Stockwinners Market Radar for July 28, 2022 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

20:35 EDT SGH CEO buys $181K in common stock stock - In a regulatory filing, SGH disclosed that its CEO Mark Adams bought 10K shares of common stock on July 26th in a total transaction size of $181K.

20:13 EDT Cathie Wood's ARK Investment bought 340K shares of Atai Life Sciences today

19:53 EDT Uranium Energy announces competing offer to acquire UEX Corporation - Uranium Energy "announces that it has received a notice from UEX Corporation that Denison Mines Corp. has made an acquisition proposal for all of the issued and outstanding shares of UEX pursuant to a plan of arrangement. UEX has further advised UEC that the board of directors of UEX has determined that the Denison Proposal constitutes a "Superior Proposal" as defined in the arrangement agreement dated June 13, 2022, as amended June 23, 2022, among UEX, UEC and the UEC 2022 Acquisition Corp. and that UEX intends to enter into an agreement with Denison to implement the Denison Proposal. Under the Arrangement Agreement, UEC has the right, for a period of five business days from receipt of UEX's notice, to offer to amend the terms of the Arrangement Agreement. In the event that UEC elects not to match and if UEX terminates the Arrangement Agreement in order to enter into an agreement with Denison, then UEX is required to pay to UEC a termination fee in the amount of $8.25M."

18:35 EDT UnitedHealth director sells $53.06M in common stock - In a regulatory filing, UnitedHealth disclosed that its director Stephen Hemsley sold 99.3K shares of common stock on July 26th in a total transaction size of $53.06M.

18:31 EDT Community Healthcare raises quarterly dividend to 44.25c from 44c per share - The dividend is payable on August 26, 2022 to shareholders of record on August 12, 2022.

18:02 EDT Apple says 'constantly surveilling' the market for potential acquisitions - Says plans to invest in staff, but will be "more deliberate" in hiring due to current macro environment.

17:48 EDT Amazon says not seeing pressures in discounting as 'others are' - Sees challenging year-over-year comps softening in second half of the year. Says taking steps to lower network capacity addition. Says seeing pressure in energy in data centers. Comments taken from Q2 earnings conference call.

17:28 EDT Apple expects Q4 revenue to accelerate y/y - Expects Q4 supply constraints to be lower than Q3. Sees Q4: Gross margin 41.5%-42.5%; OpEx $12.9B-15.1B; tax rate 16%.

17:17 EDT Apple says supply constraints 'less than anticipated' - Says "clear-eyed" about uncertainty in macro environment. Says innovation across products continues to attract customers. Comments taken from Q3 earnings conference call.

17:07 EDT General Dynamics awarded $697.89M Navy contract modification - General Dynamics was awarded a $697.89M cost-plus-incentive-fee modification to a previously awarded contract for the maintenance, repair, and modernization efforts to execute the engineered overhaul of USS Hartford. Work will be performed in Groton, Connecticut, and is expected to be completed by October 2026. The Naval Sea Systems Command is the contracting activity.

17:03 EDT Shanxi Donghui to make RMB200M investment in Missfresh - Missfresh Limited announced that it has adopted significant adjustments to its business strategy. As announced on July 14, 2022, the Company entered into a strategic investment agreement with Shanxi Donghui Group, pursuant to which Shanxi Donghui agrees to make an RMB200M equity investment in Missfresh. As of today, the transaction has not been closed and the company has not received any funding from Shanxi Donghui. As a result, the Company has to adopt significant adjustments to its business strategy for sustainability, including a temporary shutdown of its on-demand Distributed Mini Warehouse service and staff optimization. It is expected that these significant adjustments will have a material and adverse impact on the company's financial performance. The on-demand DMW business contributed approximately 85% of the company's total net revenue for the nine months ended September 30, 2021. The company will decide if and when it will re-open the on-demand DMW business depending on the development of its financings and business operations. The company will make every effort to maintain normal operations in its next-day delivery business, intelligent fresh market business and retail cloud business.

17:01 EDT Kinross Gold announces renewal of share buyback program - Kinross Gold announced that the Toronto Stock Exchange has accepted the notice filed by the Company to renew its normal course issuer bid program. Under the NCIB program, the company is authorized to purchase up to 65,002,277 of its common shares representing 5% of the company's issued and outstanding common shares, during the period starting on August 3, 2022 and ending on August 2, 2023. In deciding to continue its NCIB program, the company believes that the market price of the common shares may not, from time to time, fully reflect their value, and accordingly, the purchase of the common shares would be in the best interest of the company and an attractive and appropriate use of available funds. Kinross is committed to enhancing shareholder returns through programs such as a share buyback and its quarterly dividend, which are underpinned by the company's investment grade balance sheet, strong free cash flow position and growing production profile from its global portfolio. This strong foundation places Kinross in an excellent position to continue generating substantial value for its shareholders.

16:58 EDT Trade Desk Chief Data Officer Michelle Hulst to step down - On July 26, The Trade Desk and Michelle Hulst, the company's Chief Data Officer, "agreed that Ms. Hulst will step down from her current position effective as of July 29, 2022. Upon her departure from the Company, it is intended that Ms. Hulst receive the benefits provided for an employment termination without cause as set forth in her previously filed Employment Agreement dated January 11, 2021."

16:52 EDT DexCom drops 17% after Q2 results, FY22 guidance miss estimates

16:45 EDT VF Corp. reports Q2 Vans revenue down 7% y/y at $946.8M - North Face revenue was up 31% at $481M, Timberland up 8% at $269.5M, and Dickies down 15% at $170.4M.

16:42 EDT Icosavax announces data from IVX-411 investigation and additions to milestones - Icosavax announced the results from an end-to-end drug product investigation of IVX-411, a VLP vaccine candidate displaying the SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding domain RBD. This investigation was initiated following the company's Phase 1/2 topline interim data results in which the immunologic response observed for IVX-411 was inconsistent with expectations based on known data for the company's platform and VLP technology. The investigation involved a review of in vitro antigen stability and characterization and in vivo potency, as well as a review of data and protocols relating to the transport, storage, and administration of the vaccine. Icosavax tested a range of relevant samples, including a lab-scale VLP reference that was associated with robust and durable neutralizing titers in Non-Human Primate studiesi, and the Icosavax clinical VLP lotstored at 2-8 degrees C to assess its stability.The results of our comprehensive IVX-411 investigation confirmed our original hypothesis that the lower-than-expected immunogenicity for IVX-411 was likely attributable to an antigen specific stability issue. These findings, combined with subsequent corroboration from the positive results of our Phase 1/1b study of IVX-121, reinforce the potential for potency of well-structured antigens displayed on Icosavax's two component VLP platform," said Adam Simpson, Chief Executive Officer of Icosavax. "Looking ahead, we plan to incorporate the learnings from this investigation into our current and future programs as well as our antigen design capability. In addition, consistent with the evolution of the field, we intend to focus on a bi-valent strategy for COVID-19 candidate development, providing us with optionality to include such a candidate as a potential future component of our VLP combination vaccines."Adam Simpson continued, "Today we have also announced additions to our near-term milestones, which I believe highlight the expected continued progress and potential value-creating opportunities for Icosavax."

16:36 EDT Montauk Renewables files provisional patent application - Montauk Renewables announced the Company has filed a provisional patent application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, USPTO, pertaining to a combustion based oxygen removal condensate neutralization technology. The patent application is directed to a new acid neutralization technology that is a critical and integral component in eliminating the harmful acidic condensate that is produced when wastewater is removed from the biogas conversion process. Without a mitigating measure, high acidity can result in expenses of hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage associated with the processing facility components as well as downtime for equipment replacement and troubleshooting. The Company has identified a successful demonstration of a reduction in unfavourable pH condensate through the considerable testing that has been completed to-date. The filing of this provisional patent application aligns to Montauk's continued efforts to deploy technology within the Company's existing portfolio for landfill biogas recovery. "We are excited to announce the provisional patent application for our innovative acid neutralization technology," said Sean McClain, Montauk Renewables CEO. "The patent application reflects Montauk's on-going commitment to technological innovation to stay ahead of market competitors and we are excited about the advantages associated with this technology."

16:35 EDT Apple reports Q3 Services revenue $19.60B vs. $17.49B last year

16:34 EDT Quaker Houghton raises quarterly dividend 5% to 43.5c per share - The quarterly dividend is payable on October 31 to shareholders of record at the close of business on October 17.

16:33 EDT Apple reports Q3 Mac revenue $7.38B vs. $8.24B last year

16:33 EDT Apple reports Q3 iPhone sales $40.67B vs. $39.57B last year

16:32 EDT VIA Optronics launches new website - VIA optronics AG announced the launch of its new corporate website. Created with user experience in mind, the website was upgraded to reflect a modern, technically advanced layout equipped with enhanced functionality and search engine optimization. The primary focus of the update is restructuring the content with a clear menu structure. VIA's various technologies and products for its respective target groups are now organized in a precise, user-friendly manner so that users can obtain desired information more quickly. Jurgen Eichner, CEO and founder of VIA optronics AG commented: "Our new website captures the essence of our business, attractively and interactively displaying our systems for our customers, business partners, and applicants. It effectively illustrates our individual components and their integration into a complete customer-specific interactive display system. With the improved capabilities and fresh look, we aim to create a seamless, enjoyable user experience for all of VIA's stakeholders."

16:30 EDT Hartford Financial reports Q2 book value per share ex-AOCI $52.12

16:29 EDT Parsons announces partnership with AVEVA Group - Parsons Corporation announced a partnership with the AVEVA Group plc as a registered system integrator . This partnership adds to the company's Parsons X digital software- and vendor-agnostic toolbox, helping renewable energy, oil and gas, power, chemicals and mining customers make real-time optimal data-driven project and asset management decisions through innovative solutions. AVEVA is a global leader in industrial engineering, design, and information management software. Their solutions are deployed at more than 100,000 customer sites supporting over 75% of the oil and natural gas global daily production, 49 of the top 50 chemicals companies, and more than 1,000 power plants worldwide."We're living in a digital world. Through this partnership, we are helping our customers accelerate their digital transitions with software agnostic, scalable offerings that ensure each client has the right tool for their project," said Joe Cudney, senior vice president of energy and environment for Parsons. "Leveraging AVEVA's suite of solutions will help our customers improve planning and design, optimize maintenance, and reduce costs across all our markets, and is a natural fit with Parsons' industry leading project and construction management offerings."

16:24 EDT Envista, dentalcorp announce strategic implant partnership - Envista announced an extension and expansion of their commercial partnership with dentalcorp Holdings Ltd., Canada's largest DSO, network of dental practices. Since dentalcorp's founding in 2011, Nobel Biocare, an Envista company, and dentalcorp have invested resources to expand implant treatment capabilities to each of dentalcorp's 500+ supported practices. Together, Nobel Biocare and dentalcorp have trained hundreds of clinicians and created a network that offers the latest tooth replacement solutions from Nobel Biocare. This partnership extension further strengthens dentalcorp's ability to provide the highest quality of care to its patients. Through this partnership, Nobel Biocare will offer unparalleled support to dentalcorp's network of over 1,500 dentists, will help enable dentalcorp's fast-paced expansion, and will improve access to best-in-class dental implant treatment services for Canadians.

16:23 EDT Haynes sees Q4 EPS, revenue slightly above Q3

16:23 EDT Redwood Trust announces $125M stock repurchase program - Redwood Trust announced that its Board of Directors has authorized the repurchase of up to $125 million of common stock. This stock repurchase program, which replaces the $100 million common stock repurchase program approved by the Board of Directors in 2018, has no time limit and may be modified, suspended or discontinued at any time. The Board of Directors also continued its previous authorization for the repurchase of outstanding corporate debt securities. "Today's announcement follows active use of our previous share repurchase program in the second quarter of 2022 when we repurchased $33 million of Redwood's common shares at levels that were accretive to book value," said Christopher Abate, Chief Executive Officer of Redwood. "This new program will provide us increased capacity to continue to opportunistically repurchase shares of our common stock. We remain committed to a balanced and prudent approach to capital allocation to generate strong returns for our shareholders and will evaluate share repurchases in conjunction with other opportunities such as organic and third-party investments, M&A and other forms of accretive capital deployment."

16:22 EDT Continental Resources updates 2022 guidance - Increasing Projected Return on Capital Employed to ~32% from Previous ~31%; Improving 2022 Crude Oil Differentials per Barrel of Oil to Average ($2.25) to ($3.25) from ($2.50) to ($3.50); Improving 2022 DD&A per Boe to $12.00 to $14.00 from $14.00 to $16.00; Updating 2022 Production Expense per Boe to $3.75 to $4.25 from $3.50 to $4.00.

16:21 EDT PotlatchDeltic announces buyback for up to 5% of common stock - PCB Bancorp "announced that on July 28, 2022, its Board of Directors approved a repurchase program authorizing the repurchase of up to 5% of the Company's outstanding common stock as of the date of the board meeting through February 1, 2023, with repurchases to commence from August 2, 2022. Under the stock repurchase program, the Company may purchase shares of its common stock through various means such as open market transactions, including block purchases, and privately negotiated transactions. The number of shares repurchased and the timing, manner, price and amount of any repurchases will be determined at the Company's discretion. Factors include, but are not limited to, stock price, trading volume and general market conditions, along with the Company's general business conditions. The program may be suspended or discontinued at any time and does not obligate the company to acquire any specific number of shares of its common stock."

