Stockwinners Market Radar for April 20, 2022 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

20:32 EDT LMP Automotive gets notice of deficiency from Nasdaq due to delayed 10K filing - LMP Automotive Holdings "announced it received a notification of deficiency from Nasdaq related to the delayed filing of its Annual Report on Form 10-K. On April 19, 2022, it received a standard notice from Nasdaq indicating that, as a result of not having timely filed its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, the company is not in compliance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5250(c)(1), which requires timely filing of all required periodic financial reports with the SEC. The Nasdaq notice has no immediate effect on the listing or trading of the Company's common stock on the Nasdaq Capital Market."

20:28 EDT Cathie Wood's ARK Investment bought 153K shares of Zoom Video today

20:26 EDT Cathie Wood's ARK Investment bought 881K shares of Ginkgo Bioworks today

19:17 EDT BHP Group backs FY22 iron ore output 249-259MT, down 2% to up 2% from last year - Cuts FY22 copper output view to 1,570-1,620kt from 1,590-1,760kt.

19:07 EDT Vertex says Health Canada grants marketing authorization for TRIKAFTA for 6-11 - Vertex Pharmaceuticals announced that Health Canada has granted Marketing Authorization for the expanded use of PrTRIKAFTA to include children with cystic fibrosis ages 6 through 11 years who have at least one F508del mutation in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator gene. With this announcement, approximately 500 Canadians with CF ages 6-11 are now eligible for TRIKAFTA. As a result of this approval, an additional dosage strength of TRIKAFTA tablets is now available. "We are delighted that TRIKAFTA is now available for these young patients in Canada. It provides a new treatment option for those with CF ages 6-11 with at least one F508del mutation and a first-in-class treatment option for the approximately 500 6-11-year-olds who are newly eligible for a medicine that treats the underlying cause of their disease," said Reshma Kewalramani, M.D., Chief Executive Officer and President at Vertex. "This important milestone brings us one step closer to our ultimate goal of developing treatments for all patients living with CF. We will now work closely with all provinces and territories to secure access for eligible patients as quickly as possible."

18:55 EDT Confluent holder buys $5.1M in common stock - In a regulatory filing, Confluent disclosed that its 10% shareholder Brad Gerstner bought 133.7K shares of common stock in a total transaction size of $5.1M.

18:03 EDT Coinbase releases Coinbase NFT beta, 'explore vast collection of NFTs' - Sanchan Saxena, VP of Product, Ecosystem Products for Coinbase, said in a blog posting: "Last year we announced Coinbase NFT, a Web3 social marketplace for NFTs. Since then, we've been building in the open and getting input from the NFT community. We shared previews of our progress with collectors and creators and received amazing feedback. We learned that people don't just want better tools to buy and sell NFTs: they want better ways to discover them, better ways to find the right communities, and better spaces in which they can feel connected with each other. That's why we're building a product that's much more than a transaction. We're looking to empower people to create, collect, and connect. We're taking the first step on that journey by releasing our beta. Starting today, anyone can check out the first version of Coinbase NFT at nft.coinbase.com and explore the vast collection of NFTs on the Ethereum blockchain. Beta testers will be able to create a Coinbase NFT profile to buy and sell NFTs using any self-custody wallet, whether that's Coinbase Wallet or something else." Reference Link

17:48 EDT Vertex Pharmaceuticals' Trikafta granted MAA in Canada for pediatric fibrosis - Vertex Pharmaceuticals announced that Health Canada has granted Marketing Authorization - MAA - for the expanded use of Trikafta - elexacaftor/tezacaftor/ivacaftor and ivacaftor - to include children with cystic fibrosis ages 6 through 11 years who have at least one F508del mutation in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator gene. With this announcement, approximately 500 Canadians with CF ages 6-11 are now eligible for Trikafta. As a result of this approval, an additional dosage strength of Trikafta tablets is now available. The regimen was generally well tolerated, and safety data were consistent with those observed in previous studies in patients ages 12 years and older. Vertex has also submitted this indication to both the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health and the Institut national d'excellence en sante et en services sociaux in Quebec for Health Technology Assessments.

17:45 EDT Raytheon Technologies awarded $482.71M Navy contract - Raytheon was awarded a $482.71M cost-plus-incentive-fee, cost-plus-fixed-fee, cost-only, and firm-fixed-price contract for DDG 1000 Class Combat System activation, sustainment and modernization support for Mission Systems and Total Ship Computing Environment infrastructure, or TSCEi, hardware/equipment, in addition to non-recurring engineering services supporting combat system installation, integration, development, testing, correction, maintenance, and modernization of Zumwalt-class Mission Systems and Mission System equipment. This contract includes options, which if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $1.68B. This contract was not competitively procured in accordance with 10 U.S. Code 2304 - only one responsible source, and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements. The Naval Sea Systems Command is the contracting activity.

17:39 EDT Tesla CEO says working on 'Robo-taxi' without steering wheel and pedals - Says aspire to reach volume production in 2024. Says remain on track to reach volume production of Cybertruck next year. Comments taken from Q1 earnings conference call.

17:33 EDT Instagram adopts creator-focused changes, tags elevating original content - Instagram Chief Adam Mosseri said in as tweet earlier: "We've added new ways to tag and improved ranking. Creators are so important to the future of Instagram, and we want to make sure that they are successful and get all the credit they deserve." Mosseri noted that Product tags are now available to everyone allowing users to drive traffic and attention. and lastly. Ranking changes, specifically focused on originality to "value original content more than reposting something from somewhere else. Additionally enhanced people tags- will allow a user to choose a category "for yourself" to enable identity. Reference Link

17:13 EDT AstraZeneca's Evusheld 'significantly' protected against symptomatic COVID - The company states: "Detailed results from the PROVENT Phase III pre-exposure prophylaxis trial showed that AstraZeneca's Evusheld, formerly AZD7442, reduced the risk of developing symptomatic COVID-19 by 77% in the primary analysis and by 83% in the six month follow-up analysis, compared to placebo. There were no cases of severe disease or COVID-19 related deaths in the Evusheld group through the six-month follow-up. More than 75% of PROVENT participants at baseline had co-morbidities that put them at high risk for severe COVID-19 if they were to become infected, including people who are immunocompromised and may have an inadequate immune response to vaccination. Additional pharmacokinetic data showed that Evusheld concentrations remained elevated in serum for six months after administration, supporting that a single dose could provide long-term protection against COVID-19 lasting at least six months. The data were published online today in the New England Journal of Medicine. In the primary efficacy analysis, a single 300 mg intramuscular dose of Evusheld reduced the risk of developing symptomatic COVID-19 compared to placebo by 77% at a median follow up of 83 days. Symptomatic COVID-19 occurred in 8/3441 and 17/1731 participants in the Evusheld and placebo groups, respectively." Reference Link

17:01 EDT Carvana drops 18% to $75.97 after announcing $1B Class A common stock offering

16:54 EDT Zoom Events and Rooms allow remote audiences enhanced live events experience - Zoom Videos' Robin Bunevich, said in part, on the company blog: "Hybrid and virtual events have made a clear impact on the events industry as a preferred and revenue-driving alternative to in-person experiences. Organizations of all sizes are turning to our virtual event management platform, Zoom Events, to produce ticketed, live events with the reliability and scalability of Zoom Meetings and Zoom Webinar. To give remote audiences an enhanced opportunity to experience and engage with live events, we're pleased to announce our new Zoom Events and Zoom Rooms integration...Attendees can now take advantage of Zoom Rooms' ease of use and scalability...If you're hosting a meeting or webinar on the Zoom Events platform, it's easy to start a live meeting or webinar session through your personal Zoom Room for an engaging conference room experience...Our Zoom Rooms and Zoom Events integration allows hosts to deliver a polished presentation from any environment using a camera and microphone powered by Zoom Rooms appliances. Now, event speakers can present at a podium, conference room table, or home office with the same benefits of the in-person experience. When it's not feasible to send your team to an event, but you want to attend virtually, satellite viewing parties provide a real-time, collaborative opportunity to watch and interact with colleagues from the comfort of a conference room...The event industry is rapidly evolving to support the growing demands for hybrid experiences. Remote attendees want an engaging experience that offers the same benefits of meeting in-person but with the convenience of virtual participation." Reference Link

16:41 EDT Planet Green Holdings receives audit opinion with going concern explanation - Planet Green Holdings announced that its 2021 Annual Report filed on March 31 contained an unqualified audit opinion from its independent registered public accounting firm that included an explanatory paragraph related to the company's ability to continue as a going concern. This announcement is made pursuant to NYSE American LLC Company Guide, which requires public announcement of the receipt of an audit opinion containing a going concern paragraph.

16:36 EDT United Airlines sees FY22 adjusted CapEx $5.3B

16:34 EDT Travere Therapeutics announces plan for CFO transition - Travere Therapeutics "announced that its CFO Laura Clague, CPA, will retire after serving in this role for the past seven years. Ms. Clague will step down from the CFO position in August 2022 and will remain employed by the Company in an advisory capacity into 2023 to facilitate a smooth transition. Chris Cline, CFA, the company's current senior vice president of investor relations and corporate communications and a member of the senior leadership team, has been named Ms. Clague's successor as chief financial officer, to be effective in August 2022."

16:33 EDT Kaman announces $50M share repurchase program - Kaman "announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a new stock repurchase program of up to $50 million. The company intends to purchase shares to limit future dilution from the issuance of shares under its employee stock plans. The new repurchase authorization replaces the authorization approved in April 2015."

16:31 EDT UiPath board approves dismissal of Grant Thornton as auditor - On April 14, 2022, the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors of UiPath "approved the dismissal of Grant Thornton LLP as the Company's independent registered public accounting firm, effective immediately. As described below, the change in independent registered public accounting firm is not the result of any disagreement with GT. GT's audit report on the Company's consolidated financial statements as of and for the years ended January 31, 2022 and January 31, 2021, did not contain an adverse opinion or a disclaimer of opinion and was not qualified or modified as to uncertainty, audit scope or accounting principles."

16:21 EDT Alcoa lowers projection for bauxite shipments by 2M metric tons - The company states: "On March 2, Alcoa announced it would cease buying raw materials from, or selling products to, Russian businesses. The company has made alternate plans for securing the limited number of materials purchased from Russian suppliers for the remainder of 2022 and into the future, without material financial impact. The company has decreased its projection for bauxite shipments in 2022 by 2 million dry metric tons to range between 46.0 and 47.0 million dry metric tons. Due to Alcoa's cessation of bauxite sales to Russian businesses, the company expects to slow production in its Juruti mine in Brazil by approximately 1.1 million dry metric tons. The company is also observing Russia-related changes in the Atlantic bauxite market, which may impact shipments by approximately 1 million dry metric tons."

16:18 EDT Nuvve Holding selected as collaboration partner with U.S Dept. of Energy - Nuvve Holding took part in a press event earlier led by the U.S. Department of Energy to sign a Memorandum of Understanding to work with government agencies, utilities, and electrification industry leaders to accelerate the commercialization of vehicle-to-grid, vehicle-to-building, vehicle-to-home, and other vehicle-grid integration technologies. The DOE initiated this agreement to bring together a mix of public entities and private companies to ensure the electrification of electric vehicle fleets incorporates bidirectional charging that can send power back to the grid, thereby reducing building loads, providing grid services, and creating revenue opportunities for EV owners.

