Stockwinners Market Radar for August 01, 2022 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

20:09 EDT Transocean announces $321M contract for ultra-deepwater drillship - Transocean "announced that the ultra-deepwater drillship, Deepwater Conqueror, has been awarded a two-year contract by a major operator for work in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico at $440,000 per day with up to an incremental $39,000 per day for additional products and services. Excluding revenue associated with the additional products and services, the new contract adds an estimated $321 million in backlog and is expected to begin in December 2022 in direct continuation of the rig's current contract."

19:08 EDT DexCom announces availability of real-time glucose monitoring in diabetes - DexCom "announced the availability of the easy to use Dexcom ONE rt-CGM System on prescription via the NHS England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland drug tariff to everyone with type 1 or type 2 diabetes using insulin. This marks the first time a rt-CGM, with no scanning and no finger pricks, will be available to people with diabetes at the pharmacy level."

18:49 EDT Hertz CEO: There is real opportunity under the brand to rebuild the company - In an interview on CNBC's Mad Money, Stephen Scherr said Hertz has not been managed the way it should have been, but there is real skill in the ranks. At its core, Hertz is a risk business, and the commodity is the car, he noted. Thinking about the fleet in a risk proposition is the way the company should be run, he added. Scherr thinks there is a real opportunity under the brand to completely rebuild the company, and he feels the future is bright.

17:53 EDT Franklin Electric CEO sells $2.3M in common stock - In a regulatory filing, Franklin Electric disclosed that its CEO Gregg Sengstack sold 26K shares of common stock on July 28th in a total transaction size of $2.3M.

17:47 EDT TD Bank Group sells 28.4M shares of Schwab common stock - TD Bank Group (TD) announced today that it has sold 28.4M shares of non-voting common stock of The Charles Schwab Corporation (SCHW), with 15,030,813 shares being sold to Schwab pursuant to a repurchase agreement with pricing determined by the price obtained in a sale of 13,369,187 shares being sold at the same price to a broker dealer pursuant to Rule 144 of the Securities Act of 1933. In connection with such sales, all such shares automatically convert into shares of Schwab voting common stock the shares acquired by Schwab will no longer be outstanding. The shares sold represent approximately 1.5% of Schwab's issued and outstanding common stock, reducing TD's ownership interest in Schwab from approximately 13.4% to 12.0%. TD's strategy with respect to its investment in Schwab has not changed and it has no current intention to divest additional shares.

17:31 EDT Jefferies to pay $80M civil monetary penalty to U.S. regulators - Jefferies Financial Group said in an 8k filing, "Within the context of an industry-wide regulatory investigation relating to record-keeping requirements in connection with personal-texting devices used for business communications, Jefferies expects to pay a combined $80M civil monetary penalty to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission.

17:17 EDT MSA Safety CFO Kenneth Krause to resign effective August 26th - MSA Safety "announced it has accepted the resignation of its Chief Financial Officer, Kenneth Krause, effective August 26, 2022. Mr. Krause, who was elected CFO in December 2015, is leaving to accept the position of CFO at another public company located outside of Pennsylvania. Nish Vartanian, MSA Safety Chairman, President and CEO, said the company has initiated a comprehensive external search for a new CFO. In addition, MSA Chief Accounting Officer Jonathan Buck has been appointed interim CFO."

17:16 EDT MSA Safety CFO Kenneth Krause to resign effective August 26th - MSA Safety "announced it has accepted the resignation of its Chief Financial Officer, Kenneth Krause, effective August 26, 2022. Mr. Krause, who was elected CFO in December 2015, is leaving to accept the position of CFO at another public company located outside of Pennsylvania."

17:12 EDT Chipotle exec sells $5.04M in common stock - In a regulatory filing, Chipotle disclosed that its CTO Curtis Garner sold 3.3K shares of common stock on July 28th in a transaction size of $5.04M

17:09 EDT BRP Group announces acquisition of NHPBA, adding about $11.4M in revenue - BRP Group "announced that it has acquired substantially all the assets of National Health Plans & Benefits Agency, LLC. Based in Fraser, Michigan, NHPBA is a leading provider of individual health insurance products, predominantly for individuals under 65. NHPBA also has a growing Medicare practice. As a result of this Partnership, BRP Group's nomenclature for a strategic acquisition, NHPBA brings to BRP Group approximately 50 colleagues and provides deep expertise in the individual health insurance market that has powered strong organic growth since NHPBA's inception. Following this Partnership, NHPBA will operate within the Company's Guided Solutions operating group. "

17:04 EDT Danaos expects slowing economic growth and negatively impact trade volumes - Danaos' CEO Dr. John Coustas commented: "A confluence of factors, including high energy prices, inflation, and the effects of the war in Ukraine, will likely result in slowing economic growth and negatively impact trade volumes. On the other hand, persistent inefficiencies on the shore side of the supply chain and Covid resurgence in China are keeping the vessel utilization high with increased waiting times in port. Additionally, the increase in fuel cost will likely prompt liner companies to reduce vessel sailing speeds as soon as vessels are available, however we do not expect this to happen until the Q2 of 2023 and onwards. Environmental regulations, particularly the CII compliance, is leading liner companies to redesign their operating loops with lower speeds to ensure that they do not breach requirements and to also assure their customers that they are actively reducing CO2 emissions. These mitigating factors point to a weakening, rather than a collapse, of the market that we expect will result in rates much higher than pre-pandemic levels. For the time being charter rates are holding firm as the available tonnage is very scarce."

16:53 EDT BigCommerce appoints Gap, Container Store executives to board - BigCommerce (BIGC) announced that Gap (GPS) chief growth transformation officer Sally Gilligan and Container Store CEO Satish Malhotra have joined the BigCommerce board of directors.

16:51 EDT Mosaic announces new $2B accelerated share repurchase program - Mosaic has returned $1.1 billion to shareholders during the first half of 2022, including $1.0 billion of share repurchases, which represents 87% of free cash flow. Mosaic expects to return 100% of 2022 free cash flow, after debt reduction commitments are met, to shareholders through a combination of share repurchases and dividends. As of the end of the second quarter, $555 million remained on the current share repurchase authorization, and the company has continued to repurchase shares in July. Based on the company's outlook for continued strong free cash flow generation, Mosaic's Board of Directors approved a new authorization of $2.0 billion. This will go into effect following the exhaustion of the current authorization, which will likely occur during the third quarter.

16:36 EDT Nutanix names Andrew Brinded chief revenue officer - Nutanix announced the appointment of Andrew Brinded as Chief Revenue Officer, effective immediately. Brinded succeeds Dominick Delfino, who has stepped down to pursue a new opportunity at another technology company. "During his five-year tenure at Nutanix, Andrew has demonstrated deep technology sales acumen, a strategic mindset and strong leadership capabilities," said Rajiv Ramaswami, President and CEO of Nutanix. "Andrew has a strong command of go-to-market strategies and how to drive customer satisfaction. Coupled with his expertise in developing innovative business strategies and identifying and cultivating leaders, Andrew's knowledge and experience will be valuable assets to Nutanix as we enter our next phase of growth. We are fortunate to have such a deep bench of talent and a truly world-class sales organization, and we are confident that we will continue to build on our momentum under Andrew's leadership. We thank Dom for his contributions to Nutanix, and we wish him the best in the next phase of his career."

16:35 EDT Sinclair Broadcast announces pacts with Korean broadcasters - Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. announced that the company has entered into agreements with two top Korean Broadcast networks, Korean Broadcast System, and Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) to collaborate on the development and implementation of NextGen Broadcast (ATSC 3.0) business models and technology in both Korea and the United States. The collaboration includes the development of NextGen Broadcast television technology and Data Distribution as a Service (DDaaS) business opportunities using the ATSC 3.0 broadcast standard. ATSC 3.0 is a sophisticated transmission standard, based on the language of the Internet (Internet Protocol) and transforms a traditional broadcast channel into a robust data distribution platform that carries both video and data services. In conjunction with the agreements with Sinclair, Hyundai Mobis and KBS demonstrated NextGen delivery of video and data services to a test automobile deployed around Seoul, delivering targeted content using the NextGen standard. Demonstrating the sophisticated capabilities of the new standard, MBC provided an enhanced GPS signal that corrected the GPS signal from 3 meters to 3 centimeters. Both technical demonstrations were powered by CAST.ERA, the joint venture between Sinclair and SK Telecom.

16:33 EDT Titan International sees FY22 $2.2B, consensus $2.22B - The company said, "Our expectations for financial performance remain strong and during the second half of the year we anticipate continued top-line and bottom-line expansion relative to prior year performance. Given our performance in Q2 and our current visibility in the second half of the year, we now expect full year sales in 2022 to be $2.2B, with an increased adjusted EBITDA target between $240M-$250M. Based on this latest outlook, current cash flow expectations have improved accordingly, and we now believe we can deliver an increased level of free cash flow between $90M-$100M for the full year. By almost all standards, we expect this year to be the strongest in Titan's history, and we continue to see positive signs for demand to remain robust into 2023."

16:32 EDT Korn/Ferry acquires Infinity Consulting Solutions - Korn Ferry "announced that it has acquired Infinity Consulting Solutions (ICS). Headquartered in New York, with nine offices throughout the United States, ICS offers substantial interim professional solutions expertise which will further enhance Korn Ferry's industry-leading portfolio. ICS is a widely regarded provider of senior-level IT interim professional solutions with additional expertise in the areas of compliance and legal, accounting and finance, and human resources."

16:27 EDT Century Aluminum appoints Gerald Bialekhief CFO - Century Aluminum announced that it has appointed Gerald "Jerry" Bialek as its new Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Bialek will join the Company on August 22, 2022 and will report directly to Century's Chief Executive Officer. He most recently served as Chief Financial Officer and Vice President and Treasurer at Cooper Tire & Rubber Company. Before joining Cooper Tire in 2014, Mr. Bialek spent twenty-five years in increasingly responsible positions at Ford Motor Company, Amcor Rigid Plastics and Johnson Controls.

16:24 EDT Pinterest surges 21% to over $24 after Q2 results, Elliott statement

16:21 EDT Henry Schein names Mark Hillebrandt Chief Digital Revenue Officer - Henry Schein "announced that Mark Hillebrandt has been named Vice President and Chief Digital Revenue Officer, leading the Company's effort to drive e-commerce revenue growth and business profitability. Mr. Hillebrandt, who joined Henry Schein in 2018, will be responsible for leading a new Digital Revenue Team that has been formed to support the Company's 2022-2024 "BOLD+1" Strategic Plan, which addresses how the Company stays ahead of the fundamental shifts affecting our customers."

16:18 EDT Northern Oil and Gas raises quarterly dividend by 32% to 25c per share - The dividend is payable on October 31, 2022, to stockholders of record as of the close of business on September 29, 2022.

16:17 EDT Addus HomeCare sees opportunities for growth organically, through acquisitions - Dirk Allison, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, said, "We continue to see opportunities for growth both organically and through acquisitions. Our strategic focus is to target expansion opportunities in states where we have a strong existing presence. Acquisitions remain an integral part of our growth strategy, and we continue to have a robust pipeline of acquisition opportunities. We remain well-capitalized and have the flexibility to pursue acquisitions that meet our criteria in all our service lines. The COVID-19 pandemic and reduced availability of hospital beds over the past two years pushed more care delivery to the home setting, with favorable patient outcomes and satisfaction driving higher demand. Addus has been a leader in providing quality home-based patient care with a proven operating model across the care continuum, and we are well positioned for continued growth in the home care sector. We have continued to make investments in data analytic capabilities and technologies to drive efficiencies and enhance caregivers' abilities to coordinate effective care in the home and we believe we're currently managing labor and other industry challenges effectively. As always, our primary objective is to provide outstanding care to our patients and their families, and we look forward to the opportunities ahead," said Allison.

16:16 EDT Diamondback Energy increases share repurchase pact to $4B - On September 15 the Board of Directors of Diamondback authorized the Company to acquire up to $2B of common stock. On July 28, Diamondback's Board of Directors approved increasing total authorized common stock repurchases to $4B. To date, Diamondback has repurchased 8,314,701 shares of common stock at an average share price of $113.07 for a total cost of approximately $940 million. Diamondback intends to purchase common stock under the common stock repurchase program opportunistically with cash on hand, free cash flow from operations and proceeds from potential liquidity events such as the sale of assets. This repurchase program has no time limit and may be suspended from time to time, modified, extended or discontinued by the Board at any time. Purchases under the repurchase program may be made from time to time in privately negotiated transactions or open market transactions in compliance with Rule 10b-18 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and will be subject to market conditions, applicable legal requirements and other factors. Any common stock purchased as part of this program will be retired.