16:19 EDT Bio-Rad increases stock buyback authorization by $200M

16:14 EDT Hercules Capital expects originations environment to remain attractive - "After delivering record new commitments and fundings for Q1 2022, Hercules continued its momentum in Q2 with record gross new debt and equity commitments of over $1 billion, bringing the total for the 1H 2022 to a record $1.66 billion," stated Scott Bluestein, chief executive officer and chief investment officer of Hercules. "Fundings for Q2 totaled over $439 million which brought 1H 2022 fundings to a record of over $790 million. We expect the originations environment to remain attractive and drive strong growth of our portfolio of interest generating assets, which produced record core income of more than $70 million in Q2. The growing debt investment portfolio and rising interest rate environment also enables us to increase our quarterly base distribution to $0.35 per share and supports our ability to grow our core income and NII over the remainder of the year assuming the market remains favorable."

16:12 EDT Texas Roadhouse sees FY 22 CapEx approximately $230M - The company reports comparable restaurant sales at company restaurants for the first four weeks of the third quarter of fiscal 2022 increased 3.9% compared to the prior year. The company sees FY 22 positive comparable restaurant sales growth; Approximately 25 Texas Roadhouse and Bubba's 33 company restaurant openings; and, Total capital expenditures of approximately $230 million including as many as three relocations.

16:09 EDT TFI International to ask for approval of amendment to normal course issuer bid - TFI International also announces that it will apply to the Toronto Stock Exchange for approval of an amendment to TFI International's normal course issuer bid. If the amendment is approved by the TSX, TFI International will be entitled to repurchase for cancellation up to 8,798,283 common shares until the expiry of the NCIB on November 1, 2022, representing 10% of TFI International's "public float" of 87,982,839 common shares as of October 22, 2021. The current maximum under the NCIB is 7,000,000 common shares. All other terms and conditions of the NCIB will remain the same. As of June 30, TFI International had repurchased a total of 4,365,041 shares pursuant to its NCIB at a weighted average price of CDN $114.63 per share. As at June 30, there were 89,094,521 common shares of TFI International issued and outstanding.

16:04 EDT Intel reiterates FY adjusted free cash flow guidance

16:02 EDT Intel CEO: Quarterly results 'below the standards we have set' - "This quarter's results were below the standards we have set for the company and our shareholders. We must and will do better. The sudden and rapid decline in economic activity was the largest driver, but the shortfall also reflects our own execution issues," said Pat Gelsinger, Intel CEO. "We are being responsive to changing business conditions, working closely with our customers while remaining laser-focused on our strategy and long term opportunities. We are embracing this challenging environment to accelerate our transformation."

15:49 EDT Bausch Health to appeal expected court decision on certain Xifaxan patents - Bausch Health Companies and its gastroenterology business Salix Pharmaceuticals, announced the U.S. District Court of Delaware issued an Oral Order in the matter of Salix Pharmaceuticals, Ltd. et al v. Norwich Pharmaceuticals, Inc. regarding the infringement and validity of certain U.S. Patents protecting the composition and use of Xifaxan 550 mg tablets for the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhea, or IBS-D, and reduction in risk of overt hepatic encephalopathy, or HE, recurrence. "The Oral Order indicates that the Court will find certain U.S. Patents protecting the use of Xifaxan 550 mg tablets for the reduction in risk of HE recurrence valid and infringed and U.S. Patents protecting the composition, and use of Xifaxan for treating IBS-D invalid. While the Court has not yet entered any final judgement, absent Norwich's removal of the HE indication and data from their Abbreviated New Drug Application, it is expected that the Court will enjoin Norwich's pending ANDA until expiration of the Xifaxan HE Patents in 2029. The company intends to vigorously oppose any attempt by Norwich to remove the HE safety data from its ANDA in an effort to avoid the Xifaxan HE Patents. The FDA has stated that they plan to make a major revision to the rifaximin product specific guidance to add an in vivo bioequivalency study. Until an approval of a revised ANDA is granted by the FDA and the expected injunction modified by the Court, Norwich is not permitted to launch a generic equivalent of Xifaxan. When the Court enters a final order, Bausch Health will consider all available options to vigorously defend the intellectual property protecting Xifaxan and will appeal the Court's decision to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit," the company stated. "We are disappointed with today's development. We strongly disagree with any conclusion that our patents are not valid and intend to file an appeal to any such order. As a leader in gastrointestinal health, protecting our intellectual property is essential to our ability to continue to develop innovative therapies. We intend to vigorously pursue all available options to challenge any final ruling, while also continuing to drive growth and innovation for our Xifaxan franchise, said Thomas Appio, CEO, Bausch Health. Bausch Health notes that it has previously entered into settlement agreements with Teva, Sun Pharmaceuticals, and Sandoz to permit a generic rifaximin product entry in 2028 or upon an earlier approval and launch of a generic rifaximin product. Until, and if, Norwich secures FDA approval for its generic rifaximin product and subsequently launches a generic rifaximin product, Teva, Sun Pharmaceuticals, and Sandoz will not be permitted to launch a generic version of Xifaxan tablets before 2028. The company intends to file an appeal immediately after any final order is issued, assuming it is consistent with the Oral Order.

15:26 EDT User reports indicate problems at Zoom, Downdetector says - Reference Link

15:14 EDT Petrobras trading resumes

14:56 EDT Petrobras approves dividends of R$ 6.732003 per preferred and common share - Petrobras informs that its board of directors, at a meeting held today, approved the payment of dividends in the amount of R$ 6.732003 per outstanding preferred and common share. "The proposed dividend is in line with the Shareholder Remuneration Policy, which provides that in case of gross debt below US$ 65 billion, Petrobras may distribute to its shareholders 60% of the difference between operating cash flow and acquisitions of fixed and intangible assets. In addition, the Policy also foresees the possibility of paying extraordinary dividends, provided that the financial sustainability of the company is preserved. The approval of the proposed dividend is compatible with the company's financial sustainability and is aligned with the commitment of value generation for the society and for the shareholders, as well as with the best practices in the oil and gas industry. It is worth noting that in the Strategic Plan 2022-26 the investment projects requested by the business areas were met because they presented good resilience and are supported by operating cash generation and the flow of divestments, with no adverse effects on leverage. Therefore, there are no investments held back by financial or budgetary constraints and the decision to use the surplus resources to remunerate shareholders presents itself as the most efficient one for optimizing the allocation of cash. The dividends will be paid in two equal installments in August and September," the company stated. Reference Link

13:50 EDT Instagram to ask certain users about their race and ethnicity - Meta Platforms' Instagram said in a blog post that, to better understand different experiences people may have on the platform, it needs to collect and measure demographic information, like race and ethnicity. "Starting today, we'll ask a random assortment of people on Instagram in the United States to participate in an optional survey where they can share this information," the company said. "Over the next few months, people on Instagram in the United States may see a prompt asking them for their race or ethnicity. This leads to a survey hosted by YouGov, an international research group that helps companies securely run surveys. Individual, de-identified responses are collected by YouGov, encrypted, and split into parts to be stored across partner research institutions. Instagram will only have access to aggregated information, which means we can't connect people or their Instagram accounts to their individual responses." Reference Link

13:33 EDT Gilead says ALLIANCE highlights potential of Biktarvy in HIV and HBV coinfection - Gilead Sciences announced results that it says reinforce Biktarvy as "a highly efficacious treatment option for a broad range of people with HIV, including individuals with HIV/hepatitis B, HBV, coinfection." Interim data from the ALLIANCE trial evaluating Biktarvy in adults with HIV/HBV coinfection who were initiating therapy show potential suppression of HBV and HIV suppression comparable to an alternative HIV regimen. Additionally, 5-year data from two Phase 3 trials further demonstrated Biktarvy's sustained efficacy, safety profile and high barrier to resistance in adults with HIV initiating therapy. The data were presented at the 24th International AIDS Conference, or AIDS 2022. Data from the ALLIANCE trial, which is an ongoing Phase 3 trial evaluating Biktarvy versus dolutegravir 50 mg + emtricitabine 200 mg/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate 300 mg, F/TDF, DTG+F/TDF, demonstrated the efficacy of both antiretroviral regimens, in adults with HIV/HBV co-infection initiating treatment. The Week 48 results show Biktarvy demonstrated superior HBV DNA suppression. Participants who initiated treatment with Biktarvy versus DTG+F/TDF demonstrated superior HBV DNA suppression and hepatitis B e-antigen seroconversion. The Week 48 results also showed that participants who initiated treatment with Biktarvy or DTG+F/TDF both had similarly high rates of HIV suppression. Participants who initiated treatment with Biktarvy or DTG+F/TDF both had high rates of HIV suppression at Week 48 with mean CD4 cell count increases of 200 and 175 cells/mul from baseline, respectively. The ALLIANCE trial will continue in a blinded fashion through Week 96 to determine longer-term safety and efficacy.

12:52 EDT PharmaCyte says '7% owner attempting to take control' without paying premium - PharmaCyte Biotech issued a statement in response to Iroquois Capital's filing of a preliminary consent statement to commence a consent solicitation in lieu of a stockholder meeting, stating in part: "Iroquois Capital is seeking the consent of the company's shareholders to change various company bylaws, expand the size of the company's Board of Directors from 7 to 15, and elect Iroquois' entire slate of 8 directors to the Board. The company has serious concerns with this recent action taken by Iroquois and portends trouble ahead for the company and its shareholders. For the reasons set forth below, we implore our fellow shareholders to rebuke the significant infringement to your shareholder rights represented by Iroquois' proposed changes to our bylaws... Any Iroquois mailing or communication is not from PharmaCyte; instead, it is an attempt by Iroquois, a hedge fund with only 7% ownership, to solicit consents that are designed to enable Iroquois to take over the entire company and its cash position of over $80 million. We are not a private company for the benefit of one shareholder. We are a public entity working to build shareholder value and change the landscape of on how cancer, diabetes and malignant ascites are treated... Iroquois has opportunistically acquired the company's stock at a low price, and seeks your consent to take control of the company and its cash reserves at your expense and to your detriment... We have heard and given thoughtful consideration and response to the opinions Iroquois has put forward, including adding additional capital markets experience to our Board. However, we will not let one shareholder derail the company from its ultimate mission - the continued development of and successful clinical trials for our groundbreaking therapies - to the detriment of all other stakeholders."

12:45 EDT Southwest says inflation pressures are real - Says new "flight credits don't expire" policy should help company become more customer-friendly. Says will discuss FY23 outlook at investor day. Comments taken from Q2 earnings conference call.

12:27 EDT AMTD Digital Inc trading resumes

12:22 EDT AMTD Digital Inc trading halted, volatility trading pause

12:03 EDT Westamerica board approves plan to repurchase up to 1.75M shares - Westamerica Bancorporation's Board of Directors also approved a plan to repurchase, as conditions warrant, up to 1,750,000 shares of the Company's common stock on the open market or in privately negotiated transactions prior to September 1, 2023. The repurchase plan represents approximately 6.5% of the Company's common stock outstanding as of June 30, 2022.

11:20 EDT Kimberly-Clark appoints Zack Hicks as chief digital, technology officer - Kimberly-Clark Corporation (KMB) announced the appointment of Zack Hicks in the newly created role of Chief Digital and Technology Officer, effective July 26, 2022. He is a member of the company's executive leadership team. Hicks joins the company after 26 years of leadership at Toyota Motors North America (TM) and Toyota Motor Sales, USA, where he held numerous positions of increasing responsibility. His most recent roles include serving as CEO of Toyota Connected, a startup operating as the company's data science hub connecting vehicles, customers and businesses through machine learning and artificial intelligence.

11:02 EDT Miniso says Blue Orca short report 'without merit' - Miniso Group earlier today issued a press release in response to allegations made in a report issued by Blue Orca Capital. "In the past two days, the Company has been reporting its preliminary findings rebutting the Report's key allegations to the Independent Committee that the Company's Board of Directors had formed to oversee an independent investigation regarding the allegations made in the Report," Miniso said in a statement. The Company believes that the allegation made in the short report about the company's franchise business model is "without merit." Miniso also believes that the report's allegation that Chairman Ye "siphoned off IPO proceeds by a series of real estate transactions is also without merit." In addition, the company believes that the report's allegations about its "business prospects are likewise without merit." Shares of Miniso are up slightly to $5.69 in morning trading.

11:00 EDT Petros Pharmaceuticals trading resumes

10:37 EDT Bausch + Lomb down over 20% amid 50% pullback in Bausch Health shares - Shares of Bausch Health (BHC) shares plunged in Thursday morning trading and have now been halted, with news pending, with the stock down about 50%. Shares of Bausch + Lomb Corporation (BLCO), a recent spinoff from Bausch Health, are also down $3.57, or 22%, to $12.50 in mid-morning trading.