16:17 EDT Advance Auto Parts, L.A. Dodgers announce exclusive partnership - Advance Auto Parts and MLB's Los Angeles Dodgers announced an exclusive partnership, with Advance becoming the team's official auto parts retailer. Through the agreement, Advance will have a presence on in-stadium signage for all 2022 regular season home games. The Dodgers' marks will be represented in Advance stores throughout the Los Angeles market. "Our goal is to align with winning organizations that share our commitment to serving communities," said Jason McDonell, Advance's executive vice president of merchandising, marketing and e-Commerce. "The Dodgers have a longstanding tradition of excellence on the field and in the L.A. community and their fans are passionate about caring for their vehicles, making this partnership a home run. We look forward to serving L.A. area fans with quality parts and winning service while cheering the Dodgers as they look to advance towards another world championship."

16:14 EDT Four Corners Property Trust acquires Fresenius Medical Care for $3.4M - Four Corners Property is pleased to "announce the acquisition of a Fresenius Medical Care property for $3.4M. The property is located in North Carolina and is corporate-operated under a net lease with 5 years of term remaining. The transaction was priced at a 6.2% going-in cash capitalization rate, exclusive of transaction costs."

16:12 EDT Alcoa backs 2022 alumina and aluminum shipments guidance - The company "expects total alumina and aluminum shipments to remain unchanged between 14.2M and 14.4M metric tons, and between 2.5 and 2.6 million metric tons, respectively. For the second quarter 2022, based on current prices, Alcoa expects both alumina and aluminum realized third-party prices to be higher than the first quarter, with that benefit partly offset by approximately $115 million of higher energy and raw materials costs. Higher shipments sequentially are expected to more than offset remaining cost pressures and other factors. Based on current alumina and aluminum market conditions, the company expects second quarter tax expense to approximate $220 million to $230 million, which may vary with market conditions and jurisdictional profitability."

16:12 EDT Energy Vault names David Hitchcock interim CFO - Energy Vault Holdings announced the appointment of David Hitchcock, interim Chief Financial Officer, and Kevin Keough, Senior Vice President of Corporate Development. "I am pleased to welcome both David and Kevin to the Energy Vault team. David brings deep public company CFO, transactional and operational finance experience as we build out our global financial support and infrastructure teams across multiple continents. Kevin has an tremendous track record of successful M&A transactions within proven value creation frameworks and post intergration results during his time at Danaher, and will play an important role in Energy Vault's strategic growth initiatives in a very dynamic market," said Robert Piconi, Chairman, Co-Founder and CEO of Energy Vault.

16:07 EDT Tesla says challenges around supply chain have 'remained persistent' - Tesla said in its quarterly update letter: "Challenges around supply chain have remained persistent, and our team has been navigating through them for over a year. In addition to chip shortages, recent COVID-19 outbreaks have been weighing on our supply chain and factory operations. Furthermore, prices of some raw materials have increased multiple-fold in recent months. The inflationary impact on our cost structure has contributed to adjustments in our product pricing, despite a continued focus on reducing our manufacturing costs where possible."

16:05 EDT Regulatory ratios in excess of 'well-capitalized' requirements as of March 31 - All regulatory ratios continue to be in excess of "well-capitalized" requirements as of March 31. Our CET 1, tier 1 capital, total capital and leverage ratios were 11.5%, 13.0%, 15.7% and 9.9%, respectively, at March 31, 2022, compared to 11.1%, 12.6%, 15.3% and 9.0%, respectively, at December 31, 2021 and 10.2%, 12.2%, 14.0% and 8.3% at March 31, 2021. At March 31, 2022, our ratio of tangible common equity to total tangible assets was 8.9%, compared to 8.3% at December 31, 2021 and 6.7% at March 31, 2021.

15:02 EDT Rite Aid higher after resumption, up 33% after Post report of rejected bid - Shares of Rite Aid are up $2.42, or 33%, to $9.82 after The New York Post's Josh Kosman reported that private-equity firm Spear Point Capital Management made an offer to buy the drug store chain on March 30 for $14.60 a share, or $815M, but was turned down.

14:58 EDT Rite Aid up 16%, halted for volatility after Post reports takeover bid rejected

14:20 EDT Telefonica Brasil trading resumes

13:51 EDT Jumia jumps 2% to $8.55 after Citron tweet on China partnership

13:31 EDT TIM SA trading resumes

13:03 EDT TIM SA trading halted, news pending

12:45 EDT Novavax says Phase 1/2 data shows combination vaccine feasible - Novavax announced initial results from the Phase 1/2 clinical trial of its COVID-Influenza Combination Vaccine. The trial Novavax's COVID-19 vaccine, NVX-CoV2373, and its quadrivalent influenza vaccine candidate. The CIC trial "demonstrated that formulating the combination vaccine is feasible, well-tolerated and immunogenic," the company said in a statement. "We continue to evaluate the dynamic public health landscape and believe there may be a need for recurrent boosters to fight both COVID-19 and seasonal influenza," said Gregory Glenn, President of Research and Development, Novavax. "We're encouraged by these data and the potential path forward for a combination COVID-19-influenza vaccine as well as stand-alone vaccines for influenza and COVID-19." The safety and tolerability profile of the combination vaccine was consistent with the stand-alone NVX-CoV2373 and quadrivalent nanoparticle influenza vaccine reference formulations in the trial, according to Novavax. The combination vaccine was found to be generally well tolerated. Serious adverse were rare and none were assessed as being related to the vaccine. Both protein-based vaccines used in the trial were formulated with the patented saponin-based Matrix-M adjuvant to enhance the immune response and stimulate high levels of neutralizing antibodies. "These data support advancement to a Phase 2 confirmation trial, expected to begin by the end of 2022," the company added.

12:02 EDT Sonoco Products boosts quarterly dividend to 49c from 45c - The board of Sonoco increased its quarterly common stock dividend by 9% to 49c per share from the previous quarterly distribution of 45c per share. This new dividend will be paid on June 10, to shareholders of record as of May 10. With the increase, Sonoco's annual dividend payout moves to $1.96 per share from $1.80 per share. Based on the closing price of Sonoco's common stock on April 19, the company's dividend provides approximately a 3.0% yield. "Sonoco's objective is to be the benchmark company for yield and stability in the packaging industry. Today's announced dividend increase is an illustration of this strategy as well as our anticipation for strong financial performance going forward," CEO Howard Coker said. "We will continue to invest in ourselves to strengthen our core Consumer and Industrial businesses, while remaining aligned with returning value to our shareholders."

12:00 EDT Holley falls -9.9% - Holley is down -9.9%, or -$1.38 to $12.49.

12:00 EDT Terran Orbital rises 15.3% - Terran Orbital is up 15.3%, or 76c to $5.74.

12:00 EDT Ultrapetrol rises 0.1% - Ultrapetrol is up 0.1%, or 04c to $48.10.

11:20 EDT Verizon announces HBO Max joins +play - Verizon (VZ) announced that Warner Bros. Discovery's (WBD) HBO Max has joined as a partner in +play, which Verizon calls its "innovative new platform that will allow users to discover, purchase and manage some of their favorite subscriptions - all in one place." Verizon added: "The platform, which already has over 20 streaming services available ahead of its commercial launch, will also allow users to learn more about exclusive deals and offerings for content services. The cutting-edge hub will give Verizon customers access to the best content and experiences built on the best network - all while strengthening Verizon's strategy of providing customers with choice: choice connectivity, choice of device and now, choice of content and digital services - all managed in one place. The platform is currently in early trials and will be available to Verizon customers at no additional cost later this year."

11:04 EDT Digital World Acquisition SPAC down 8% after being named a short by Kerrisdale

11:02 EDT Repare Therapeutics announces publication of preclinical data on RP-6306 - Repare Therapeutics announced that preclinical data demonstrating inhibition of CCNE1-amplified tumor growth in vivo by selective inhibition of PKMYT1 using RP-6306, a first-in-class small molecule candidate targeting PKMYT1, were published in Nature. SNIPRx, Repare's proprietary, genome-wide, CRISPR-based screening approach, was used to uncover CCNE1 amplification as synthetic lethal to PKMYT1 inhibition. Phase 1 clinical trials are currently evaluating RP-6306 as a monotherapy as well as in combination with gemcitabine for the treatment of molecularly selected advanced solid tumors. The Company recently initiated an additional Phase 1 MINOTAUR clinical trial of RP-6306 in combination with FOLFIRI also for the treatment of molecularly selected advanced solid tumors. This work is the result of a long-standing collaboration between Repare Therapeutics and the laboratory of Daniel Durocher, PhD, a Senior Investigator at the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, part of Sinai Health, in Toronto, Canada Dr. Durocher is also a Professor in the Department of Molecular Genetics at the University of Toronto. Work on CCNE1 in the Durocher laboratory was led by David Gallo, PhD, now a Senior Scientist at Repare and was financially supported by Repare Therapeutics and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

10:33 EDT YourWay Cannabis Brands to acquire Ionic Brands - YourWay Cannabis Brands and Ionic Brands are pleased to announce that they have entered into a definitive arrangement agreement on April 20, 2022 pursuant to which YourWay will acquire all of Ionic Brands' issued and outstanding common shares, including all Ionic Brands' Shares issuable on conversion of Ionic Brands' issued and outstanding preferred shares in accordance with the terms thereof. Pursuant to the terms of the Arrangement Agreement, Ionic Brands shareholders will receive 0.0525 of a YourWay common share in exchange for each Ionic Brands Share held. The Transaction provides Ionic Brands shareholders with a premium per Ionic Share of approximately 21% based on the closing price of the YourWay common shares on the Canadian Securities Exchange as of April 19, 2022 and the 10-day volume weighted average price of the Ionic Brands Shares on the CSE for the period between April 6, 2022 and April 19, 2022. The arm's length Transaction is expected to provide several benefits to both YourWay and Ionic Brands shareholders. Notably, following completion of the Transaction, YourWay will possess a strengthened brand portfolio including one of Washington's leading brands, which is expected to enable broader market penetration. YourWay and Ionic Brands anticipate post-Transaction cost synergy opportunities as the combined company optimizes and integrates operations and shared services. The Transaction will be effected by way of a court-approved plan of arrangement under the Business Corporations Act and will require the approval of: 66 2/3% of the votes cast by the holders of Ionic Brands Shares and the Series D preferred shares of Ionic Brands, voting together as a single class, on the Transaction, a simple majority of the votes cast by the holders of Ionic Brands Shares and the Series D preferred shares of Ionic Brands, voting as a single class after excluding any votes of "related parties" and "interested parties" and other persons required to be excluded under Canadian Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions, on the Transaction, 66 2/3% of the votes cast by the holders of the Series D preferred shares of Ionic Brands on an amendment to the articles of Ionic in order to remove the dividend entitlement for the holders of the Series D preferred shares, and 66 2/3% of the votes cast by the holders of the Series E preferred shares of Ionic Brands on an amendment to the articles of Ionic in order to remove the dividend entitlement for the holders of the Series E preferred shares, all at a special meeting to consider the Transaction expected to take place in June 2022. YourWay has entered into voting support agreements with certain of Ionic Brands' directors, officers and significant shareholders, together holding at least 21.66% of the outstanding Ionic Brands Shares and Series D preferred shares of Ionic Brands, approximately 70.57% of the outstanding Series D preferred shares of Ionic Brands, and 100% of the outstanding Series E preferred shares of Ionic Brands, pursuant to which they have agreed, among other things, to vote their shares in favour of the Transaction, the Series D Amendment and the Series E Amendment, as applicable. In addition to shareholder and court approvals, the Transaction is subject to applicable regulatory approvals including, but not limited to, CSE approval and the satisfaction of certain other closing conditions, including the Series D Amendment, the Series E Amendment and various amendments to the terms of Ionic Brands outstanding convertible debentures. The Arrangement Agreement includes customary provisions, including non-solicitation, "fiduciary out" and "right to match" provisions as well as a termination fee payable by Ionic Brands to YourWay in certain specified circumstances. Assuming timely receipt of all necessary court, shareholder, regulatory and other third-party approvals and the satisfaction of all other conditions, closing of the Transaction is expected to occur in the third quarter of 2022

