors announced plans to invest nearly $154M in its Western New York Lockport Components plant. "The investment will be used to renovate the facility and purchase and install new machinery and equipment used in the production of the stator module, a key component in an electric motor. Electric motors will be used in a variety of GM's future Ultium Platform-based electric trucks and SUVs. Facility renovations will begin immediately," the company said. Reference Link

11:12 EST Morningstar reports U.S. mutual fund, ETF fund flows for December, 2021 - qMorningstar reported estimated U.S. mutual fund and exchange-traded fund flows for the full-year and December 2021. Long-term mutual funds and ETFs collected $88B in December, bringing their annual total to $1.2T, the highest amount on record in data going back to 1993. Highlights from the report include: Passively managed funds had approximately $96B of inflows in December while active funds had more than $8B of outflows. Passive funds had a $958B intake in 2021, over $700B more than their active counterparts. Taxable-bond funds' $16B inflow in December was their lowest monthly total of the year, but they set an annual record in 2021 with a $531B intake, the most of any U.S. category group. In December, U.S. equity funds had inflows of $30B, bringing their 2021 total intake to $151B. After record outflows of $240B in 2020. International-equity funds took in $29B in December and $262B for all of 2021.

11:04 EST Barrick Gold says Kibali gold mine produced 812,152 ounces in 2021 - Barrick Gold Corporation announced the Kibali gold mine produced a total of 812,152 ounces, well within guidance for 2021, and tje company expects to increase its mineral reserves net of depletion for the third successive year, maintaining its plus 10-year life as one of Barrick Gold Corporation's Tier One assets. Barrick president and chief executive Mark Bristow noted that this performance, which grew steadily stronger during the year, was achieved with no lost time injuries during the last quarter. Like all Barrick's mines worldwide, Kibali retained its ISO 45001 safety and ISO 14001 environmental accreditations. At the same time, Kibali continued to lead the group's clean energy drive with power sourced from its three continuously upgraded hydropower stations supported by new back-up battery technology "Kibali's performance was supported by reinforced Covid-19 protocols to deal with the fourth wave of the virus. The mine worked closely with the DRC's health authorities and the provincial government to source vaccines and to date has partially vaccinated 60% of its workforce, with 43% of the workforce fully vaccinated," Bristow said. "It also strengthened its local business partnerships to build a sustainable economy in the region. During Q4 it spent $40.6M with local contractors and suppliers, bringing the total since the start of Kibali to $2.1B. To date, Kibali has invested some $3.7B in the DRC in the form of taxes, permits, infrastructure, salaries and payments to local partners."

10:56 EST ChizComm founders file suit against ChizComm, Genius Brands - ChizComm and ChizComm Beacon Media founders Harold and Jennifer Chizick filed a lawsuit on Tuesday against ChizComm and Genius Brands. The founders said, "Mr. and Mrs. Chizick were wrongfully terminated by ChizComm and its owner Genius Brands, despite having founded and made ChizComm successful and performing loyally and in the best interest of ChizComm and Genius Brands. For this reason, Mr. and Mrs. Chizick have unfortunately had to file a lawsuit, docket number 650278/2022, against ChizComm Ltd. and Genius Brands in the Supreme Court of the State of New York, New York County to protect their rights and reputations. The claims speak for themselves and now ChizComm and Genius Brands will have to answer for their unwarranted actions against the Chizicks."

10:01 EST Applied DNA submits request for EUA to FDA for Linea 2.0 Covid-19 assay - Applied DNA Sciences announced that its wholly-owned clinical laboratory subsidiary, Applied DNA Clinical Labs, LLC, has submitted a request to the U.S. FDA for Emergency Use Authorization for its Linea 2.0 COVID-19 Assay and Linea Unsupervised At-Home Sample Collection Kit. If approved, the company's request for EUA positions ADCL to pursue an expansion of its established safeCircle COVID-19 testing platform nationally to meet the needs of enterprises seeking to protect workforce health and avoid disruptions to operations by mass staff absences due to omicron's high transmissibility and ability to evade vaccination immunity, Applied DNA said.