10:33 EDT After rallying 200% on buyout statement, Petros calls news 'fraudulent' - Shares of Petros Pharmaceuticals rallied over 200% a press release this morning said the company entered into a definitive agreement under which Henry Crown and Company will acquire Petros for $3.25 per share. Under the terms of the agreement, the press release said, CVF, LLC, an affiliate managing HCC's healthcare investments, will acquire all the outstanding shares of Petros for $3.25 per share in an all-cash transaction for a total equity value of approximately $67.2M. The news sent shares of Petros up 230% to $2.63. However, an hour later, Petros Pharmaceuticals issues a statement calling the press release "fraudulent." The company said that that the press release "regarding a purported acquisition of the company was fraudulent and not issued by the Company." It added that it is "not a party to any such acquisition and has reported the fraudulent activity to Nasdaq." The stock is currently halted for trade.

10:30 EDT Petros Pharmaceuticals says acquisition press release 'fraudulent' - Petros Pharmaceuticals confirmed that a press release issued on July 28, 2022 regarding a purported acquisition of the company was fraudulent and not issued by the Company. The Company is not a party to any such acquisition and has reported the fraudulent activity to Nasdaq.

10:29 EDT Petros Pharmaceuticals says acquisition press release 'fraudulent'

10:22 EDT Royal Caribbean actively managing inflationary pressures

10:11 EDT ViiV Healthcare announces data from unblinded phase of HPTN 084 study - ViiV Healthcare, the global specialist HIV company majority-owned by GSK (GSK), with Pfizer (PFE) and Shionogi (SIOGY) as shareholders, announced new efficacy and safety findings from the unblinded period of the HIV Prevention Trials Network 084 trial evaluating cabotegravir long-acting for pre-exposure prophylaxis in women in sub-Saharan Africa. The findings showed that cabotegravir LA for PrEP continued to demonstrate superior efficacy in the prevention of new HIV infections among women when compared to daily oral emtricitabine/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate tablets, with an 89% lower rate of HIV acquisition. The blinded phase of HPTN 084, during which participants were not told which regimen they were taking, was stopped in November 2020 by an independent data safety monitoring board after a planned interim review indicated that cabotegravir LA for PrEP had demonstrated superiority in the prevention of HIV in women when compared to daily, oral FTC/TDF tablets. Participants were subsequently told which regimen they were taking and continued on their original randomised study regimen, pending a study amendment to offer open-label cabotegravir LA for PrEP to all participants who wished to take it. The data presented at AIDS 2022 include the 12-month period after HPTN 084 trial participants were unblinded, but prior to the amendment. During the unblinded period of HPTN 084, no new cases of HIV infection occurred in participants in the cabotegravir arm of the trial, after injections were initiated. Twenty-three incident infections were observed, with three in the cabotegravir LA group, including two who had never received an injection, and one individual who had acquired HIV before her initial cabotegravir injection, during the blinded phase of the study; and 20 in the FTC/TDF group.1 Overall, 62 incident HIV infections have been observed over 6626 person-years of follow up. New pregnancy safety data were also presented at AIDS 2022. During the unblinded phase of the HPTN 084 study, 83 confirmed pregnancies occurred. Women with confirmed pregnancies while on long-acting cabotegravir for PrEP discontinued cabotegravir injections until cessation of breast feeding. No birth defects were reported in either arm of the study. The increased pregnancy incidence during the unblinded period of the study highlights the importance of ongoing studies to evaluate the safety and pharmacology of cabotegravir LA during pregnancy and lactation. Cabotegravir LA for PrEP continued to be well-tolerated throughout the study, with no new safety concerns identified during the 12-month unblinded period. Grade 2 injection site reactions were low in the cabotegravir arm. Overall, Grade 2 adverse events were comparable between study groups, with 20% assessed as related to study product. Cabotegravir LA for PrEP is currently approved in the U.S. as Apretude. It is approved for use in adults and adolescents weighing at least 35 kg who are at risk of sexually acquiring HIV and who have a negative HIV-1 test prior to initiation. ViiV Healthcare has initiated submissions to other regulatory authorities. Apretude has not yet been approved or licensed anywhere outside of the U.S. for use in HIV prevention.

10:03 EDT Bausch Health halted again for volatility after dropping 35% to $5.61

10:00 EDT Partner Communications appoints Shlomo Rodav as chairman of the board - Partner Communications Company announces that the Company's Board of Directors resolved to appoint Shlomo Rodav to serve as the Chairman of the Board of Directors. Rodav will replace Shlomo Zohar who concluded his term as Chairman of the Company's Board of Directors. Shlomo Rodav was appointed a director in the Company in April 2022.

09:58 EDT Northrop Grumman says labor cost headwinds starting to ease - Expects continued softening in the labor market in 2H22. Says working with government to manage inflationary pressures which, thus far, have not had a material impact on results.

09:53 EDT Bausch Health trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:44 EDT Petros Pharmaceuticals trading halted, news pending

09:40 EDT Pegasystems trading resumes

09:37 EDT Coursera trading resumes

09:36 EDT MasterCard still seeing consumers as 'generally resilient,' says CEO

09:33 EDT AST SpaceMobile signs five-year 5G deal with Nokia - AST SpaceMobile (ASTS) announced that they have signed a five-year 5G deal with Nokia (NOK). Under the deal, Nokia and AST SpaceMobile will work to achieve their joint ambition to expand universal coverage and connect underserved communities around the world. The planned launch of AST SpaceMobile's BlueWalker 3 test satellite later this year will kick off global testing with mobile network operators on six continents.

09:30 EDT Ascendant Resources reports assay results from Venda Nova Deposit - Ascendant Resources reports assay results from hole ST_31 completed as part of the ongoing infill drill program at the Venda Nova Deposit at the Company's Lagoa Salgada VMS Project, Portugal. Based on the drill intercepts reported and in conjunction with prior results, the Company has defined a new High-grade copper zone within the South Zone with potential extension at depth. The High-grade copper intercepts reported in hole ST_31 are significant due to the following: it is expected to increase the mineralized volume and the grade of the existing block model for the South Zone; based on data collected to date, it could support the sub domaining of a high-grade copper dominated stacked lens towards and beyond the footwall of the existing constraining wireframe; and it continues to support resource conversion for the ongoing feasibility study at the Venda Nova deposit. As of July 18, 2022, Ascendant has completed 15 drill holes totalling 6,118m with an additional 3 drill holes currently in progress. Assays reported today represent full results received as of July 26. Mark Brennan, Executive Chairman commented: "As drilling continues, our understanding of the deposit continues to improve and highlights that we remain in the early stages of defining a greater VMS system at Lagoa Salgada. These results are yet another in a stream of successive discoveries that have been uncovered as part of the infill program at Venda Nova and positions the project extremely well for both our upcoming Mineral Resource update targeted for Q3 and our future exploration programs at Lagoa Salgada." Drill Hole Highlights: ST_31: 16m at 2.60% Cu from 505m; Including 12m at 3.30% Cu from 509m; 22m at 0.83% Cu from 541m; Including 10m at 1.57% Cu from 553m.

09:29 EDT Harley-Davidson says continues to reduce reliance on expedited shipping - Says Hardwire strategy is working. Says decision to temporarily close production facilities was taken out of an abundance of caution. Says will make up for lost production through the rest of the year. Says therefore not changing guidance. Says strategically investing in touring. Says LiveWire expected to go public on September 26. Says continues to reduce reliance on expedited shipping. Comments taken from Q2 earnings conference call.

09:27 EDT MasterCard: Cross-border volumes up 89% vs. last year in first 3 weeks of July

09:23 EDT Innospec secures land for expansion at North Carolina manufacturing facility - Innospec announces the purchase of land which significantly increases the acreage available for future expansion at its primary US personal care manufacturing facility in North Carolina. The majority of current capacity additions under its previously announced $70M Performance Chemicals organic growth investment plan are at this same North Carolina site. Backed by multi-year contracts, these new capacity additions have typically been sold-out as they come online. These include significant capacity increases for Innospec's industry leading sulfate and 1,4-dioxane free technologies like SCI, Iselux and taurates.

09:19 EDT Northrop Grumman sees stronger 2H22 cash generation - Full year guidance for transaction-adjusted free cash flow is unchanged. "More confident" in accelerating revenue growth in 2H22 and into 2023. Targets $1.5B in share repurchases in FY22. Says demand environment continues to be "quite strong." Comments taken from Q2 earnings conference call.

09:19 EDT Matterport announces partnership with Burns & McDonnell - Matterport announced a partnership with Burns & McDonnell. Through the partnership, Burns & McDonnell customers can use the Matterport Digital Twin Platform, including software services and hardware, to optimize construction expansion and maintenance projects. The collaboration equips businesses in the energy, utilities, and manufacturing industries with a continuous digital, visual documentation solution that improves operations, enhances collaboration, and increases safety in each project stage. The partnership with Burns & McDonnell enables joint customers to access and manage 3D digital twins of their facilities, complete with 4K imagery and accurate measurements to help develop construction plans. Using digital twins helps clients eliminate the time spent manually measuring a facility, reduces the time it takes to document existing facilities, and helps avoid facility interruptions so design work continues while a facility operates. During each project phase, Burns & McDonnell customers can update and share digital twins in real time, enabling more efficient reviews and project approvals across contractors, installers, and the end customer. Customers can also use digital twins to digitally inspect potentially hazardous locations, such as manholes, rather than having to physically enter those spaces.

09:17 EDT 1847 Holdings announces expected $5.4M debt reduction - 1847 Holdings announced that the Company has come to agreement with several holders of its subsidiaries' indebtedness and a holder of accounts payable to convert $5.4 million in debt and accounts payable to restricted shares of common stock, which will further strengthen the corporate balance sheet and increase shareholder value. The conversion of the debt and accounts payable is being effected through conversion agreements entered into with the holders of such debt and accounts payable. These conversion agreements provide that the debt and accounts payable will automatically convert into the Company's common shares at a price equal to the public offering price at the time that the company's Registration Statement on Form S-1 is declared effective by the SEC in connection with the Company's proposed public offering. The conversion of the debt and accounts payable is conditioned upon such registration statement being declared effective.

09:16 EDT MasterCard business fundamentals remain 'strong,' says CEO

09:15 EDT AIM ImmunoTech reports pilot study data from EAP evaluating Ampligen - AIM ImmunoTech reported positive preliminary pilot study data from its ongoing Expanded Access Program, EAP, evaluating its investigational drug, Ampligen, as a therapeutic for "long COVID". The preliminary data from this uncontrolled clinical trial found that patients reported statistically significant improvements in chronic fatigue after treatment with Ampligen. Based on these early results, AIM is working to move forward with a Phase 2 controlled trial. "Post-COVID conditions are debilitating, can be brutally agonizing and affect millions of people who are suffering without any viable treatment options. The positive preliminary data demonstrated in this pilot study bolsters our confidence in the potential of Ampligen as we continue to drive its development as a potential therapeutic for the treatment of long COVID. With the positive preliminary results demonstrated to date we remain, now more than ever, steadfast in our mission to bring an effective therapeutic option to those in need," stated Thomas Equels, CEO of AIM ImmunoTech. AMP-511 is an ongoing, prospective, open-label, multi-center Phase 3 study to treat myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome patients with Ampligen. During the study, subjects are evaluated at baseline using a Post-COVID-19 Questionnaire. They then begin treatment with Ampligen and the COVID induced fatigue conditions are evaluated over time. The reduction in fatigue observed in the first four patients provide preliminary evidence of Ampligen's effect in the Post-COVID Condition of fatigue. As shown from these data, by week 12, compared to baseline, there was what the investigators considered a clinically significant decrease in fatigue-related measures. Based in part on these early positive data, AIM is continuing to work toward filing an IND application with the FDA for a Phase 2 study of Ampligen for the treatment of Post-COVID conditions. The planned IND is for 12 weeks of therapy.

09:15 EDT MasterCard CEO: Asia has lagged spending recovery - Spending trends in Europe are "positive," but natural gas supply and high interest rates remain headwinds, the company said on its Q2 earnings conference call.

09:14 EDT Archer moves to 'full transition' after 2nd phase of Maker flight testing done - Archer Aviation announced that it has successfully completed all of its "critical azimuth" flight tests, marking the completion of the second of three key phases of flight testing. The purpose of these tests are to validate the crosswind capabilities of Archer's eVTOL aircraft configuration and flight control systems. The company has now successfully flown Maker at increasing speeds of up to 15 knots, in various directions and attitudes. Archer's Maker demonstrator aircraft in flight. Maker completed its first hover test flight in December of last year. Following extensive ground testing, and the addition of Archer's new tilt propeller system, the aircraft returned to flight testing earlier this year and has been flying almost daily of late, allowing the Archer Flight Test Team to evaluate incremental speed increases and complex maneuvers while in hover. The culmination of these tests also demonstrated the robustness of the aircraft's takeoff and landing capabilities. Archer's flight test campaign has been designed to carefully evaluate the company's systems and technology. The rapid progress made by the company with Maker has allowed the validation of a number of technologies for Archer's production aircraft. Having successfully validated various systems through this second phase of flight testing, Archer is now shifting into the third phase of its program during which it will evaluate the aircraft's performance at increasing forward speeds. At the current rate of progress, the company continues to anticipate expanding to full transition flight by the end of the year.