10:18 EDT CMS Energy, key stakeholders reach settlement agreement on Clean Energy Plan - Consumers Energy and key stakeholders throughout Michigan have agreed on a settlement related to the company's Clean Energy Plan, a sweeping proposal to stop using coal as a fuel source for electric generation by 2025. The agreement, which requires regulatory approval, includes a broad coalition of customer groups, environmental organizations, the Michigan Public Service Commission staff, energy industry representatives, and the Michigan Attorney General and provides a 20-year blueprint to meet Michigan's energy needs while protecting the environment for future generations. Consumers Energy updated its original 2018 Clean Energy Plan by including the pledge to accelerate the elimination of coal to 2025, among other benefits to customers and environment in its 2021 Clean Energy Plan, filed with the MPSC last June. The settlement agreement supporting Consumers Energy's plan comes after more than a year of listening to key stakeholders' ideas and input. The next step in the process is for the MPSC to review the settlement agreement. The settlement includes: COAL PLANT RETIREMENTS BY 2025: closes all three units at the J.H. Campbell coal plant in West Olive, Michigan in 2025 in addition to two units at the D.E. Karn coal plant in 2023 and will be among the first utilities in the nation to go coal-free by 2025. RISE OF SOLAR: continues the rapid transition to clean, renewable sources by adding nearly 8,000 megawatts of solar power by 2040 ensuring 60 percent of our capacity comes from clean sources. BATTERY DEPLOYMENT: accelerates energy storage from 2030 to 2024 with a total of 75 MW of energy storage by 2027, achieving 550 MW by 2040. SYSTEM RELIABILITY: ensures supply reliability through the purchase of the Covert Generating Station in Van Buren County, a natural gas-fired power plant. AFFORDABLE ENERGY: creates price stability and helps customers save an estimated $600 million dollars through 2040 compared to the 2018 Clean Energy Plan. Consumers Energy would also continue its successful energy waste reduction programs that have saved customers more than $4 billion since 2009. In addition, the company has committed to continue to fund utility bill assistance programs for low-income customers.

10:05 EDT LKQ Corp. completes sale of PGW Auto Glass for $362M - LKQ Corporation announced that it has completed its previously announced agreement to sell PGW Auto Glass to One Equity Partners. The sale price was $362M, subject to customary post-closing purchase price adjustments. LKQ will report the financial information for the PGW glass distribution business through the April 18, 2022 closing date in the continuing operations section of its financial statements. PGW generated almost $400M of revenue and its EBITDA margin was approximately 10% in 2021. BofA Securities acted as financial advisor to LKQ Corporation on this transaction.

10:01 EDT GE Digital says Petroleum Development Oman purchases AEMS - GE Digital announced that Petroleum Development Oman has purchased Advanced Energy Management System. The GE Digital software is designed to enable PDO to plan, control, and optimize renewable power generation to help keep its oil production plants operating reliably and efficiently.

10:00 EDT Spotify falls -8.7% - Spotify is down -8.7%, or -$11.94 to $125.47.

10:00 EDT Roblox falls -11.8% - Roblox is down -11.8%, or -$4.96 to $37.04.

10:00 EDT Charah Solutions rises 10.9% - Charah Solutions is up 10.9%, or 38c to $3.86.

09:59 EDT Globant acquires low-code platform GeneXus, terms not disclosed - Globant announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire GeneXus, a company that developed a low-code platform extensively used in several industries. With this operation, Globant became one of the first leading digital players to invest in a low-code platform as a tool to deliver faster and high-quality digital transformation. GeneXus will also strengthen the offering of Globant X, a dedicated group in charge of productizing the Company's most transformative tech into scalable platforms. The company said, "With over 30 years in the market and being used by 1,700+ companies in Latin America and Asia, GeneXus is a solid product that offers a world-class low-code platform enriched with Artificial Intelligence features in a friendly tool to create, develop and maintain end-to-end solutions ready to run in all sorts of devices." Founded in Uruguay in 1988, with 150+ professionals, GeneXus has developed a client portfolio which includes large well-reputed corporations as Mitsubishi Electric, Itau, Honda, Pan American Energy, and TV Azteca, among others, in key industries such as Financial Services, Retail, and Industrial & Manufacturing. Nicolas Jodal, CEO and Co-Founder of GeneXus, and his team will join Globant to continue expanding GeneXus globally. Completion of this transaction is subject to regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions.

09:47 EDT Direxion Daily Semiconductor Bear 3X Shares falls -6.2% - Direxion Daily Semiconductor Bear 3X Shares is down -6.2%, or -$2.90 to $44.12.

09:47 EDT Holley falls -8.0% - Holley is down -8.0%, or -$1.11 to $12.76.

09:47 EDT Cano Health rises 10.3% - Cano Health is up 10.3%, or 50c to $5.34.

09:44 EDT AlloVir trading resumes

09:34 EDT Kootenay signs option agreement with Centerra Gold for Copley property - Kootenay Resources is pleased to announce the signing of an option agreement with a wholly owned subsidiary of Centerra Gold, whereby Centerra is granted an option to earn a 70% interest in the Copley property located in the Nechako Plateau of Central British Columbia. A total of C$4 million in exploration expenditures and C$400,000 in cash payments must be incurred and made over a four-year period for Centerra to earn a 70% interest. The first year requires a work expenditure with a minimum commitment of $250,000. Upon the fulfillment of these conditions, the two companies will enter a standard joint venture agreement with Kootenay retaining a 30% interest, and funding of further work will be done on a pro rata basis amongst the joint venture partners. The Copley property is host to a large area of gold mineralization along a 6.5 km long trend. Key features include: Potential to host a Blackwater-type depositl 6.5x1.5 km EW belt of late-Cretaceous rhyolitic flow domes and diatreme rocks; Large zones of argillic, silicic, and sulphidic alteration related to magnetic-lows; Surface grab samples and channel samples with multigram Au associated with high Mo, As, Sb, Hg, Ba, Zn, Pb, Cu; Drilling in 2010/2011 at Smoking Pipe intersected 9.27 g/t Au over 2 m with several broad lower grade intervals such as 1.5 g/t Au over 11 m, 0.87 g/t Au. Over 11.87 m and 0.27 g/t Au over 33 m.

09:26 EDT Blue Water closes $8M private placement priced at-the-market - Blue Water Vaccines announced the closing of its previously announced private placement of 1,180,812 shares of common stock, that was priced at-the-market under Nasdaq rules. The Company also issued to investors unregistered preferred investment options to purchase up to an aggregate of 1,180,812 shares of common stock. The purchase price for one share of common stock and one investment option was $6.775. The investment options have an exercise price of $6.65 per share, are exercisable immediately, and have a term equal to four years. H.C. Wainwright & Co. acted as the exclusive placement agent for the offering. The gross proceeds from the private placement were approximately $8.0 million, before deducting placement agent fees and other offering expenses. The Company intends to use the net proceeds from the private placement for the research and development of its pipeline as well as for working capital and other general corporate purposes.

09:20 EDT Curtiss-Wright to provide MOSA computers, modules for the Navy - Curtiss-Wright announced that it was selected by Progeny to provide Modular Open System Approach, or MOSA, computers and digital processing modules for use in the U.S. Navy's MK54 and MK48 torpedo upgrade programs. The contract has an estimated lifetime value of $70M.

09:18 EDT PowerBand Solutions director Ivan Buzbuzian resigns - PowerBand Solutions announced that Board member and audit committee member, Ivan Buzbuzian is resigning from the Board for personal reasons effective immediately. Andrea Parliament will assume his role on the audit committee and the Company will actively pursue a replacement.

09:17 EDT Golden Matrix advances global market presence with rollout of GMX-Ag - Golden Matrix announced that its B2B aggregate gaming system, GMX-Ag, has now gone live with eight established online casino operators in six countries. It is a turnkey iGaming system offering the "best casino, sportsbook and live gaming content via a single integration with the operators' existing business systems, and also providing a single wallet for their players," the company said. "The adoption of the GMX-Ag system is both strategic and timely," said Golden Matrix CEO Brian Goodman. "It expands our B2B offerings to operators in the Asia Pacific region, our traditional market, and at the same time opens new market opportunities for Golden Matrix outside of APAC. In addition to enhancing organic growth, we are focused on entering new international markets through the acquisition of B2B and B2C businesses with strong revenues and profitability. We expect our growth strategy to expand the GMGI brand and accelerate the company's global market penetration."

09:15 EDT Athira sends letter telling shareholders to vote 'FOR' three directors - Athira Pharma mailed a letter to shareholders highlighting the "depth and breadth of experience and expertise on the company's board," the company said. Athira has added three independent directors to its board. Seven of the company's eight directors have joined the board in the last three years. The directors up for election at this year's Annual Meeting - Joseph Edelman, John Fluke, Jr. and Grant Pickering - collectively possess "more than 90 years of deep experience that the board unanimously believes will best position the company during this important chapter," the company added. The board unanimously recommends that shareholders vote on the WHITE proxy card today "FOR" Athira's directors Messrs. Edelman, Fluke and Pickering

09:15 EDT Abbott says continues to strengthen strategic position - Says "doing everything possible" to mitigate supply constraints. Says Q1 was a "highly productive quarter" for the company's pipeline. Says "achieving strong growth" across several areas of the business. Says continues to generate "strong cash flow." Comments taken from Q1 earnings conference call.

09:12 EDT Helbiz expands transportation choices by teaming with Aon's EV car rentals - Helbiz (HLBZ) announced a partnership with Flee, the long-term electric car rental service owned by Aon (AON) Mobility Solutions, "to expand the innovative transportation offerings in the Helbiz app. Flee is the first long-term pay-per-use car rental service that uses a digital approach and provides an optional, personalized consultation from experts to help select the best vehicle for their needs. Through this partnership, users will be able to safely and conveniently access Flee's car leasing service through the Helbiz app beginning today. This partnership helps create a wider integrated ecosystem with the introduction of electric cars as an option in addition to e-scooters, e-bikes and e-mopeds. It underscores Helbiz's continued commitment to bring innovative solutions to its users, offering them a variety of mobility options that best suit their transportation needs," said the companies. "The partnership with Flee for us at Helbiz is a source of great pride, and it is yet another opportunity that allows us to demonstrate how much the synergies between the two companies lead to the achievement of shared goals: respect for the environment, sustainability and the continued interest in developing collaborations that lead to a smarter and greener mobility," said Jonathan Hannestad, Chief Operating Officer of Helbiz. "We are happy to be able to expand our ecosystem of mobility that allows customers to have access to different solutions that meet their every need."

