Stockwinners Market Radar for October 21, 2022 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

18:02 EDT United Airlines exec Hart sells 30,000 common shares - In a regulatory filing, United Airlines EVP and chief growth officer Gregory Hart disclosed the sale of 30,000 common shares of the company on October 20 at a price of $39.5426 per share.

17:29 EDT Commodore Capital reports 9.3% passive stake in Immunic - Commodore Capital disclosed a 9.3% stake in Immunic, which represents 3,766,576 shares. The filing does not allow for activism.

17:24 EDT Commodore Capital reports 9.3% passive stake in Immunic - The filing does not allow for activism.

17:15 EDT Lockheed Martin awarded $476.81M Army contract - Lockheed Martin was awarded a $476.81M hybrid contract for the Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of August 15, 2025. U.S. Army Contracting Command is the contracting activity.

17:04 EDT Mueller Water increases quarterly dividend 5.3% to 6.1c per share - Mueller Water announced that its board of directors has declared an increase to the company's quarterly dividend by approximately 5.2% to 6.1c per share from 5.8c per share, payable on or about November 21 to stockholders of record as of the close of business on November 10.

16:54 EDT BCLS Acquisition to redeem shares, won't consummate business combination - BCLS Acquisition announced that as of the close of business on October 26, the company's publicly held Class A ordinary shares, par value $0.0001, will be deemed cancelled and will represent only the right to receive their pro-rata share in the company's trust account, because the company will not consummate an initial business combination within the time period required by its Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association. The per-share redemption price for the Public Shares will be approximately $10.03. The balance of the Trust Account as of September 30 was $144,329,573, which includes $579,573 in interest and dividend income. In accordance with the terms of the related trust agreement, the company expects to retain $100,000 of the interest and dividend income from the Trust Account to pay dissolution expenses. As of the close of business on October 26, the Public Shares will be deemed cancelled and will represent only the right to receive the Redemption Amount within ten business days. The company anticipates that the Public Shares will cease trading on The Nasdaq Capital Market as of the close of business on October 26. The company's sponsor has waived its redemption rights with respect to the outstanding founder shares and private placement shares. After October 26, the company shall cease all operations except for those required to wind up the company's business.

16:31 EDT Encompass Health to build 50-bed inpatient rehab hospital in St. Petersburg, FL - Encompass Health Corp. announced it plans to build a freestanding, 50-bed inpatient rehabilitation hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida. The hospital will be located near the intersection of Tyrone Boulevard North and 9th Avenue North. Complementing local acute care services, the future hospital will serve patients recovering from debilitating illnesses and injuries, including strokes and other neurological disorders, brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, amputations and complex orthopedic conditions. In addition to 24-hour nursing care, this hospital will offer physical, occupational and speech therapies to restore functional ability and quality of life. Care will be provided by highly specialized nurses, therapists and physicians. The hospital will feature all private patient rooms, a spacious therapy gym with advanced rehabilitation technologies and an activities of daily living suite, cafeteria, pharmacy and therapy courtyard.

16:17 EDT Global Indemnity names Joseph Brown CEO, announces departure of Charlton, Mauer - Global Indemnity Group (GBLI) announced that David S. Charlton, Chief Executive Officer, and Reiner R. Mauer, Chief Operations Officer, are no longer officers or directors of GBLI, including its subsidiaries. GBLI's board of directors appointed Joseph W. Brown as its Chief Executive Officer. Brown has served as a GBLI director since December 2015 and will remain on GBLI's board of directors. Brown has close to 50 years of insurance industry experience, including prior tenures as a director, chairman, and chief executive officer of MBIA, Inc. (MBI), chairman of the board of Safeco, chairman of the board of Talegen Holdings, Inc., chairman of Noblr, and president and chief executive officer of Fireman's Fund Insurance Company.

16:06 EDT Accelerate Diagnostics in talks with FDA regarding Accelerate Arc system - According to a regulatory filing, on October 21, 2022, Accelerate Diagnostics announced it has been in recent discussions with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration regarding its Accelerate Arc system and related BC Kit. Pursuant to such discussions, the FDA has clarified that the company must obtain a 510(k) clearance in order to continue marketing and distributing the Accelerate Arc Products in the United States. The company had been listing the Accelerate Arc Products as a Class I device exempt from 510(k) clearance requirements. Additionally, the FDA requested that the company promptly take certain corrective actions, including, among other things, discontinuing the U.S. marketing and distribution of the Accelerate Arc Products for positive blood culture processing and subsequent identification by mass spectrometry for diagnostic use; removing and/or correcting all U.S. promotional information within the company's control regarding the diagnostic use of the Accelerate Arc Products as Class I devices or as devices intended as positive blood culture processing devices for subsequent identification of microorganisms by mass spectrometry; and revising/removing the company's registration and listing of the Accelerate Arc Products as Class I devices. The company intends to continue to fully cooperate with the FDA, including promptly taking the corrective actions requested by the FDA. On October 21, 2022, the company also submitted a pre-submission package to the FDA, which is intended to obtain FDA feedback regarding the company's contemplated submission of an application for 510(k) clearance for the Accelerate Arc Products. The company cannot, however, give any assurances that FDA will be satisfied with the company's actions taken in response to the matters raised by the FDA in its discussions. The company also cannot give any assurances as to the timing of the FDA's response to the company's pre-submission package or whether the company will be successful in obtaining 510(k) clearance for the Accelerate Arc Products.