09:13 EDT Siyata Mobile provides services for WHC Oregon22 - Siyata Mobile announced the Company's SD7 rugged push-to-talk over cellular devices were used to provide critical emergency communications services for the World Athletics Championships "Oregon22" summer games hosted for the very first time in the United States in Eugene, Oregon. An estimated 55,000 visitors attended the marquee international track-and-field event at the University of Oregon's Hayward Field.

09:13 EDT Walmart to open new general stores at Getaway outposts - Walmart and Getaway, a health and wellness hospitality company, announced a new partnership which designates Walmart as Getaway's first official retail partner and will introduce offerings for guests starting this fall such as The General Store by Walmart, opening at select Getaway Outposts. The General Store by Walmart, a mini-retail experience at select Getaway Outposts, will include seasonal products, sourced from Walmart and curated by the outdoor experts at Getaway. Items may include hiking gear, leisure activities and campfire equipment. Everyday items will now be available at the Outpost. The first General Store will open this August at Getaway Hill Country in Wimberly, TX, located near Austin and San Antonio. Additional retail General Stores will open through the end of the year. Items on sale at The General Store by Walmart will also be available on Walmart.com via a Getaway shopping page.

09:11 EDT Heico's Electronic Technologies Group enters put option to acquire Exxelia - HEICO Corporation announced that its Electronic Technologies Group entered into a put option agreement to acquire Exxelia International from an affiliate of IK Partners and additional sellers for EUR 453 million in cash to be paid at closing plus the assumption of approximately EUR 14 million of liabilities. Exxelia's management and team members are expected to continue to own a minority interest of around 5% of the business. HEICO anticipates that, upon completion of required works council consultations in France, the parties will enter into a definitive purchase agreement with closing of the acquisition by the end of its first quarter of fiscal year 2023. HEICO stated that it expects the acquisition to be accretive to its earnings per share within a year of the transaction's closing. Paris, France-headquartered Exxelia is a global leader in the design, manufacture and sale of high-reliability, complex, passive electronic components and rotary joint assemblies for mostly aerospace and defense applications, in addition to other high-end applications, such as medical and energy uses, including emerging "clean energy" and electrification applications. Among Exxelia's products are high-end capacitors, resistors, inductors and complex slip rings. Exxelia produces over 50,000 discrete part numbers, which it provides to over 3,000 customers worldwide. Exxelia employs approximately 2,100 talented team members and is led by a very accomplished management team, which itself is led by the company's CEO, Paul Maisonnier, a very experienced and well-regarded leader and engineer who has spent his entire career in the aerospace and defense industry. Mr. Maisonnier will continue to lead Exxelia post-acquisition. HEICO expects that he will continue to be a shareholder in Exxelia. Exxelia's global operations comprise roughly 676,000 square feet spread across four continents, with eleven advanced locations worldwide, including six in France, two in the United States, and one each in India, Morocco and Vietnam. The transaction would be HEICO's largest-ever acquisition, in terms of purchase price and revenues. Exxelia is expected to generate approximately EUR 190 million in revenue during the calendar year ending December 31, 2022, of which approximately 60% is expected to be generated in European markets, with the remaining sales occurring in the United States and other international markets. HEICO did not disclose Exxelia's income, but noted that the company meets HEICO's pre-intangibles amortization operating income margin criteria, though it is less than the ETG's average Margin. In addition to completion of required works council consultations, the transaction's completion is subject to customary regulatory approvals in several jurisdictions. There can be no assurance that the requisite approvals will be received or as to the timing of receipt of all approvals.

09:09 EDT Momentive debuts GetFeedback Integration with Zendesk - Momentive (MNTV) announced the availability of the GetFeedback integration with Zendesk (ZEN). The long-requested, bi-directional integration combines customer feedback from GetFeedback with Zendesk's customer data to cover blindspots in customer interactions and create a single source of customer insights for joint customers. The GetFeedback integration with Zendesk combines the customer data available to improve the overall customer experience with closed-loop feedback collection. Key features of the GetFeedback and Zendesk integration include: Automatically send surveys after every solved ticket. Better understand customers with contextual insights. Improve every customer support interaction. Empower teams to be informed decision-makers. Recent research shows that more than half of CX professionals say that real-time customer insights are very important, but only a third strongly believe their current CX solution is able to meet their needs. The collaboration of Zendesk and Momentive enables a holistic approach to simplifying the complexity of customer experience management.

09:05 EDT Atossa completes dosing participants in Part C of study of AT-H201 - Atossa Therapeutics announces it has completed dosing participants in Part C of its Phase 1/2a clinical study of its proprietary inhalation therapy, or AT-H201, in Australia. AT-H201 consists of two drugs previously approved by the FDA to treat other diseases. Part C of the study involved administering the two drugs in succession in healthy volunteers. The study originally included a Part D which was designed to assess the effects of the treatment regimen in hospitalized COVID-19 patients with moderate illness. However, due to the rapidly shifting COVID-19 treatment landscape and the introduction of effective vaccines limiting hospitalizations, Atossa has evaluated indications for AT-H201 beyond COVID-19 patients, including treating and/or preventing lung injury in patients undergoing certain cancer treatments. Rather than conducting Part D of the Phase 1/2a clinical study, Atossa now plans to shift the development of AT-H201 to closely align with its oncology focus by continuing the development in patients with compromised lung-function due to the damaging effects of cancer treatment. For example, radiation treatment can lead to radiation induced lung injury, which is poorly treated with current therapies and is often irreversible. Furthermore, radiation damage can limit the overall success of lung cancer treatment leading to a reduction in efficacy and poor disease control.

09:03 EDT GeoVax Labs announces publication of data for modified vaccine Ankara - GeoVax Labs announced the publication of a peer-reviewed animal efficacy study of its modified vaccine Ankara, MVA, vectored vaccine against Sudan ebolavirus, SUDV. The study was published in Nature Partner Journals, NPJ, Vaccines. GeoVax's vaccine, MVA-VLP-SUDV, combines the advantages of the immunogenicity of a live attenuated vaccine vector with the authentic conformation of virus-like particles. All vaccinated animals which received either one or two vaccine doses were protected from death and disease symptoms following challenge with a lethal dose of SUDV. These data demonstrate single dose protection and potency of the MVA-VLP platform for use in emergency situations to contain outbreaks. David Dodd, GeoVax Chairman and CEO commented, "This publication further validates the broad utility and benefit of the GeoVax MVA-VLP approach towards providing single-dose, highly efficacious vaccines against major infectious health challenges worldwide. Previously, our vaccine against the Zaire ebolavirus demonstrated 100% protection, single-dose protection in a non-human primate model. Adding the Sudan ebolavirus to our vaccine portfolio against hemorrhagic fever virus threats well positions GeoVax for achieving a leadership position in this critical area of healthcare prevention. We look forward to providing further updates on our progress in this area."

09:02 EDT Northrop Grumman provides 2022 sector guidance update - For 2022 sees: Aeronautics Systems sales mid to high $10B, OM rate low 10%; Defense Systems sales mid $5B, OM rate ~12%; Missions Systems sales mid $10B, OM rate mid 15%; Space Systems sales high $11B, OM rate ~10%; Eliminations low ($2B), OM rate ~13%. Prior 2022 view: Aeronautics Systems sales mid to high $10B, OM rate ~10%; Defense Systems sales mid to high $5B, OM rate high 11%; Missions Systems sales mid $10B, OM rate low 15%; Space Systems sales mid to high $11B, OM rate low 10%; Eliminations low ($2B), OM rate mid to high 12%. Guidance taken from investor presentation slides for Q2.

08:57 EDT Atotech, MKS Instruments receive China antitrust clearance for acquisition - MKS Instruments (MKSI) and Atotech announced that they have received unconditional merger approval from China's State Administration for Market Regulation for MKS' pending acquisition of Atotech. The transaction has now received all required regulatory clearances. The acquisition, which is to be effected by means of a scheme of arrangement under the laws of the Bailiwick of Jersey, is anticipated to close on August 17, 2022, subject to obtaining the required sanction by the Royal Court of Jersey and the satisfaction of customary closing conditions. Ordinary shares of Atotech will be de-listed from The New York Stock Exchange in connection with the closing, and the last day of trading in such shares is expected to be August 16, 2022. A hearing of the Royal Court of Jersey to sanction the Scheme has been scheduled to be held on August 15, 2022, at 10:00 a.m. at Royal Court House, Royal Square, St Helier, Jersey, JE1 1JG. As previously announced on July 1, 2021, MKS entered into a definitive agreement with Atotech pursuant to which MKS will acquire Atotech for $16.20 in cash and 0.0552 of a share of MKS common stock for each Atotech ordinary share. At the time of the announcement, the equity value of the transaction was approximately $5.1 billion and the enterprise value of the transaction was approximately $6.5 billion. As previously announced by Atotech, on November 3, 2021, the transaction was approved by Atotech shareholders at a meeting convened pursuant to an order of the Royal Court of Jersey and a special resolution to implement the transaction was passed by Atotech shareholders at a general meeting.

08:53 EDT Altamira announces peer-reviewed article on its delivery platform with siRNA - Altamira Therapeutics announced the publication of a peer-reviewed article in the scientific journal International Journal of Oral Science titled, "Histone demethylase JMJD3 downregulation protects against aberrant force-induced osteoarthritis through epigenetic control of NR4A1" that covers an independently funded study evaluating novel treatment approaches for osteoarthritis, OA, conducted by a Shanghai-based research group. The study used different approaches to downregulate the Jumonji domain-containing protein D3 gene to assess whether this strategy would be beneficial for the treatment of OA. Nanoparticles comprising a siRNA targeting the JMJD3 gene, and Altamira's peptide-based OligoPhore delivery platform, were used to locally downregulate the expression of JMJD3 in a mouse model of OA. The study authors observed that, "the severity of joint degeneration was remarkably mitigated" thanks to administration of the nanoparticles and highlighted their "advantage of specifically targeting inflammation in the joint without off-target toxicities." In their study, the authors pursued an epigenetic-based therapeutic approach to mitigate cartilage inflammation and damage in a murine model of osteoarthritis. OligoPhore was used to formulate siRNA polyplexes that inhibited chondrocyte production of a histone demethylase, JMJD3, in response to joint damage. JMJD3 is upregulated in joint injury and drives other inflammatory pathways to elicit further damage and chondrocyte programmed cell death. Injection of 2 weekly doses of OligoPhore-siRNA into the affected joint over 8 weeks significantly attenuated inflammation and preserved cartilage viability and integrity. "The study's results confirm prior findings reporting the benefit of RNA therapeutics based on our nanoparticle delivery platform in models in rheumatoid arthritis and, now, osteoarthritis," commented Samuel Wickline, MD, Altamira Therapeutics' Chief Scientific Officer." One of the key features of OligoPhore is the targeted delivery to inflamed tissues, making it particularly well suited for the treatment of arthritis with oligonucleotides, both in terms of efficacy and safety.

08:50 EDT Conduent selected by HSL region transport to implement fare collection system - Conduent Transportation announced that Helsingin Seudun Liikenne, HSL, the Helsinki Region Transport Authority, has selected Conduent to implement a next-generation fare collection system across its network of buses, trams, trains, metros and ferries. In 2021, there were a total of 238M passenger boardings on HSL's public transport services. In the first phase of this project, scheduled to begin in the fourth quarter of this year, Conduent will supply 4,500 validators to be installed across the entire network that allow riders to pay with major contactless credit and debit cards, NFC-enabled devices, HSL transit cards or via QR codes. NFC-enabled devices include smartphones and smartwatches with digital wallets. The upgraded fare collection system ensures that tickets are valid across all modes of transportation in the HSL network. As part of the second phase, validators will also be enabled for account-based ticketing, ABT. With ABT, the ticket is stored virtually in the cloud. ABT enables a range of devices, such as a smartphone or smart card, or media to be securely linked via the cloud to the passenger's HSL account.

08:50 EDT Relief, Acer announce submit IND application to FDA for ACER-001 in MSUD - Acer Therapeutics (ACER) and its collaboration partner, RELIEF THERAPEUTICS (RLFTF) announced the submission of an Investigational New Drug application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to evaluate the efficacy and safety of ACER-001 for the potential treatment of patients with Maple Syrup Urine Disease The proposed initial Phase 2a, open-label dose-ranging trial is designed to evaluate the effect of different doses of ACER-001 on blood leucine and other branched-chain amino acid levels in MSUD patients.

08:48 EDT Werner announces recent settlement of motor vehicle accident lawsuit - Werner Enterprises announced the recent $150M settlement of a motor vehicle accident lawsuit in Texas. In May 2020, a passenger vehicle traveling on Interstate 30 near Sulphur Springs, Texas, stopped in the travel lane of the highway at approximately 5:00 a.m. Three adults walked away from the vehicle, leaving two children inside. Shortly thereafter, a Werner truck struck the parked vehicle. The two children tragically died in the resulting collision. The investigating officers placed no fault on Werner or its driver, and one of the adults from the passenger vehicle was criminally charged in connection with the deaths of the children. The parents of the children subsequently filed a lawsuit against Werner and its driver. Werner is not publicly disclosing the names of the individuals involved. Werner disputes the plaintiffs' allegations but chose to voluntarily resolve this matter by settlement.