16:15 EDT Elliott says Pinterest has 'significant potential for growth' - Elliott Investment Management released the following statement on behalf of Managing Partner Jesse Cohn and Senior Portfolio Manager Marc Steinberg regarding Pinterest: "Pinterest is a highly strategic business with significant potential for growth, and our conviction in the value-creation opportunity at Pinterest today has led us to become the Company's largest investor. As the market-leading platform at the intersection of social media, search and commerce, Pinterest occupies a unique position in the advertising and shopping ecosystems, and CEO Bill Ready is the right leader to oversee Pinterest's next phase of growth. We commend Ben Silbermann and the Board on the leadership transition, and we look forward to continuing our collaborative work with Ben, Bill and the Board as they drive toward realizing Pinterest's full potential."

16:14 EDT Pinterest reports Q2 global MAUs down 5% y/y to 433M

16:13 EDT Boise expects pace of residential construction to slow in second half of 2022 - The company said, "Demand for the products we manufacture, as well as the products we purchase and distribute, is correlated with new residential construction, residential repair-and-remodeling activity and light commercial construction. Consensus forecasts for 2022 single- and multi-family housing starts in the U.S are around 1.6 million units, or essentially flat compared to 2021. We believe that current U.S. demographics and limited new and existing home inventory support this level of housing starts. In addition, the age of U.S. housing stock and elevated levels of homeowner equity provide a favorable backdrop for repair-and-remodel spending. However, recent monetary policy shifts to increase interest rates to combat high levels of inflation have significantly increased mortgage rates and created a great deal of uncertainty broadly across the U.S. economy. As such, we expect the pace of new residential construction in second half of 2022 to slow due to home affordability constraints and a weakening economy. While potentially tempered by an economic slowdown, we anticipate the primary drivers of repair-and-remodeling activity to continue to be supportive of homeowners' further investment in their residences. As a manufacturer of certain commodity products, we have sales and profitability exposure to declines in commodity product prices and rising input costs. Our distribution business purchases and resells a broad mix of commodity products with periods of increasing prices providing the opportunity for higher sales and increased margins, while declining price environments expose us to declines in sales and profitability. We expect future commodity product pricing and commodity input costs to be volatile in response to economic uncertainties, industry operating rates, transportation constraints or disruptions, net import and export activity, inventory levels in various distribution channels, and seasonal demand patterns. EWP and general line products have historically experienced limited price volatility, but are also subject to price erosion as economic activity slows. "

16:12 EDT Woodward down 4% after reporting Q3 earnings, lowering FY22 guidance

16:09 EDT Henry Schein names Trinh Clark chief global customer experience officer - Henry Schein announced the appointment of two executives - Trinh Clark and Leigh Benowitz - to the company's Executive Management Committee. Clark has been named Senior Vice President and Chief Global Customer Experience Officer, responsible for leading a new Global Customer Experience Organization that is focused on driving an exceptional customer experience across all of the Company's sales channels as well as global brand marketing strategy, including the Henry Schein brand. Benowitz has been named Senior Vice President and Chief Global Digital Transformation Officer, responsible for leading a new Global eCommerce Transformation Organization that will focus on accelerating the adoption of digital commerce technologies across our Company, driving the transformation of our business strategy and operations using digital technology, and enabling the rapid growth of digital sales revenue for the organization.

16:03 EDT Comstock and DivcoWest announce new leases at Hartford Building - Comstock Holding Companies and DivcoWest announced two new leases at the Hartford Building, located in the Clarendon neighborhood of Arlington, Virginia. Greystar, a leader in the investment, development, and management of high-quality rental housing properties, will occupy 10,166 sq. ft., and DFS Construction, an Arlington-based construction company, has leased 11,869 sq ft."We are thrilled to join the Hartford Building and the larger Clarendon and Courthouse community," said John Clarkson, Managing Director for Greystar. "As a local developer, investor, and manager, we greatly value the area's access to transportation, amenities, and great schools and the building's high quality professional experience. We look forward to maintaining our long-term presence in Northern Virginia as a tenant in the Hartford."Comstock acquired the Hartford building in 2019 in a joint venture with Comstock Partners, LC, an affiliated private company, and DivcoWest, a vertically integrated investment firm headquartered in San Francisco, California. The 9-story, Class-A building is located at 3101 Wilson Blvd., adjacent to the Clarendon Station on Metro's Orange Line in Arlington, Virginia. The 211,450 square foot office building with street-level retail is currently 88%+ leased to multiple high-quality tenants."We are extremely excited for our expansion in Clarendon to the Hartford building," said Robert DiGiovanni, Principal, DFS Construction. "Our longstanding relationship with Comstock Companies and DivcoWest made this trophy building an easy choice for our new offices."

15:54 EDT Virgin Galactic receives update to commercial space license from FAA - A post to the site of the FAA states that Virgin Galactic is authorized, subject to the provisions of 51 USC GALACTIC, LLC Subtitle V, ch. 509, and the orders, rules, and regulations issued under it, to conduct suborbital reusable launch vehicle, or RLV, missions to launch SpaceShipTwo utilizing WhiteKnightTwo. "The term of License No. LRLO 16-092 authorizing VG to conduct RLV missions is two years from July 29, 2022," the notice stated. Reference Link

15:04 EDT Devon Energy reports fixed-plus-variable dividend of $1.55, up 22% sequentially - Devon Energy announced its board of directors declared a fixed-plus-variable dividend of $1.55 per share based on the company's second-quarter financial performance. "This record payout represents a 22% increase from the previous quarter," the company stated. As part of the second-quarter dividend announcement, the board approved an increase in the fixed dividend of 13% or 2c per share. The company's fixed-plus-variable dividend is payable on Sep. 30 to shareholders of record at the close of business on Sep. 12.

14:59 EDT West Virginia AG announces $400M opioid settlement with distributors - West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey announced a $400M settlement reached between more than 100 cities and counties statewide and opioid distributors AmerisourceBergen (ABC), Cardinal Health (CAH) and McKesson (MCK) that he said "will benefit the fight against the opioid epidemic in West Virginia." A lawsuit accused the three major U.S. drug distributors of causing a health crisis throughout West Virginia, the AG said. "I'm happy to see the judicial system work as it should by benefiting West Virginia communities that have been hit hard by opioid abuse. This settlement, along with other settlements from other cases, will provide significant help to those affected the most by the opioid crisis in West Virginia. I've always said that at the end of the day, West Virginia will have the highest per capita settlement results in the nation fighting for our people," Attorney General Morrisey said. Reference Link

14:41 EDT Devon Energy raises FY22 guidance for production, free cash flow - Devon is raising its full-year 2022 production forecast by 3% to a range of 600,000 to 610,000 Boe per day. "The improved volume outlook is due to better-than-expected well performance year-to-date and the impact from a bolt-on acquisition in the Williston Basin. With the ongoing share repurchase program, production per share is expected to grow 8% compared to 2021. The company also adjusted its upstream capital guidance to a range of $2.2B-$2.4B versus prior guidance of approximately $2.1B. This updated outlook incorporates $100M of incremental capital related to the acquisition in the Williston Basin and the impact of inflationary cost pressures. Devon expects its capital to be fully funded from operating cash flow, which is forecasted to be nearly $9B at current strip pricing," the company stated. Rick Muncrief, president and CEO, said: "As a result of the strong financial and operational performance achieved year to date, we have updated our full-year 2022 guidance. This improved outlook raises production targets, increases free cash flow projections and enhances our ability to accelerate the return of capital to shareholders."

14:16 EDT Opendoor confirms FTC settlement, 'strongly' disagrees with allegations - Opendoor Technologies said the U.S. Federal Trade Commission "approved a comprehensive settlement agreement." he company said in a statement: "Since our founding in 2014, Opendoor set out to drastically simplify the real estate transaction, redefine the housing market, and make buying and selling a home as easy as a tap of a button - bringing transparency, competition and convenience to the antiquated and offline home transaction for consumers. And data shows that our customers value and adopt Opendoor; in fact, we maintain an NPS well over 80 and have maintained a real seller conversion of over 35 percent. While we strongly disagree with the FTC's allegations, our decision to settle with the Commission will allow us to resolve the matter and focus on helping consumers buy, sell and move with simplicity, certainty and speed. Importantly, the allegations raised by the FTC are related to activity that occurred between 2017 and 2019 and target marketing messages the company modified years ago. We are pleased to put this matter behind us and look forward to continuing to provide consumers with a modern real estate experience."

14:00 EDT Atlas Air trading resumes

13:55 EDT Atlas Air trading halted, volatility trading pause

13:44 EDT Lufthansa, Shell sign MoU over exploring supply of sustainable aviation fuel - Shell International Petroleum (SHEL) and the Lufthansa Group (DLAKY) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding for exploring the supply of sustainable aviation fuel, or SAF, at airports across the globe. The parties intend to agree on a contract for a total supply volume of up to 1.8M metric tons of SAF starting in 2024, over a term of seven years. Such an agreement would be one of the most significant commercial SAF cooperation in the aviation sector, as well as the largest SAF commitment of both companies to date. The cooperation would enable the Lufthansa Group to promote the availability, market ramp-up and use of SAF as an essential element for a CO2-neutral future of aviation. The Lufthansa Group is already the largest SAF customer in Europe and aims to remain one of the world's leading airline groups in the use of sustainable kerosene. The MoU builds on Shell's ambition to have at least ten percent of its global aviation fuel sales as SAF by 2030. Reference Link

13:34 EDT FTC says Opendoor to pay $62M under proposed administrative order - The Federal Trade Commission announced that it took action against online home buying firm Opendoor Labs for "cheating potential home sellers by tricking them into thinking that they could make more money selling their home to Opendoor than on the open market using the traditional sales process." The FTC alleged that Opendoor pitched potential sellers using "misleading and deceptive information" and that under a proposed administrative order, Opendoor will have to pay $62M and "stop its deceptive tactics." Reference Link

12:32 EDT Bausch Health credit cut at S&P on 'much more challenging' prospects - S&P Global Ratings lowered its issuer credit rating on Bausch Health to "CCC+" from "B" and lowered its rating on the senior secured debt to "B" from "BB-." An oral order last week opens a pathway to generic competition for Bausch's top product much earlier than S&P's previous base case that where would be no generic competition before 2028. The ratings agency now views Bausch's business prospects as "much more challenging," increasing the risk that the company will be unable to refinance or repay its "sizable" debt maturities beyond 2026. This increases the likelihood Bausch will pursue debt repurchase or exchange transactions "that we could consider tantamount to a default," S&P said in a statement.

12:04 EDT Chevron appoints Alana Knowles as VP, controller - Chevron Corporation announced the appointment of AlanaKnowles as vice president and controller, effective March 1, 2023. Knowles will succeed David Inchausti, who will resign from that position effective February 28, 2023, and is expected to retire from the company in April 2023, after 35 years of service. Knowles will lead Chevron's accounting policy and external reporting, financial reporting and analysis, internal controls and digital finance organizations. She will report to Pierre Breber, Chevron's vice president and chief financial officer.

12:00 EDT SilverBow Resources falls -9.6% - SilverBow Resources is down -9.6%, or -$4.33 to $40.86.

12:00 EDT Jeld-Wen falls -15.9% - Jeld-Wen is down -15.9%, or -$2.83 to $14.95.

12:00 EDT Rite Aid rises 15.3% - Rite Aid is up 15.3%, or $1.26 to $9.49.

11:58 EDT BMW recalls certain i4, iX vehicles in North America over battery issues - According to the NHTSA, BMW of North America is recalling certain 2022-2023 iX xDrive50, iX M60, 2022 i4 eDrive40, and i4 M50 vehicles. The high voltage battery may have internal damage, resulting in an electrical short-circuit. Owners are advised not to drive or charge their vehicles, and to park outside and away from structures until the remedy is complete. Dealers will replace the high voltage battery, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed September 19, 2022. Reference Link

11:48 EDT Valneva confirms signing of amendment to APA with EC - Valneva SE confirms the signing of the amendment to its Advance Purchase Agreement, or APA, with the European Commission, or EC, following expiration of the Member States' opt-out period, as announced by the company on July 20. Under this amendment, the Member States' purchases of VLA2001, Valneva's inactivated whole-virus COVID-19 vaccine, consist of 1.25 million doses of VLA2001 in 2022, with the option to purchase an equivalent quantity later this year for delivery in 2022. The company expects to deliver the first vaccine doses to participating EU Member States - Germany, Austria, Denmark, Finland, and Bulgaria - in the coming weeks.