16:02 EDT Volta decreases 54% of U.S. staff through furloughs, other workforce reductions - Volta announced the next step in its organizational realignment. In addition to the efforts previously announced, Volta is instituting a furlough program designed to reduce costs further and focus the company's resources on key strategic priorities. Volta has decreased 54% of U.S. full-time employees through this and other workforce reductions that began in Q2 2022. Inclusive of these latest efforts, this continued strategic focus will result in a 43% reduction in cash SG&A. Volta continues to streamline the organization and prioritize resources toward revenue-driving initiatives, including accelerating its successful digital advertising business and expanding its role as an electric vehicle charging partner for commercial properties and government agencies. Volta continues to attract new advertising clients and larger digital media budgets through direct and programmatic sales channels by delivering measurable sales outcomes for its ad partners. Volta is focused on strategic initiatives to drive public-private partnerships that align with the $7.5B of funding the Federal government has allocated toward public EV charging infrastructure buildout under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Volta is taking steps to scale its business, by outsourcing certain operations to select U.S.-based contractors and suppliers at the local level. This allows Volta to more efficiently and economically serve the increasing needs of its customers and community partners as EV adoption and the need for convenient and safe public charging infrastructure continues to grow.

14:58 EDT Teamsters say Republic Services workers in Phoenix vote to form union - 113 waste workers at Republic Services in Phoenix voted to form their union with Teamsters Local 104 to "address years of concerns on the job. They are seeking higher pay, affordable health care, and better working conditions," the International Brotherhood of Teamsters announced. Chuck Stiles, Director of the Teamsters Solid Waste and Recycling Division, said: "I want to thank everyone at Local 104 and the Teamsters Organizing Department who helped on this campaign, but most importantly, I want to thank Republic workers for sticking together and taking control of their future. Now, we will take our fight to the negotiating table for a strong first contract."

14:03 EDT Vanda Pharmaceuticals announces orphan designation for VPO-227 - Vanda Pharmaceuticals announced the Food and Drug Administration has granted orphan drug designation for VPO-227 for the treatment of cholera. "While the incidence of cholera in the U.S. is low, cholera is a widespread infectious diarrheal disease with estimated 1.4 to 4 million cases worldwide, resulting in 21,000 to 143,000 deaths annually," the company said in a statement. "This designation is an important milestone in the development of VPO-227 and highlights the need for potential new treatment options for patients who suffer from cholera and other conditions of water hyper-excretion," said Mihael Polymeropoulos, Vanda's CEO.

13:12 EDT Masimo says Politan Capital suit 'an effort to disguise its self-serving agenda' - Masimo issued the following statement in response to the complaint filed by Politan Capital Management in the Delaware Court of Chancery. The company said, "We believe this lawsuit is being initiated after the Masimo Board refused to accede to Politan's strongarm demands for Board representation, including its demand for a board seat for Politan's founder, Quentin Koffey, who has never served on a corporate board and has no relevant experience in Masimo's industry. Politan accumulated a nearly 9% stake in Masimo without any prior dialogue with the Company, and its lawsuit is an effort to disguise its self-serving agenda. Masimo's Board continues to be highly focused on serving the best interests of all shareholders. The bylaw amendments were adopted by the Masimo Board after thoughtful consideration. They are designed to improve transparency to ensure that stockholders receive information relevant to an informed vote. We reject the premise that an activist hedge fund attacking a public company should be allowed to hide its web of financial entanglements and significant financial backers."

13:02 EDT Baker Hughes reports U.S. rig count up 2 to 771 rigs

13:01 EDT Hubbell announces 7% dividend increase - The Board of Directors of Hubbell Incorporated has declared a 7% increase in its common stock dividend rate. The new annual payment of $4.48 per share, or $1.12 per quarter, compares to the former rate of $4.20 per share, or $1.05 per quarter. The dividend will be paid on December 15, 2022 to shareholders of record on November 30, 2022.

12:00 EDT Snap falls -30.3% - Snap is down -30.3%, or -$3.27 to $7.53.

12:00 EDT Biohaven Pharmaceutical rises 17.3% - Biohaven Pharmaceutical is up 17.3%, or $2.07 to $14.03.

12:00 EDT Amprius Technologies rises 24.6% - Amprius Technologies is up 24.6%, or $2.33 to $11.78.