08:48 EDT Elevation Oncology signs exclusive licensing of EO-3021 from CSPC Pharma - Elevation Oncology has entered into an exclusive license agreement with CSPC Megalith Biopharmaceutical, a subsidiary of CSPC Pharmaceutical to develop and commercialize EO-3021 - SYSA1801 -, a differentiated, clinical stage antibody drug conjugate targeting Claudin18.2, in all global territories outside Greater China. SYSA1801 is currently being evaluated by CSPC in a Phase 1, dose-escalation clinical trial in China. Elevation Oncology expects to initiate a Phase 1 clinical trial evaluating EO-3021 in the U.S. in 2023. Claudin18.2 is a protein expressed across several types of solid tumors including many gastrointestinal cancers such as gastric, gastroesophageal junction, and pancreatic cancer. Under the terms of the agreement, Elevation Oncology will develop and commercialize EO-3021 in all global territories outside of Greater China. In exchange, CSPC will receive a one-time, upfront payment of $27M. CSPC will also be eligible to receive up to $148M in potential development and regulatory milestone payments and up to $1.0B in potential commercial milestone payments plus royalties on net sales.

08:47 EDT Save Foods prepares for cirtus season in Turkey - Save Foods announced preparations are underway for a successful 2022-2023 citrus season in Turkey, beginning in September. Kalyoncu Nakliyat Turizm Ticaret ve Sanayi Limited irketi, one of Turkey's top exporters of fresh produce and currently responsible for approximately 22% of Turkey's fresh produce exports, according to information contained on Kalyoncu's website, has placed its first order for the upcoming season. Kalyoncu, having previously completed a successful pilot program with Save Foods, expects to treat at least 70,000 tons of fruit with Save Foods' eco crop protection solutions during the upcoming 2022-2023 season, which would result in approximately $1M in sales. "Russia has historically been Turkey's main market for mandarins, and 52% of all Turkish citrus fruits were supplied to Russia in 2020," commented Dan Sztybel, CEO of Save Foods' Israeli subsidiary. "Due to the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, these exports are now being diverted to other markets, such as the EU." As we have reported previously, regulations regarding pesticide residues on produce are becoming increasingly stringent in the EU and other markets, and some of the leading European supermarkets require products to comply with a residue level of 50% or less of the legal limit. That is where Save Foods comes in. We believe our eco crop protection treatment will help our Turkish customers further expand their presence in the EU, primarily by allowing them to comply with the otherwise stringent regulations they did not encounter so far. We are thrilled to start the citrus season in Turkey with one of our local partners, Kalyoncu and we see significant potential in working with them on other produce such as bell peppers and cherries that Save Foods treatments showed great results with."

08:46 EDT Huntington Bancshares raises prime rate to 5.5% from 4.75%, effective July 28

08:45 EDT NLS Pharmaceutics announces JPO grants patent for Mazindol ER to treat ADHD, IH - NLS Pharmaceutics announces that the Japanese Patent Office JPO notified the Company of its decision to grant patent application 2018-546837 for the proprietary formulation of Quilience, Mazindol ER. Once issued, the patent will cover oral formulations containing immediate-release and sustained-release layers of mazindol and their use in treating attention deficit disorder/hyperactivity disorder , excessive daytime sleepiness including narcolepsy and idiopathic hypersomnia."We are pleased to obtain patent coverage in another major market for our proprietary formulation of Quilience to treat ADHD, narcolepsy and IH," said Alex Zwyer, Chief Executive Officer of NLS. "Given our patent estate and the Orphan Drug Designations that we have in both the U.S. and Europe, we believe that our proprietary position on Quilience is strong. We look forward to reporting the final results from our Phase 2a narcolepsy trial for Quilience in late September 2022 and also providing an update from the open-label extension study later this year."

08:43 EDT Duck Creek Technologies expands into Canada with SGI relationship - Duck Creek Technologies has initiated a discovery phase with Saskatchewan Government Insurance, SGI, for its modernization capabilities, operational efficiency and ability to streamline and automate workflows. SGI plans to utilize Duck Creek Distribution Management, a core component for carriers, as the single place for relationship management, compensation management, performance management and producer self-service. "We are excited to partner with SGI and deliver a modern, reliable, and powerful solution that we believe will help them continue to grow and capitalize on market opportunities with their network of independent brokers," said Eugene Van Biert, Chief Operating Officer at Duck Creek Technologies. "Our distribution management solution offers a single application that will support both the brokers and issuers and help SGI deliver exceptional service."

08:42 EDT Quoin announces receipt of Scientific Advice from EMA for QRX003 in Europe - Quoin Pharmaceuticals announces that it has received comprehensive and constructive Scientific Advice from the European Medicines Agency, EMA, for the clinical and regulatory development of QRX003 in Europe, as a potential treatment for Netherton Syndrome, NS. This Scientific Advice was received in response to a Briefing Submission document filed by Quoin to the EMA on May 26, 2022. Based on standard review periods for such submissions, which may also include an in-person meeting with the EMA, Quoin had anticipated receiving feedback from the EMA in mid-September. Instead, the EMA truncated the standard review period and provided this Scientific Advice to Quoin without the requirement for an in-person meeting. Quoin CEO, Dr. Michael Myers, said, "We are very pleased to announce the receipt from the EMA of this comprehensive and constructive Scientific Advice for the clinical development of QRX003 in Europe. Incorporation of key elements of the EMA's guidance into our existing US development plan for QRX003 will potentially result in a more robust data set that may ultimately be used to seek regulatory approval in both the US and Europe. While we continue to expand our network of supply and distribution agreements for QRX003, which now spans 60 countries, following our most recent announcements for Canada and Greater China, we remain fully focused on the clinical and regulatory development of the product in our core markets of the US and Europe. Receipt of this Scientific Advice from the EMA will support our development activities in those regions."

08:39 EDT Meten Edtechx provides updates on blockchain and cryptocurrency business - Meten Holding provided updates on its blockchain and digital currency business. Meten Holding established the joint venture, Met Chain Co., specializing in the research and development, production, and sales of cryptocurrency mining equipment. Since its formation, Met Chain has generated revenue of approximately $4.86M from sales of cryptocurrency mining equipment and providing cryptocurrency mining equipment sales services, despite the tumbled prices of cryptocurrencies. The company expects to see an increase in the orders Met Chain receives and Met Chain is expected to generate revenue exceeding $20M by the end of 2022. The company purchased 600 XP mining machines from Bitmain Technologies with an aggregate computing power of approximately 100PH/s. Some of these mining machines have been delivered and put into operation. As a part of the company's strategy to develop its metaverse business, the company has established an NFT department to focus on NFT-related investment, strategy, and projects. The company is current proactively seeking potential collaborations with well-known IP providers.

08:38 EDT Laurentian Bank increases USD base rate in Canada - Laurentian Bank of Canada increases its USD base rate in Canada by 75 basis points from 5.25% to 6.00%, effective July 28, 2022.

08:33 EDT IAA opens new Hawaii branch - IAA announced the opening of a full-service facility in Honolulu, Hawaii. This new location more than triples IAA's capacity in the state, providing support to meet evolving client needs. IAA's previous Honolulu location will be retained for overflow use and is also available for critical CAT situations as they arise.

08:33 EDT Immutep says approached for investigator-initiated trials of efti - The company said, "Due to the positive data from efti presented at ASCO 2022 and other conferences, Immutep has been approached for potential new investigator-initiated trials as well as other potential collaborations for efti in various indications and combinations; we are currently assessing these opportunities. It is very encouraging to see the increased level of industry interest and willingness to support and fund further trials for efti in cancer because of the growing body of positive data generated from efti clinical trials thus far. At this stage, discussions with various parties are incomplete and still subject to negotiation. Once an agreement is reached, the Company will provide further details in a market announcement."

08:32 EDT Immutep says patient recruitment ongoing for INSIGHT-003 trial - Patient recruitment is ongoing for the INSIGHT-003 investigator-initiated trial, with 13 out of a total of 20 patients already enrolled. INSIGHT-003 focuses on a patient population with NSCLC adenocarcinomas and evaluates a triple combination therapy consisting of efti and an existing approved standard of care combination of chemotherapy and an anti-PD-1 therapy. Interim results from the study are expected to be reported in Q4 2022. The trial is being conducted by the Institute of Clinical Cancer Research at Northwest Hospital, Frankfurt, Germany.

08:26 EDT Duke Realty sets meeting, record dates for Special Meeting - Duke Realty Corporation (DRE) announced that its Board of Directors has called a special meeting of its stockholders to consider and vote on its proposed merger with Prologis, Inc. (PLD). The special meeting will be conducted via a virtual live webcast on September 28, 2022, commencing at 12 p.m. Eastern Time. Stockholders of record of Duke Realty as of the close of business on August 8, 2022, the record date for the special meeting, will be entitled to notice of and to vote at the special meeting.

08:25 EDT RealNetworks trading halted, news pending

08:24 EDT Clean Earth opens new 10-day hazardous waste transfer facility in Puerto Rico - Clean Earth, a division of Harsco, announces it has opened a new 10-day hazardous waste transfer facility in Caguas, Puerto Rico. The new 5,900-square-foot facility increases Clean Earth's capacity to transport hazardous and non-hazardous waste from Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands to Clean Earth's U.S.-based treatment, storage and disposal facilities, TSDFs, for processing and recycling. This new facility supports the integration of Clean Earth's domestic infrastructure with service capability in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands for enterprise customers expanding their operations in U.S. territories. Clean Earth leased the warehouse property and secured all necessary permits in anticipation of growing demand in the region. The 10-day facility services 312 waste generators in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, increasing Clean Earth's capacity to pursue business opportunities with retail companies operating in the area. "The opening of a new 10-day hazardous waste transfer facility in Puerto Rico exemplifies Clean Earth's commitment to maintaining a national transportation network that offers customers the assurance that their waste is being handled responsibly," said Nick Grasberger, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Harsco Corporation. "With the expansion of this national transportation network into U.S. territories, Clean Earth is growing with its enterprise customers."

08:20 EDT Akari Therapeutics announces results from preclinical studys of PAS-nomacopan - Akari Therapeutics announced results from recent pre-clinical studies on the tolerability and extended dose interval of long-acting PAS-nomacopan in development for geographic atrophy in dry age-related macular degeneration. The results support the potential for PASylated nomacopan to advance toward the regulatory application that would be required to begin clinical trials. GA manifests as a chronic progressive degeneration of the macula, which occurs during late-stage dAMD and can lead to irreversible vision loss. Approximately five million people worldwide are affected, with nearly one million in the U.S. There are no approved treatment options. Akari's pre-clinical research program investigating long-acting PAS-nomacopan in GA seeks to address three areas of significant unmet patient need including: providing longer intervals between intravitreal injections into the back of the eye, a dose volume that has little impact on intraocular pressure, and, through LTB4 inhibition, reduced risk of sight-threatening choroidal neovascularization, also known as wet age-related macular degeneration, which can be a complication of certain late-stage complement-only inhibitors. An Akari pre-clinical study presented at ARVO 2022 used an industry standard model of laser induced CNV. Intravitreal early generation PAS-nomacopan injected once during a 16-day treatment period was compared to an FDA-approved vascular endothelial growth factor inhibitor for impact on neovascularization. VEGF inhibitors are often used to treat CNV/wAMD. The IVT single dose of early generation PAS-nomacopan significantly reduced CNV as compared to saline and was as effective as multiple IVT injections of the VEGF inhibitor. The CNV data also included an interesting result. Multiple IVT doses of early generation PAS-nomacopan were less effective than the single IVT dose of PAS-nomacopan. One explanation for the result might be presence of non-endotoxin pyrogens in the early generation PAS-nomacopan preparation, which may cause activation of monocytes through Toll-like receptor signaling. Analysis of the early generation PAS-nomacopan used in the CNV study showed that the preparation did contain NEPs, which prompted Akari to develop an adapted purification process that produced early generation PAS-nomacopan without NEPs that no longer activates monocytic cells and TLR2/TLR4. The NEP-free early generation PAS-nomacopan was used in a tolerability and pharmacokinetic study. A single intravitreal dose of highly purified PAS-nomacopan was shown to be free of endotoxins and non-endotoxin pyrogens and suitable for use in the eye in either low or high concentration New PK measurements from the recent pre-clinical studies support Akari's ongoing work to engineer new generation PAS-nomacopan that has the potential to offer patients extended intravitreal dose intervals of more than three months. PK measurements indicate the predicted half-life based of early generation PAS-nomacopan matches the actual half-life within the eye of intravitreally injected NEP-free PAS-nomacopan in a standard ophthalmic pre-clinical model The new PK measurements show half-life of early generation PAS-nomacopan without NEPs in vitreous increased to seven days compared with a half-life of five days for the same PAS-nomacopan with NEPs. The ability to accurately predict half-life supports Akari's work to develop a new form of PAS-nomacopan that may permit longer dosing intervals of more than three months between IVT injections. Extending half-life has the potential to achieve a dose volume that has little impact on intraocular pressure. A study evaluating the patient burden of repeated IVT found that anxiety, discomfort and disruption to normal activities and inconvenience were common experiences. The most common source of anxiety is the fear of the injection into the eye and associated discomfort. Patients related discomfort to what they felt after anesthesia wears off. Patients experiencing disruption reported being debilitated after each IVT, requiring an average of eight hours to recover. Occasional dystrophic retina was observed in some test subjects in the recent pre-clinical studies and was unrelated to PAS-nomacopan as the incidence was equivalent in untreated eyes and controls as in treated test subjects. Some signs of ocular inflammation and anterior cell infiltration were observed that occurred 14 days or more after IVT administration suggesting they were not due to drug toxicity or an innate immune response, which typically peaks two to three days after IVT injection. In summary, LTB4 signaling has shown to be involved in VEGF expression,6,7 which is a key driver of the damaging angiogenesis and retinal inflammation in CNV/wAMD. The nomacopan bispecific inhibition of both complement C5 and LTB4 may be a novel approach to treating GA/dAMD, while potentially helping to reduce the sight-threatening risk of CNV/wAMD.