11:05 EDT Orbital Energy rebrands to Orbital Infrastructure Group - Orbital Energy Group announced the rebranding of the company to Orbital Infrastructure Group to align with the Company's infrastructure strategy, and its continued expansion and market diversification. In addition to rebranding the Company, OIG has relocated its corporate domicile from the State of Colorado to Texas. Effective August 1, 2022, the Company will begin trading on the Nasdaq under the ticker symbol "OIG." "Earlier this year, the company discontinued its Orbital Gas Services operation and has completely transformed to be a provider of infrastructure solutions serving electric power, telecommunications, and renewable customers. The Orbital Infrastructure Group brand better represents our infrastructure strategy and the service platform that is now established," said Jim O'Neil, OEG's Vice-Chairman & CEO. "Furthermore, the OIG brand is more congruent with our mission to provide solutions to our customers that contribute to reducing the Nation's carbon footprint. In conjunction with the name and domicile change, OIG has redesigned and upgraded its website, which will go live on or before August 15, 2022.

11:02 EDT Materion establishes facility in Milwaukee, Wisconsin - Materion Corporation announced that it has established a new facility in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to accelerate the growth of advanced chemical solutions for the semiconductor and electric vehicle battery markets. The new 150,000 square foot facility expands the company's capacity to produce Atomic Layer Deposition materials for the most sophisticated semiconductor chips and provide advanced chemicals for the development of next-generation battery technology for EV's. Production capabilities are expected to ramp up during the first half of next year. Building on Materion's existing portfolio of electronic materials and premium thin film target solutions, the expansion of its ALD capabilities will significantly enhance the company's position as a leading global supplier to the high-growth semiconductor industry. The move follows the company's successful 2021 acquisition of the HCS-Electronic Materials business, which added tantalum- and niobium- based solutions to Materion's portfolio of precious and non-precious metal targets, extending the company's global reach and expanding its position with leading semiconductor chip manufacturers. On the EV front, Materion is working with a number of leading battery manufacturers on the development of inorganic chemicals to be used in their next-generation battery solutions focused on enabling longer range, faster-charging and enhanced safety. Following a multi-year R&D partnership, one specific customer is funding $6 million to establish a prototype line in the new Milwaukee facility. Materion's relationships with next-generation battery customers are expected to further strengthen the company's already strong position as a critical supplier to the automotive market, as today the company develops advanced materials for use in a wide variety of applications that include battery and electric connectors and lidar optics.

10:59 EDT Sierra Wireless trading resumes

10:54 EDT Sierra Wireless trading halted, volatility trading pause

10:43 EDT L&F Acquisition Corp (Class A Stock) trading halted, volatility trading pause

10:41 EDT Cryo Cell International Inc trading resumes

10:38 EDT SES completes $450M acquisition of DRS Global Enterprise Solutions - SES and its wholly-owned subsidiary SES Government Solutions announced the completion of the acquisition of DRS Global Enterprise Solutions from Leonardo DRS for $450N after obtaining all the necessary regulatory approvals. The DRS GES business will be combined with SES GS to create a scaled solutions provider serving the multi-orbit satellite communications needs of the US Government and supporting missions anywhere on land, at sea, or in the air. With the combined businesses operating as SES Government Solutions, the new organization will comprise a cross-functional workforce with deep technical expertise and a proven ability to integrate and manage multi-orbit geostationary and medium earth orbit services as well as multi-operator network solutions. In particular, SES GS will offer highly flexible second-generation MEO services - via SES's soon-to-be launched O3b mPOWER system - with a unique combination of low latency and high throughput per terminal for high-value missions, to an expanded government customer base. SES GS will also leverage essential tools and expertise in cybersecurity operations, customer support, governance and compliance. The combined business will continue to serve US Government customers under the direction of the SES GS Proxy Board of Directors. The consolidation of DRS GES with SES GS is expected to unlock $25 million of annualized run-rate synergies, with government becoming SES's largest data business segment in terms of revenue. The combined business will be led by David Fields, who assumes responsibilities on August 1, 2022 as appointed by the SES GS Proxy Board. Fields has over 30 years of experience in the satellite communications and information technology services industries, and joins SES GS from DRS GES. He succeeds Brigadier General Pete Hoene, USAF who, after 11 years at the helm of SES GS and decades of dedicated service in the satellite communications arena, will take his retirement.

10:30 EDT Outset Medical trading resumes

10:04 EDT Deere appoints Felicia Pryor as SVP, CPO - Deere & Company (DE) announced that Felecia Pryor will join its senior leadership team as Senior Vice President and Chief People Officer effective August 15. In this newly created role, Pryor will have responsibility for the company's human resources, labor relations, enterprise security, aviation, and brand and communications functions. She will report directly to John May, Deere & Company chairman and CEO. In her most recent position, she was executive vice president and chief human resources officer at BorgWarner (BWA).

10:02 EDT Comcast Business, Fortinet partner for SASE, SSE solutions - Comcast Business (CMCSA) announced a strategic partnership with Fortinet (FTNT) to deliver enterprises a new set of secure access service edge, and security service edge solutions to help enterprises protect their distributed workforces using a cloud-delivered approach to security policy enforcement. This collaboration expands Comcast Business's managed services expertise, while giving enterprises greater flexibility to choose the cloud architecture and vendor mix that is right for them.

10:00 EDT Aerojet Rocketdyne falls -8.9% - Aerojet Rocketdyne is down -8.9%, or -$3.90 to $39.79.

10:00 EDT Jeld-Wen falls -20.6% - Jeld-Wen is down -20.6%, or -$3.66 to $14.12.

10:00 EDT Pearson rises 12.5% - Pearson is up 12.5%, or $1.16 to $10.42.

09:47 EDT Full Truck Alliance falls -15.5% - Full Truck Alliance is down -15.5%, or -$1.32 to $7.17.

09:47 EDT Jeld-Wen falls -21.3% - Jeld-Wen is down -21.3%, or -$3.78 to $14.00.

09:47 EDT Pearson rises 11.4% - Pearson is up 11.4%, or $1.05 to $10.31.

09:45 EDT MAIA Stock trading resumes

09:40 EDT Lemonade sells Metromile's Enterprise Business Solutions platform to EIS - Lemonade (LMND) announced the close of its divestiture of Metromile's (MILE) Enterprise Business Solutions to digital insurance platform, EIS. EBS was Metromile's SaaS claims automation and fraud detection platform which it licensed to large insurance carriers. The all-cash transaction was completed following the close of Lemonade's acquisition of Metromile last week. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, a Stifel Company, acted as financial advisor in connection to the transaction.

09:39 EDT VRAX Stock trading resumes

09:35 EDT MarketWise holder Stansberry bought 706,249 shares - In a regulatory filing after Friday's close, it was disclosed that Frank Porter Stansberry, a 10% owner of MarketWise shares, bought 706,249 shares of the common stock in transactions over July 27 and 28 that had a total value of about $1.88M.

09:35 EDT Travelzoo trading resumes

09:34 EDT Powerbridge regains compliance with Nasdaq minimum bid price rule - Powerbridge Technologies announced that it has regained compliance with the minimum bid price requirement under the continued listing requirements of the Nasdaq Stock Market. On July 29, 2022, the Company received a written notification from Nasdaq's Listing Qualifications Department stating that the closing bid price of the Company's common shares has been $1.00 per share or greater for 10 consecutive trading days, from July 15, 2022 to July 28, 2022. Hence, the Company has regained compliance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(a)(2) and this matter is now closed.

09:30 EDT Connexa enters integrated tech partnership with Rhineland Tennis Federation - Connexa Sports Technologies announced an integrated technology partnership with Rhineland Tennis Federation. Through this partnership, Connexa will become the Federation's 'Official Tennis Analytics Partner,' as well as bring its suite of technologies and products to the nearly 40,000 coaches and members. This roll-out includes connected camera systems for pro-level live streaming and performance video, ball launchers for training and on-court work, and AI capabilities for personalized biomechanical and match play analysis.

09:26 EDT Seven Arts enters partnership with Ascended Entertainment - Seven Arts Entertainment informs shareholders of new partnerships and provide additional updates. On July 20, 2022, Seven Arts established a new partnership with Ascended Entertainment. Ascended was formerly a west coast production company now operating in the Atlanta market. Ascended will oversee postproduction film work for Seven Arts, and its subsidiary, Muse Media. Postproduction tasks overseen by Ascended would include, but not limited to, film editing and ADR on Seven Arts/Muse projects. Ascended will maintain an office at Seven Arts' Atlanta facilities and Postproduction work will be performed on site. Additionally, the Company has retained a Pro Tools certified engineer to oversee all of Seven Arts/Muse audio mixing and production needs. Both additions to Seven Arts/Muse come in anticipation of the upcoming completion of the Company's Atlanta production facilities. The Company believes the infrastructure it is developing places it ahead of the curve as Atlanta continues to cement itself as the East Coast's Hollywood. Finally, as previously announced, the Company continues to address the small convertible note it had taken last year to cover fees inherited by new management. On July 29, the Company submitted to the lender a Debt Settlement Agreement. The Company is confident after prior negotiations that the Agreement will be entered in the coming days.

09:14 EDT UCC Networks expands communication portfolio with Lumen - UCC Networks will now sell Lumen Technologies' portfolio of technology solutions, including voice and network capabilities. As a Lumen Channel Partner Program member, UCC Networks can scale and leverage the integrated portfolio of global solutions provided by Lumen-spanning network, infrastructure and applications to enable greater adaptability for customers, helping address the growing demand for technology services in the market.

09:11 EDT Badger Meter appoints WEC Energy CFO Xia Liu to board - Badger Meter (BMI) announced that Xia Liu, executive VP and CFO of WEC Energy Group (WEC), has been appointed to its board of directors. The appointment of Liu increases the size of the board to ten members.

09:09 EDT Cepton appoints Dr. Liqun Han to Chief Operating Officer - Cepton announced the appointment of Dr. Liqun Han to Chief Operating Officer, overseeing the Company's product development and operations teams. In the newly created role, Dr. Han will continue to lead execution of Cepton's flagship ADAS lidar program and drive product success to support the Company's growing presence across automotive and smart infrastructure markets. Since joining the Company in 2016, Dr. Han has led Cepton's product development, commercialization and operational excellence teams as Vice President of Operations, and most recently as Senior Vice President of Operations. Under his leadership, Cepton has met key milestones in support of the industry's largest known ADAS lidar series production program, and expanded engagements with the top 10 automakers across the globe.

09:08 EDT Pitney Bowes announces joint partnership with Narvar - Pitney Bowes and Narvar announced a joint partnership to help retail brands streamline their processes for merchandise returns. The new partnership between the post-purchase innovators will enable brands using both Narvar and Pitney Bowes to test and automate finding the right balance between convenience and cost in returns, and exchanges.

09:07 EDT Spok announces Calvin Rice promoted to CFO, effective immediately - Spok Holdings announced the promotions of Michael W. Wallace to president of Spok, Spok's wholly owned operating subsidiary, and Calvin Rice to chief financial officer of Spok, effective immediately. Wallace will retain his role as chief operating officer of Spok, which he has held since January 2020. He will continue to be responsible for operations, professional services, marketing, and maintenance/customer support. Wallace will continue to report directly to Vincent Kelly, chief executive officer of Spok. In his new role, Rice will report directly to Vincent Kelly and will take over the financial operations responsibilities previously held by Wallace. During his eight-year career at Spok, Rice has had the responsibility for technical accounting policy, SEC reporting, revenue accounting, and most recently as chief accounting officer and controller. Prior to Spok, Rice worked at the accounting firm of SC&H Group. Rice is a graduate of Towson University and is a certified public accountant. . Kelly will continue in his role as president and CEO of Spok as well as CEO of Spok, Inc.