09:11 EDT NextPlay Technologies completes acquisition of assets, IP from goGame - NextPlay Technologies has completed its previously announced acquisition of gaming assets and IP from goGame, a Singapore-based mobile casual video game publisher and technology company. The acquired assets include goPlay, a new-gen game publishing platform featuring a tournament system, chat, payment, and 37 casual games ranging from arcade to strategy. NextPlay plans to complete the integration of its HotPlay in-game advertising technology into the 37 goPlay games by year-end. NextPlay also acquired from goGame a perpetual license to goPay, a payment aggregator that offers game developers multiple ways to more easily collect and process user payments. This includes carrier billing, over the counter, e-voucher, bank transfer and e-wallet. The goPay technology further extends NextPlay's existing payment services, offering access to a wider array of global payment providers. goPlay and goPay offer a core set of compelling features that are perfect for a wide variety of platform partners who will be able to sign up under an Open Beta this summer. The goGame offerings will become part of the NextPlay suite of customizable products that can be tailored to fit the individual needs and capabilities of B2B and B2C operators across the globe. NextPlay also plans to introduce goPlay game users to its NextFinancial fintech-oriented products, including crypto banking, micro-lending, and potential insurance services. Across each of these offerings, NextPlay would also have full access to goGame's payment processing gateway goPay.

09:10 EDT Seagen announces plans to build Washington facility - Seagen announced plans to build a new facility in Everett, Washington, to expand the company's biomanufacturing capacity and enable the company greater control and flexibility over the production of its medicines to treat cancer. The 270,000-square-foot facility will be built north of the company's U.S. headquarters in Bothell, Washington. Seagen expects to have the facility operational in 2024 and ultimately employ up to 200 workers to produce medicines for clinical trials and the commercial market. The new biomanufacturing facility is a "greenfield" project, constructed from the ground up into a modern production facility to make advanced medicines. Seagen plans to make antibody-based medicines in the new fully integrated plant for the commercial market and for use in clinical sites around the world. The new facility will add to Seagen's existing manufacturing site in the Bothell area. This project will create up to 150 new jobs during the initial construction of the shell and core of the building.

09:07 EDT Ping Identity partners with Authomize for identity access and security - Ping Identity launched a strategic partnership with Authomize, a cloud Identity Access Management security platform, that will create an end-to-end solution for managing customers' enterprise identity access and authorization security. Building on Ping Identity's authentication services, Authomize provides the next step in the chain, enabling Ping Identity's customers to manage their access privileges on a granular level across all their apps and cloud services.

09:07 EDT Teradyne marks 7,000th J750 platform shipment with Nation Technologies - Teradyne announced the shipment of the 7,000th unit of its J750 semiconductor test platform to Nations Technologies, a leading Chinese microcontroller unit, MCU, and security integrated circuit, IC, chip maker. Manufactured in China and Japan, the Teradyne J750 tester includes wafer sort and final test solutions for microcontroller units, wireless devices, image sensors, and more. "Having had a presence in China for more than 20 years, Teradyne is honored to be a trusted partner of Nations Technologies," said Regan Mills, Vice President at Teradyne. "We are thrilled to share this milestone with such an innovative and influential company as Nations, who has always been known for their high quality and dependability."

09:04 EDT NGM Biopharmaceuticals to host second virtual R&D event on April 27 - NGM Biopharmaceuticals announced it will host the second of four virtual R&D events on Wednesday, April 27, 2022, from 11:00 am - 12:30 pm ET. This four-part series of virtual webcasts, titled the "Explorer Series", will highlight the company's work as explorers on the frontier of life-changing science. The second event will focus on NGM Bio's myeloid reprogramming programs targeting stromal checkpoints: NGM831, an ILT3 antagonist antibody product candidate, and NGM438, a LAIR1 antagonist antibody product candidate. ILT3 and LAIR1 are members of the LILR family of receptors, which may play a central role in establishing an immune-suppressive state in the tumor microenvironment. NGM831 and NGM438 are engineered to target ILT3 and LAIR1, respectively, with the goal of releasing myeloid checkpoints and reprogramming myeloid cells to enhance anti-tumor immunity. The program will feature presentations from David Woodhouse, Ph.D., NGM Bio's Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Don Gibbons, M.D., Ph.D. at the MD Anderson Cancer Center where he is the Director of the Thoracic - Head and Neck Medical Oncology Translational Genetic Models Laboratory and Co-Leader of the Lung Cancer Moon Shot Program and multiple members of NGM Bio's research and development team. Future sessions will focus on NGM707, a dual ILT2/ILT4 antagonist antibody product candidate, and NGM621, an anti-complement C3 antibody product candidate. Both sessions will feature members from NGM Bio's management and scientific team as well as leading industry physicians and scientists.

08:54 EDT P&G expects to repurchase $10B of stock this year, pay over $8B in dividends - P&G plans to return over $18B of cash to investors in the fiscal year.

08:51 EDT AgriFORCE Growing Systems receives notice of allowance for GrowHouse patent - AgriFORCE Growing Systems announced that it has received a Notice of Allowance from the Canadian Intellectual Property Office for its patent application titled "Structures for Growing Plants." This allowed patent corresponds to the previously announced patent application in the U.S. and related AgriFORCE patent, trademark, and copyright applications previously filed in the U.S., Asia, Europe, the Caribbean, and Central/South America. The allowed patent application for AgriFORCE GrowHouse has 20 claims for different inventive features relating to structures for growing plants. This encompasses innovative design elements of the GrowHouse structure and operational systems, such as transmissive panels that maximize the full light spectrum; automation; Internet-of-Things technologies to artificial intelligence; enhanced insulation for maximizing energy efficiency; and a sealed positive pressure environment that provides optimally managed crop cultivation. The Company has another patent family for automated growing systems, and based on its positive International Preliminary Report on Patentability, allowance for the second patent family for automated growing systems is expected to follow soon.

08:50 EDT Omeros announces publication of narsoplimab manuscript - Omeros announced the online publication of a manuscript detailing the results of its pivotal study assessing efficacy and safety of narsoplimab for the treatment of hematopoietic stem cell transplant-associated thrombotic microangiopathy, or HSCT-TMA, an often-lethal complication of stem-cell transplantation for which there is no approved treatment. The manuscript - Narsoplimab, a Mannan-Binding Lectin-Associated Serine Protease-2 Inhibitor, for the Treatment of Adult Hematopoietic Stem-Cell Transplantation-Associated Thrombotic Microangiopathy - will be published in an upcoming volume of the Journal of Clinical Oncology, or JCO, and yesterday was made available online by JCO, the flagship publication of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

08:48 EDT Gatling recommends securityholders vote for arrangement with MAG Silver - GATLING EXPLORATION announced the mailing of its management information circular and related materials for the special meeting of shareholders and option holders of Gatling in connection with the proposed Plan of Arrangement with MAG Silver Corp. The Board of Directors of Gatling unanimously approved the Arrangement Agreement, following the unanimous recommendation of a special committee of independent directors of Gatling. The Board of Directors recommends that its Securityholders vote in favour of the Arrangement. Sprott Asset Management LP alongside the officers and directors of Gatling holding approximately 15.19% of the issued and outstanding shares of Gatling have entered into voting support and have agreed to vote in favour of the Arrangement. The Meeting will be held at 9:00 a.m. on Friday May 13, 2022, at the offices of Gatling located at 200 Burrard Street, Suite 1680, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6C 3L6.

08:42 EDT Winners' VegasWinners approved by Google as affiliate marketing aggregator - Winners announced that its subsidiary VegasWinners has been approved by Google to run campaigns in a number of regulated sports betting markets as an affiliate marketing aggregator. This will allow significant growth opportunities for the business while bringing expert betting picks and legal sportsbook reviews directly to the users. Strategically, Google Ads offers VegasWinners the platform to reach their core audience and approval to run sports betting ads marks a big step forward towards substantially increasing Revenues.

08:41 EDT Sanuwave Health announces patent activity for past year - SANUWAVE Health announced today the patent activity for the past year. For the shockwave technology, the following new patents were issued: US 11,028,670 titled "Shock Wave Device with Far-Field Focused Reflectors" This US patent covers a battery of shock waves applicators positioned on an elliptical or spherical shape support beam to create focused shockwaves that merge and combine to provide pseudo-planar waves over a far field distance for oil filed exploitation. The patent has 20 claims and will expire on April 19, 2033. US 11,072,997 titled "Shock Waves for Oil Separation" This US patent covers the methods and device embodiments that apply shockwaves to separate substances, such as oil, from a water mixture in a dedicated enclosure. The substance, such as oil, is moved toward a substance removal conduit, and the water is moved toward a water conduit from the action of the shockwave apparatus. The patent has 20 claims and will expire on April 19, 2033. US 11,254,589 titled "Systems and Methods for Separating Surface Materials from a fluid Using Acoustic Pressure Shock Waves" Covers the methods and device embodiments that are used for separating materials, such as foam, sludge, oil, or grease, at a fluid's surface, by applying acoustic pressure shockwaves to the material and the fluid's surface such that acoustic pressure shockwaves are propagated in liquid medium of the fluid and in gas medium above the fluid surface. The patent has 20 claims and will expire on April 26, 2037. KR 10-2255975 titled "Distributor Product Programming System" This South Korean patent covers a system for controlling and monitoring service activities by authorized SANUWAVE distributors from around the world at their facilities. This is a license-based and remotely operated process that is already used in South Korea, Italy and will be used in Brazil. The patent was licensed to our South Korean distributor, actively using this remotely operated process. The patent has 20 claims and will expire on November 14, 2037. EP 3285661 titled "Tissue Disinfection with Acoustic Pressure Shock Waves", with the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Netherland as designated countries. This patent covers the methods and device embodiments that use extracorporeal acoustic pressure shock waves for preventing and treating living tissue infections for mammals and achieve tissue disinfection. The patent has 20 claims and will expire on April 22, 2036. EP 3352678 titled "Cleaning and Grooming Water Submerged Structures Using Acoustic Pressure Shock Waves," with the United Kingdom, France, Denmark, and Norway as designated countries. This patent covers the use of shockwaves to remove barnacles, algae, biofilms and other undesired materials from the hulls of ships, propellers, rudders, inlet ports for cooling of nuclear submarines, outlet ports, sonar housings, protective grills, and other structures that are submerged in salt or freshwater environments. The patent has 24 claims and will expire on September 14, 2036. EP 3461438 titled "Combined Intracorporeal and Extracorporeal Shock Wave Treatment System," with the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Netherland as designated countries. This patent covers the use of shockwaves to dissolve fat deposits in human and animal bodies by combining the simultaneous action of an extracorporeal shockwave applicator and an intracorporeal shockwave applicator. This represents a novel approach that can be used for cosmetic applications such as body sculpting. The patent has 7 claims and will expire on July 8, 2030. These 16 new patents bring the total number of active patents and patent applications for shockwave technology to 113, with 75 in the medical field and 38 in the non-medical field.