10:00 EST ProShares Bitcoin Strategy ETF falls -10.3% - ProShares Bitcoin Strategy ETF is down -10.3%, or -$2.77 to $24.13.

10:00 EST Santander Chile rises 5.4% - Santander Chile is up 5.4%, or $1.04 to $20.29.

10:00 EST AMTD International rises 17.9% - AMTD International is up 17.9%, or 84c to $5.54.

09:47 EST ProShares Bitcoin Strategy ETF falls -9.4% - ProShares Bitcoin Strategy ETF is down -9.4%, or -$2.52 to $24.38.

09:47 EST Santander Chile rises 5.4% - Santander Chile is up 5.4%, or $1.03 to $20.27.

09:47 EST AMTD International rises 16.2% - AMTD International is up 16.2%, or 76c to $5.46.

09:28 EST Liquid Media, Eluvio to launch iNDIEFLIX film on blockchain - Liquid Media Group is proud to present iNDIEFLIX's original documentary ANGST, with one of the first-ever screenings hosted exclusively on the blockchain for ten days starting at noon PT, the 21st of January. Designed to raise awareness and open up the conversation around anxiety, this streaming event will benefit notable mental health advocacy organizations, with 50% of proceeds benefiting Jack.org, Lady Gaga's Born This Way Foundation and the iNDIEFLIX Foundation. Available to stream from January 21st - 31st, viewers can register for the event online by setting up their secure and easy-to-use digital wallet to claim their community NFTs for social good. This wallet serves as a digital vault and enables collectors to donate via credit cards or cryptocurrencies, claim free community NFTs, and purchase the exclusive ANGST NFT. iNDIEFLIX will be dropping an NFT collection focused on the conversation around mental health to coincide with the streaming event and all containing streamable video assets created along with the ANGST film.

09:18 EST E2open announces stock repurchase plan of up to $100M - E2open Parent Holdings announced that the company's Board of Directors has approved a program for the repurchase of up to $100M of E2open shares of Class A common stock over the next twelve months. E2open has approximately 301.4 million shares of Class A common stock outstanding as of January 10, 2022. "E2open is a highly profitable subscription software business with double digit organic revenue growth that generates substantial free cash flow," said Michael Farlekas, CEO at E2open. "The board authorization allows the company flexibility to deploy capital that is accretive to shareholders as conditions warrant, while retaining flexibility to invest in the business both organically and through acquisitions."

09:09 EST Genius Brands' 'Stan Lee's Superhero Kindergarten' to launch on Alibaba's Youku - Genius Brands (GNUS) announced the launch of season one of its flagship animated children's series, Stan Lee's Superhero Kindergarten, executive produced by and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, on Alibaba Group's (BABA) video streaming platform, Youku, starting March 2022. Additionally, the series will be available via the Tudou and Kumiao apps. Stan Lee's Superhero Kindergarten premiered on April 23, 2021 on Genius Brands' Kartoon Channel! in the U.S. and Canada and has since garnered over 75 million views. The Company will continue to launch the series in key territories around the world in 2022.