10:56 EDT U.S. video game spending fell 4% y/y in September, says NPD - NPD analyst Mat Piscatella said that U.S. consumer spending on video game content, hardware and accessories reached $4.1B during the month of September 2022, a decline of 4% when compared to the same month a year ago. Hardware was the best performing segment during September, led by double-digit percentage growth for both PlayStation 5 (SONY) and Xbox Series (MSFT) consoles. Year-to-date total video game spending across content, hardware and accessories is now 8% lower than 2021, at $38.4B. Hardware sales in September increased 19% when compared to a year ago, the third consecutive month of double-digit % growth. Improved supply of PlayStation 5 was a primary driver of the increase, with PlayStation 5 ranking first in both unit and dollar sales. Nintendo Switch (NTDOY) ranked 2nd in unit sales among hardware platforms in the month, while Xbox Series placed 2nd in dollar sales. Other companies in the video game space include Activision Blizzard (ATVI), Electronic Arts (EA), Take-Two (TTWO), Tencent (TCEHY), Ubisoft (UBSFY), and GameStop (GME). Reference Link

10:23 EDT Huadi International Group Co trading halted, volatility trading pause

10:00 EDT Select Medical falls -15.8% - Select Medical is down -15.8%, or -$3.72 to $19.87.

10:00 EDT Snap falls -29.7% - Snap is down -29.7%, or -$3.21 to $7.58.

10:00 EDT ProShares UltraShort Bloomberg Natural Gas rises 9.3% - ProShares UltraShort Bloomberg Natural Gas is up 9.3%, or $2.19 to $25.67.

09:54 EDT Embraer announces amendments to contract with Brazilian Air Force - Embraer hereby updates the information disclosed on November 12, 2021, February 09, 2022, May 23, 2022, and August 9, 2022, regarding Contracts 002/DCTA-COPAC/2014 and 10/DCTA-COPAC/2014, entered into in 2014 amongst the Brazilian Federal Government, Embraer and one of its subsidiaries. Embraer and the Brazilian Air Force engaged in negotiations on this subject, conducting a new negotiation process, which resulted, among other matters, in the execution of amendments to the Contracts in order to reduce from 22 to 19 the total number of KC-390 Millennium aircraft to be delivered under the terms of the Contracts, definitively ending the possibility of unilateral reductions pursuant to the law; redefine and reschedule the delivery schedule, in order to distribute over time the effect of the reduction in the number of aircraft; and adjust contractual clauses in order to maintain the respective economic and financial balance. The execution of the amendments successfully concludes the negotiations between the parties regarding the Contracts. The amendments to the Contracts preserve the Company's cash flow, ensure the economic and financial viability of the KC-390 Millennium project and do not change and do not compromise the Company's guidance for 2022.

09:47 EDT Robert Half falls -15.1% - Robert Half is down -15.1%, or -$12.07 to $67.77.

09:47 EDT Tenet Healthcare falls -26.0% - Tenet Healthcare is down -26.0%, or -$14.11 to $40.21.

09:47 EDT D-Wave Quantum rises 17.3% - D-Wave Quantum is up 17.3%, or 92c to $6.25.

09:41 EDT Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc. trading resumes

09:35 EDT Verizon says 'very competitive' with market pricing - Says offerings "continue to resonate with customers." Says uptick in churn in Q3 "highly expected." Says Fios business "continues to perform very strongly." Says customers not migrating to lower priced plans. Expects CapEx to come down in FY23 and "further" in FY24.

09:31 EDT Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc. trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:17 EDT Smart for Life appoints Arthur Reynolds to board of directors - Smart for Life announced that Arthur Reynolds has been appointed to the Company's Board of Directors. Mr. Reynolds will serve on the Compensation and Audit Committees and has been appointed Chair of the Audit Committee He is the founder of Rexon Limited of London and New York where he has served as managing director.

09:12 EDT Medigus says Jeffs' Brands enters LOI to acquire Amazon marketplace brand - Medigus announced that Jeffs' Brands announced that it has entered into a non-binding letter of intent for the purchase of an Amazon Marketplace brand for $2.5 million in cash. The acquisition is subject to, among other matters, a due diligence review by the Jeffs' Brands and the negotiation and the signing of a binding definitive agreement. There can be no assurances that any component of the acquisition will proceed, nor can there be any assurance as to the final definitive terms thereof. The brand offers nutritional supplements, focusing on consumers' health, wellness, and longevity throughout their life. The brand's mission is to create premium quality supplements using safe, naturally sourced, proven ingredients combined with the best methods available in nature and science and manufactured in the United States. With estimated annualized revenues of approximately $2.7 million in 2022, the brand has more than 22,000 positive individual product reviews.

09:08 EDT Nano Labs announces breakthrough of iPolloverse distributed rendering - Nano Labs announced that its metaverse rendering platform, iPolloverse, has achieved a major breakthrough in live rendering technology to accommodate 10,000 concurrent users on the same screen and completed the creation of consensus mechanism which is more user friendly for rendering computing power. Jianping Kong, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Company, commented: "The core technical team of iPolloverse is deeply involved in the distributed rendering field and is committed to providing solutions for the high cost and high latency of traditional rendering. iPolloverse's latest rendering solution provides users with easier access, with graphics processing units being used as the node. It adopts the typical application of 3D rendering in the interactive scene of the Metaverse, which allows iPolloverse to keep in line with the computing power distribution and the trend of the user terminal to undertake rendering needs and provide a realistic user experience. In addition, iPolloverse strives to achieve an open interaction and immersive experience goal in the 3D metaverse world. iPolloverse allows tens of thousands of users to interact in real-time and at a low cost in the same scene and create a third generation of the World Wide Web lifestyle through the construction of blockchain native 3D non-fungible token."