08:18 EDT Genetic CEO 'pleased' with progress, focus remains on commercialization - Commenting on the forward outlook, CEO Simon Morriss stated "We are very pleased with the progress made over this quarter in achieving TGA approvals for the Multi-Risk Test. We now have three brands, geneType, EasyDNA and AffinityDNA anchoring future revenues to seize a multi-Billion-dollar market opportunity with the most comprehensive portfolio of testing available for individuals and animals. Our focus remains on the commercialisation opportunities, establishing the centres of excellence with our geneType hub strategy. Our US plans continue to be focussed on concierge medicine groups and gaining coverage from the US payer system. Driving revenue growth by leveraging the EasyDNA and AffinityDNA brands with further investment in R&D to enhance our Multi-Risk Test offering continuing to remain at the cutting edge of genetic testing and preventative health."

08:17 EDT Ostin Technology secures RMB 17.64M LCD/TP display modules order - Ostin Technology Group announced that the Company has secured purchase orders for LCD/TP display modules of an aggregate value of RMB17.64M The display modules are expected to be used in iGame G-ONE Plus, which is a brand new All-in-One gaming PC manufactured by Colorful Technology Company. The display modules OST will provide for the Colorful iGame G-ONE Plus are high-end and customized modules fitted on liquid-crystal displays with in-plane switching screen technology. These display modules feature high dynamic range imaging which provides exceptional brightness and contrast of images. Furthermore, they cover 99% of the sRGB color gamut for crisp and accurate color reproduction. The Company expects to complete the delivery of the orders by the end of 2022.

08:14 EDT Beam receives $927,000 battery order to power autonomous delivery drones - Beam Global announced a $927k order for Beam Global's energy storage solutions to power autonomous on-demand delivery drones. The battery packs include Beam's patented thermal management technology for superior safety, higher energy density and longer life. The customer is an American company that designs, manufactures and operates an automated delivery system. "The global market for drones is expected to grow at a fantastic pace over the next decade. Goldman Sachs is calling it a $100B market," said Beam Global CEO Desmond Wheatley. "We are confident that drones powered by Beam's advanced battery technology are going to be part of that growth and so will our patented UAV ARC, rapidly deployed, off grid, drone recharging product. This is another good example of how our acquisition of a highly differentiated battery technology company puts us in a leadership position for the future of electrified transportation."

08:10 EDT Tritium, EVCS to deploy additional 300 EV chargers on West Coast - Tritium DCFC is partnering with EVCS to deploy 300 new chargers across California, Oregon, and Washington. The order consists of 300 50kW Tritium RTM fast chargers, making the total Tritium DC fast charger contribution to the EVCS network over 800. With more states expected to follow California's legislation mandating 100 percent of new vehicles sold generate zero emissions by 2035, partnerships like this are critical to ensuring public fast charging can meet the increased demand driven by the expected mass consumer adoption of EVs in the coming years. EVCS aims to enhance the accessibility of public fast charging both by simplifying complex pricing and increasing location coverage. With plans to reach 1,500 chargers by the end of 2023, EVCS's carbon neutral network and unlimited subscription charging plan will provide an increasing number of public charging options and significant savings to EV drivers.

08:09 EDT Certara enters collaboration with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center - Certara announced a 2-year collaboration with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center to develop new biosimulation software. Certara will be working with the MSK Innovation Hub to create a Chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy biosimulation platform. CAR T-cell therapy is an immunotherapy that uses specially altered T-cells in the immune system to fight some forms of blood cancer. This new biosimulation platform initially aims to address key questions on the optimal dose and regimen for CAR T-cell therapies in patients with multiple myeloma and will leverage de-identified MSK clinical data. Certara hopes to expand the use of the CAR T-cell biosimulation platform to evaluate combination therapies and enhance the manufacturing learning process for next generation CAR T-cell therapies.

08:08 EDT Magellan Midstream sees 2022 DCF $1.09B - Magellan continues to forecast annual DCF of $1.09 billion for 2022. The recent decline in commodity prices as well as the potential for slightly higher expenses during the second half of the year are currently projected to mostly offset our modest financial outperformance year to date. While management continues to monitor general economic conditions, including inflation and refined products demand, we do not expect a material impact to our annual guidance. Based on current units outstanding, distribution coverage is expected to be 1.25 times the amount necessary to pay cash distributions declared for 2022. FCF is projected to be $1.45 billion for 2022, or $578 million after distributions, including proceeds from the recent sale of our independent terminals that closed in second quarter 2022. Based on actual results reported so far and the current number of units outstanding, annual net income per unit is estimated to be $5.05 for 2022, including the 77-cent impact of the gain on sale of our independent terminals, with third-quarter guidance of $1.15 per unit. Guidance excludes future MTM adjustments on Magellan's commodity-related activities. Management currently expects that FCF after distributions will generally be used to repurchase units and continues to target annual distribution coverage of at least 1.2 times for the foreseeable future.

08:04 EDT Royal Caribbean expects to report a net loss in 2H22

08:03 EDT Organon teams with Cirqle on non-hormonal contraceptive - Organon and Cirqle Biomedical announced they have entered into a research collaboration and exclusive license agreement for a novel investigational non-hormonal, on-demand contraceptive candidate. "As a leader in contraception, we believe it is critically important to bring forward new options for women, especially in the space of non-hormonal contraceptives, a category preferred by many with limited available options," said Sandra Milligan, M.D., Organon's head of Research and Development. "Organon is committed to driving innovation across women's health and collaborating with companies like Cirqle Biomedical to support early science and bring forward new solutions that address the unmet needs of women." Encouraging preclinical research suggests that Cirqle has discovered a method that has the potential to create a temporary barrier to sperm transport by topically reinforcing the existing cervical mucus barrier. Under the terms of the agreement, Cirqle will be responsible for conducting preclinical studies according to the mutually agreed research plan. Organon will obtain exclusive worldwide rights to develop and commercialize the asset. Cirqle is entitled to receive a $10 million upfront payment, potential milestone payments of up to $360 million and royalties based on net sales. As stated on Organon's first quarter conference call, to align with views expressed by the US Securities and Exchange Commission, beginning in 2022 Organon will no longer exclude expenses for upfront and milestone payments related to collaborations and licensing agreements, or charges related to pre-approval assets obtained in transactions accounted for as asset acquisitions, from its non-GAAP results. Organon's financial guidance does not assume an estimate for these expenses associated with business development not yet executed, and accordingly, the $10 million upfront payment was not included in the full year 2022 guidance Organon provided on May 5, 2022. Organon does not plan to update its guidance inter-quarter based solely on these items.

08:02 EDT Royal Caribbean reached 2 milestones in recovery in Q2, says CEO - "We reached two important milestones in our recovery this quarter - returning our entire global fleet back to operations and delivering positive operating cash flow and EBITDA," said Jason Liberty, president and chief executive officer of Royal Caribbean Group. "Consumers' propensity to travel and cruise remains strong. We continue to see a robust and accelerating demand environment for cruising and on-board spend. Cruising remains a very attractive value proposition for vacationers, and today we have an opportunity to further close the value gap to other land-based vacation offerings," added Liberty. "Our liquidity position remains strong, and we are generating positive operating cash flow and EBITDA. With the fleet back in service, we have the full strength of our platform as we continue to execute on our recovery and build on our capabilities for long-term success."

07:53 EDT Marinus Pharmaceuticals announces U.S. launch of Ztalmy - Marinus Pharmaceuticals announced the U.S. commercial launch of Ztalmy oral suspension, CV for the treatment of seizures associated with CDKL5 deficiency disorder in patients two years of age and older.

07:52 EDT Better Therapeutics completes BT-001 trial - Better Therapeutics announced the completion of the pivotal clinical trial for BT-001, an investigational first-in-class prescription digital therapeutic that is designed to use nCBT to treat type 2 diabetes, or T2D. With the data reported by this pivotal clinical trial, Better Therapeutics intends to submit a de novo classification request to the FDA in the third quarter of 2022, seeking marketing authorization for BT-001 for the treatment of patients with T2D. If granted, BT-001 would become the first prescription digital therapeutic for the treatment of T2D. This data follows the announcement in March that the trial had met its primary endpoint at day 90 with a p-value of less than 0.0001. The secondary endpoint data assessed at day 180 continued this trend, showing statistically significant decreases in A1c levels when compared to a control group receiving standard of care. The results achieved were sustainable and improved between day 90 and day 180 of the trial, demonstrating that BT-001 has the potential to deliver meaningful, durable improvements in blood sugar control for a complex range of patients with T2D already on standard of care blood sugar lowering medications. In addition, exploratory data revealed a host of cardiometabolic improvements as well as lower medication utilization compared to the control group, supporting the potential for BT-001 to improve the overall health of patients with T2D and potentially reduce the usage of increasingly costly T2D medications associated with the progression of the disease. Sustained and improved A1c levels in patients using BT-001, with average absolute A1c reduction improving from 0.3% at day 90 to 0.4% at day 180, supporting that the treatment effects of BT-001 were durable. The difference in A1c levels after 180 days of treatment between BT-001 treated patients and Standard of Care control group patients receiving standard of care remained statistically significant even as more SOC patients increased blood sugar lowering medications. Half of patients using BT-001 experienced clinically meaningful A1c reductions with a mean reduction of 1.3% in this subgroup at 180 days. Results indicated that patients who did not use BT-001 were more likely to be placed on additional medications to improve A1c control. After the day 180 A1c draw, 1.7 times more SOC control patients increased their medications compared to BT-001 patients. BT-001 demonstrated reassuring safety, with significantly fewer adverse and serious adverse events as compared to the SOC control group. A clear dose-response between greater engagement in nCBT and greater reductions in A1c was found, supporting nCBT as a mechanism of action.

07:51 EDT Vitalhub announces multi-year licensing contract with NHS Highlands - VitalHub announces a multi-year licensing agreement of subsidiary Intouch With Health's digital, at-home pre-op solutions, Synopsis Home and Synopsis iQ, to the NHS Highlands. As a result of implementations of Synopsis solutions, fewer patients are required to attend hospital for a pre-operative assessment, improving patient throughput, while freeing up staff resources and clinical time. Staff are thereby able to spend more clinical time with high-risk patients, improving resource utilization and the efficiency of care delivery. Finally, the Synopsis solutions will help NHS Highlands improve their elective care backlog, enabling departments to cope with booking and managing additional surgeries required to clear their backlog. "We are delighted to further increase our presence across Scotland as we partner with NHS Highlands," said Dan Matlow, CEO of VitalHub Corp. "We appreciate the ongoing market ratification and demonstration of our leadership across patient flow and operational visibility solutions. We look forward to continuing to support our customers as we scale across the UK and beyond, helping health systems accommodate their growing demands and needs."

07:49 EDT Marathon Gold publishes first annual sustainability report - Marathon Gold reports the publication of the Company's first Sustainability Report covering the years 2019 - 2021 for Valentine Gold Project in the central region of Newfoundland and Labrador. Matt Manson, President, and CEO commented "I am very pleased to be introducing this inaugural Sustainability Report for the Valentine Gold Project. Valentine is on track to be the largest gold mining operation in the Atlantic Canada region, with a significant economic and social impact on the central region of Newfoundland. This brings a special responsibility to conduct our business with the proper focus on environmental and social protection, including the water, land, air and wildlife in the region of the Project, and the health and well being of the communities and people of central Newfoundland. This Report covers the reporting period of 2019-2021, during which time we conducted what will have been a three-year process of federal and provincial environmental assessment, conducted comprehensive environmental and social impact studies with associated management plans, presented the business investment case for the Project, pursued successful exploration programs, entered into cooperation and engagement agreements with communities and First Nations, invested in local infrastructure and community health initiatives, and developed our NL-based project development team. Our first annual Sustainability Report describes the approach we plan to take going forward in developing a successful mining business at Valentine Lake, based upon our values of Respect, Accountability, Transparency, Inclusion and Prosperity."