09:07 EST TOP Ships announces delivery of VLCC, sale of two product tankers - TOP Ships announced the delivery of the very high-specification, scrubber-fitted, 300,000 dwt newbuilding Very Large Crude Carrier vessel M/T Julius Caesar constructed at the Hyundai Heavy Industries shipyard in South Korea. The vessel has commenced its previously announced time charter employment with a major oil trader for three years with two yearly extensions at the charterer's option. The revenue backlog expected to be generated by this fixture, assuming all options are exercised, is about $68.8N. For 2022 alone, this charter is expected to contribute $12.5M in revenue. The company also announced that it has entered into an agreement to sell to unaffiliated third parties its 2 MR product tankers M/T Eco Los Angeles and M/T Eco City of Angels. The vessel sales are subject to customary closing conditions and are anticipated to be concluded during the first quarter of 2022. Depending on when the closing of the sales take place, the Company estimates net proceeds after debt repayment of about $17.5M and intends to use these funds towards its current newbuilding program, including repayment of the Unsecured Financing described below. In relation to the delivery of M/T Julius Caesar, the Company drew down $54M from its secured credit facility with a major international financier entered into in November 2021, and has bareboat chartered back the vessel for a period of eight years at a bareboat hire rate consisting of 32 consecutive quarterly installments of $0.7M and a balloon payment of $32.4M payable together with the last installment, plus interest based on the 3 months USD LIBOR plus 2.60% per annum. As part of this transaction, the Company has continuous options to buy back the vessels at purchase prices stipulated in the bareboat agreements. The facility contains customary financial and other covenants including with respect to a change in voting control of the Company. The Company has in place a facility with the same financier with substantially similar terms for the M/T Legio X Equestris which is expected to be delivered during the 1st quarter of 2022. The Company also announced that it has entered into a non-binding term sheet with a major international financier for up to $48.4M for the financing, in the form of sale and leaseback, of the newbuilding vessel M/T Eco Oceano CA, subject to credit committee approval. According to the terms, the credit facility will be repayable in 40 consecutive quarterly installments of $0.7M commencing from the date of delivery of the vessel, plus a balloon installment equal to $20.4M. The credit facility will bear interest based on the 3 months USD LIBOR, plus a margin of 3.50% per annum. Subject to the approval of the termsheet relating to the financing of the M/T Eco Oceano CA, in combination with the Unsecured Financing and the sale of Series F Preferred Shares described below, the Company's remaining newbuilding program, consisting of the VLCC vessel M/T Legio X Equestris and the Suezmax vessel M/T Eco Oceano CA, will be fully funded. The Company also announced that it has entered into an unsecured credit facility for up to $20M with an affiliate of its CEO in order to finance part of the shipbuilding cost of the 2 VLCCs. To date, $9M has been drawn down. The company shall repay the principal amount of this facility in cash via one or multiple installments at its discretion by December 31, 2022. The principal terms of the loan include an arrangement fee of 2%, interest of 12% per annum and a commitment fee of 1.00% on the undrawn part of the facility. In January 2022, the Company entered into a stock purchase agreement with an affiliate of its CEO for the sale of up to 7,560,759 newly-issued Series F Non-Convertible Perpetual Preferred Shares, par value $0.01, to the Buyer, in exchange for the assumption by the Buyer of an amount of $48M of shipbuilding costs for its newbuilding vessels M/T Eco Oceano CA, M/T Julius Caesar and M/T Legio X Equestris, and settlement of the Company's remaining payment obligations relating to the acquisition in September 8, 2021 of an additional 65% ownership interest in the newbuilding contracts for its 2 VLCCs, in an amount of up to $26.7M. As of the date of this release 1,800,160 Series F Preferred Shares have been issued.

09:06 EST CVS Health investing $6.5M in affordable housing in Denver - CVS Health will invest $6.5M with Boston Financial Investment Management to build a 36-unit permanent supportive housing community, known as Charity's House Place, for individuals experiencing homelessness and people with physical, intellectual, and/or developmental disabilities in the Five Points neighborhood in Denver. CVS Health is working with BlueLine Development and Community Outreach Service Center to co-develop Charity's House Place. Charity's House Place will consist of a four-story residential building in Denver. In addition to COSC services, the Mental Health Center of Denver will provide residents with an array of mental health, substance abuse and integrated health services.

09:04 EST EnWave's licensed partner Alpina launches REV dried cheese snacks in Columbia - EnWave announced that Alpina Productos Alimenticios, a previously unnamed licensed partner of the Company, has developed and launched a new dried cheese snack brand, Alpina Snacks, in Colombia. Alpina holds an exclusive license to produce cheese snack products in Colombia using EnWave's Radiant Energy Vacuum, REV, dehydration technology. The brand, Alpina Snacks, is being launched to target South American consumers looking for "better-for-you snack options with clean labels," the company said. Alpina Snacks' new product contains only 100% dehydrated cheese. Alpina will leverage its distribution network to gain placement in specialty health stores, airports, e-retailers, and e-commerce, in addition to traditional grocery retail distribution.