09:07 EDT CURE Pharmaceutical to host teleconference with investors - CURE Pharmaceutical Holding announced that the Company will be hosting a teleconference with management on Wednesday, August 3, 2022, at 5:00 pm Eastern Time to discuss the recent $20 million non-dilutive sale of a small portion of its product and intellectual property portfolio and to provide a business update. As a business update we would like to note the following with respect the public entity currently trading under the CURR symbol which will be expanded upon during the teleconference: The Company retained its exclusive rights to all Nutraceutical Nutri-Strip branded products and will continue to develop future products using the technology, including innovative IP in the beauty and pet categories. The Company owns the rights to a robust family of patents in many areas including, CBD, Cannabis, psychedelics, extraction, topicals and other Phyto Nutrient actives and is actively pursuing international transactions to monetize the IP with interested parties. There can be no assurances that we can consummate a transaction under terms acceptable to the company, but we will continue to work with these and other interested parties. The Company will continue to invest in the clinical development of other molecule delivery technologies and is engaged in exploratory discussions with other third parties. with interest in partnering these assets and while there is definite interest there is no guarantee that those discussions will lead to a partnership. The Company's wholly-owned subsidiary The Sera Labs now has the working capital to relaunch and build the Seratopical Revolution line. The Company recently shipped to over 1,200 Walmart stores as well as to CVS and Bed, Bath and Beyond and looks to aggressively grow Seratopical Revolution into a global brand. As will be further discussed on the teleconference, the Company intends to execute on its strategy of being a broad platform technology company, creating new innovative technology and intellectual property with the intention of monetizing the pipeline and building the The Sera Labs brands that build shareholder value in the future including through further non-dilutive funding transactions.

09:06 EDT Benefitfocus names Rumzis as Chief Technology Officer - Benefitfocus announced Ed Rumzis will be named as its new Chief Technology Officer effective August 8, 2022. In this role, Rumzis will oversee Benefitfocus' global engineering, platform and cybersecurity teams and lead the growth, evolution and innovation of the Benefitfocus technology portfolio. Most recently, Rumzis was the CTO at bswift.

09:05 EDT Fortune Brands acquires Aqualisa for $160M - Fortune Brands announced it has acquired Aqualisa. Aqualisa is a U.K. manufacturer of shower products known for smart digital shower systems and exceptional customer care. With the acquisition of Aqualisa, Water Innovations will have access to an expanded shower product offering across price points, technology and geographies, driving additional growth for the combined business. Founded in 1976, the company produces and distributes shower products primarily under the Aqualisa brand. Aqualisa is headquartered in Westerham, U.K., with approximately 260 associates. Fortune Brands completed the acquisition on July 29 for a price of approximately $160M, which represents roughly eight times post-synergy EBITDA.

08:58 EDT Boqii updates status under Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act - Boqii provided an update on its status under the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act. The company is aware that it has been identified by the SEC under the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act on July 29. Such identification may have resulted from the company's filing of the annual report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended March 31. This indicates that the SEC has determined that the company used an auditor, whose working paper cannot be inspected or investigated completely by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board of the United States to issue the audit opinion for the company's financial statements for the fiscal year ended March 31,2022. In accordance with the HFCAA, a company will be delisted from a U.S. stock exchange if such company has been identified by the SEC for three consecutive years due to PCAOB's inability to inspect the auditor's working paper. Boqii will continue to monitor developments and has been actively exploring possible solutions to best protect the interest of its stakeholders. The company also notes that this update has no impact on its business operations. Boqii will strive to maintain its listing status on the NYSE.

08:50 EDT Evofem completes last subject last visit in Phase 3 trial of Phexxi - Evofem announced that the last subject has completed her last visit in EVOGUARD, the company's registrational Phase 3 trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of Phexxi for the prevention of chlamydia and gonorrhea infection in women. There are no prescription pharmaceuticals approved to prevent these sexually transmitted infections. Top-line data from EVOGUARD is expected in October 2022. Evofem expects positive outcomes would enable the company to submit regulatory applications in the first half of 2023 to the FDA to expand Phexxi's approved indications to include prevention of urogenital chlamydia and gonorrhea in women. Phexxi is currently approved in the U.S. for the prevention of pregnancy. The CDC estimates that 4.0 million and 1.6 million new cases of chlamydia and gonorrhea, respectively, occurred in 2018. The FDA has granted Fast Track designation and "Qualified Infectious Disease Product" (QIDP) designation to Evofem's product candidate for the prevention of both chlamydia and gonorrhea in women.

08:46 EDT Evoke Pharma recognizes Gastroparesis Awareness Month - Evoke Pharma announced their ongoing collaboration with the International Foundation for Gastrointestinal Disorders for Gastroparesis Awareness Month celebrated in August each year. Alongside the IFFGD, Evoke and EVERSANA's goal for the month is to help improve general understanding and awareness of gastroparesis to help patients and families manage the condition. To kick off the season of support for those living with gastroparesis this year, Evoke and EVERSANA participated in the IFFGD's 2022 Virtual Digestive Health Wellness and Walk Event from July 9 - July 16 to help raise funds for gastrointestinal illness research. With a combined total of 3.1 million steps taken during the period of the event, employees from Evoke and EVERSANA, under Team GIMOTI, proudly finished in first place and contributed to the IFFGD's research grant.

08:45 EDT Cryptyde, Argo Energy announce energy program development agreement - Cryptyde announced the recent signing of an Energy Program Development Agreement with Argo Energy. Cryptyde expects the program will help the Company source locations to house and operate the infrastructure required for it to offer Bitcoin mining services, including co-location services, over the coming years. Argo Energy will assist Cryptyde in identifying power delivery and site development solutions for the infrastructure needed by Cryptyde to offer Bitcoin mining services. Cryptyde aims to mitigate the effects of potential rising and unpredictable energy costs while reducing harmful carbon emissions by employing a comprehensive combination of solar and other renewable sources. Cryptyde believes the approach of ultimately using sustainable energy will add financial and operational efficiency to their Bitcoin mining service while diminishing environmental impact. "We believe this agreement puts us in a good position to satisfy the energy needs of our crypto mining solutions business in an environmentally and socially conscious manner," says Brian McFadden, CEO of Cryptyde. "We plan on generating approximately 150 megawatts of power availability through this agreement, providing us another crucial piece in our ability to launch and support cost effective consumer mining opportunities," added McFadden.

08:44 EDT Mullen Automotive opens Auomotive Development Center in Irvine, California - Mullen Automotive announces the opening of a new Automotive Development Center at 100 Technology Drive, Irvine, CA, 92618. Located in the heart of Irvine's technology corridor and in close proximity to the Irvine Spectrum Center, the 16,000-square-foot facility at 100 Technology Drive, Irvine, CA, 92618, is now open in support of Mullen's expanding automotive team. As the company continues to grow, various Automotive teams are being strategically split between the Mullen Monrovia and Irvine locations. Currently, it is planned that Irvine Automotive Development Center will be home to the Engineering Design and Development, Styling, Program Management, Marketing and Finance teams, whereas Battery, Powertrain, Thermal, and Infotainment teams will be located at the High-Voltage Facility in Monrovia, California.

08:43 EDT Abercrombie & Fitch director Felix Carbullido steps down - Abercrombie & Fitch (ANF) announced a change in its Board of Directors. Effective today, Felix Carbullido will no longer serve on Abercrombie & Fitch Co.'s Board. After three years with the company, Mr. Carbullido is stepping down from A&F Co.'s Board due to an increase in responsibilities given his newly appointed role as President of the Williams Sonoma brand of Williams-Sonoma (WSM).

08:41 EDT Catalyst Biosciences urges shareholders to vote for Catalyst nominees - Catalyst Biosciences published a detailed investor presentation in advance of its upcoming 2022 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, scheduled to be held on August 15, 2022. The company said, "The presentation highlights the current Board's commitment to returning all of its available cash to stockholders. It also reiterates the overall strength of the Catalyst Board of Directors and encourages Catalyst stockholders to reelect the Company's three highly qualified nominees by voting "FOR" ALL nominees on the WHITE proxy card. Key highlights from the presentation include: The Catalyst Board has taken decisive action to change the Company's strategy and maximize stockholder value. The Board initiated a comprehensive review of strategic alternatives, which resulted in the monetization of a portion of the Company's product portfolio for significant value. The Company then reduced operating expenses, shrunk the workforce to six employees, ceased all R&D, and sold lab equipment and other assets. The Board is committed to distributing all of the Company's available cash expeditiously to stockholders, after reserving for liabilities and obligations. The Company has committed to announcing a record date for a substantial distribution of cash to stockholders as soon as the litigation with JDS1 and the proxy contest are resolved. If the litigation and proxy contest are concluded soon and without much additional expense, the Company expects that initial distribution to be $45 million. The Company estimates that it may ultimately be able to provide stockholders up to $65 million in cash, in one or more distributions, and will continue to pursue the monetization of the Company's remaining assets, which may generate additional value. In addition, the Board appointed the Company's largest single stockholder1 as an observer to the Board's Transaction Committee to help oversee the management of this ongoing effort. JDS1 is effectively blocking the Cash Distribution Plan. The Catalyst Board cannot distribute cash to stockholders without first understanding the full extent of the Company's liabilities and obligations. The Company must reserve enough cash to satisfy its obligations. Unfortunately, JDS1, through its proxy contest and litigation, is creating uncertainty about our ongoing and future liabilities and obligations by, among other things, suing the Company for unspecified damages. We believe JDS1's actions are driven by its desire to control Catalyst's cash. JDS1 and the Singer family have a history of obtaining control or seeking to obtain control of cash-rich companies, then having those companies sign investment management contracts with Singer family entities. We are concerned, given the Singer family's track record at CCUR Holdings and Symbolic Logic, that JDS1 is seeking to gain control of Catalyst's cash for the benefit of the Singer family and associates. The Board and each of the Company's nominees were instrumental in developing our Cash Distribution Plan and are fully committed to implementing it. The Board is focused on distributing the Company's available cash as soon as practicable and will continue its efforts to monetize the Company's remaining assets. On the other hand, JDS1's nominees have no differentiated suggestions for improving Catalyst; they do, however, have numerous and longstanding ties to each other and the Singer family. Our Board has determined that the best way to maximize value for stockholders is to monetize the Company's assets and distribute available cash to stockholders. We encourage stockholders to support Catalyst's Board of Directors and the Cash Distribution Plan."

08:40 EDT Apollo Global publishes 13th annual ESG report - Apollo Global Management published its 13th annual ESG report, Driving a More Sustainable Future. For the first time, the report includes disclosures aligned with the recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures. The report was also informed by several other recognized frameworks, including the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and provides a comprehensive overview of Apollo's sustainability strategy and the firm's ongoing efforts to create positive impact at scale. "For over a decade, we have been stewards of ESG integration, embedding sustainability into our business, culture and operations. This past year has been about building on our strong foundation to maximize impact at every touchpoint and engaging our employees at every corner of the company," said Marc Rowan, CEO of Apollo. "We continue to make progress against our goal of supporting energy transition and decarbonization efforts, and we have remained focused on expanding opportunity to contribute to a more inclusive economy. We recognize we need to do more, and we are committed to taking deliberate actions that leverage the full Apollo ecosystem to help drive a more sustainable future."

08:38 EDT Qualigen reports QN-247 readout in triple negative breast cancer in vivo model - Qualigen Therapeutics announces it has completed its in vivo efficacy analysis of QN-247 in solid tumors. Data demonstrates robust efficacy and no safety signals in a triple negative breast cancer model. The Company has been conducting in vivo testing on multiple potential indications. QN-247 demonstrated a robust efficacy signal and showed no adverse events or toxicities at the tested therapeutic dose in an animal model for triple negative breast cancer, a rare, highly aggressive and difficult to treat form of breast cancer. QN-247 demonstrated a favorable safety profile with stable body weights throughout the study. Qualigen believes the encouraging efficacy and safety results in TNBC animal model warrant further investigation and future investment. Michael Poirier, Qualigen's Chief Executive Officer, commented, "We are encouraged by these positive results and believe there are significant opportunities to evaluate which indications for QN-247 merit further development. We are also on schedule toward becoming clinical-stage with another oncology asset, namely, the IND submission of our lead therapeutic program QN-302, in the coming months for the potential treatment of G-Quadruplex expressing solid tumors such as pancreatic cancer, among other cancers. We currently have sufficient cash to execute on our near-term plans. Notwithstanding our current cash position, we have positioned the Company to raise capital should the need arise, based on the emerging strength of our multiple programs across both pillars of our business, therapeutics, and diagnostics, and we determine that market conditions are more favorable. Our focus for 2022 remains on execution and achieving our value driving milestones," Mr. Poirier added.