07:48 EDT Bread Financial, AAA sign multi-year agreement - Bread Financial (BFH) announced a new, multi-year agreement with AAA. Issued and supported by Bread Financial, participating AAA clubs will offer the AAA Travel Advantage Visa (V) Credit Card and AAA Daily Advantage Visa Credit Card, scheduled to be launched in the fourth quarter of 2022. Each card will offer unique benefits that cater to the evolving needs of the modern consumer, designed to reward cardholders for a variety of everyday purchases and much more. Additionally, Bread Financial signed a definitive agreement to acquire the existing AAA credit card portfolio. The transaction is expected to close in early Q4 2022, subject to customary closing conditions.

07:46 EDT Adaptive Biotechnologies receives expanded Medicare coverage of clonoSEQ - Adaptive Biotechnologies announced that Palmetto GBA, a Medicare Administrative Contractor, MAC, that assesses diagnostic technologies through its MolDX program, has expanded coverage of the clonoSEQ Assay to include monitoring minimal residual disease, MD, in Medicare patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. This coverage determination is the first for clonoSEQ to include the assessment of MRD based on circulating tumor DNA, fragments of DNA released into the blood from lysed cancer cells. The updated coverage policy expands DLBCL patient access to clonoSEQ MRD testing, as approximately 75% of actively treated DLBCL patients are Medicare aged. The policy is effective immediately and extends to all DLBCL patients, regardless of line of therapy, treatment regimen, or testing timepoint. clonoSEQ testing for DLBCL patients is currently available for clinical use as a laboratory-developed test performed at Adaptive's CLIA-certified lab in Seattle, WA. clonoSEQ ctDNA-based MRD testing in DLBCL has also been approved by New York State's Clinical Laboratory Evaluation Program. This coverage expansion adds to existing Medicare coverage for clonoSEQ in multiple myeloma, chronic lymphocytic leukemia and B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Medicare coverage for clonoSEQ in these indications is aligned with clinical practice guidelines which support assessing MRD at multiple time points throughout therapy to monitor treatment response and help predict patient outcomes

07:44 EDT Algoma Steel announces preliminary results of substantial issuer bid - Algoma Steel Group announced the preliminary results of its substantial issuer bid, which expired at 5:00 p.m. on July 27, 2022. Based on the preliminary count by TSX Trust Company, the depositary for the Offer, a total of 60,600,233 common shares of Algoma were properly tendered and not properly withdrawn, including 2,834,014 Shares that were tendered through notice of guaranteed delivery. In accordance with the terms of the Offer, Algoma has informed the Depositary that it is taking up Shares properly tendered to the Offer at the time of expiry, subject to proration. Based on the preliminary count by the Depositary, Algoma expects to take up and purchase for cancellation 41,025,641 Shares at a purchase price of US$9.75 per Share for an aggregate purchase price of approximately US$400 million. The Shares expected to be purchased under the Offer represent approximately 27.9% of the issued and outstanding Shares at the time that the Offer was commenced. Immediately following completion of the Offer, Algoma anticipates that 105,403,930 Shares will be issued and outstanding. As the Offer was oversubscribed, shareholders who made auction tenders at a price of US$9.75 or less per Share and purchase price tenders are expected to have approximately 95.2% of their successfully tendered Shares purchased by Algoma. Shareholders who made auction tenders at a price in excess of US$9.75 per Share should not expect to have any of their Shares purchased by Algoma.

07:43 EDT Swerve launches next generation of sugar alternative products - Swerve celebrates its place as the top-selling baking pouch, with a consumer-requested range of sweetener products and pack formats set to debut from the company this year as data shows more U.S. households are veering toward sugar-free baking. Swerve's innovation and expansion into monk fruit and allulose sweetener offerings, both of which are zero-calorie and zero-sugar, is a key move from the manufacturer seeking to meet the increasing demand by consumers for the sugar alternatives. According to Nielsen data, demand for monk fruit and allulose is up in the strong double digits this year as customers seek alternatives to refined sugar in the marketplace that are non-Stevia options. Swerve, the ultimate sugar replacement, lives up to its moniker with more than 2 million loyal U.S. households dedicated to the company and its products while also possessing best-in-class brand loyalty, according to recent Nielsen data. Swerve, which is a natural sugar replacement, and contains no artificial ingredients, preservatives or flavors, is owned by Whole Earth Brands. Swerve is also launching a range of new products in new pack formats, such as jars and sachets, to expand consumer occasions and provide value and trial options. Further, Swerve is expanding into blends, which will include combining cane sugar with monk fruit, which support considerable reductions in sugar usage, such as in baking, while serving as a transition offering for consumers seeking to branch into the alternatives category.

07:42 EDT Sabre names Garry Wiseman as Chief Product Officer - Sabre announced that Wade Jones, EVP and chief product officer of its Travel Solutions business, has elected to depart the company. He will be succeeded by Garry Wiseman, who will join the company on August 1. Jones will remain with Sabre for a period of transition, before officially stepping away this fall. Wiseman will join the company August 1 and brings over 25 years of product, technology and digital leadership experience in developing and operating large-scale platforms at some of the world's most innovative technology companies, including Dell, eBay, Microsoft, Nautilus and Salesforce.

07:42 EDT Sabre says Mike Randolfi to succeed Doug Barnett as CFO - Sabre announced the retirement of its CFO, Doug Barnett. Barnett has been an integral part of Sabre's executive leadership team since 2018 when he joined the company as its CFO. Barnett will be succeeded by Mike Randolfi who joins the company on Aug. 22. Barnett will remain with Sabre through Oct. 30 allowing for a period of transition between the two leaders. Randolfi joins Sabre from BFA Industries where he served as CFO.

07:40 EDT Creative Medical Technology announces 'positive' results from OvaStem study - Creative Medical Technology announced positive three-year follow up data for the company's OvaStem pilot study. The data shows significant efficacy of the OvaStem procedure for the treatment of medical refractory Primary Ovarian Insufficiency without any serious adverse effects and the successful birth of healthy babies. There were no safety related concerns at up to three years and the OvaStem procedure resulted in an efficacy of 90% in the treated patients in terms of improvement in hormonal function and 70% in terms of delivery of healthy babies using their own eggs. Patients with POI usually only have a 5% to 10% chance of spontaneous pregnancy and must rely on donor eggs for conception via in vitro fertilization therapy. The company plans to submit a manuscript for publication in a peer reviewed journal and present the data at future fertility medicine conferences.

07:30 EDT NFI Group announces return of president, CEO Soubry - NFI Group announced that NFI President and Chief Executive Officer, CEO, Paul Soubry will return to his role, effective August 2, 2022, following a temporary medical leave. On May 3, 2022, it was announced that Paul would be taking an immediate temporary medical leave of absence after being diagnosed with an aortic aneurysm, and that NFI's Board of Directors had appointed Brian Dewsnup, President of NFI Parts, to be acting President and Chief Executive Officer of NFI Group during Paul's absence. Soubry has been cleared by his doctor to return to work. Under the guidance of his healthcare team, Soubry has taken active steps to address his health, and a plan is in place going forward to ensure his continued wellbeing.

07:29 EDT Trevena provides general business update - General business updates: Executed a contract in July with a leading hospital group purchasing organization, which will allow for broad OLINVYK access for member hospitals. The hospital GPO has coverage across US academic medical centers, acute care hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers. Implemented a realignment of Company resources in July to maintain focus on key value drivers and extend cash runway to mid-2023. The Company implemented a ~25% reduction in full-time employees and terminated its contract sales force agreement with Syneos. The Company effected other general expense reductions that the Company believes will collectively help reduce operating expenses and extend the cash runway to mid-2023. The Company believes these decisions allow Trevena to continue to sufficiently resource its key strategic priorities of driving commercial adoption of OLINVYK and developing TRV045. Continued to advance Phase 1 study of TRV045; on track for completion 2H 22. Maintained approximately $49.5 million in cash and equivalents at June 30, 2022, which the Company believes will be sufficient to fund the Company's operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements to mid-2023.

07:29 EDT Trevena announces OLINVYK cognitive function data - Trevena reported positive topline results from its post-approval study designed to assess the impact on cognitive function in subjects treated with OLINVYK compared to IV morphine. "We are pleased to announce the positive topline cognitive function data and a major contract win for OLINVYK," said Carrie Bourdow, President and CEO of Trevena. "We also remain focused on advancing the clinical studies for TRV045, our novel S1P receptor modulator, and our recent corporate realignment will help us increase financial flexibility to drive forward our strategic priorities." OLINVYK was studied in collaboration with the Netherlands-based Center for Human Drug Research. Subjects received single intravenous doses of OLINVYK 1 mg and 3 mg, or morphine 5 mg and 10 mg, or placebo, using a partial-block crossover design. Overall, OLINVYK showed evidence of a reduced impact on neurocognitive function compared to IV morphine. Key Findings: Primary Endpoint. OLINVYK showed a statistically significant reduction in sedation versus IV morphine, measured by saccadic eye movement peak velocity, a sensitive laboratory measure of sedating action of medications. Secondary Endpoints. On several of the prespecified secondary outcome measures, OLINVYK showed a statistically significant difference or trend compared to IV morphine: Reduced impact on saccadic eye movement reaction time; Reduced body sway, a measure of motor function; Reduced performance accuracy on the adaptive tracking test, a measure of eye-hand coordination; Across the dose ranges studied, both OLINVYK and IV morphine demonstrated expected effects on opioid-induced pupillary constriction, and analgesia in response to cold pain testing

07:27 EDT Palantir announces $99.9M contract with U.S. Army Research Laboratory - Palantir Technologies announced that it will expand its work with the U.S. Army Research Laboratory to implement data and artificial intelligence/machine learning capabilities for users across the combatant commands. The contract totals $99.9M over two years. Palantir first partnered with the Army Research Lab to provide those on the frontlines with state-of-the-art operational data and AI capabilities in 2018. Palantir's platform has supported the integration, management, and deployment of relevant data and AI model training to all of the Armed Services, COCOMs, and special operators. This extension grows Palantir's operational RDT&E work to more users globally.

07:25 EDT Tonix Pharmaceuticals announces collaboration with KEMRI to develop TNX-801 - Tonix Pharmaceuticals announced a collaboration with the Kenya Medical Research Institute, KEMRI, to plan, seek regulatory approval for and conduct a Phase 1 clinical study in Kenya to develop TNX-8011 as a vaccine to protect against monkeypox and smallpox. The study is expected to start in the first half of 2023. "We are excited to collaborate with KEMRI on the clinical development of TNX-801 as a vaccine to protect against monkeypox and smallpox in Kenya," said Seth Lederman, M.D., Chief Executive Officer of Tonix Pharmaceuticals. "Since ending routine vaccination for smallpox in the 1960's, monkeypox has emerged as a growing problem among people in West and Central Africa. People who received the live virus vaccine for smallpox prior to eradication appear to maintain durable protective immunity against monkeypox. TNX-801 is a live virus vaccine that we believe is closer to the smallpox vaccines used in the U.S. and Europe before 1900 than the modern vaccinia smallpox vaccines. TNX-801 has reduced virulence in animals, and we believe it has the potential for widespread use to protect against monkeypox."

07:24 EDT Verano Holdings announces opening of MUV Port Charlotte - Verano Holdings announced the opening of MUV Port Charlotte on Friday, July 29, the Company's 53rd Florida dispensary and 107th nationwide. MUV Port Charlotte, located at 22627 Bayshore Road, is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., local time.

07:23 EDT Cyclerion Therapeutics announces data for CY6463 in patients with CIAS - Cyclerion Therapeutics announced positive topline data from its clinical study of CY6463 for the treatment of Cognitive Impairment Associated with Schizophrenia, CIAS, in individuals with stable schizophrenia on a stable, single, atypical antipsychotic regimen. The clinical study enrolled 48 participants with stable schizophrenia with no more than moderate positive symptoms and on a stable, single, atypical antipsychotic regimen. Topline results include: CY6463 was safe and well tolerated. The pharmacokinetic profile of once-daily CY6463 is consistent with earlier clinical studies in healthy volunteers and MELAS patients, and demonstrated linear, dose-proportional exposure and low intersubject variability. Favorable changes were observed in a broad panel of plasma inflammatory biomarkers, including biomarkers with links to schizophrenia and cognition, after 14 days of once-daily dosing with CY6463 15 mg. Analysis of data from exploratory EEG assessments are ongoing. Data from these assessments will be shared in future scientific forums. At the two higher dose levels evaluated in this multiple-ascending-dose study, CY6463 was observed to be safe and well tolerated; however, higher doses did not demonstrate an effect on the general cognition composite at Day 14, a finding consistent with preclinical experiments. "The data emerging from this CIAS study, coupled with the recently reported CY6463 MELAS clinical study data, demonstrate positive multi-dimensional therapeutic activity and favorable safety and tolerability in two distinct patient populations," said Peter Hecht, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Cyclerion. "These data present a path and opportunity forward for Cyclerion's first-in-class, CNS-penetrant sGC stimulator to yield multiple breakthrough CNS therapeutics across patient populations in need of novel treatment options. We continue to explore potential partnerships with parties who share our vision for the broad therapeutic potential of sGC in treating CNS disorders."