09:02 EST ViacomCBS and Nexstar renew affiliation agreements - ViacomCBS (VIACA, VIAC) and Nexstar (NXST) announced that Nexstar's wholly owned subsidiary, Nexstar Media, and its operating partners have reached comprehensive multi-year agreements to renew the existing CBS Television Network affiliations in 39 markets across the country. The 39 markets combined reach 14% of the U.S. audience, serving 17.4 million television households. Following three affiliation agreements that were renewed early last year, this agreement completes all of ViacomCBS and Nexstar's affiliation renewals.

08:50 EST Former Velodyne Lidar executives file lawsuit over 2020 SPAC merger - David and Marta Hall, former executive officers and controlling stockholders of Velodyne Lidar, announced that they have filed a lawsuit in the United States Superior Court of California against certain individuals for their roles in misleading stockholders of the original Velodyne Lidar regarding its 2020 SPAC merger with Graf Industrial Corp. In the suit, the Halls assert that the defendants each, and collectively, carried out a number of unlawful activities, including: "Messrs. Graf and Dee continually misled stockholders, investors and potential investors about Original Velodyne's forecasted financial performance prior to the 2020 SPAC merger with GIC. In communications to investors, Messrs. Graf and Dee published false and misleading statements, including overstating revenue projections for 2021 and beyond, and purporting that Ford Motor Company would continue to hold a large equity stake in the Company without consulting or notifying the Halls about such statements. Messrs. Graf and Dee also purposefully misrepresented Mr. Hall's future involvement in the Company to Original Velodyne stockholders, including the Halls. Messrs. Graf and Dee continually highlighted the importance of Mr. Hall's continued role as executive chairman in public communications yet conspired to eliminate his influence over the Company's operations and push him out of management almost immediately following the merger. Under the current leadership team, Velodyne Lidar has failed to develop LIDAR technology, lost substantial market share, bled significant cash and lacked a credible strategy. Messrs. Graf, Dee, Gopalan and Hamer misled stockholders about Mr. Hall's departure from the Company. In February 2021, the Company disclosed that Mr. Hall had been terminated from his position of chairman and that Ms. Hall had been terminated as an employee of the Company following a previously undisclosed investigation. Messrs. Graf, Dee, Gopalan and Hamer previously failed to disclose the investigation when they pre-announced the Company's preliminary fourth quarter and full year 2020 financial results on January 7, 2021, and instead falsely represented that there was "no change in [the Company's] fundamental outlook for the future," despite virtually all of the Company's previous U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filings having informed and warned investors that the loss of Mr. Hall would adversely affect Velodyne Lidar's business. As predicted, stockholders have lost 80% of value since the Company ousted Mr. Hall as chairman. Prior to the merger, Jeffrey Vetter, Original Velodyne's principal outside legal counsel, breached his legal and fiduciary duties by neglecting to act in the best interests of his client and its stockholders. Instead, Mr. Vetter structured post-merger corporate documents to hand over control of the post-merger entity to the GIC-appointed directors - which included Messrs. Graf and Dee - and deprive Original Velodyne stockholders, including the Halls, of their rights. Notably, the Company's post-merger corporate documents limit stockholders' ability to nominate directors or introduce business at a stockholder meeting, eliminate stockholders' right to act by written consent and provide for a classified board of directors, among other items."

08:42 EST Western Midstream increases quarterly cash distribution 1.3% to 32.7c per unit - Western Midstream announced that the board of directors of its general partner declared a quarterly cash distribution of 32.7c per unit for Q4. This distribution represents a 1.3% increase over the prior quarter's distribution and is consistent with the partnership's previously disclosed annualized 2021 distribution growth rate of 5%. WES's Q4 distribution is payable February 14 to unitholders of record at the close of business on January 31.