09:05 EDT Crexendo to acquire Allegiant Networks for $2M in cash, 2.46M shares - Crexendo announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement under which Crexendo will acquire Allegiant Networks. The proposed transaction will expand Crexendo's business and footprint, particularly in Kansas and Missouri. Allegiant is a strong regional telecom and data services company offering Unified Communication as a Service, or UCaaS, Telecom Services, Managed Services, and Network Services from their headquarters in Overland Park, Kansas. The proposed transaction is a natural continuation of Crexendo's M&A strategy that is focused on adding strong companies that are currently part of our ecosystem, that use the Crexendo platform and allow Crexendo to expand its reach and offerings. Following the acquisition, Dancer will join Crexendo, serving as an executive vice president. Crexendo will acquire one 100% of the membership interests of Allegiant in exchange for cash, stock, and a buyer's note. At the closing of the transaction, Crexendo will make a payment of $2M in cash, issue 2,461,538 shares of common stock of Crexendo, which shall be Rule 144 restricted stock, and deliver a note payable in favor of Bryan Dancer for the remaining $1.1M of the purchase price, which shall be subject to offsets for breach of representations or other offsets as detailed in the acquisition agreement. shares issued in the transaction shall be fully restricted for a period of six months from the date of issuance and subject to a lock-up thereafter. Pursuant to the lock-up agreement, after six months, 25% of the shares will be permitted to be sold, with an additional 25% permitted to be sold every six-month period thereafter. The agreement further includes a "break up" fee, that is required to be paid if either party terminates the agreement prior to closing except for a breach of the Agreement or lack of regulatory approval. Closing of the transaction is expected in the fourth quarter of 2022, following receipt of approvals from certain regulatory authorities.

09:02 EDT Codere Online director Alejandro Rodino resigns - Codere Online announced that Alejandro Rodino, who has served in its Board of Directors since the consummation of the business combination between Codere Online and DD32 on November 30, 2022, has resigned as Director of the Company and been replaced by Borja Fernandez. Following Mr. Rodino's resignation, the Board appointed Borja Fernandez as Director, pending his formal appointment by shareholders at the next general shareholder meeting. He currently serves as Managing Partner for Ahorro Corporacion Financiera in Madrid.

09:02 EDT Deere's emission reduction targets validated by SBTi - Deere & Company announced that its emissions reduction targets have been validated by the Science Based Targets initiative, or SBTi. Through an independent assessment, SBTi determined that Deere's targets are consistent with what's required to keep global warming to 1.5 degrees C, which is needed to prevent the most damaging effects of climate change, according to the latest climate science. Through its SBTi targets, Deere pledged to reduce its absolute scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas, or GHG, emissions 50% by 2030 from a 2021 baseline. The company also committed to reducing its absolute scope 3 GHG emissions from purchased goods and services and use of sold products by 30% within the same timeframe.

08:58 EDT Guidewire appoints David Laker as chief sales officer - Guidewire announced the appointment of David Laker as chief sales officer, or CSO. Laker is the former senior VP, financial services and banking for North America Cloud and Technology at Oracle. He will lead Guidewire's global sales organizations, reporting to president and chief revenue officer, John Mullen.

08:55 EDT Verizon says payment trends 'at or better' than pre-pandemic levels - Says "strong balance sheet and cash flow position us well regardless of market conditions."

08:50 EDT Altamira Therapeutics announces divestiture of inner ear development assets - Altamira Therapeutics announced that it has entered into an agreement regarding the sale of certain of its legacy assets comprised of its inner ear therapeutics research and development programs and a license to use its RNA delivery technology in certain inner ear applications to a European family office in a multi-step process. This divestiture is in line with the Company's previously stated intention to divest or spin off its legacy assets in order to focus on its patented platform for RNA delivery; it was unanimously approved by Altamira's Board of Directors as being in the best interest of shareholders. In a first step, the Buyer has agreed to acquire 90% of the share capital of Altamira's subsidiary Zilentin for immediate cash consideration of $1M. Zilentin has been active in the research for novel, second generation tinnitus treatments in collaboration with leading academic partners. At the closing of such initial acquisition, Zilentin will purchase from Altamira, for immediate cash consideration of another $1M, an option that entitles Zilentin to acquire Altamira's remaining legacy assets in inner ear therapeutics, including AM-101, AM-111 and AM-125, for an upfront payment of $25M in cash upon exercise. The option may be exercised for 30 days; during this period, Altamira will take certain preparatory steps for the transfer of its four additional inner ear related subsidiaries and their staff to Zilentin. Beyond the 30 days, Zilentin will have a right of first refusal to acquire these companies until December 31, 2022 with the $25M option-exercise payment increasing by $1M per month. The option period is designed to allow Buyer and Altamira to work out the details surrounding the transaction structure and the organizational separation. Upon Zilentin acquiring the full portfolio of Altamira's inner ear development assets, Altamira will be entitled to receive milestone payments of up to $55M as well as royalties. The milestones relate to certain development or regulatory milestones, including: the opening of an IND, a successful Phase 3 and regulatory approval for AM-125 in vertigo; the regulatory approval of AM-101 in acute inner ear tinnitus; the regulatory approval of AM-111 in acute inner ear hearing loss; the grant of a license for Altamira's RNA delivery technology to Zilentin for certain targets in inner ear disorders. Within six months, it is planned that Altamira's CEO, Thomas Meyer, will become the CEO of the Zilentin Group while also continuing to serve as the principal executive of Altamira together with the current RNA leadership team. Apart from divesting its inner ear therapeutics portfolio, Altamira is also actively working towards the divestiture of its other legacy asset, the Bentrio nasal spray, in the OTC consumer health sector. Based on the progress achieved to date in a structured divestiture process, the Company remains confident to meet its objective of completing a Bentrio transaction before year-end.