08:39 EDT RDE's Restaurant.com partners with SWIPEBY - RDE is pleased to announce a partnership to integrate SWIPEBY, a technology platform for curbside, pick-up, and delivery, into the Restaurant.com solution. SWIPEBY is a turnkey platform offering convenient online ordering, curbside pick-up, delivery and customizable geofenced arrival notifications so that your customers and staff have an excellent experience. They call it: Connected Retail, and Virtual Drive-Thru that focus on Restaurants, Ghost Kitchens, C-Stores, Liquor Stores, Retailers and Venues. It's a cost-effective, easy-to-use application for brick-and-mortar businesses to offer virtual drive-thru for their customers.

08:37 EDT Republic First Bancorp hires Greenleaf as VP, Commercial Lending - Republic First Bancorp announced the hiring of Donald Greenleaf as Vice President, VP, Commercial Lending for Bucks County. In his role, Greenleaf will be responsible for growing the bank's commercial loan portfolio as it continues to expand its presence in this key market. Most recently, Greenleaf served as a Vice President at Firstrust Bank where he generated new business on both the commercial and retail sides.

08:37 EDT Thermo Fisher opens manufacturing site in Utah - Thermo Fisher celebrated the opening of its new single-use technology manufacturing site in Ogden, Utah. The facility creates additional capacity to produce the high-quality technology and materials needed for the development of new vaccines and breakthrough therapies. The $44M facility is part of Thermo Fisher's $650M multi-year investment, announced last year, to help ensure flexible, scalable and reliable bioprocessing production capacity exists for critical materials used in developing new and existing biologics and vaccines, including for COVID-19.

08:36 EDT Xinyuan Real Estate updates sale of Bloom on Forty Fifth in New York City - Xinyuan Real Estate announced its delivery of Bloom on Forty Fifth, an eight-story new development features 92 condominium residences comprised of studio to four-bedroom homes. This property is located at 500 West 45th Street, New York City and has a full blockfront between West 44th and 45th Streets along Tenth Avenue. The closings and move-ins are underway this month, with over 20% of units already sold.

08:34 EDT Victory Square Technologies partners with Holt Xchange for Fintech pitch battle - Victory Square Technologies is pleased to co-host a Fintech pitch battle with The Holt Xchange, a Canadian based global early-stage VC fund, on Tuesday, May 17th, 2022 from 3:30-5:30 PM PST. The event will consist of five early-stage fintechs who will present their company to an audience of investors and advisors attending the live event. The audience will be able to engage in live voting and provide their feedback, in addition to the four judges who will be asking the teams questions during the Q&A.

08:33 EDT AquaBounty begins construction of salmon farm in Pioneer, Ohio - AquaBounty celebrated breaking ground on the construction of its first 10,000 metric ton Atlantic salmon farm in Pioneer, Ohio. AquaBounty was joined at the groundbreaking event by partners CRB, Innovasea, local and government officials, and key Ohio economic development leaders. "We are pleased to have officially begun building our next-generation, highly productive facility in Pioneer, Ohio, which will serve as a model for the aquaculture industry and our continued expansion," said Sylvia Wulf, Chief Executive Officer of AquaBounty. "This milestone comes after many dedicated teams completed extensive scientific investigation, analysis, testing, modeling, and regulatory review. We also celebrate with the Village of Pioneer, Williams County, the Regional Growth Partnership, and the State of Ohio, which will benefit from the introduction of a new industry with new jobs and new opportunities in Northwest Ohio." AquaBounty expects the project cost to be in the range of $290 million to $320 million, including a reserve for potential contingencies of $30 million. The Company anticipates commercial stocking of salmon eggs to commence in late 2023. Once in full operation, the farm is expected to bring more than 100 new jobs to the region.

08:32 EDT Processa doses first patient in amended Phase 1b protocol for PCS6422 - Processa Pharmaceuticals announces that the first patient with advanced, refractory gastrointestinal cancer has been dosed in its amended maximum tolerated dose , MTD, Phase 1B trial for Next Generation Capecitabine. The Company previously reported that a single dose of PSC6422 in this Phase 1B trial successfully inhibited dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase, resulting in capecitabine approximately 50 times more potent than FDA approved capecitabine, but the improved potency did not last throughout the seven days of capecitabine dosing. Dr. David Young, Chairman and CEO of Processa said, "Our goal with Next Generation Capecitabine is to provide a more effective and/or safer therapy for patients with gastrointestinal cancer and other types of cancer. The revisions to the original protocol will now provide the data which will not only allow us to significantly increase the potency of Next Generation Capecitabine throughout capecitabine dosing but could also lead to more optimal dosing for each patient through an individualized-personalized medicine approach. We expect to have preliminary data on a better Next Generation Capecitabine regimen by mid-2022 and anticipate that the MTD for Next Generation Capecitabine will be determined by the end of 2022. We then plan to move to either a Phase 2B or Phase 3 trial in 2023 based on our discussions with FDA."

08:31 EDT Marvell appoints Sara Andrews to board of directors - Marvell announced the appointment of Sara Andrews, Chief Information Security Officer at Experian, to its board of directors.

08:21 EDT Cutera's acne treatment AviClear available for patient financing with Synchrony - Cutera (CUTR) and Synchrony (NYSE: SYF) announce an exclusive partnership to expand patient financing options to dermatology practices across the United States. Cutera's AviClear is the first and only device cleared by the FDA for the treatment of mild, moderate and severe acne. Dermatologists offering AviClear will have the option to accept Synchrony's CareCredit credit card, providing the millions of acne sufferers who seek treatment annually with flexible financing options. By providing patients with access to CareCredit's medical financing, dermatology practices will be able to offer patients, or their parents, a convenient monthly payment option to help make out-of-pocket expenses more manageable. "We are excited to join forces with Synchrony to provide our customers with this unique and valuable financing resource that will improve access to a prescription-free acne treatment option, one that is safe and comfortable with strong, long-term efficacy1," said Steve Kreider, Senior Vice President of Global Marketing, Cutera. "The ability to offer patient financing as part of our comprehensive support through the Avi360(TM) partnership program will enable more families to take advantage of the AviClear treatment - without worries of insurance coverage - to help improve their confidence and reduce the emotional toll of acne."

08:17 EDT FINCANNA CAPITAL provides update on West County Brands - FinCanna Capital is pleased to provide commentary regarding the recent progress of its investee company, QVI Inc., operating as West County Brands. Recent Developments Include: West County Brands' industry leading distribution representative Calyx Brands, has placed a number of new sales orders for WCB's award-winning joint venture partner Cherry Kola Farms', live rosin products as well as for WCB's own MYTHC Life disruptively priced gummies. Calyx has advised that their sales program is gaining momentum and expects to have the Company's brands placed in 40+ retail locations in April, and they remain committed to expanding distribution throughout their existing 270 client account network by year end. West County Brands is in discussions with a number of service providers to add to its existing roster of delivery and distribution relationships, including the expansion of its "house account" channel with the addition of a multi-store dispensary & delivery business. These ongoing initiatives further bolster WCB's focus on driving retail market penetration across California. West County Brands is nearing agreement with certain major cannabis consumer brands for co-branding opportunities. These businesses have significant distribution channels in place that would provide broad and immediate retail access for the Company's co-branded products. Based on demand, West County Brands is currently producing several SKU's of live rosin, THC and THC-CBD gummies under its MYTHC Life disruptively priced brand, and Cherry Kola Farms' live rosin products. All current production is scheduled for allocation to the Company's distributors, delivery services and retail dispensary accounts as completed. West County Brands is also ramping up its own statewide marketing efforts to take advantage of its strong momentum.

08:14 EDT Information Services announces filing of 2022 management information circular - Information Services Corporation announced that it has filed its notice of meeting and management information circular for ISC's May 11, 2022 annual meeting of shareholders. The materials for the Meeting will also be mailed to shareholders. The management information circular contains information for shareholders regarding the Meeting, including exercising voting rights on the election of ISC's Board of Directors and the appointment of ISC's auditor for the ensuing year. ISC encourages shareholders to access the information and vote by no later than 11:00 a.m. MDT on Monday, May 9, 2022.

08:12 EDT DT Midstream joins Cheniere Energy in collaborative to QMRV GHG emissions - DT Midstream (DTM) announced that it has joined Cheniere Energy (LNG), other midstream companies, technology providers, and academic institutions to implement quantification, monitoring, reporting and verification, QMRV, of greenhouse gas, GHG, emissions from midstream systems serving Cheniere's LNG terminal. The collaborative intends to improve the overall understanding of GHG emissions and further the deployment of advanced monitoring technologies and operating protocols throughout the natural gas supply chain. "Today marks yet another significant step in DT Midstream's journey to carbon neutrality. Joining this collaborative is one of the many steps our team has taken to position DT Midstream on a path to net zero by 2050. It will also serve as an important step towards providing a carbon neutral pathway for customers interested in reaching Cheniere's LNG export terminal," said David Slater, DT Midstream's CEO.

08:10 EDT Semtech announces Julie McGee as chief marketing officer - Semtech (SMTC) announced Julie McGee has joined the Company as senior vice president and chief marketing officer. In this role, she is leading corporate marketing and investor relations. S McGee joins Semtech from Intel (INTC) where she held several executive leadership positions in finance, marketing, business strategy, and supply chain. While serving as corporate vice president of marketing, she led among other initiatives the Intel Inside Program, Intel's brand strategy and outbound product marketing. Ms. McGee also served as chief of staff to Intel's chairman of the board and spent many years focused on wireless market strategy and global expansion.

08:09 EDT Heat Biologics completes acquisition of Elusys Therapeutics - Heat Biologics, to be renamed NightHawk Biosciences, announced it has completed the acquisition of Elusys Therapeutics, a commercial-stage biodefense company and developer of ANTHIM. ANTHIM is approved for use in the U.S. and Canada, and under the brand name Obiltoxaximab SFL in Europe and the United Kingdom. Nighthawk acquired all outstanding shares of Elusys, which will continue to operate as a wholly-owned subsidiary of NightHawk. No stock or warrants were issued in connection with the acquisition, and Elusys had no outstanding term debt. Jeff Wolf, CEO of NightHawk, commented, "We are excited to announce the closing of this transformative acquisition, which provides us with a solid foothold in the biodefense space. Elusys has an established a successful track record collaborating with U.S. government agencies including BARDA, NIH, SNS and DOD. We plan to leverage Elusys' existing relationships and distribution channels as a launching pad for RapidVax, our "plug and play" platform designed for rapid development and delivery of new vaccines. In addition, we look forward to leveraging our new Kansas facility, which will enable us to manufacture these therapies internally and therefore benefit from significant operating synergies, as well as enhanced oversight, quality control, and speed to market. We are also exploring opportunities to expand ANTHIM distribution abroad."