08:38 EST Cenntro Electric produces 1,623 ECV in FY21, 628 in December - Cenntro Electric announced that it achieved a production milestone of 1,623 electric commercial vehicles, or ECV, for 2021 and experienced its highest volume month of 628 ECV's produced and shipped in December 2021. The company also announced the introduction of four new vehicle models during FY21. Cenntro's product portfolio includes Class 1 - Class 4 vehicles in addition to off-road offerings and, through its channel partner network, it currently distributes vehicles in over 26 countries to target customers, which include corporate fleets, medium and small companies as well as both state and federal government fleets. Cenntro has produced and delivered over 3,600 commercial electric vehicles since 2017 and its scalable, decentralized production model allows it to grow production without many of the associated infrastructure costs utilizing its asset light manufacturing model. The company plans to scale production in the first quarter of 2022, through new facilities both in Jacksonville, Florida and Dusseldorf, Germany.

08:33 EST Lumentum and NeoPhotonics announce HSR clearance for merger - Lumentum (LITE) and NeoPhotonics (NPTN) announced the expiration of the waiting period under the HSR Act with respect to Lumentum's pending transaction with NeoPhotonics. The expiration of the waiting period under the HSR Act satisfies one of the conditions to the closing of the transaction contemplated by the Agreement and Plan of Merger dated November 3. The consummation of the transaction remains subject to other customary closing conditions, including approval of NeoPhotonics' stockholders and approval from the State Administration for Market Regulation of the People's Republic of China. The transaction is still expected to close in the second half of calendar year 2022.

08:31 EST Ecolab announces 12% price increase for Life Sciences offerings - Ecolab will begin implementing a price increase for all Life Sciences division offerings, effective February 1, due to the significant and ongoing global supply chain disruptions and cost increases, including those for raw materials, logistics and labor. Pricing for the Life Sciences segment programs will increase 12% globally.

08:11 EST Aptevo chairman Fuad El-Hibri to retire, John Niederhuber to succeed - Aptevo Therapeutics announced that founding chairman of the board, Fuad El-Hibri, has announced his retirement effective April 1. The company also announced that long-time board member and vice chairman John Niederhuber, will assume the chairmanship, effective April 1. Niederhuber currently serves as vice chairman and has been a member of the board since Aptevo's inception.

08:08 EST EverCommerce ends 2021 with over 600,000 customers - The company said, "EverCommerce continued to advance the digitization of small and medium businesses that provide services across the Field Service & Home Improvement, Fitness & Wellness, and Health Services industries in 2021. From business management and billing & payments, to marketing, customer engagement and lead generation, EverCommerce's integrated software helps SMB service providers run their day-to-day operations, engage with customers, and streamline operations. By automating and digitally transforming their operations, EverCommerce enables service professionals to focus on growing their businesses with an improved customer experience that results in higher customer retention. In 2021, EverCommerce's growth reflected the acceleration of the digital transformation within the service economy. As a leading provider within its verticals, EverCommerce ended the year with more than 600,000 customers, representing a greater than 20 percent increase year-over-year. The company also saw its annualized Total Payment Volume increase by more than 20 percent as customers increasingly desire embedded billing and payments capabilities within their business management software to improve customer experience and business efficiency."

08:07 EST Daxor appoints Caleb DesRosiers to board of directors - Daxor announced that it has appointed Caleb DesRosiers, JD, MPA to its Board of Directors, effective January 18, 2022. DesRosiers is currently a Senior Principal at Valuate Healthcare Consultancy.

08:06 EST IBM to divest healthcare data, analytics assets to Francisco Partners - IBM announced that the companies have signed a definitive agreement under which Francisco Partners will acquire healthcare data and analytics assets from IBM that are currently part of the Watson Health business. The assets acquired by Francisco Partners include data sets and products, including Health Insights, MarketScan, Clinical Development, Social Program Management, Micromedex, and imaging software offerings. The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of this year and is subject to customary regulatory clearances. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