08:42 EDT InterContinental reports Q3 group RevPAR up 28% vs. 2021 - Americas Q3 RevPAR was up 6.8% vs 2019. US RevPAR was up 6.2% vs 2019. EMEAA Q3 RevPAR was down just 0.1% vs 2019. CEO Keith Barr said: "Strong trading in the third quarter helped our group-wide RevPAR exceed pre-pandemic levels. Leisure stays saw rooms revenue increase 12% on 2019, while the ongoing return of business and group travel has been building each quarter through the year. RevPAR performance in the Americas was well ahead compared to three years ago and the EMEAA region was back to broadly flat on 2019 levels. Improvements in Greater China reflected the lifting of some of the Covid-related travel restrictions and, while the potential for further lockdowns there continues, we are pleased with overall group momentum."

08:42 EDT Verizon expects cost savings program to deliver $2B-$3B by 2025

08:40 EDT EPI Health, MC2 Therapeutics announce data from psoriasis survey - EPI Health and MC2 Therapeutics announced that data from a 17-question survey sponsored by the Company was published in a poster entitled, "Improving Patient Acceptability and Adherence in Psoriasis Treatment," at the 42nd Annual Fall Clinical Dermatology Conference taking place October 20-23, 2022, in Las Vegas, NV. The National Psoriasis Foundation-fielded survey was conducted to assess psoriasis patients' topical treatment experience, expectations and preferences. Most of the participants in the survey self-reported having moderate psoriasis and were using topical therapy at least once per week. The patients reported their most bothersome symptoms to be scaly appearance, bleeding/oozing, itch, and flaking. Nearly 80% of participants said they would have to notice an improvement in their symptoms in two weeks or less before discontinuing a topical treatment. In addition, 75% of patients stated they would only persevere for a week if they did not like a formulation that was prescribed for them. The formulation attributes rated most important by those surveyed were application feel, non-staining, quick absorption, non-sticky texture, ease of application, no unpleasant smell and non-greasy. When asked about formulations they had used previously the most preferred were water-based cream, oil-based foam and gel. EPI Health and MC2 Therapeutics jointly market MC2 Therapeutics' WYNZORA Cream in the US, a once-daily aqueous cream that combines the benefits of a high potency steroid plus Vitamin D for the treatment of plaque psoriasis. WYNZORA Cream demonstrates a rapid onset of action with results seen in efficacy, scale and itch as early as 1 week and continued improvement at 8 weeks. Under a Promotion and Collaboration Agreement between EPI Health and MC2 Therapeutics, EPI Health has exclusive detailing and distribution rights and the right to jointly with MC2 Therapeutics engage in promotional, regulatory and certain commercialization activities for WYNZORA Cream in the United States.

08:37 EDT Verizon outlines priorities through year end - Priorities through the end of the year include: Continue to improve traction in consumer through the holiday season and into 2023; Maintain and grow momentum in fixed wireless access and business wireless; Implement initial framework of cross functional efficiency program; Improve working capital efficiencies. Comments taken from slides for Q3 earnings conference call.

08:36 EDT Ebix provides update on the state of its business - Ebix announced provided an update on the state of its business while reaffirming a strong business outlook for the future. The Company announced that it has received inbound interest from several reputed strategic and institutional international players, for substantial investments in Ebix or/and its subsidiaries. The Company also announced that its Indian subsidiary is exploring interest from a few reputed international players in taking a substantial minority investment in EbixCash, in line with the DRHP filed already. Ebix also declared that it is presently actively utilizing the services of a few reputed international Bankers to refinance its existing loan facilities. The Company also announced that it has received an exploratory term sheet from one of its existing lenders. The Company is hopeful of an expeditious approval of its subsidiary's DRHP leading to filing of the RHP and the eventual IPO. EbixCash has received all the requisite license renewals for future periods for its various regulated businesses including foreign exchange, pre-paid card businesses, and the BBPOU licenses from the financial regulatory body governing such licenses. Two independent joint statutory auditors for the consolidated India business have audited and filed the EbixCash audit for the 3-year period ended March 2022 and expressed an unqualified opinion on both - the consolidated India business and the Indian gift card subsidiary. The Company's accounting treatment of any of its EbixCash businesses has remained unchanged across its previous and present auditors, with strict compliance to accounting standards. The Company has the oversight of a highly respected independent Board including the former SEC Economics cell chairman, Former Chairman of Bombay stock exchange, former Executive Director Reserve Bank of India, Former Deputy Managing Director of India's largest Bank SBI amongst others. On July 7th 2022, the Company announced that the Delhi Court has blocked the publishing of a short document in India, with immediate effect. Further, the Court, vide its Order, directed Google LLC and Twitter, Inc to take down relevant URLs from the Indian domain pertaining to the short report. Ebix reaffirmed its confidence in the business's continued cash generation abilities.