08:08 EDT Blade Air Mobility announces creation of Blade Europe - Blade Air Mobility announced the creation of Blade Europe and the appointment of Sabrina Barbera as executive director of Blade Europe and Anne-Pascale Guedon as executive VP, business development, Blade Europe. Blade Europe will be headquartered in Paris, France.

08:07 EDT AWS launches $30M impact accelerator for underrepresented startups founders - Amazon Web Services, AWS, an Amazon company announced it has committed more than $30M to early stage startups led by Black, Latino, LGBTQIA+, and women founders as part of its new AWS Impact Accelerator. Over the three-year commitment, AWS will provide funding and guidance for a series of programs that will help these organizations build successful companies. Each qualifying startup receives up to $225,000 in cash and credits, extensive training, mentoring and technical guidance, as well as introductions to Amazon leaders and teams, networking opportunities with potential investors, and ongoing advisory support. Eligible startups can now apply to the first of these programs, the AWS Impact Accelerator for Black Founders. The AWS Impact Accelerator gives high-potential, pre-seed startups the tools and knowledge to reach key milestones such as raising funds or being accepted to a seed-stage accelerator program, while creating powerful solutions in the cloud. On acceptance into the eight-week program, participants will create a wide-ranging, personalized training curriculum from dozens of available sessions delivered by AWS startup experts and guest speakers. A single day could include lessons from an AWS solutions architect on optimizing cloud infrastructure, guidance on investor pitching from an experienced startup CEO, and leadership dos and don'ts from a third-party organization that provides support to startups. Startups will also learn how to use Amazon processes such as "two-way door decision making" and "working backwards" to drive day-to-day decisions and build nimble, innovative teams. "When we launched in 2006, AWS changed the game for startups by giving them access to the same technology as the world's largest enterprises," said Adam Selipsky, CEO of Amazon Web Services. "Today, we continue to level the playing field so that founders can pursue their ideas and grow successful businesses regardless of gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, or race. AWS is committed to helping underrepresented founders succeed and build powerful cloud solutions that capture the attention of investors and customers. The possibilities for these startups are endless, and I can't wait to see what they create."

08:06 EDT Danimer Scientific appoints Anthony Austin chief human resource officer - Danimer Scientific announced it has appointed Anthony Austin as chief human resource officer. In this role, Austin will focus on building HR processes to strategically support the company's growth as it continues to expand its manufacturing capacity. Austin joins Danimer from Bedrock Manufacturing, the parent company of Shinola, a watch, leather and jewelry manufacturer and Filson, a 125-year-old Alaskan outfitter and manufacturer of high-quality outerwear, where he served as executive vice president, chief human resources officer since 2020.

08:04 EDT Healthcare Triangle achieves HITRUST certification for Cloud and Data Platform - Healthcare Triangle announced its Cloud and Data Platform hosted on Amazon Web Services and the supporting network infrastructure hosted on the O365 Cloud has earned Certified status for information security by HITRUST.

08:03 EDT Addus HomeCare announces Cliff Blessing as chief development officer - Addus HomeCare announced that Cliff Blessing has been named the company's new executive VP and chief development officer, effective immediately. Blessing brings over 15 years of experience in corporate development, finance, and strategy to Addus. He most recently served as executive VP of corporate development for Dallas-based Encompass Health - Home Health & Hospice, the fourth largest U.S. provider of skilled home health services. In this role, he had responsibility for M&A activity and other strategic initiatives, working in close consultation with the company's senior management team. Prior to joining Encompass in 2012, he held various corporate development and finance roles, including in banking and real estate development.

08:02 EDT GWG Holdings files voluntary Chapter 11 petitions in Bankruptcy Court - GWG Holdings announced that the Company and certain of its subsidiaries have filed voluntary Chapter 11 petitions (in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas as part of a restructuring process intended to enable the Company to enhance its liquidity and ability to meet its financial obligations, while maximizing the value of its assets. The subsidiaries that are debtors in the Chapter 11 Cases are GWG Life, LLC and GWG Life USA. The Company also announced that it has secured debtor-in-possession financing to facilitate the restructuring, subject to Court approval, and that it has filed a motion with the Court for approval of this financing. The DIP Credit Agreement is structured as a multiple draw term loan facility in an aggregate principal amount of approximately $65 million and will be provided by National Founders LP. The proceeds of all or a portion of the DIP Credit Agreement may be used for, among other things, general corporate purposes, including working capital and permitted acquisitions, administrative costs, premiums, expenses and fees of the transactions contemplated by the Chapter 11 Cases, for payment of court approved adequate protection obligations and other such purposes consistent with the DIP Credit Agreement. While it moves as quickly as possible through the restructuring process, the Company intends to continue its day-to-day operations as debtor-in-possession. The Company is filing with the Court a series of customary motions seeking to maintain business-as-usual operations. Approval of these "first day" motions, which the Company expects to receive in short order, will help facilitate a smooth transition into the process.

07:59 EDT Telos launches Telos Advanced Cyber Analytics - Telos Corporation announced the launch of its Telos Advanced Cyber Analytics solution, which will provide automated, actionable threat intelligence and attribution of malicious activity at speed and scale.

07:54 EDT Aptinyx says NYX-783 data suggest potential as a treatment for PTSD - Aptinyx announced that data from preclinical studies evaluating NYX-783, a novel NMDA receptor positive allosteric modulator, in models of post-traumatic stress disorder, PTSD, were published in the journal, Molecular Psychiatry. The publication, entitled "Positive modulation of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors in the mPFC reduces the spontaneous recovery of fear," details the ability of NYX-783 to reduce fear-based behaviors in animal models of PTSD by measuring enhanced fear extinction and reduced spontaneous recovery of fear. NYX-783 significantly reduced spontaneous recovery of fear in mice in the conventional auditory fear-conditioning model. NYX-783 also reduced spontaneous recovery in the single-prolonged stress model of PTSD. These data suggest NYX-783 can inhibit the spontaneous recovery of learned fear even after exposure to an additional significant stressor. The inhibition of spontaneous recovery of learned fear by NYX-783 results from increased NMDAR2B-mediated activity of neurons in the infralimbic medial prefrontal cortex. These results elucidate the cellular targets of NYX-783 and the molecular mechanisms underlying the inhibition of spontaneous recovery. These preclinical findings indicate NYX-783 may be particularly useful for inhibiting spontaneous recovery of fear and provide further support for the drug candidate's therapeutic potential as a treatment for PTSD. "We are very excited by these data as they underscore the potential of NYX-783 to treat the dysfunction of emotional control in post-traumatic stress disorder," said Amanda Barth, Ph.D., Senior Director of Research at Aptinyx. "These preclinical models are highly relevant to PTSD and suggest the novel mechanism of NYX-783 can enhance fear extinction learning impaired by NMDA receptor hypofunction. We believe these findings can be translated to clinical benefit in humans and look forward to continuing development of NYX-783 in our ongoing Phase 2b study in PTSD."

07:51 EDT Patriot One Technologies selected by Oak View Group for Moody Center - Patriot One Technologies announced the Oak View Group has selected Patriot One's Gateway solution to protect all entrances to Austin's new live entertainment venue, Moody Center, the new home of The University of Texas basketball teams. The Gateway will be in place for Moody Center's first show, John Mayer on April 20th.

07:47 EDT Akanda to acquire Holigen shares from The Flowr Corporation - Akanda announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire 100% of the issued and outstanding shares of Holigen from The Flowr Corporation. The proposed acquisition will accelerate Akanda's seed-to-patient business model in the EMEA region, improving the company's ability to meet growing demand for medical cannabis and positioning it for adult use markets as regulations evolve. Under the terms of the definitive agreement, Akanda will acquire Holigen for a combination of $3M in cash, 1.9M Akanda common shares, and the assumption at RPK of approximately $4.3M of debt which is non-recourse to Akanda. In addition, to further align Akanda and Flowr, concurrently with the closing of the acquisition, Akanda will purchase 14,285,714 Flowr common shares for aggregate gross proceeds to Flowr of approximately $790,000 at a price per share of C$0.07, subject to the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange. Akanda has also provided $678,000 of interim funding to Holigen to fund Holigen's working capital needs prior to closing of the acquisition. The acquisition, which has been approved by the boards of directors of both companies, is expected to close during the second quarter of 2022, and is subject to the satisfaction or waiver of customary closing conditions, including the approval by the TSX Venture Exchange.

07:36 EDT Abbott reports Q1 Worldwide Diagnostics sales up 31.7% on a reported basis - Worldwide Diagnostics sales increased 31.7% on a reported basis and 35.1% on an organic basis in the first quarter. Global COVID-19 testing-related sales were $3.3B in the quarter, led by sales of rapid testing products.

07:35 EDT Arcturus: mRNA vaccine candidate ARCT-154 meets primary efficacy endpoint - Arcturus Therapeutics shared topline data from an ongoing Phase 1/2/3 trial evaluating ARCT-154, Arcturus' self-amplifying mRNA vaccine candidate against COVID-19 disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. "We are very pleased with these results, and to see ARCT-154 providing protection against symptomatic COVID-19 and almost complete protection against severe disease in a placebo-controlled vaccine efficacy study. This represents a key milestone for the Company and provides significant clinical validation of our STARR latform. We believe self-amplifying mRNA combined with our LUNAR delivery technology will create a path to better mRNA medicines," said Joseph Payne, President and CEO of Arcturus Therapeutics. "We are grateful to our collaborator Vinbiocare and to Vietstar, a leading CRO in Vietnam, for their extraordinary effort and efficiency in the sponsorship and analysis of this trial. We are also thankful to the study participants, investigators and clinical trial sites for their invaluable contributions to the study." The ongoing Phase 1/2/3 registrational study, sponsored by Arcturus' collaborator Vinbiocare Biotechnology Joint Stock Company , a member of Vingroup Joint Stock Company, enrolled over 19,000 adult subjects in Vietnam, including individuals at higher risk of severe complications of COVID-19 disease. Results from the efficacy analysis of the study have been submitted to the Vietnam Ministry of Health by Vinbiocare on April 13, 2022 and shared with Arcturus in parallel with this filing. This additional efficacy data complements the data package under review by the Vietnam Ministry of Health for potential Emergency Use Authorization of ARCT-154. The Phase 3 placebo-controlled vaccine efficacy portion of this study enrolled over 16,000 participants. Evaluation of vaccine efficacy demonstrated that the study met its primary endpoint of prevention of virologically confirmed COVID-19 disease. Data provided by Vinbiocare show that, in an analysis of COVID-19 cases accrued between 7 days and 56 days after completion of a two-dose vaccination series, two 5-mcg doses of ARCT-154 demonstrated 55% vaccine efficacy for protection against COVID-19. The cases of COVID-19 disease in the study participants were detected in parallel with a SARS-CoV-2 outbreak in Vietnam in December 2021 to February 2022 where characterized SARS-CoV-2 variants Delta and Omicron have dominated . The key secondary endpoint of severe COVID-19 disease was analyzed and included 43 severe cases in the analysis. Forty-one cases occurred in the placebo group and 2 occurred in the ARCT-154 vaccinated group, demonstrating point estimate of vaccine efficacy of 95% against severe COVID-19 disease. Nine COVID-19 related deaths were reported in the placebo group and 1 in the ARCT-154 vaccinated group. The single death in the ARCT-154 vaccination arm occurred in an older age group participant who was also at increased risk of severe COVID-19.