08:03 EST E-Home Household enters into two separate equity acquisition agreements - E-Home Household Service Holdings announced that the Company and its wholly-owned subsidiary E-Home Home Service, have entered into an Equity Transfer Agreement with Putian YouYou Cleaning and its individual shareholder to acquire 60% of the equity interests in YouYou from Wang Guoqing, who holds 100% of the equity interests of YouYou, a professional cleaning and property management company in China. Meanwhile, the Company and E-Home Pingtan have also entered into another Equity Transfer Agreement with Shenzhen Chinese Enterprises Industrial LianBao Appliance Service and its shareholders to acquire 40% of the equity interests in LianBao from the Sellers, a Chinese household appliance service firm. Pursuant to the Agreement A, Wang will transfer 60% equity interests in YouYou to E-Home Pingtan for a total consideration of RMB36M, of which RMB4M will be paid in cash and the rest RMB32M will be paid by the Company in the form of issuance of 2,702,826 ordinary shares at a per share issuance price equal to 120% of the average of the Nasdaq closing price for 20 consecutive trading days preceding January 11, 2022, or $1.86. The Sellers will transfer 40% equity interests in LianBao to E-Home Pingtan to ensure that the latter appoints at least two-thirds of the board members at LianBao, as per the Agreement B. The consideration for the equity transfer shall be paid by the Company in the form of issuance of a total of 5,823,363 ordinary shares, as determined by the quotient of dividing the purchase price of RMB63.2M by the per share price equal to 110% of the average of the Nasdaq closing price for the consecutive twenty trading days preceding January 11, 2022, or $1.705.

07:55 EST PPG sees Q1 additional selling price increases above Q4 levels - Sees Q1 sales volume lower by a mid-single-digit percentage. Sees Q1 raw material cost inflation 25%-30%. Sees Q1 acquisition-related sales $270M. Sees Q1 tax rate 22%-23%. Says supply chain disruptions constrained sales by approximately $150M. Says supply and COVID-19 related disruptions impacted operating costs. Says favorable discrete items lowered tax rate. Says sales impacted by raw material shortages and logistics bottlenecks. Comments taken from Q4 investor presentation slides.