08:33 EDT Edible Garden announces new greenhouse grown salad kits - Edible Garden announced that the Company is adding three new, greenhouse grown, salad kits to its list of SKUs, all containing the Company's locally grown, sustainable, cut lettuce, along with everything else needed to make a salad. Two of the new salad kits will initially launch in Meijer retail locations across the Midwest.

08:32 EDT E-Home Household Service announces strategic business plan, partnership - E-Home Household Service announced that the Company's subsidiary Zhongrun Pharmaceutical has outlined new strategic business plan to expand market coverage and medical product offerings via online and offline sales networks in Fujian province, China. Zhongrun also reached partnership with top traditional Chinese medicine company Zhejiang Huisong Pharmaceutical. Pursuant to the business plan, Zhongrun will expand from the existing pharmaceutical wholesale business to the retail market through both offline and online sales channels. Zhongrun will initiate in-depth cooperation with offline pharmaceutical chain stores and with major online pharmaceutical e-commerce platforms. Wenshan Xie, Chairman and CEO of E-Home, commented: "Our new attempt to enter into the upstream processing and manufacturing industries of pharmaceuticals and healthcare products industry chain will also help the Company to further improve its profitability amid the Covid-19 epidemic and the upcoming influenza season. In addition to the new revenue stream from partnership with Huisong, we also expect that the newly launched pharmaceutical e-commerce cooperation project to generate additional sales of about RMB20 million in the next 12 months. We are thrilled to announce partnership with China's top TCM company Huisong to jointly develop our businesses in Fujian, which is another recognition to our strong local sales network and business operation."

08:11 EDT Fintech Ecosystem announces funding of trust account - Fintech Ecosystem Development Corp. announced that Revofast LLC, FEXD's sponsor, has deposited an aggregate of $1,150,000, into FEXD's trust account. Accordingly, the date by which FEXD has to consummate a business combination has been extended from October 21, 2022 to January 21, 2023. The Extension provides FEXD with additional time to complete its proposed business combination with fintech companies Rana Financial and Mobitech International.

08:09 EDT Arcutis Biotherapeutics announces survey of adults with seborrheic dermatitis - Arcutis Biotherapeutics announced results of a nationwide survey of adults with seborrheic dermatitis and the healthcare providers who treat them. The online survey was conducted by The Harris Poll on behalf of Arcutis and included 300 U.S. adults who had been diagnosed with seborrheic dermatitis by a healthcare provider. The survey found that individuals with seborrheic dermatitis often experienced a long and burdensome path to diagnosis, reporting an average of 3.6 years from symptom onset to seeking care, although patients reporting severe disease sought care within 1 year of symptom onset. In contrast, healthcare providers underestimated the time it takes for people with seborrheic dermatitis to receive a diagnosis, reporting an average of just 1.5 years. According to the survey, individuals with seborrheic dermatitis lacked awareness and education about the disease prior to diagnosis. Specifically, 71% said that they had not heard of seborrheic dermatitis and 56% found it hard to find information online about the disease. In addition, most individuals did not realize all their symptoms were due to seborrheic dermatitis, and 76% mistook their symptoms for another skin condition. "The social stigma behind skin conditions that cause visible symptoms like flaking and redness can create real and perceived barriers to diagnosis and care," said Frank Watanabe, President and Chief Executive Officer, Arcutis. "By providing more education and resources, we can help address the stigma and embarrassment that are often associated with seborrheic dermatitis, help reduce the time from symptom onset to diagnosis, and ultimately help to improve the care of those living with the condition."