07:34 EDT Abbott CEO: 'Business continues to perform well in a challenging environment' - "Our diversified business continues to perform well in a challenging environment," said Robert B. Ford, chairman and CEo Abbott. "We're particularly pleased with the strong performance we're achieving in Medical Devices and Established Pharmaceuticals."

07:33 EDT OpGen subsidiary commercially launches new sequencing, analysis services - OpGen announced that its subsidiary, Ares Genetics is commercially launching a series of new genome sequencing and analysis services globally. In March 2022, the WHO emphasized the critical importance of microbial genome sequencing for pandemic preparedness in its new 10-year strategy for the global genomic surveillance of pathogens with pandemic and epidemic potential. To help curb the global spread of antimicrobial resistance, AMR, pathogens, Ares Genetics is expanding its commercial offering of sequencing and analysis services aimed at clinical microbiologists and specialists in public health and infection prevention and control. The new services include ARESid and ARESiss Express. "We are delighted to respond to customer demand by introducing ARESiss Express," said Dr. Arne Materna, CEO of Ares Genetics. "ARESiss Express builds on our clinically validated platform for whole genome sequencing of bacterial isolates but reduces turnaround times from ARESiss by more than 80% to five business days in order to enable microbiologists and epidemiologists to analyze and respond to local outbreaks in a timely manner."

07:32 EDT Amesite renews partnership with Michigan's Wayne State University - Amesite is extending its partnership with Wayne State University in Michigan for 3 years. This continued partnership will deliver professional certificate programs on Warrior TechSource - Wayne State University's proprietary Learning Community Environment - powered by Amesite. Their professional certificates focus on the automotive and related technologies.

07:25 EDT Pure Sunfarms launches Pure Sunfarms FLOWERHOOD - Pure Sunfarms launches Pure Sunfarms FLOWERHOOD, a collaborative project featuring six artists bringing to life the stories of its flower through iconic artwork. The designs of each artist are thoughtfully applied to hand-selected vintage garments to create the one-of-a-kind FLOWERHOOD collection. The project brings to life the story of Pure Sunfarms signature strains through the eyes of Laura Garcia Serventi, Mia Ohki, Dan Climan, Studio A-OK, Lan Truong, and Ana Miminoshvili. The custom artwork created by each artist is rooted in the rich history of the strain and the anatomy of the plant itself, interpreted in their own style. The work expresses what each artist sees in the cannabis plant through hand-drawn and digital illustrations, paintings, and premium patchwork. The Pure Sunfarms FLOWERHOOD collection will be available exclusively on Pure Sunfarms Marketplace starting May 6, 2022, including a hand-painted denim jacket, screen-printed tees, and embroidered French chore coats.

07:24 EDT Greenwave Technology appoints three directors to board - Greenwave Technology Solutions is pleased to report that it has appointed three independent members to its Board of Directors as well as its Audit, Compensation, and Nomination and Corporate Governance Committees. Greenwave, through its subsidiary Empire Services, currently operates 11 metal recycling facilities in Virginia and North Carolina. As a result of these appointments, Greenwave believes it has satisfied the corporate governance requirements of both NASDAQ and NYSE-MKT. Further, the Company expects it will meet the shareholder's equity requirement of national exchanges without an additional capital raise. Greenwave expects to submit its formal application to uplist to a national exchange imminently. "Greenwave is excited to welcome Cheryl Lanthorn, J. Bryan Plumlee and John Wood, three leaders in their respective fields and strong supporters of the Company, to our Board of Directors," stated Danny Meeks, Chief Executive Officer of Greenwave.

07:22 EDT CareDx announces over 25 presentations, posters at ISHLT meeting - CareDx announced a leading presence at the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation Annual Meeting and Scientific Sessions, with over 25 oral presentations and posters covering the latest innovations in heart and lung transplant surveillance and two symposia. ISHLT 2022 takes place on April 27-30 in Boston, Massachusetts. CareDx showcases its leadership in heart and lung transplant patient care with a significant body of evidence highlighting the value of its diagnostic tools for heart and lung transplant recipients. Notably, oral presentations covering interim findings from the SHORE observational study will be presented, highlighting the value of multimodality assessment of heart transplant health for assessing the risk of rejection and de novo donor-specific antibodies. Additionally, CareDx symposia will spotlight leaders in the field delivering cutting-edge content using multimodality solutions, HeartCare, AlloMap gene-expression profiling, and AlloSure donor-derived cell-free DNA. "CareDx is proud of its history of innovation in cardiothoracic transplantation, with many firsts, from multimodality molecular assessment of allograft health, to donor-derived cell-free DNA for lung transplantation, to recently introducing, XenoSure and XenoMap, for investigational use in xenotransplantation research," said Reg Seeto, CEO and President of CareDx. "It's extremely rewarding to have another remarkable presence at this year's ISHLT meeting with extensive data elucidating the clinical value of integrating CareDx solutions and multimodality assessments into clinical practice."

07:19 EDT Genius Group appoints Richard Berman as audit committee chair - Genius Grou announced that its Board of Directors appointed Richard Berman as its Audit Committee Chair, as of March 31, 2022. Mr. Berman joined Genius Group's Board of Directors in January 2022.

07:18 EDT Solo Brands CEO buys $238K in common stock - In a regulatory filing, Solo Brands disclosed that its CEO John Merris bought 14K shares of common stock in a total transaction size of $238K.

07:17 EDT Absci expands drug discovery capabilities with opening of AAIR Lab - Absci announced the opening of the Absci AI Research Lab, AAIR Lab, in Manhattan's Plaza District. This office opening comes on the heels of Absci's recent breakthrough achievements in machine learning for in silico antibody lead optimization, as well as its announcement of its collaboration with NVIDIA. The AAIR Lab, as a hub of Absci's AI research, will build on these recent successes and continue to advance the nature and scope of therapeutic protein design. "Absci's expansion into one of the geographic hearts of AI research marks an exciting milestone for our team and brings us closer to our vision for de novo drug and cell line design entirely in silico," said Sean McClain, founder and CEO of Absci. "We're eager to tap into the deep talent pool in New York, the Northeast, and beyond, as we leverage game-changing technology to deliver better drugs to patients faster, all while collaborating in a beautiful space just steps from Central Park." The AAIR Lab will support the expansion of Absci's Denovium Engine AI platform and deployment of its machine learning pipeline for predicting therapeutic protein sequences and cell line designs.

07:15 EDT FibroGen announces completion of patient enrollment for ZEPHYRUS-1 - FibroGen announced completion of patient enrollment for ZEPHYRUS-1, the first of two Phase 3 clinical studies of pamrevlumab in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, IPF, a chronic, progressive, and fatal lung disease. Three hundred fifty-six IPF patients have been enrolled into ZEPHYRUS-1, a Phase 3 trial designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of pamrevlumab in patients with IPF. The primary endpoint of the study is change from baseline in forced vital capacity, FVC. Top-line data from ZEPHYRUS-1 is anticipated in mid-2023.

07:14 EDT Wabtec to acquire Trimble Beena Vision business, terms undisclosed - Wabtec (WAB) announced the company has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Trimble's (TRMB) Beena Vision business, a manufacturer of machine vision-based wayside inspection systems for the railroad industry. The acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions and financial terms were not disclosed. Beena Vision's business has been reported as part of the Trimble Transportation Segment. The sale will not have a material impact on the segment or overall financial results.

07:12 EDT Vigil Neuroscience appoints Christopher Verni as general counsel - Vigil Neuroscience (VIGL) announced the appointments of Christopher Verni as General Counsel and Mary Thistle to its Board of Directors. He was most recently Senior Vice President, Deputy General Counsel and Chief Intellectual Property Officer at Sarepta Therapeutics (SRPT). Thistle currently serves as Special Advisor at the Bill & Melinda Gates Research Institute.

07:10 EDT AlloVir receives FDA RMAT designation for posoleucel - AlloVir announced that the FDA has granted Regenerative Medicine Advanced Therapy, or RMAT, designation to its investigational multi-virus-specific T cell therapy, posoleucel, for the prevention of clinically significant infections and disease from six devastating viruses that commonly impact high-risk adult and pediatric patients following allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant - adenovirus, BK virus, cytomegalovirus, Epstein-Barr virus, human herpes virus-6 and JC virus. This is the third RMAT designation that FDA has granted to posoleucel, in recognition of the therapy's transformative potential to address significant unmet medical needs facing immunocompromised allo-HCT patients.

07:09 EDT OTC Markets Group welcomes Media and Games Invest to OTCQX - OTC Markets Group announced Media and Games Invest, an advertising software platform with first party games content, has qualified to trade on the OTCQX Best Market. Media and Games Invest SE upgraded to OTCQX from the Pink market.

07:07 EDT Kohl's holder Macellum issues letter highlighting need for boardroom change - Macellum Advisors, a long-term holder of nearly 5% of the outstanding common shares of Kohl's Corporation issued a comprehensive presentation that details the urgent case for change in Kohl's' boardroom and summarizes its director candidates' value-enhancing vision. As a reminder, Jonathan Duskin, Macellum's Managing Partner, commented: "Following our initial campaign for change last year, Kohl's has continued to significantly underperform while we contend that management and the Board have overseen a flawed alternatives process, initiated shareholder-unfriendly maneuvers, including the adoption of a two-tier poison pill, and unveiled yet another standalone strategy that does not appear to placate investors' concerns, as evidenced by the roughly 13% decline in the Company's share price following its release. Over a longer term, Kohl's' shares have consistently lagged relevant peers and indices and the Company's sales, gross margin growth and valuation have continued to deteriorate. Meanwhile, leadership has overseen numerous strategic missteps, including significant market share losses despite a $26.4 billion opportunity created by retail bankruptcies over the last five years, wasteful spending on capital expenditures and approximately $8 billion in owned real estate sitting idle on the Company's balance sheet. In our view, leadership's repeated failure to create value for shareholders stems from a lack of relevant retail, financial and governance expertise across the current Board and management team. Kohl's is at a critical inflection point today. Our slate's comprehensive plan seeks to address all the impediments to enduring value creation under the current Board and enable our nominees to position the Company for long-term success. If elected, our nominees will bring fresh perspectives and much-needed skills to help the Board evaluate sale opportunities relative to a superior strategic, operational and financial plan. At this year's Annual Meeting, we urge shareholders not to double down on a failing Board and management team."

07:06 EDT Uranium Energy increases U.S. warehoused uranium holdings - Uranium Energy Corp has secured an additional 400,000 pounds of U.S. warehoused uranium, expanding its physical uranium program to 5 million pounds U3O8, with delivery dates out to December 2025 at a volume weighted average price of ~$38 per pound. UEC's physical uranium program represents an unrealized gain of over $125M. UEC's U.S. warehoused physical uranium program is currently the largest inventory position for a U.S. based uranium company.