07:41 EST Alnylam announces HELIOS-A study meets all secondary endpoints - Alnylam announced that the HELIOS-A Phase 3 study of vutrisiran, an investigational RNAi therapeutic in development for the treatment of transthyretin-mediated, or ATTR, amyloidosis, met all secondary endpoints measured at 18 months in patients with hATTR amyloidosis with polyneuropathy, including statistically significant improvements in neuropathy impairment, quality of life, or QoL, gait speed, nutritional status and overall disability, relative to placebo, and non-inferiority of serum TTR reduction relative to the within-study patisiran arm. The results were presented in an oral session at the Societe Francophone du Nerf Peripherique, or SFNP, Annual Meeting. In HELIOS-A, patients treated with vutrisiran also showed improvement in exploratory cardiac endpoints including NT-proBNP and echocardiographic parameters relative to placebo, as well as technetium uptake, relative to baseline, in a planned cohort of patients. Vutrisiran also continued to demonstrate an encouraging safety and tolerability profile consistent with the previously reported Month 9 results. At 18 months, vutrisiran met all secondary endpoints in HELIOS-A. Vutrisiran treatment resulted in a 0.46 point mean decrease in the modified Neuropathy Impairment Score, or mNIS+7, from baseline at 18 months as compared to a 28.09 point mean increase reported for the external placebo group, resulting in a 28.55 point mean difference relative to placebo. Vutrisiran treatment also resulted in an mNIS+7 improvement relative to baseline at 18 months in 48 percent of patients, compared with 4% of patients who received placebo. Vutrisiran treatment resulted in a 1.2 point mean decrease in Norfolk QoL-DN score from baseline at 18 months as compared to a 19.8 point mean increase reported for the external placebo group, resulting in a mean 21 point difference relative to placebo. Fifty-seven percent of patients treated with vutrisiran experienced improvement in quality of life relative to baseline at 18 months, compared with 10 percent of patients who received placebo. Vutrisiran achieved statistically significant improvement in gait speed, nutritional status and disability at 18 months, compared with the external placebo group. Vutrisiran treatment resulted in a 0.024 meters/second mean decrease in 10-MWT from baseline at 18 months as compared to a 0.264 meters/second mean decrease in the external placebo group, resulting in a mean 0.239 meters/second increase relative to placebo. Vutrisiran treatment resulted in a 25 point mean increase in mBMI from baseline at 18 months as compared to a 115.7 point mean decrease in the external placebo group, resulting in a 140.7 point mean increase relative to placebo. Vutrisiran treatment resulted in a mean decrease of 1.5 points from baseline in R-ODS at 18 months as compared to a 9.9 point mean decrease in the external placebo group, resulting in an 8.4 point mean increase relative to placebo. As expected, non-inferiority of vutrisiran serum TTR reduction, relative to the within-study patisiran reference comparator, was established. Vutrisiran achieved a rapid and sustained reduction of serum TTR at 18 months, with a mean reduction from baseline of 88%. Patients treated with vutrisiran also showed the potential for improvement across exploratory cardiac endpoints. Compared to placebo, patients in the vutrisiran arm demonstrated improvement in NT-proBNP, a biomarker of cardiac stress, with an adjusted geometric fold change in the vutrisiran patients of 0.94 and a change in placebo patients of 1.96 for a nominal p-value of 9.6x10-10. Patients treated with vutrisiran also demonstrated a trend towards improvement in echocardiographic parameters, relative to placebo including cardiac output, LV end diastolic volume, Global longitudinal strain and mean LV wall thickness. In a planned cohort, vutrisiran also reduced cardiac uptake of technetium on scintigraphy imaging, relative to baseline, providing potential evidence of reduced amyloid burden in the heart. 68% of patients improved in technetium uptake as assessed by normalized left ventricular total uptake and 65% of patients demonstrated improvement in assessment of heart to contralateral lung ratio. Furthermore, 28 percent showed a one grade or greater improvement in the Perugini grading scale, with 68% of patients maintaining a stable Perugini grade at Month 18, relative to baseline. Vutrisiran demonstrated an encouraging safety profile in HELIOS-A at 18 months. There were three study discontinuations due to adverse events in the vutrisiran arm by Month 18, one due to a non-fatal event of heart failure and two due to deaths, neither of which was considered related to the study drug. During the 18-month treatment period there were two serious adverse events deemed related to vutrisiran by the study investigator, consisting of dyslipidemia and urinary tract infection. The two deaths and the two related SAEs were previously reported at Month 9. Treatment emergent adverse events occurring in 10% or more patients included fall, pain in extremity, diarrhea, peripheral edema, urinary tract infection, arthralgia and dizziness; with the exception of pain in extremity and arthralgia, each of these events occurred at a similar or lower rate as compared with external placebo. Injection site reactions, or ISRs, were reported in five patients and were all mild and transient. There were no clinically significant changes in liver function tests.

07:32 EST Palatin presents data showing positive effects of PL8177 on ulcerative colitis - Palatin Technologies announced a presentation of the positive effects of PL8177 on treating ulcerative colitis in an animal disease model, including genomic data characterizing the anti-inflammatory effects of melanocortin agonists. The poster presentation of the efficacy and cellular and molecular effects of the melanocortin 1 receptor agonist PL8177 in a rat model of ulcerative colitis will be presented at the Crohn's and Colitis Congress, being held virtually, on January 21. The data presented showed that orally administered PL8177 improved markers of colitis compared to the vehicle group. Also, data from colon samples from the DSS rat model showed significantly lower expression of a gene involved in regulating immune response in the bowel. These results support the aim of ultimately treating inflammatory bowel disease in humans. Palatin is planning to conduct a phase 2 clinical study evaluating PL8177 administered orally as a treatment for ulcerative colitis later this year.

07:13 EST Huntington Bancshares sees FY22 average loans, ex-PPP, up high single digits - Sees FY22: Net interest income, ex-PPP, ex-PAA, up high single to low double digits; Non-interest income up low single digits; Expense, ex-notable items, sequentially decreasing in 1H22, quarterly run rate of ~$1B by 2Q22. Sees full year net charge-offs of less than 30 basis points; Tax rate of 18%-19%. Comments taken from investor presentation slides for Q4 earnings conference call.