08:08 EDT Mondee announces expiration, results of tender process - Mondee Holding announced that it successfully completed a tender process which, when combined with the contemplated redemption of untendered warrants, will lead to a simplified capital structure with no public warrants. Mondee's offer to purchase all of the Company's outstanding warrants that were issued and sold as part of units in connection with ITHAX Acquisition Corp.'s initial public offering and subsequently adjusted in connection with the business combination between Mondee and ITHAX Acquisition Corp. and the warrants that were privately issued and sold in connection with the ITHAX IPO based on exemption from registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, for $0.65 per share, expired at one minute after 11:59 p.m., Eastern Time, on October 17, 2022. The Company also solicited consents to amend the Amended and Restated Warrant Agreement, dated as of July 18, 2022, by and between Mondee and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, which governs all of the Warrants, to permit Mondee to redeem each outstanding Warrant for $0.01 in cash, without interest, which is approximately 98% less than the price applicable to the Offer. Pursuant to the terms of the Warrant Agreement, the adoption of the Warrant Amendment required the consent of holders of at least a simple majority of the outstanding Public Warrants as it relates to the Public Warrants and the consent of holders of at least a simple majority of the outstanding Private Placement Warrants as it relates to the Private Placement Warrants. In order to tender the Warrants in the Offer and receive $0.65 in cash for each of their Warrants, holders of the Warrants were required to execute the Consent Solicitation. Mondee has been advised that a total of 10,741,390 public warrants were properly tendered and not properly withdrawn, which amounts to approximately 89.1% of the outstanding public warrants. Pursuant to the terms of the Offer, the Company expects to pay an aggregate of $6,981,903.50 in cash in exchange for such warrants. Such payment will be made promptly. Holders of Warrants that were validly tendered and not validly withdrawn prior to the expiration of the Offer and Consent Solicitation will receive $0.65 per share for each Warrant tendered by the holder and exchanged pursuant to the Offer. The Company expects to accept all validly tendered Warrants for exchange and settlement on or before October 21, 2022. In addition, pursuant to the Consent Solicitation, the Company received the approval of holders of approximately 89.1% of the outstanding Public Warrants and none of the outstanding Private Placement Warrants to amend the Warrant Agreement, which exceeds the 50.1% required to effect the Warrant Amendment with respect to the Public Warrants and does not meet the 50.1% required to effect the Warrant Amendment with respect to the Private Warrants. The Company expects to execute the Warrant Amendment with respect to the Public Warrants concurrently with the settlement of the Offer, and thereafter, has announced that it will exercise its right in accordance with the terms of the Warrant Amendment, to acquire and retire all remaining untendered Public Warrants in exchange for $0.01 per share, and has fixed October 27, 2022 as the redemption date, following which no Public Warrants will remain outstanding.

08:06 EDT NightHawk's Scorpion announce grand opening of San Antonio facility - NightHawk Biosciences announced that its Scorpion subsidiary plans to host the grand opening of its San Antonio facility today, October 21. David Halverson, President of Scorpion, commented, "We are pleased with the recent FDA feedback regarding our design, operational strategy, and environmental controls relevant to clinical and commercial manufacturing at our San Antonio facility. In addition, the planning for our new facility in Manhattan, Kansas continues to progress. These two facilities, once fully operational, will provide Scorpion with substantial biomanufacturing capabilities to accommodate future worldwide demand for biologic manufacturing." The Company also reports its Scorpion subsidiary recently entered into a commercial contract to provide contract development and manufacturing services for a biopharmaceutical company to support development of their Phase 3 asset.

08:05 EDT Microbot Medical anounces $5M registered direct offering - Microbot Medical announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement with a single institutional investor for the purchase and sale of 1,022,495 shares of the Company's common stock at a purchase price of $4.89 per share of common stock in a registered direct offering priced at-the-market under Nasdaq rules. In addition, in a concurrent private placement, the Company will issue to the investor unregistered series A preferred investment options and series B preferred investment options. The series A preferred investment options to purchase up to 1,022,495 shares of common stock have an exercise price of $4.64 per share and are immediately exercisable for a period of five years following issuance. The series B preferred investment options to purchase up to 1,022,495 shares of common stock have an exercise price of $4.64 per share and are immediately exercisable for a period of two years following issuance. The closing of the registered direct offering and the concurrent private placement is expected to occur on or about October 25, 2022, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions. H.C. Wainwright & Co. is acting as the exclusive placement agent for the offerings. The gross proceeds to the Company from these offerings are expected to be approximately $5 million, before deducting the placement agent's fees and other offering expenses payable by the Company. The Company intends to use the net proceeds from these offerings for the continued development, commercialization and regulatory activities for the Company's LIBERTY Robotic System, expansion and development of additional applications derived from the Company's existing IP portfolio, and for working capital and other general corporate purposes.

08:03 EDT CinCor Pharma announces publication of Phase 1 clinical data for baxdrostat - CinCor Pharma announced the publication of Phase 1 clinical data for baxdrostat, a highly selective, once daily, oral small molecule inhibitor of aldosterone synthase, in the journal Hypertension Research. The publication includes clinical data from the company's randomized, Phase 1, placebo controlled multiple ascending dose study evaluating the safety, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics of baxdrostat in healthy volunteers. These data demonstrate baxdrostat is well tolerated with a half-life that supports once-daily oral dosing. The dose-dependent reduction in plasma aldosterone and lack of impact on cortisol reinforce the selective blockade of aldosterone synthase by baxdrostat.

08:02 EDT SHF Holdings appoints James Dennedy as CFO - SHF Holdings announced the appointment of James Dennedy as CFO, effective October 24th. Dennedy brings more than 25 years of investment and financial experience to Safe Harbor, including senior leadership and director roles at both public and private companies. In his new role, Dennedy will work closely with other members of the executive team and board members to prepare Safe Harbor for its next stage of growth. The Company recently listed its shares on the Nasdaq, and is scaling its offerings to provide U.S. cannabis industry participants access to compliant financing and banking solutions. Dennedy brings extensive operational, financial, executive, and organizational experience to Safe Harbor. He most recently served as President, COO, and a board member for urban-gro, an engineering design and services company focused on the commercial horticulture market. While at urban-gro, Dennedy assisted from the board level with a $62M capital raise and listing on NASDAQ, and in an operational capacity to implement operational improvements to scale the business and execute the acquisition strategy to transform urban-gro from an equipment supplier into a design-build business. Prior to that, he served as CFO of Interurban Capital Group; President, CEO, and director of hospitality software company Agilysis.