07:22 EDT ABB joins Berkshire Grey's Technnology Alliance Program - Berkshire Grey Inc. (BGRY) announced that ABB (ABB) has joined Berkshire Grey's Technology Alliance Program to provide more customers with AI-enabled robotic solutions that improve e-commerce fulfillment throughput and warehouse efficiency while driving down operational costs. ABB's expertise in providing automation solutions to global e-commerce merchants, retailers, and third-party logistics complements Berkshire Grey's extensive portfolio of AI-enabled robotic automation solutions for eCommerce fulfillment, store replenishment, back-of-store order collection, and package handling. Berkshire Grey has extensive experience in incorporating ABB robotic technology into enterprise-scale automation solutions in production environments. Together, ABB and Berkshire Grey will provide fully integrated, AI-enabled robotic solutions to customers seeking comprehensive Intelligent Enterprise Robotics systems to automate warehouse processes. This helps customers improve the efficiency and flexibility of warehouse and supply chain operations and prepares them for future needs and demands.

07:21 EDT Bausch + Lomb, Sanoculis enter strategic agreements - Bausch + Lomb and Sanoculis, an Israeli ophthalmic medical device start-up company, announced they have entered into strategic agreements designed to address unmet needs in glaucoma. The companies have entered into an exclusive European distribution agreement for Sanoculis' Minimally Invasive Micro Sclerostomy, an innovative minimally invasive surgical procedure for the treatment of glaucoma. Additionally, Bausch + Lomb has made an equity investment in Sanoculis as part of a Series C round of funding.

07:19 EDT Beyond Meat falls 4% after JPMorgan says McDonald's test done in U.S.

07:18 EDT Vontier names Hani Joakim as Chief Technology Officer - Vontier announced the appointment of Hani Joakim as Chief Technology Officer. The creation of this new role underscores Vontier's commitment towards its digital strategy and further positions the company as an industry leader in the ongoing digitalization of customer workflows through its connected hardware, software, services, and payment solutions. Joakim brings highly relevant domain expertise and deep experience leading and scaling digital transformation to Vontier. He joined Vontier from 7-Eleven where he held the position of Chief Technology Officer.

07:15 EDT Wex plans to acquire Exxon Mobil Business Card program - Wex (WEX is announcing that it has plans to acquire the Exxon Mobil Business Card program. The acquisition will be contingent upon certain conditions and subject to closing. Upon completion of the acquisition, all of ExxonMobil's (XOM) commercial card portfolio will be consolidated and administered by Wex.

07:13 EDT Kirby sees FY22 capital spending $170M-$190M - Kirby expects 2022 capital spending of between $170 to $190 million. Approximately $5 million is associated with the construction of new inland towboats, and approximately $145 to $155 million is associated with marine maintenance capital and improvements to existing inland and coastal marine equipment and facility improvements. The balance of approximately $20 to $30 million largely relates to new machinery and equipment and facility improvements in distribution and services, as well as information technology projects in corporate. Overall, Kirby expects to generate net cash provided by operating activities of $390 million to $450 million, with free cash flow of $200 million to $280 million in 2022. Commenting on the 2022 full year outlook, David Grzebinski, Kirby's President and Chief Executive Officer, said, "We exited the quarter with continued momentum in our businesses. The marine market continues to gain strength and while our second quarter results were impacted by higher fuel costs in marine transportation, we expect to recover these costs during the second half of the year and into 2023. Refinery utilization is near historic highs, our barge utilization is strong in both inland and coastal, and rates are steadily increasing. In distribution and services, despite persistent supply chain constraints and delays, demand for our products and services continues to grow, and we continue to receive new orders in manufacturing. Overall, we see momentum continuing to build, and we expect our businesses to deliver improved financial results in the coming quarters. While all of this is encouraging, we are mindful of economic challenges related to a potential recession and higher interest rates. Labor constraints and inflationary pressures continue to contribute to rising costs across our businesses. In marine, we currently expect that cost escalators and rate recovery mechanisms in some term contracts will continue lagging these cost headwinds in the third quarter and will ultimately be realized later in the year and into 2023. With these factors in mind, we will continue to focus on managing costs and driving cash flow from operations. In the near-term, we intend to use this cash flow to reduce debt and further strengthen our balance sheet as well as opportunistically return capital to shareholders. Also, consistent with our balanced approach to capital allocation, we will continue to evaluate accretive acquisitions and high-return organic growth opportunities to drive continued long-term shareholder value creation."

07:07 EDT Hershey raises quarterly dividend 15% to $1.036 per share - The Board of Directors of The Hershey Company announced quarterly dividends of $1.036 on the Common Stock and $0.942 on the Class B Common Stock, an increase of approximately 15%, or $0.135 and $0.123 per share, respectively. The dividends were declared July 27, 2022, and are payable September 15, 2022, to stockholders of record as of August 19, 2022. It is the 371st consecutive regular dividend on the Common Stock and the 152nd consecutive regular dividend on the Class B Common Stock.

07:03 EDT Athenex sees FY22 product revenue guidance range of 20%-25% year-over-year

07:02 EDT e.GO to become publicly listed on NYSE via combination with Athena Consumer - Next.e.GO Mobile SE, a producer of urban electric vehicles based on disruptive production systems, and Athena Consumer Acquisition Corp. (ACAQ) announced a definitive agreement for a business combination that would result in e.GO becoming a publicly listed company on the New York Stock Exchange. e.GO, headquartered in Aachen, Germany, develops, designs, manufactures and markets electric vehicles for the urban environment, focusing on convenience, practicality, ease of service and cost. To date, e.GO has put over 1,000 of its vehicles on the road and is currently working to expand its geographic reach and production footprint. The Company's second MicroFactory in Southeast Europe is expected to start construction before the end of this year. Each MicroFactory is capable of producing approximately 30,000 cars per year in a three-shift setting. The transaction is anticipated to generate gross proceeds of up to approximately $285M of cash, before the impact of potential redemptions by Athena's public stockholders, which will be used to fund operations and growth. The pro forma implied enterprise value of the combined company is $913M. The implied pre-money market capitalization of e.GO is approximately $800M, including a share performance-based earn-out for e.GO shareholders of 30 million shares. After the transaction, e.GO's leadership will continue to execute on e.GO's strategy and growth. The Board of Directors of the combined company will include representation from e.GO and Athena and will be chaired by Ali Vezvaei. The transaction has been unanimously approved by the boards of directors of Athena and e.GO. Completion of the proposed Transaction is subject to customary closing conditions. The combined company is expected to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker "EGOX."

06:57 EDT Sonic Automotive provides update on EchoPark business - In July 2021, Sonic announced a review process to evaluate potential strategic alternatives for its EchoPark business. After carefully evaluating a range of alternatives, the company has concluded its review and the Board has determined that timing and current market conditions do not align with the company's value creation objectives for the business. Sonic will continue to execute on its expansion plans for EchoPark and will monitor market conditions and periodically consider potential opportunities to maximize long-term shareholder value as they arise. Further, while the company remains confident in EchoPark's long-term prospects, the current market environment has caused the company to adjust EchoPark's projected revenue growth and push back the achievement of its previously stated financial goals beyond 2025.

06:56 EDT Sonic Automotive raises share repurchase authorization by $500M

06:39 EDT OneMain sees targeted, disciplined Brightway credit card expansion in 2H

06:38 EDT JetBluee sees regulatory approval for Spirit Airlines deal no later than H1 2024 - The company states: "The completion of the acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions, including receipt of required regulatory approvals and approval of Spirit's stockholders. The companies expect to conclude the regulatory process and close the transaction no later than the first half of 2024. The four largest carriers control more than 80% of the market. Creating a low-fare, customer-centric challenger with size and scale is the best opportunity to disrupt legacy carrier pricing in the current landscape. Even as the fifth-largest carrier, JetBlue, with Spirit, would have only 9% market share, compared to 13% for the fourth-largest airline and 23% for the largest carrier. After the combination and with its committed upfront divestitures, the largest seat share a combined JetBlue-Spirit will have in any of its largest metro areas is 40%, compared to the 57-91% share legacy carriers have in their largest metro areas. The airlines will continue to operate independently until after the transaction closes and their respective loyalty programs remain unchanged and customer accounts will not be affected in any way. Following completion of the acquisition, the combined airline will be based in New York and be led by Robin Hayes. As previously announced, Spirit has terminated its prior merger agreement with Frontier. JetBlue has terminated its previously announced all-cash tender offer to acquire Spirit common stock."

06:33 EDT JetBlue to acquire Spirit at $33.50 per share in cash or $7.6B enterprise value - JetBlue Airways (JBLU) and Spirit Airlines (SAVE) announced that their boards of directors have approved a definitive merger agreement under which JetBlue will acquire Spirit for $33.50 per share in cash, including a prepayment of $2.50 per share in cash payable upon Spirit stockholders' approval of the transaction and a ticking fee of $0.10 per month starting in January 2023 through closing, for an aggregate fully diluted equity value of $3.8B and an adjusted enterprise value of $7.6B.

06:30 EDT Samsung Display segment Q2 earnings 'solid despite weak seasonality' - The company states that its Display business in Q2 "achieved solid earnings, despite weak seasonality for smartphones, thanks to continued demand for our customers' flagship models and positive effects of foreign exchange movements". For the second half, the company expects "results to grow with the release of new products by major smartphone customers; expansion of the customer base for foldables, and increase in adoption in new application areas such as IT, automotives, and gaming. Samsung large TV earnings expected to improve with the full-fledged releases of new products from monitor manufacturers adopting QD Display. Shutdown of LCD production also to positively impact earnings."

06:29 EDT Barclays reaffirms medium-term targets, including RoTE of greater than 10% - Barclays continues to target the following over the medium term: Returns: RoTE of greater than 10%; Cost efficiency: cost: income ratio below 60%; Capital adequacy: CET1 ratio in the range of 13-14%.

06:28 EDT Volkswagen confirms outlook for FY22 - Volkswagen Group confirms its outlook for 2022 after a solid first half as supply constraints ease. The supply of wiring harnesses has been managed successfully and is mostly back to normal levels. The Group expects the product mix to normalize in H2 as the semi-conductor situation improves in combination with a strong order book. A noticeable recovery of the monthly sales towards the end of Q2 additionally bodes well for H2 sales. However, it is still not possible to conclusively assess the specific effects of the war in Ukraine or effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on the Volkswagen Group's business, on the global economy and growth in the industry in fiscal year 2022. In Europe in particular, there are uncertainties regarding energy supply. "Despite all the caution in the face of the volatile market environment and geopolitical risks, we are confident that we can further accelerate the transformation of the Group," CFO Antlitz concluded.

06:23 EDT Armada Hoffler raises quarterly dividend 12% to 19c per share - The third quarter cash dividend will be payable on October 6 to stockholders of record on September 28.

06:14 EDT M.D.C. Holdings sees Q3 home deliveries 2,200-2,500 - Sees Q3 average selling price $580,000-$590,000.

06:11 EDT Vale reports Q2 iron ore production up 17% to 74.1 Mt - The company said, "Vale's Production Report for the second quarter of 2022 was released on Tuesday, July 19th. Iron ore production increased 17% q/q to 74.1 Mt, mainly driven by the Southeastern and Southern Systems' solid performance into the dry season. Northern System production improved 4% q/q, benefiting from favorable weather seasonality with partial offset by one-off stockpiles homogenization activities in Ponta da Madeira to adjust for moisture levels. As a result of this one-off event, the sale of our Midwestern System and in order to account for greater flexibility in our production due to current market conditions, Vale is revising its annual production guidance for 2022 to 310-320 Mt. The revised guidance is in line with our value over volume philosophy. Nickel production was 24% lower q/q mostly due to scheduled maintenance of our downstream facilities, which was partially offset by strong performance at Onca Puma. Sales were largely in line q/q as inventories built in 1Q22 were sold in 2Q22. Copper production was in line with Q1 as the effect of Sossego SAG mill resumption in early June and stronger performance of Canadian mines were offset by both planned and corrective maintenance at Salobo plant."

05:12 EDT Compass Pathways launches COMP360 psilocybin clinical trial - Compass Pathways announced it has launched a multi-center, double-blind randomized controlled phase II clinical trial investigating the efficacy of COMP360 psilocybin, administered with psychological support, in people with anorexia nervosa. The phase II clinical trial will compare the effects of 25 mg and 1 mg of investigational COMP360 psilocybin when administered with psychological support, in 60 participants with anorexia nervosa, across four research institutes in the UK and U.S. Any changes in symptoms after COMP360 psilocybin therapy will be measured using the Eating Disorder Examination, or EDE, interview and other measures; the trial primary endpoint is change from baseline in the EDE global score at week 4 after administration of COMP360 psilocybin therapy.