07:04 EST Scotts Miracle-Gro announces expiration, results of exchange offer - The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company announced the expiration and results of its previously announced registered exchange offer to exchange any and all of its $400,000,000 aggregate principal amount of 4.375% Senior Notes due 2032, which were issued in a private placement on August 13, 2021, for an equal principal amount of its 4.375% Senior Notes due 2032, which have been registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. The exchange offer expired at 11:59 p.m., New York City time, on January 10, 2022. As of that time, $400,000,000 aggregate principal amount, or 100.0%, of the Original Notes had been validly tendered for exchange and not validly withdrawn. All of the Original Notes validly tendered and not validly withdrawn were accepted for exchange in the exchange offer. The Company expects that settlement of the exchange offer will occur on or about January 26, 2022. The exchange offer was made to satisfy the Company's obligations under a registration rights agreement entered into on August 13, 2021 in connection with the issuance of the Original Notes, and does not represent a new financing transaction. The exchange offer was made upon the terms and conditions set forth in the exchange offer documents distributed to holders of the Original Notes, including a prospectus dated December 22, 2021 and the related letter of transmittal.

07:03 EST Rafael announces William Conkling to assume role of CEO - Rafael Holdings (RFL) announced several changes to its leadership team. William Conkling will remain with the company and assume the responsibilities of Chief Executive Officer from Ameet Mallik as of February 1, 2022. Conkling has over 20 years of experience specializing and currently serves as Rafael's Chief Commercial and Business Officer. Dr. Rick Ewing has recently taken on the role of Head of Drug Discovery and will be responsible for expanding the research and development team and advancing our early-stage pipeline. Prior to joining Rafael Holdings, Dr. Ewing spent 21 years at Bristol Myers Squibb (BMY). Mimi Huizinga, Chief Medical Officer, will be leaving the company as of January 31, 2022, to pursue other opportunities. Ameet Mallik will remain a member of the company's Board of Directors and Chair the recently established Transition Committee.

06:55 EST Lannett announces completion of FDA safety review of insulin glargine IND - Lannett announced that the FDA has notified the company that they have completed the safety review of the investigational new drug, or IND, application for biosimilar insulin glargine, a product the company is co-developing with its strategic alliance partners within the HEC Group of companies, or HEC, and concluded that the company may proceed with the proposed clinical investigation. The company said it anticipates the pivotal clinical trial to commence by March and be completed by early 2023.

06:51 EST Schlumberger reports Q4 cash flow from operations $1.93B, free cash flow $1.3B

06:48 EST Spire Global and Dragonfly Aerospace partner for Australian Government satellite - Spire Global announced a partnership with Dragonfly Aerospace to support the Australian Government's Office of National Intelligence with a second satellite as a part of its ongoing National Intelligence Community Satellite program. The follow-up program, NICSAT2, will see Spire designing, building, and launching the company's Low Earth Multi-Use Receiver, or LEMUR, a 6U satellite platform, with the capability of on-board computing and processing of machine learning and artificial intelligence across multi-modal data. The Australian National Intelligence Community launched the NICSAT program to experiment with commercial satellite technologies, including the on-board application of advanced machine learning capabilities on small satellites, like those manufactured by Spire. Spire previously worked on the NICSAT program's first satellite, Djara, last year. NICSAT2 was successfully launched aboard the SpaceX Transporter-3 mission on January 12th.

05:16 EST TuanChe reveals preliminary plan for new EV business - TuanChe revealed its preliminary plan for the new electric vehicle, or EV, business. For the new EV business, TuanChe will assemble a core team of more than 100 experts. The company will select partners with technologies and resources to enable them to quickly build up core capabilities necessary for the EV industry, including design, manufacturing, and sales and marketing. TuanChe will leverage its extensive distribution network, sales capabilities and accumulated experience to support the new EV business. TuanChe has established a nationwide offline sales network covering more than 230 cities, ranging from first-tier cities to remote small towns. The network will enable TuanChe to directly reach target customers and provide after-sales services.