08:37 EDT Stealth Biotherapeutics enters agreement for going private transaction - Stealth BioTherapeutics has entered into a definitive Agreement and Plan of Merger with Stealth Parent, an exempted company with limited liability incorporated under the law of the Cayman Islands, and Stealth Merger Sub, an exempted company with limited liability incorporated under the law of the Cayman Islands and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Parent, to be acquired by a consortium of investors led by Morningside Venture Investments for itself and on behalf of its affiliates and J. Wood Capital in an all-cash transaction. Merger Sub will merge with and into the company with the company being the surviving company and becoming a wholly-owned subsidiary of Parent. Each ordinary share, par value 0.03c per share will be cancelled and cease to exist, in exchange for the right to receive 3.125c in cash without interest and each outstanding ADS, representing 12 shares, will be cancelled in exchange for the right to receive 37.5c in cash without interest. The Per ADS Merger Consideration represents a premium of 34.4% to the closing price of the company's ADSs on June 24, and a premium of 43.9% to the average closing price of the company's ADSs during the last 30 trading days prior to its receipt of the original "going-private" proposal. The Consortium intends to fund the Merger through cash contributions from members of the Consortium. The company's Board approved the Merger Agreement and the Merger. The Merger, expected to close during the second half of 2022, is subject to customary closing conditions. Morningside Venture, Season Pioneer and Equal Talent have agreed to vote all of the shares and ADSs they beneficially own, which represent approximately 65% of the voting rights attached to the total outstanding Shares of the company in favor of the authorization and approval of the Merger. If completed, the Merger will result in the company becoming a privately-held company and its ADSs will no longer be listed on NASDAQ.

08:36 EDT DCP Midstream releases annual Sustainability Report - DCP Midstream published its third annual Sustainability Report. The report, titled "Fundamentally Sustainable" includes a comprehensive discussion of environmental, social, and governance strategies, as well as outcomes from the 2021 calendar year. The report includes initial alignment with the recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures providing enhanced descriptions on internal assessment and management practices around sustainability and climate-related matters, including relevant risks and opportunities to the business. Sustainability highlights from 2021 include: A 23% reduction in Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions since 2018 versus a goal of a 30% reduction by 2030, inclusive of an 8% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in 2021; An 80% reduction in volume of hydrocarbon spills greater than one barrel since 2018; Multiple company safety records, including number of days worked without an OSHA recordable injury and the fewest number of recordable injuries in a single year; Awarded the Environmental Excellence Award from the GPA Midstream Association for the sixth time in the twelve-year history of the award; Executed the energy industry's first ESG-linked accounts receivable securitization facility, including ESG-linked KPIs that increase or decrease certain fees based on DCP's safety and emissions performance; Established a board level Sustainability Committee to provide oversight of sustainability-related matters including enhanced governance around environmental, social and governance strategies, activities, and performance; Progressed inclusion and diversity outcomes, including an increase in female and diversity representation in leadership, creation of a women's mentorship program, and a dedicated full-time resource to lead these efforts; Joined the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion, a network of over 2,000 signatories across 85+ industries, committed to advancing diversity and inclusion in the workplace; Achieved a four-point improvement in our Employee Satisfaction score and a six-point increase in our Employee Belonging score

08:35 EDT Kearny Financial board authorizes new stock repurchase plan up to 4M shares - Kearny Financial announced that the Board of Directors has authorized a new stock repurchase plan to acquire up to 4,000,000 shares of the Company's outstanding common stock. In conjunction with this announcement, the Company also announced the completion of its previously disclosed stock repurchase plan which authorized the repurchase of 7,602,021 shares. Such shares were repurchased at a cost of $96.8 million, or $12.73 per share.

08:34 EDT HeartSciences expects to resubmit FDA De Novo submission in current FY - As of April 30, 2022, cash and cash equivalents were $918,000. "The ECG is a ubiquitous, relatively low-cost, simple and quick test; it is portable and can be performed in a wide range of clinical settings by a non-specialist clinician or clinical aide. Our objective is to help address one of the most significant needs in healthcare by making an ECG a far more valuable cardiac screening tool, particularly in frontline or point-of-care clinical settings," commented, Andrew Simpson, Chief Executive Officer of HeartSciences. "... Based on feedback from the previous FDA De Novo submission in late 2019 and subsequent interaction with the FDA, multiple changes have been incorporated into the device and associated documentation. Importantly, the majority of patients have already been recruited for our new, pivotal clinical validation study for our proposed FDA De Novo resubmission. The study is expected to be a 575-patient clinical validation study. We currently expect to resubmit for FDA De Novo clearance in the current fiscal year, and the FDA's De Novo classification authorization process generally takes from five to twelve months from the date the application is submitted."

08:33 EDT Scansource appoints Alex Conde to Chief People Officer - ScanSource announced the appointment of Alex Conde to Chief People Officer. In this role, Conde will lead the Company's global People & Culture team, focusing on advancing ScanSource's talent and recruitment strategies, culture-focused initiatives and overall People success. Prior to this role, Conde served as President of ScanSource Brazil. He joined ScanSource in 2011 through the acquisition of CDC Brasil, a leading distributor of AIDC and point-of-sale solutions in Brazil. In 2015, he led the acquisition of Network1, a value-added provider of communications solutions. Conde was instrumental in the seamless integration of the two company's management teams and structure, helping to build ScanSource Brazil into the thriving business it is today.

08:32 EDT Rush Street Interactive, Bingo World enter partnership - Bingo World and Rush Street Interactive announced the launch of in-person sports betting at the BetRivers Sportsbook at Bingo World at 12:00 pm Eastern Time. Eligible bettors, 21 and over, will be able to place a wide array of bets at the new retail sportsbook on a variety of U.S. and worldwide sporting events, including parlays, prop bets and in-game bets, through 12 self-service kiosks as well as three over-the-counter machines to place bets.

08:31 EDT Celsius Holdings announces long-term strategic distribution pact with PepsiCo

08:27 EDT Siyata Mobile to showcase PoC SD7 device at APCO conference - Siyata Mobile announces it will showcase its SD7 rugged mission-critical push-to-talk over cellular device with companion VK7 in-vehicle kit, and a full suite of cellular boosters at the APCO International Conference held on August 7 - 10 in Anaheim, California

08:26 EDT Foothills Exploration provides drilling operations update on Houser-Sears #6 - Foothills Exploration provides an update to drilling operations on the Houser-Sears #6 well. Foothills' direct subsidiary, Anaconda Energy, reports that its partner, Benchmark Properties, has provided an update on its drilling operations previously announced at the Jasper, Illinois property. Foothills' direct wholly-owned subsidiary, Anaconda Energy, owns a 50% working interest in the Houser-Sears #6 well with the remaining 50% interest divided amongst industry partners. The primary objectives were the Aux Vases San, Upper McClosky Limestone and McClosky Dolomites. The secondary objectives are the St. Louis Lime and Salem Lime. "We are excited about the potential to produce from six pay-zones but more importantly the offset drilling potential that this well provides given the new geological information obtained," said Alex Hemb, CEO of Anaconda Energy. "The plan is to complete the well in the St. Louis Limestone initially, and then look to complete the McCloskey Dolomite a few months later," continued Hemb.

08:25 EDT Fangdd announces change of independent registered public accounting firm - Fangdd Network Group announced that the audit committee of the Company's board of directors approved, on July 29, 2022, the dismissal of KPMG Huazhen and the engagement of Audit Alliance as the Company's independent registered public accounting firm to audit and report on the consolidated financial statements of the Company for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2022. The audit reports of KPMG on the consolidated financial statements of the Company as of and for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020 did not contain any adverse opinion or disclaimer of opinion, nor were they qualified or modified as to uncertainty, audit scope, or accounting principles. During the two fiscal years ended December 31, 2021 and the subsequent interim period through July 29, 2022, there were no disagreements between the Company and KPMG on any matter of accounting principles or practices, financial statement disclosure, or auditing scope or procedures, which disagreements if not resolved to the satisfaction of KPMG would have caused them to make reference in connection with their opinion to the subject matter of the disagreement, or reportable events pursuant to Item 16F(a)(1)(v) of the instructions to Form 20-F, except that as of December 31, 2020 and 2021, the Company did not maintain effective internal control over financial reporting due to one material weakness identified relating to the lack of sufficient financial reporting and accounting personnel with appropriate understanding of U.S. GAAP to implement formal period-end financial reporting policies and procedures, to address complex U.S. GAAP technical accounting issues, and to prepare and review our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures in accordance with U.S. GAAP and financial reporting requirements set forth by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. During the two fiscal years ended December 31, 2021 and the subsequent interim period through July 29, 2022, neither the Company nor anyone on its behalf has consulted with Audit Alliance on either the application of accounting principles to a specified transaction, either completed or proposed, or the type of audit opinion that might be rendered on the Company's financial statements, and neither a written report nor oral advice was provided to the Company by Audit Alliance that Audit Alliance concluded was an important factor considered by the Company in reaching a decision as to any accounting, auditing or financial reporting issue, or any matter that was the subject of a disagreement, as that term is defined in Item 16F(a)(1)(iv) of Form 20-F or a reportable event as set forth in Item 16F(a)(1)(v) of Form 20-F.

08:23 EDT Vaxxinity presents preclinical data on Tau vaccine candidates - Vaxxinity presented new preclinical data on vaccine candidates targeting aberrant forms of the Tau protein for Alzheimer's disease during a poster session at the 2022 Alzheimer's Association International Conference. Tau is an intracellular protein known to misfold and accumulate in neurons in the form of neurofibrillary tangles in the brain of AD patients. The formation of NFTs correlates with the progression of AD symptoms and may even develop prior to the first symptoms of the disease. Thus, targeting pathological Tau before the onset of AD symptoms, such as memory decline, could help prevent disease and/or progression Vaxxinity's proprietary synthetic peptide-based technology platform enables both the targeting of endogenous proteins like Tau, and the combination of multiple epitopes/targets within a single formulation, a unique property that may prove critical in the prevention and treatment of neurodegenerative diseases where multiple pathologies may underlie disease progression. Preclinical data demonstrate that our Tau peptide lead vaccines are highly immunogenic and induce antibodies that display diverse binding profiles against different forms of Tau peptides. Binding specificities of antibodies against diverse Tau species were confirmed by ELISA, dot blot, and Bio-Layer Interferometry analyses. Furthermore, using cell-based models, we show that the antibodies induced by our lead vaccines prevent intracellular aggregation of Tau and that this effect reflects a blockade of Tau uptake into cells rather than a direct blockade of Tau aggregation per se.

08:21 EDT AppHarvest announecs $50M in USDA-guaranteed funding - AppHarvest announced that it secured $50M across two loans guaranteed by the United States Department of Agriculture, USDA, through Greater Commercial Lending, GCL, a subsidiary of Greater Nevada Credit Union. The financing supports AppHarvest's high-tech indoor berry farm in Somerset, Kentucky, which is about 84% complete and expected to be operational by year-end. "Securing non-dilutive sources of capital to fund our growth has been a top priority since going public early last year, and I'm pleased with our team's ability to source lower-cost funding in a higher-cost lending environment," said AppHarvest President David Lee. "This funding agreement with the USDA allows us to continue to scale operations as we plan to bring the Somerset farm and two additional CEA (controlled environment agriculture) facilities online before the end of the year, which would quadruple our farm network and diversify our product portfolio to include berries and salad greens." The USDA guarantees 80% of the GCL-arranged financing for the Somerset berry facility through its USDA Rural Development Business and Industry Initiative and the USDA Rural Development program. Each loan has a 23-year term with a rate that resets every five years based on the Federal Home Loan Bank five-year advance rate plus 340 basis points and is interest-only for the first three years.

08:21 EDT ToughBuilt launches 93 products on Amazon Italy, Amazon Germany - ToughBuilt Industries announced that the Company has started to sell 93 ToughBuilt products on Amazon.It and Amazon.de.

08:16 EDT Zscaler Internet Access achieves FedRAMP High authorization from JAB - Zscaler announced that Zscaler Internet Access achieved Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program High Authority to Operate from the FedRAMP Joint Authorization Board. This federal government certification enables ZIA to meet civilian agencies' high security requirements, as well as those of the Department of Defense and other intelligence organizations. ZIA is currently the only Secure Access Service Edge Trusted Internet Connections 3.0 solution that has achieved FedRAMP's highest authorization.