07:06 EDT Agrify launches VFU Rapid Deployment Packs - Agrify announced it is launching its line of VFU Rapid Deployment Packs designed to quickly deploy 10, 15, 20 or 28 prepackaged Agrify Vertical Farm Units in a single-tiered setup at customer facilities. Preconfigured for rapid deployment, Agrify RDP customers can immediately begin cultivating exceptional quality cannabis accelerating time to profitability. Operational within weeks, Agrify RDPs quickly validate the value proposition of cultivating using VFUs for operators, as VFUs can generate a higher and more consistent yield of superior flower at a lower operational cost when compared to traditional cultivation setups. Agrify RDPs are ideal for customers interested in VFU technology who would like to reduce the expense and delay of building out their facility, minimize the time required to having saleable product in market, and allows operators - in particular MSOs - to validate VFUs without undertaking major building renovations while minimizing disruption to their existing facility and operations.

07:02 EDT Procter & Gamble backs FY22 core EPS growth view of 3%-6% - Raises FY22 sales growth view to up 4%-5% from 3%-4%. P&G said its "current fiscal 2022 outlook includes headwinds of $2.5 billion after-tax from higher commodity costs, $400 million after-tax from higher freight costs and $300 million after-tax from negative foreign exchange impacts... Capital spending is estimated to be in the range of four percent to five percent of fiscal 2022 net sales. "

07:00 EDT Procter & Gamble reports Q3 gross margin down 400bps - The company states: "Gross margin for the quarter decreased 400 basis points versus year ago, 380 basis points on a currency-neutral basis. The decline was driven by 410 basis points of increased commodity costs, 80 basis points of higher freight costs, 30 basis of product/package reinvestments and 130 basis points of negative product mix. These were partially offset by benefits of 220 basis points from increased pricing and 50 basis points from gross productivity savings and other impacts."

06:59 EDT Navidea reports preliminary results from ongoing NAV3-32 Phase 2B study - Navidea Biopharmaceuticals announced preliminary results from the ongoing NAV3-32 Phase 2B study titled, "A Comparison of Tc99m Tilmanocept Quantitative Imaging With Immunohistochemical Analysis of CD206 Expression in Synovial Tissue From Subjects Clinically Diagnosed With Rheumatoid Arthritis." Preliminary results on the first eleven patients indicates that quantitative Tc99m tilmanocept uptake in the hands and wrists of patients is proportional to the amount of macrophage involvement in an individual rheumatoid arthritis patient's joint inflammation. Additionally, Tc99m tilmanocept uptake in RA-inflamed joints was able to discretely differentiate patients with the fibroid pathotype from those having either the diffuse myeloid or lympho-myeloid pathotypes of RA.

06:52 EDT Kroger to hire over 200 associates to bring Kroger Delivery to South Florida - Kroger announced it is now hiring more than 200 associates as it prepares to bring Kroger Delivery to the South Florida market this summer, providing fresh food and the convenient, exceptional service to area residents.

06:46 EDT Merck: Joseph Romanelli to lead Merck Human Health International - Merck announced that Joseph Romanelli will lead Human Health International, and join Merck's Executive Team, effective August 1. He will report directly to Robert Davis, CEO and president, Merck. As previously announced, Arpa Garay leads Human Health Global Marketing, and Jannie Oosthuizen leads Human Health U.S., both also reporting to Davis. In this role, Romanelli will have P&L responsibility for Merck's $22B international human health business and lead a team of 14,000 colleagues in more than 75 markets outside of the U.S. Romanelli returns to Merck after serving as CEO of JiXing Pharmaceuticals, a China-based biopharmaceutical company, since 2021.

06:38 EDT Humanigen's lenzilumab reduces cytokine release syndrome in published study - Humanigen announced a peer-reviewed publication in oncology and hematology journal Leukemia. This publication is an addition to the findings from a previous article in the hematology journal, blood, which demonstrated that neutralization of GM-CSF with proprietary lenzilumab - Lenz - was able to break the efficacy/toxicity linkage by reducing cytokine release syndrome - CRS - and neuroinflammation while enhancing CAR-T function, and results in enhanced anti-tumor activity in vivo. These data published in Leukemia indicate that GM-CSFko CAR-T cells result in enhanced CAR-T cell proliferation and anti-tumor activity while being associated with a marked reduction in GM-CSF levels, which have been linked to CAR-T associated toxicities. The widespread adoption of CAR-T therapy is limited, in part, by the common toxicities of ICANS and CRS and the financial and health burden that this creates. The upcoming Phase 3 CAR-T study, known as SHIELD, will determine the efficacy and safety of prophylactic lenzilumab on the rates of ICANS, CRS, and CAR-T efficacy, to begin 1H22. Lenzilumab is a proprietary Humaneered first-in-class monoclonal antibody. Humanigen believes that GM-CSF neutralization with lenzilumab also has the potential to reduce the hyper-inflammatory cascade known as cytokine release syndrome common to CAR-T therapy and acute Graft versus Host Disease.

06:30 EDT Fulton Financial now sees FY22 NII $690M-$705M vs. prior $660M-$680M view - Now sees FY22 non-interest income $225M-$235M vs. previous view of $230M-$245M. Sees FY22 non-interest expense $595M-$605M vs. prior view of $580M-$600M. Sees FY22 effective tax rate 17%-17.5% vs. previous view of 16.5%-17.5%. Comments taken from Q1 earnings conference call presentation slides.

06:24 EDT Credit Suisse now expects a loss in reported earnings for Q1 - Credit Suisse Group AG announced that its reported earnings for the first quarter of 2022 will be negatively impacted by a decision to increase litigation provisions relating to developments in a number of previously disclosed legal matters, all of which originated more than a decade ago, by approximately CHF 600 million, resulting in total litigation provisions for the quarter of approximately CHF 700 million. The Group will announce its earnings for the first quarter of 2022 on Wednesday, April 27th, and would expect to report a loss as a consequence of this increase in reserves. "With regard to our exposure to the impact of Russia's invasion of Ukraine both on our counterparties and on our credit risks, our results will be adversely affected by an aggregate of approximately CHF 200 million of negative revenues and provisions for credit losses. As noted in our 2021 Annual Report last month, our first quarter results will also include approximately CHF 350 million of losses relating to the decrease in the value of our 8.6% holding in the publicly listed Allfunds Group, and our underlying results have been adversely impacted by a reduction in capital market issuances and by lower business activity. These losses will be partially offset by a recovery in provisions of approximately CHF 170 million in respect of claims against Archegos and by real estate gains of approximately CHF 160 million."

06:11 EDT Okta says January breach lasted 25 minutes, impacted two customers - David Bradbury, the chief security officer at Okta, said in a blog post that the company has concluded its investigation into the January 2022 compromise of its third-party vendor. "The final forensic report of the globally recognized cybersecurity firm we engaged concluded that: The threat actor actively controlled a single workstation, used by a Sitel support engineer, with access to Okta resources. Control lasted for 25 consecutive minutes on January 21, 2022. During that limited window of time, the threat actor accessed two active customer tenants within the SuperUser application (whom we have separately notified), and viewed limited additional information in certain other applications like Slack and Jira that cannot be used to perform actions in Okta customer tenants. The threat actor was unable to successfully perform any configuration changes, MFA or password resets, or customer support "impersonation" events. The threat actor was unable to authenticate directly to any Okta accounts. While the overall impact of the compromise has been determined to be significantly smaller than we initially scoped, we recognize the broad toll this kind of compromise can have on our customers and their trust in Okta... The conclusions from the final forensic report do not lessen our determination to take corrective actions designed to prevent similar events and improve our ability to respond to security incidents. That starts with reviewing our security processes and pushing for new ways to accelerate updates from third parties and internally for potential issues, both big and small." Reference Link

06:08 EDT KBR awarded seven-year contract for GMS by SATORP - KBR announced that it has been awarded a seven-year contract with an option to extend for another three years, for the provision of General Maintenance Services, or GMS, by Saudi Aramco Total Refining and Petrochemical Company, or SATORP, for its project in Jubail, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Under the terms of the contract, KBR will provide preventive, predictive, corrective, and shutdown maintenance services at the refinery, with a focus on continuous improvement and sustainable asset performance. By integrating lessons learned from a decade-long partnership, KBR aims to achieve top quartile plant performance while optimizing costs. Through this partnership, KBR reaffirms its commitment to Saudization and maintaining a Zero Harm safety culture at the refinery.

06:06 EDT Amazon.com announces 37 new renewable energy projects around the world - Amazon announced 37 new renewable energy projects around the world, marking significant progress on its path to power 100% of its operations with renewable energy by 2025-five years ahead of the original target of 2030. The new projects increase the capacity of Amazon's renewable energy portfolio by nearly 30%, from 12.2 gigawatts to 15.7 GW, and bring the total number of renewable energy projects to 310 across 19 countries. The additional 3.5 GW of clean energy capacity from these new projects extends Amazon's leadership position as the world's largest corporate buyer of renewable energy, and advances its efforts to meet The Climate Pledge, a commitment to be net-zero carbon by 2040-10 years ahead of the Paris Agreement.

06:03 EDT Best Buy launches home pick-up recycling service - Best Buy is picking up old tech directly from customers' homes, starting this month. Once picked up, all products are then recycled. Anyone in the U.S. can now request pickup and recycling for old electronics, keeping tech, including appliances, out of landfills and giving it a second life. The Best Buy Standalone Haul-Away service will remove and recycle up to two large products - including TVs, major appliances, all-in-one computers and monitors -, along with select smaller products, like laptops, cameras, cords, gaming consoles and more. The new Standalone Haul-Away service is available for $199.99. Best Buy Totaltech members save 20% on the Standalone Haul-Away service. This new service is in addition to the Haul-Away service Best Buy currently offers to customers when they purchase a new TV, major appliance or select fitness equipment, and want to recycle the product they're replacing. Customer can also drop off up to three electronics per household, per day at Best Buy stores.

05:33 EDT Avient to acquire DSM Protective Materials business for $1.49B, sees accretion - Avient announced that it has entered into an agreement with Royal DSM, or DSM, to purchase the DSM Protective Materials business. The purchase price of $1.49B is subject to certain customary adjustments. In conjunction with this proposed acquisition, Avient has also announced that it plans to explore sale options for its Avient Distribution business. Excluding intangible amortization, the acquisition will be immediately accretive to EPS, adding approximately 35c per share on a pro forma basis for 2022. Further, Avient's composites platform with the Dyneema business will represent over 50% of the company's Specialty Engineered Materials segment sales. The acquisition has been approved by the boards of directors at both Avient and DSM and is expected to close later this year, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions.

05:20 EDT AbbVie terminates alpha-synuclein antibodies collaboration with BioArctic - BioArctic AB has announced that the company's partner AbbVie has decided to terminate its collaboration with BioArctic regarding the portfolio of alpha-synuclein antibodies, including ABBV-0805. BioArctic and AbbVie have collaborated since 2016 regarding the research and development of BioArctic's portfolio of alpha-synuclein antibodies for Parkinson's disease and other potential indications. In 2019, a Phase 1 study of the lead asset, ABBV-0805, was initiated, and results from the study, presented at the International Congress of Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders, or MDS, in September 2021, supports a continuation into Phase 2 with once-monthly dosing.

05:09 EDT Lithia & Driveway announces 42c per share dividend - The company's board of directors approved a dividend of 42c per share related to Q1 financial results. The company expects to pay the dividend on May 27 to shareholders of record on May 13.