08:16 EDT BioCardia announces first Canadian clinical site for CardiAMP trial - BioCardia announces the activation of Ottawa Heart Institute, the first Canadian clinical investigational site for the CardiAMP Cell Therapy Heart Failure Trial. "The Ottawa Heart Institute is the first of four planned world-class Canadian clinical sites able to enroll patients in the CardiAMP Cell Therapy Heart Failure Trial," said Dr. Peter Altman, BioCardia CEO. "Our expectation is that each site will contribute six patients per year to the ongoing pivotal trial enrollment in the U.S. and facilitate completion of this important pivotal trial. We are honored to be working with the team at Ottawa Heart."

08:14 EDT Terex Materials Processing acquires ProAll, no terms disclosed - Terex Materials Processing announced the acquisition of the Canadian company ProAll, a specialist producer of mobile volumetric concrete mixers. ProAll's volumetric mixers provide make-to-order, mobile concrete delivery that eliminate concerns over delivery time between a concrete plant and a job site by delivering ingredients that are mixed locally and to the exact specifications of each job.

08:12 EDT Apexigen completes business combination to become publicly listed - Apexigen announced the closing of its previously announced business combination with Brookline Capital Acquisition (BCAC), a special purpose acquisition company. Gross proceeds from this transaction totaled $19M, which included funds held in BCAC's trust account and a concurrent private placement investment in public equity financing. The combined, publicly traded company will operate under the name Apexigen, and its common stock will commence trading on the Nasdaq Capital Market on August 1, 2022, under the ticker symbol "APGN." Apexigen's management team will continue leading the combined company. "Today marks an important turning point for Apexigen as we become a publicly listed biopharmaceutical company, poised to provide innovative solutions to overcome outstanding challenges in oncology," said Xiaodong Yang, M.D., Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Apexigen. "This successful transaction propels our business forward, unlocks value for our stockholders, and enhances our ability to meet the needs of patients. Emerging data across our broad Phase 2 development program suggest there is significant opportunity for lead candidate sotigalimab, a potentially first-in-class and best-in-class CD40 agonist, to provide meaningful clinical benefit across multiple solid tumor indications. Sotigalimab's encouraging and favorable safety profile may allow for combination with numerous other therapies, including PD-1 and other checkpoint inhibitors, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, cell therapies, and cancer vaccines. We believe sotigalimab has the potential to become a backbone of combination therapy to treat patients with cancer. With the opportunity for multiple potential approval pathways, we believe we are well-positioned to achieve value-creating milestones, including presentation of emerging data from ongoing Phase 2 trials. Given the broad therapeutic potential for sotigalimab, we will pursue opportunities for strategic partnerships to maximize the value of this important program."

08:10 EDT Candel Therapeutics appoints three new members to board of directors - Candel Therapeutics (CADL) announced the appointment of three new members to its Board: Gary Nabel, MD, PhD, renowned virologist and immunologist; Joseph C. Papa, prominent business leader; and Renee Gaeta, strategic financial expert, effective August 8, 2022. These new members replace current Board members: Alan Smith, PhD, Shaan Ghandi, MD, D.Phil, and Udi Meirav, PhD, maintaining Candel's nine-seat board. Dr. Gary Nabel currently serves as Chief Innovation Officer of OPKO (OPK). Joseph Papa has more than 35 years of experience in the pharmaceutical, health care and specialty pharmaceutical industries. In July 2022, he stepped down as chair of Bausch + Lomb's (BLCO) Board and will remain CEO until his successor is appointed. Renee Gaeta serves as Chief Financial Officer at Eko Devices, a privately held cardiopulmonary digital health company.

08:08 EDT Nexstar extends employment pact of CEO, Perry Sook, through March 31, 2026 - Nexstar Media Group announced that its Board of Directors has extended the employment agreement of Chief Executive Officer, Perry A. Sook, through March 31, 2026. In addition to his responsibilities as Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Sook also serves as the Company's Chairman and he remains a top shareholder of the Company. Mr. Sook founded Nexstar Media Group in 1996 and has served as Chief Executive Officer since that time. During his tenure, Mr. Sook has spearheaded the Company's transformative growth.

08:07 EDT Portage Biotech CEO commented on FY22 results - "Over the past year and in recent weeks we have continued to execute on Portage's development strategy, leveraging our industry network to identify and efficiently develop novel opportunities to improve the landscape of immuno-oncology treatment for patients with cancer," said Dr. Ian Walters, Chief Executive Officer of Portage Biotech. "The transactions we announced recently are a reflection of this core strategy, including the acquisition of four promising adenosine-targeting assets from Tarus Therapeutics, and acquisition of the outstanding minority ownership interest in our invariant natural killer T cell platform from iOx Therapeutics. With these transactions we have elevated our pipeline and also enhanced the potential value proposition to our shareholders. We also strengthen our research endeavors with the Cooperative Research and Development Agreement we announced in April, subsequently amended to include our new adenosine assets, and expanded our academic partnerships with new collaborations with Stanford and the University of Birmingham. Supporting these efforts we completed a $30 million committed share purchase agreement with Lincoln Park Capital, potentially extending our cash runway into 2024. We are prepared to advance our newly acquired adenosine assets and continue the clinical progress of our iNKT agonists, along with our broader portfolio of immuno-oncology therapies, to make important strides toward numerous milestones on the horizon."

08:06 EDT Applied Blockchain appoints Regina Ingel as CMO - Applied Blockchain announced the promotion of Regina Ingel from Executive Vice President of Operations to Chief Marketing Officer effective August 1, 2022. Ingel had served as the Company's Executive Vice President of Operations since April 2021. In her new role as CMO, Ingel will lead Applied Blockchain's fully integrated marketing strategy to support the Company's next stage of accelerated growth and further market penetration, including corporate branding, community outreach, communications, marketing, investor relations, and social media engagement programing. Ingel joined Applied Blockchain shortly after its founding as Executive Vice President of Operations.

08:05 EDT Wallbox, EVmatch announce partnership - Electric vehicle sharing software and technology provider EVmatch and Wallbox announced a partnership focused on increasing charging accessibility and choice for EV drivers by allowing customers on the EVmatch platform to search for and charge at Wallbox chargers throughout the U.S. through an OCPP integration.

08:04 EDT Akari Therapeutics discontinuing clinical program evaluating nomacopan in BP

08:03 EDT Akari Therapeutics prioritizes two programs in pipeline focus - Akari Therapeutics announced that it is prioritizing two pipeline programs. Cash and resources will be reallocated to the Phase 3 clinical trial of nomacopan in severe pediatric hematopoietic stem cell transplant-related thrombotic microangiopathy, with Part A data expected in the first half of 2023, and to the promising pre-clinical program of PAS-nomacopan in geographic atrophy that has generated positive pre-clinical results. Akari is discontinuing the clinical program evaluating nomacopan in bullous pemphigoid. The decision to narrow the pipeline focus is based on Akari's thorough reassessment of development timelines and associated costs to maximize value in its pipeline. It is not related to BP clinical trial data and the company is not restructuring or reducing headcount.

08:02 EDT Armata Pharmaceuticals: FDA clears IND application for AP-SA02 in PJI - Armata Pharmaceuticals announced that the U.S. FDA has cleared Armata's Investigational New Drug application for AP-SA02 in prosthetic joint infection. The company is initiating start-up activities for the Phase 1b/2a trial that will explore the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics of intravenous and intra-articular doses of AP-SA02 as an adjunct to standard of care antibiotics in subjects with PJI.

07:55 EDT Aileron Therapeutics extends cash runway through end of 1Q24

07:50 EDT Liquidia announces publication of long-term clinical data from INSPIRE study - Liquidia announced the publication of clinical data from the completed INSPIRE study evaluating YUTREPIA inhalation powder, formerly known as LIQ861, in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension in the journal Pulmonary Circulation. This publication reports clinical outcomes of PAH patients treated with YUTREPIA who were naive to prostacyclin therapy or transitioning from nebulized Tyvaso. The average length of treatment was approximately one year, with patients rolling into an open-label safety extension trial at varying times between 8 to 18 months. Observations noted in the publication include: YUTREPIA can be safely titrated using a dry powder inhaler to doses comparable to 24 breaths of Tyvaso, indicating that a wide range of therapeutic doses can be more easily administered in just a few breaths compared to nebulizers. Naive patients can safely achieve known therapeutic levels within 2 months and titrate to doses above the recommended, comparable dose range of 9-12 breath of Tyvaso. Both Naive and Transition patients maintained or improved in exploratory measures of clinical efficacy; however, the study was not designed or controlled to make definitive statements. INSPIRE Study. The pivotal, open label INSPIRE study enrolled 121 adult PAH patients naive to prostacyclin and patients who transitioned from nebulized Tyvaso. The primary objective of the study was to evaluate the safety and tolerability of YUTREPIA as measured by the incidence of adverse events and Serious Adverse Events after 2 months of treatment. A total of 113 out of 121 completed the 2-month treatment phase. Top line data showing that the INSPIRE study met its primary objective were released in April 2020 and presented at the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation Virtual Congress. The pivotal data served as the basis for the New Drug Application for YUTREPIA, which received tentative approval by the US Food & Drug Administration in November 2021. The INSPIRE protocol allowed patients to continue treatment with YUTREPIA beyond the primary endpoint at Month 2. The average length of treatment during the INSPIRE study was approximately one year, with patients rolling over into an open label extension trial at varying times between 8 to 18 months. A total of 69 patients completed at least 12 months of treatment in the INSPIRE study. Upon completion of the INSPIRE study, YUTREPIA had been evaluated at doses ranging from 26.5 mcg to 212 mcg four times daily. At Month 12, 79% of Transition patients and 91% of Naive patients achieved a dose greater than or equal to 79.5 mcg YUTREPIA, the comparable dose to 9 breaths of Tyvaso, four times a day. There were no study drug-related SAEs. Most AEs experienced during the study were mild to moderate in severity and consistent with the known side effects of inhaled treprostinil therapy. The safety observations generally did not hinder patients' ability to continue treatment with YUTREPIA and titrate to higher doses as needed. The INSPIRE study was not designed or powered to evaluate a specific efficacy-related hypothesis; however, exploratory endpoints of clinical efficacy were collected, with the following observations: 6MWD. A slight increase in the 6MWD in Naive and Transition patients, with larger increases evident in the Transition group which remained stable at Month 12. NYHA Functional Class. An increase in the percentage of patients in New York heart Association Functional Class I and II for both Naive and Transition groups, compared with baseline, was observed at Month 2 and maintained at Month 12. The data at Month 2 was presented at American Thoracic Society 2020 International Conference. PAH Risk Score. A higher percentage of patients had two or more low risk criteria at Months 2, 4, 8, and 12. At Month 12, the percentage of patients meeting 2 or 3 low-risk criteria was 59.0% for Naive patients and 67.8% for Transition patients. NT-proBNP levels. Variable changes in the levels of N-terminal-pro hormone BNP with no clear trends in Transition patients, though Naive patients saw a progressive decline from Month 4 to Month 12. Quality of Life. Overall, there was a clinically meaningful improvement from baseline to Month 2 and Month 4 in Minnesota Living with Heart Failure questionnaire total score, with significant decreases in both emotional and physical dimension scores in both patient groups. The MLHFQ was not administered after Month 4. Device preference. All the Transition patients preferred or strongly preferred the YUTREPIA device when surveyed about their preferences compared to nebulized Tyvaso at Month 4. While the INSPIRE trials provide approximately one year's safety data, data from an ongoing open-label extension study will provide up to three years of long-term safety and clinical effectiveness information for YUTREPIA in PAH.

07:38 EDT Catalyst Biosciences says JEC agrees to vote in favor of Catalyst's nominees - Catalyst Biosciences announced that it has reached an agreement with its largest single stockholder, JEC II Associates, under which JEC has committed to vote all of the Catalyst shares over which it has voting authority in favor of Catalyst's nominees for the Board of Directors on the Company's WHITE proxy card at the Company's upcoming 2022 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, scheduled to be held on August 15, 2022. In addition, Michael Torok, the Managing Director of JEC, has been appointed as an observer to the Transaction Committee of the Company's Board of Directors, effective immediately. Separately, the Board has committed to distributing a significant portion of the Company's available cash to stockholders and announcing a record date for that distribution within five business days following the conclusion of the Company's Delaware litigation and proxy contest with JDS1, assuming that no other litigation arises beforehand. The company said, "If the litigation and proxy contest are concluded soon and without much additional expense, the Company expects that initial distribution to be $45 million. As the Company stated in a letter to stockholders on July 19, 2022, we estimate that we may ultimately provide stockholders up to $65 million in cash, in one or more distributions, and we continue to pursue the monetization of our remaining assets that may generate additional value. Catalyst urges other stockholders to join JEC in supporting the Cash Distribution Plan by voting "FOR" ALL nominees on the WHITE proxy card."

07:36 EDT Verrica Pharmaceuticals announces start of Phase 3 trial of VP-102 - Verrica Pharmaceuticals announced that Torii Pharmaceutical dosed the first patient in its Phase 3 trial of VP-102 for molluscum contagiosum in Japan, triggering an $8M milestone payment from Torii to Verrica. "We are pleased to see Torii dose the first patient in its Phase 3 trial of VP-102 for the treatment of molluscum contagiosum in Japan," said Ted White, Verrica's President and Chief Executive Officer. "The prevalence of molluscum contagiosum in Japan is estimated at 1.6 million cases annually, and we look forward to continuing our partnership with Torii in the Japanese market to potentially address this unmet need." In March 2021 Torii exercised its option to acquire the exclusive license to develop and commercialize Verrica's product candidates for the treatment of molluscum contagiosum and common warts in Japan. Under the terms of the License Agreement, Torii made up-front payments of an aggregate of $12M with up to an additional $58M in aggregate payments contingent on achievement of specified development, regulatory, and sales milestones, in addition to tiered transfer price payments for supply of product in the percentage range of the mid-30s to the mid-40s of net sales. Torii is responsible for all development activities and costs in support of obtaining regulatory approval in Japan.

07:35 EDT Draganfly appoints Greenberg as Chief Legal Officer - Draganfly announces Deborah Greenberg, Former Chief Information and Chief Legal Officer at Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, has joined Draganfly's executive team as Chief Legal Officer, CLO.

07:33 EDT Fennec announces up to $45M investment from Petrichor - Fennec Pharmaceuticals announced up to a $45M investment from Petrichor Healthcare Capital Management. Under the terms of the investment agreement: Subject to customary closing conditions, Petrichor will purchase $5M of senior secured promissory notes which are convertible into Fennec common shares at a price per share of $8.11 based upon a 20% premium to the 5-day VWAP immediately prior to announcement of the investment. The Company intends to repay in full its existing secured indebtedness with Bridge Bank before the first closing; An additional $20 million to be funded upon the potential U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval of PEDMARKTM by September 30, 2022 and satisfaction of other closing conditions. Fennec upon mutual agreement with Petrichor may draw up to $20 million of additional financing under the investment agreement; and The notes have a five-year term and bear interest at a rate equal to the US Prime Rate plus 4.5%, with 3.5% of the interest paid in kind for the first twenty-four months. Rosty Raykov, chief executive officer of Fennec, said, "Petrichor is a premier healthcare-dedicated investment firm who has worked with us to structure this transaction, which provides substantial capital and flexibility to support the launch and commercialization of PEDMARKTM, if approved. We appreciate the confidence that Petrichor is demonstrating in Fennec and the potential market opportunity for PEDMARKTM as we await a decision from the FDA by the September 23, 2022 PDUFA target action date."

07:32 EDT Zovio to divest OPM business to University of Arizona Global Campus - Zovio announced that it has closed on an agreement to transition its online program management business to the University of Arizona Global Campus. Continuing to execute on its strategic alternatives process, Zovio and UAGC negotiated, signed and closed on an asset purchase agreement with an effective date of July 31, 2022, after receiving approval from their respective Boards of Directors. Under the asset purchase agreement, UAGC is acquiring Zovio's operations and assets that previously provided services to UAGC through a long-term Strategic Services Agreement. Zovio will continue to support the continued growth and expansion of Fullstack Academy and simultaneously explore strategic alternatives for that business.

07:25 EDT Auddia says 88% of radio stations in faider app enabled with AI algorithm - Auddia announced it has applied its next generation AI algorithm to deliver an improved commercial-free listening experience to 88% of the radio stations within the faidr mobile app. In late June, the Company announced it had made a major improvement to its core AI algorithm and had deployed the new advanced algorithm for the first time across approximately 10% of faidr stations. Auddia also announced its plans to apply its new AI algorithm to an additional 80% of stations by the end of July, and to the final 12% of stations by the end of Q3. The Company has now achieved its goal of deploying its advanced AI algorithm across 88% of stations by the end of July.

07:23 EDT Lucira Health reports inducement grants under Nasdaq listing rule - Lucira Health announced that on July 27, 2022, the Board of Directors of Lucira granted inducement awards consisting of 1,051,405 restricted stock units under Lucira's 2022 Inducement Plan. The Board of Directors approved the awards as an inducement material to the new employees' employment in accordance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(c)(4). The RSUs will vest over four years, with 25% of the underlying shares vesting on the one year anniversary of the applicable vesting commencement date and 1/16th of the underlying shares vesting quarterly thereafter, subject to the new employees' continued service relationship with Lucira through the applicable vesting dates. The awards are subject to the terms and conditions of Lucira's 2022 Inducement Plan and the terms and conditions of an applicable award agreement covering the grant.

07:22 EDT Aclaris Therapeutics expands leadership team - Aclaris Therapeutics announced the appointment of Douglas Manion, M.D., FRCP, as President and Chief Operating Officer, COO. Dr. Manion will be responsible for overseeing day-to-day operations, continuing to develop Aclaris' infrastructure and helping Aclaris develop its vision and overall strategic direction alongside Neal Walker, Aclaris' CEO, and Aclaris' board of directors. Dr. Manion most recently served as Executive Vice President of Research and Development at Arena Pharmaceuticals. Dr. Manion's appointment is effective August 1, 2022. In connection with his appointment, Dr. Walker will no longer serve as the President, but will continue to serve as Aclaris' Chief Executive Officer.

07:21 EDT Beam Therapeutics drops 12% to $54.99 after FDA places hold on BEAM-201 IND

07:18 EDT NorthWestern appoints Larson to board of directors - NorthWestern Corporation (NWE) announced that its board of directors recently elected Kent Larson as a director to a term commencing immediately. Larson has over 38 years of experience in the utility industry with Xcel Energy (XEL), retiring in 2020 as its executive vice president and group president. The addition of Larson will increase the NorthWestern Energy board to nine members. Only one board member, CEO Bob Rowe, is an employee of the company.

07:17 EDT Bitfarms mines 500 bitcoin in July - Bitfarms provided a Bitcoin production and mining operations update for July 2022. "In July we completed The Bunker Phase 2, reached full production at Leger, and added new production in Washington state, increasing total capacity by 21% to 166 megawatts," said Ben Gagnon, Chief Mining Officer of Bitfarms. "We partially offset new miner installations at this location with miner redeployments resulting in growth in our hashrate to 3.8 exahash, up 6% from 3.6 EH/s at the beginning of July. Unseasonably high temperatures in Quebec and Washington state late in the month also slightly lowered miner productivity and affected our corporate hashrate. With cooler temperatures and the completion of remaining miner redeployments, as well as the installation of new miners, we expect our hashrate will exceed our 4 EH/s target in August." Mining Production: 3.8 EH/s online as of July 31, 2022, 270% from July 2021 and 6% from June 30, 2022. 500 new BTC mined during July 2022, up 28% from July 2021, and up 19% from June 2022. 16.1 BTC mined daily on average in July, equivalent to about US$384,279 per day and approximately US$12 million for the month based on a BTC price of US$23,900 on July 31, 2022

07:15 EDT W3BCLOUD to become public through Social Leverage Acquisition Corp I combination - Social Leverage Acquisition Corp I announced that it has entered into a definitive business combination agreement with W3BCLOUD Holdings, a storage and compute infrastructure provider for Web3. Upon closing of the transaction, the company will be named W3BCLOUD, Inc., and shares of W3BCLOUD's common stock are expected to trade on a national exchange. The transaction values the combined company at an enterprise value of $1.25B. The company will receive up to $345M in proceeds from SLAC's cash in trust. Additionally, W3BCLOUD has received commitments for $40M from ConsenSys, SK Inc. and others for new investments in connection with the transaction and has an agreement with AMD for an additional equity investment of $10M, each of which is subject to certain conditions. The parties intend to raise additional capital of up to $100M post-announcement, though there is no guarantee that such funds will be able to be raised on favorable terms or at all. It is estimated that through this transaction, W3BCLOUD will receive approximately $445M in cash to its balance sheet assuming $100M of additional capital raised post-announcement, no redemptions of shares of common stock held by SLAC's shareholders and after estimated transaction expenses. Existing W3BCLOUD shareholders will roll 100% of their equity in the transaction and are expected to own approximately 66% upon transaction close. W3BCLOUD shareholders have the potential to receive an earnout of additional shares of common stock of the combined company if certain stock price targets are met as set forth in the definitive business combination agreement. The transaction, which has been unanimously approved by the boards of directors of W3BCLOUD and SLAC, is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2022, subject to, among other things, SEC review, approval of SLAC shareholders, regulatory approvals, and the satisfaction of other customary closing conditions. Upon closing, the combined operating entity will continue to be led by Sami Issa as CEO and Wael Aburida as CFO, along with an experienced management team. Joseph Lubin, founder of ConsenSys and co-founder of Ethereum, will remain on W3BCLOUD's board of directors. Lubin has established himself as a guiding force in the blockchain industry and a powerful advocate of decentralized technology. The chairman of SLAC, Paul Grinberg, will join the board of the new combined company. Grinberg has 35 years of experience in M&A and advising, running, and serving on the boards of numerous public and private companies. He currently serves as the chairman of Axos Financial, Inc., the holding company for Axos Bank, a digital-first bank that provides consumer and commercial banking products through its low-cost distribution channels and affinity partners. Sami Issa and Wael Aburida will join the board of directors.

07:15 EDT Baker Hughes to sell Oilfield Services business in Russia to local management - Baker Hughes has signed an agreement to sell its Oilfield Services business in Russia to its local management team. The agreement follows on the Company's previously announced suspension of new investments for its Russia operations and commitment to comply with appliable laws and sanctions. The new business will operate independently of Baker Hughes - including an independent brand - and it will assume all current OFS Russia assets, liabilities and commercial obligations. The transaction is expected to close in the second half of 2022, subject to the approval of local authorities. The Company is committed to supporting its employees throughout this process and ensuring an orderly transfer for its customers and relevant parties.

07:13 EDT Arvinas appoints Northcott as CCO - Arvinas (ARVN) announced that John Northcott has joined the company in a newly created position of Chief Commercial Officer, CCO. Northcott most recently served as CCO for Nektar Therapeutics (NKTR).

07:10 EDT ALX Oncology's evorpacept receives FTD from FDA - ALX Oncology (ALXO) announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, FDA, has granted Fast Track designation, FTD, to evorpacept, a next generation CD47 blocker, in combination with KEYTRUDA, Merck's (MRK) anti-PD-1 therapy, for the first-line treatment of adult patients with PD-L1 positive advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, HNSCC. The FDA's decision is informed by the results of ALX Oncology's phase 1 clinical trial, ASPEN-01, that showed preliminary antitumor activity and a favorable safety profile in checkpoint inhibitor-naive patients with second-line or greater advanced HNSCC treated with evorpacept and pembrolizumab. "The FDA's Fast Track designation for the first-line treatment of HNSCC with evorpacept in combination with pembrolizumab builds upon evorpacept's prior Fast Track designation in the first-line HNSCC population in combination with pembrolizumab and standard chemotherapy highlighting the potential clinical utility of evorpacept in this difficult-to-treat disease," said Sophia Randolph, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Medical Officer, ALX Oncology. "We are pleased by the patient enrollment progress being made across our HNSCC phase 2 program as we seek to advance evorpacept to help patients living with this disease."

07:09 EDT Avalo Therapeutics transfers AVTX-007 to Apollo Therapeutics - Avalo Therapeutics and Apollo Therapeutics Group Limited have entered into a worldwide, exclusive license agreement granting rights to Apollo to research, develop, manufacture and commercialize AVTX-007, Avalo's anti-IL-18 monoclonal antibody product. Under the terms of the agreement, Apollo will assume responsibility for the future development of AVTX-007, including the ongoing clinical trial. Apollo will lead future clinical development in its selected therapeutic indications. "This transaction is critically important to Avalo. It extends our cash runway and allows us to increase our focus on our lead molecule, AVTX-002, and our ongoing phase 2 PEAK trial evaluating AVTX-002 for the treatment of non-eosinophilic asthma," said Garry Neil, MD, President and Chief Executive Officer of Avalo Therapeutics. "Furthermore, we are excited to transition camoteskimab to a capable and well-funded partner in Apollo Therapeutics whom we expect will progress the development of this promising asset to the potential benefit of patients and our collective financial interests." Pursuant to the license agreement, Avalo will receive within 5 days of execution of the agreement $5 million of upfront fee and an additional approximately $10 million as consideration for transfer activities. Apollo will also pay Avalo up to $74 million of milestones, as well as a royalty payment of a low single digit percentage of annual net sales.

07:07 EDT Builders FirstSource announces assumptions for 2022 - The Company's anticipated 2022 performance is based on several assumptions, including the following: Market change across our geographies in single family starts down mid-single digits, multi-family starts to be up in the low double digits; and R&R projected to be up in the low to mid- single digits; Acquisitions completed within the last twelve months are projected to add net sales growth of 6% to 7%; One fewer selling day in the fourth quarter of 2022 versus 2021 or approximately 0.3%; Depreciation and amortization expenses in the range of $460 million to $480 million, including approximately $180 million of amortization related to intangible assets acquired in the BMC merger. Total depreciation projected to be $190 million and total amortization projected to be $280 million for the full year 2022; Total capital expenditures in the range of $275 million to $325 million; Free cash flow in the range of $2.5 billion to $3.0 billion, assuming average commodity prices in the range of $700 to $1,000; Interest expense in the range of $175 million to $185 million; An effective tax rate between 23.0% to 25.0%.

07:06 EDT EyePoint doses first patient in Phase 2 Clinical Trial in wet AMD - EyePoint announced that the first patient has been dosed in the Phase 2 DAVIO 2 clinical trial of EYP-1901, an investigational sustained delivery anti-vascular endothelial growth factor treatment for wet age-related macular degeneration, or wet AMD. The company anticipates initial topline data from our Phase 2 trial in the second half of 2023. The primary efficacy endpoint of the DAVIO 2 trial is change in best corrected visual acuity compared to the aflibercept control six-months after the EYP-1901 injection. Secondary efficacy endpoints include change in central subfield thickness as measured by optical coherence tomography, time to first supplemental anti-VEGF, and safety. EYP-1901 is being developed as an investigational sustained delivery treatment combining a bioerodible formulation of EyePoint's proprietary Durasert delivery technology with vorolanib, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor.

07:03 EDT USA Compression and Callon Petroleum launch Dual Drive compression at Eagle Ford - USA Compression (USAC) and Callon Petroleum (CPE) announced the start-up of multiple Dual Drive compressors at Callon's locations in the Eagle Ford Shale. The Dual Drive compression service offering, which is currently only offered by USA Compression, offers customers the ability to contract for natural gas compression services powered by either natural gas or electricity, providing operators the ability to significantly decrease greenhouse gas emissions from their operations. The concept of Dual Drive Compression system is to combine a natural gas-driven engine and an electric-driven motor to switch from natural gas to electricity depending on operating constraints to compress natural gas.

07:00 EDT Colgate-Palmolive to purchase three dry pet food plants for $700M - Colgate-Palmolive plans to purchase three dry pet food manufacturing plants in the U.S. from Red Collar Pet Foods for $700M to support the global growth of its Hill's Pet Nutrition business. The plants - in Orangeburg, South Carolina; Clinton, Oklahoma; and Washington Court House, Ohio - will be integrated into Hill's global supply network to produce dry pet food for Hill's Science Diet and Prescription Diet brands. The purchase agreement includes the transfer of the approximately 350 employees involved in the dry pet food operations. Hill's is currently building a new canned pet food manufacturing facility in Tonganoxie, Kansas, scheduled to begin production next year, and in April completed the acquisition of a canned pet food plant in Italy, also to meet demand for its science-led pet nutrition diets. The acquisition is not expected to have a material impact on diluted EPS in 2022. Red Collar, an Arbor Investments portfolio company, will manage the dry pet food private label business for a transition period and will continue to own and operate its pet treats business and facilities.

06:54 EDT Global Payments to acquire EVO Payments for $34.00 per share in cash

06:38 EDT Valvoline to sell global products business to Aramco for $2.65B in cash - Valvoline announced that it has reached a definitive agreement with Aramco for the sale of Valvoline's Global Products business for $2.65B in cash. Upon completion of the sale, Valvoline expects to use the majority of the anticipated net after-tax cash proceeds of approximately $2.25B to accelerate the return of capital to shareholders through share repurchases, with the remaining portion used for debt reduction and to invest. Following the closing of the transaction, Valvoline will own the Valvoline brand for all retail services purposes globally, excluding China and certain countries in the Middle East and North Africa, while Aramco will own the Valvoline brand for all products uses globally. Valvoline and Aramco will expand their existing partnership to ensure that Valvoline's iconic brand is managed in a consistent and holistic manner. In addition, Valvoline will procure motor oil and related products from the Global Products business through a long-term supply agreement. Completion of the transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals. The transaction is targeted to close in late calendar year 2022 or early 2023. Valvoline, operating solely as a retail services business, will be led by Sam Mitchell, CEO, and Lori Flees, president. Based on currently available information, the company expects Retail Services sales of approximately $1.5B in fiscal 2022, an increase of more than 20% from fiscal 2021.

06:34 EDT CGI Inc. to repurchase 939,000 of its shares held by CDPQ for $106.51 per share - CGI announced that it intends to enter into a private agreement with CDPQ for the purchase for cancellation of 938,914 of its Class A subordinate voting shares held by CDPQ for a price of $106.51 per Class A Share, which represents a discount to the closing price on July 29 of the Class A Shares on the Toronto Stock Exchange. The transaction will be made in connection with the periodic portfolio rebalancing of CDPQ. Once completed, CDPQ will continue to hold approximately 22.5M Class A Shares, representing approximately 9.5% of CGI's total outstanding shares. A favourable decision was obtained from the Autorite des marches financiers, or AMF, to exempt CGI from the issuer bid requirements under applicable securities legislation. The transaction will be entered into at a discount, in accordance with the decision of the AMF, and is expected to be entered into later and settled on August 2. The share repurchase will be made under CGI's normal course issuer bid, or NCIB, the renewal of which was announced on February 2. Under the NCIB, CGI is authorized to repurchase up to 18,781,981 Class A Shares by February 5, 2023. The NCIB allows for purchases outside the facilities of the TSX by private agreements pursuant to exemption orders issued by securities regulators. As at July 29, CGI had repurchased 5,088,959 Class A Shares under its current NCIB.

06:31 EDT Beam Therapeutics announces FDA clinical hold on BEAM-201 IND application - Beam Therapeutics announced that on Friday, July 29, the company was informed via e-mail communication from the U.S. FDA that the BEAM-201 Investigational New Drug application for the treatment of relapsed/refractory T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia/T cell lymphoblastic lymphoma has been placed on clinical hold. BEAM-201 is a potent and specific anti-CD7, multiplex-edited, allogeneic chimeric antigen receptor T cell development candidate. The BEAM-201 IND was submitted at the end of June. The FDA indicated they will provide an official clinical hold letter to Beam within 30 days. Beam plans to provide additional updates pending discussion with the FDA.

06:20 EDT Macau reports July casino revenue down 95.3% to 398M patacas - Macau's gaming bureau reported July gross revenue from games of fortune in the region was down 95.3% year-over-year to 398M patacas. Publicly traded companies in the Macau gaming space include Las Vegas Sands (LVS), MGM Resorts (MGM), Wynn Resorts (WYNN) and Melco Resorts (MLCO). Reference Link

06:07 EDT Energous and Flagship deploy IoT Pixel smart tags for retail - Energous announced that the first retail deployment of Wiliot Internet of Things - IoT - Pixel smart tags energized by WattUp PowerBridges has been deployed at a major retail store in Sydney. All tags in the deployment are energized by multiple Energous WattUp PowerBridges. Flagship's technology automatically tracks the movement of items in a store, fitting room, or warehouse. Wiliot IoT Pixels are low-cost, active Bluetooth tags that can be attached to nearly anything, with sensors that can monitor light, humidity, proximity, and temperature, among other inputs. In the deployment program, multiple IoT Pixels are simultaneously energized by Energous' WattUp PowerBridges, enabling them to transfer data that is bridged through the Energous transmitter which intelligently filters and relays the tag data to the Wiliot Cloud.

06:03 EDT Ensign Group acquires skilled nursing facility in Texas - Ensign Group acquired the real estate and operations of Park Manor of McKinney, a 138-bed skilled nursing facility located in McKinney, Texas. The real estate was acquired by a subsidiary of Standard Bearer Healthcare REIT, Ensign's captive real estate company, and the acquisition was effective August 1. This acquisition brings Ensign's growing portfolio to 259 healthcare operations, 26 of which also include senior living operations, across thirteen states. Ensign subsidiaries, including Standard Bearer, now owns 106 real estate assets.

05:26 EDT Xpeng delivers 11,524 Smart EVs in July, up 43% - XPeng announced its vehicle delivery results for July. XPeng recorded monthly deliveries in July of 11,524 Smart EVs, representing a 43% increase year-over-year. The company delivered 80,507 Smart EVs in total for the first seven months in 2022, representing a 108% increase year-over-year, ranking No. 1 among emerging auto brands in China. Cumulative deliveries reached nearly 220,000 as of the end of July. July deliveries consisted of 6,397 P7s, the company's smart sports sedan, 3,608 P5 smart family sedans and 1,519 G3i smart compact SUVs. In August, XPeng plans to begin accepting reservations for its new G9 SUV followed by an official launch in September.

05:22 EDT Ipsen, Marengo Therapeutics partnership to advance two Marengo candidates - Ipsen and Marengo Therapeutics announced a strategic partnership to advance two of Marengo's preclinical STAR platform-generated candidates into the clinic. The collaboration will leverage Marengo's proprietary R&D expertise of a novel mechanism of T cell activation with Ipsen's global oncology footprint for clinical development and commercialization. Under the terms of the agreement, Ipsen will make an upfront payment of $45M, together with potential payments up to a total of $1.59B if all milestones are met in addition to tiered sales royalty payments. Marengo will lead the preclinical development efforts and will expense related costs until the submission of an investigational new drug, or IND, application to the FDA. Ipsen will assume responsibilities for clinical development and commercialization. Collectively, the Ipsen and Marengo teams have a proven track record of successful oncology-medicine development and commercialization to maximize the potential of candidates across a large range of cancer indications.

05:18 EDT Celyad announces CYAD-101-002 trial hold lifted by FDA - Celyad announced that the FDA has lifted the clinical hold on the CYAD-101-002 Phase 1b trial after the company made changes to the eligibility criteria for the trial.

05:14 EDT Boeing to open new BR&T center in Japan in cooperation with METI - Boeing announced it is opening a new Boeing Research and Technology, or BR&T, center. The facility will focus on sustainability and support a newly expanded cooperation agreement with Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, or METI. Boeing and METI have agreed to broaden their 2019 cooperation agreement to now include a focus on sustainable aviation fuels, or SAF, electric and hydrogen powertrain technologies, and future flight concepts that will promote zero climate impact aviation. That is in addition to exploring electric and hybrid-electric propulsion, batteries, and composite manufacturing that will enable new forms of urban mobility. The BR&T - Japan Research Center will be located in Nagoya, which is already home to many of Boeing's industrial partners and suppliers. The facility will further expand Boeing's research and development footprint in the region, which includes centers in Australia, China and Korea. Boeing is fully committed to supporting Japan's SAF industry and has been accepted as the latest member of ACT FOR SKY, a voluntary organization of 16 companies that works to commercialize, promote and expand the use of SAF produced in Japan.

05:08 EDT Eledon Pharmaceuticals receives FDA clearance for tegoprubart IND - Eledon Pharmaceuticals announced that the FDA has cleared the company's Investigational New Drug, or IND, application to evaluate tegoprubart for the prevention of organ rejection in patients receiving a kidney transplant.