07:52 EDT Matinas BioPharma announces interim data from Phase 2 EnACT trial - Matinas BioPharma announced interim data from Cohort 4, the fourth and final cohort of the Phase 2 EnACT trial evaluating MAT2203, an oral LNC formulation of amphotericin B, for the treatment of cryptococcal meningitis. Interim EnACT Cohort 4 data from 40 MAT2203 treatment arm participants and 40 standard of care controls will be presented during the IDWeek 2022 conference, currently taking place in Washington DC. Importantly, Cohort 4 met its prespecified primary endpoint, exceeding the target rate of CSF yeast clearance threshold of greater than0.20 colony forming units per mL of cerebrospinal fluid per day. Overall survival in Cohort 4, a key secondary endpoint of the study, is 95 % at two weeks and currently 90% overall, with ongoing final follow-up through 18 weeks. Matinas plans to initiate the Phase 3 registration trial of MAT2203 as step-down therapy in cryptococcal meningitis in the first quarter of 2023. Cohort 4 of EnACT evaluated the safety and efficacy of an all-oral regimen of MAT2203 for the initial 14-day induction period, with MAT2203 treatment continued for an additional four weeks into the consolidation phase, administered in combination with 800 mg/day of fluconazole. The primary endpoint of EnACT was early fungicidal activity, a direct measurement of the quantitative rate of antifungal activity at the site of infection in the cerebrospinal fluid surrounding the brain, a well-recognized key surrogate marker for survival. The pre-specified target threshold of 0.20 in EnACT is clinically meaningful and represents a robust degree of fungal clearance that is associated with enhanced survival. Treatment early fungicidal activity beyond the greater than0.20 threshold have not resulted in any observed incremental benefit. Cohort 4 also included secondary endpoints of overall survival, prevention of relapse, CSF sterilization, and safety. The key interim results from Cohort 4 of EnACT include exceeding the prespecified early fungicidal activity threshold of greater than0.20 CFU/mL CSF/day, survival, and the safety of longer-term use of an oral formulation of amphotericin B for up to 6 weeks. In Cohort 4, the CSF yeast clearance rate exceeded the prespecified primary endpoint threshold target of greater than0.20, with a mean early fungicidal activity achieved of 0.30 log10 CFU/mL/day with 95% confidence intervals from 0.22 - 0.38. Several participants with high baseline fungal burdens had noteworthy antifungal activity within the MAT2203 treatment arm, including one patient with quantitative cryptococcal culture as high as 915,000 CFU/mL at the time of screening with effective clearance during the induction period, a key demonstration of potent antifungal activity, even in the most challenging of cases. In Cohort 4, in 40 patients receiving MAT2203 treatment, interim survival is currently 90%, while the survival rate at Week 2 was 95%; note that Week 2 survival is the prespecified primary endpoint for the MAT2203 Phase 3 registration trial in cryptococcal meningitis. MAT2203 patients had fewer Grade greater than or equal to3 Clinical adverse events vs. SOC treatment. Importantly, the incidence of adverse events relating to kidney function and anemia were significantly lower for MAT2203 compared with the SOC treatment, with no evidence of kidney toxicity seen with 6 weeks of oral MAT2203 treatment. The favorable safety and tolerability data seen in Cohort 4 support the use of oral MAT2203 for longer-term use, something not previously feasible due to associated toxicities with currently available IV formulations of amphotericin B. The pivotal Phase 3 registration trial of MAT2203 in cryptococcal meningitis will be initiated early in the first quarter of 2023 and will assess MAT2203 as step-down therapy after only 2 loading doses of IV amphotericin B, building upon the impressive results already documented in EnACT Phase 2 trial. This open-label randomized trial, which will be partially financially supported by the National Institutes of Health National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, involves a three arm non-inferiority design in persons living with HIV who have cryptococcal meningitis: step-down therapy with MAT2203 with treatment continuing for 2 weeks; step-down therapy with MAT2203 with treatment out to 6 weeks; and SOC control arm of IV amphotericin induction transitioning to fluconazole. The non-inferiority margin for both the primary and key secondary endpoints will be 10% and total enrollment is planned to be approximately 270 patients, with an adaptive, de-risking design allowing for the potential for additional patients once enrollment has reached 75%. The primary endpoint will be 2-week all-cause mortality, with a pooled analysis across the two MAT2203 treatment arms compared with SOC control to support a potential indication for the treatment of cryptococcal meningitis. To evaluate opportunities to improve survival by extending MAT2203 therapy, a key secondary endpoint is 10-week relapse free survival of optimized treatment against SOC will be evaluated for non-inferiority. Selection of the optimal treatment regimen will be based on predefined and protocolized clinical criteria and will then form the basis for a final NDA submission. Following substantial collaboration with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and written feedback from the European Medicines Agency in the form of Scientific Advice, as well as external NIH peer-review, the planned Phase 3 study design, including endpoints, is well-positioned to potentially support registration of MAT2203 in both the US and Europe.

07:40 EDT Verizon reports Q3 business wireless retail postpaid net additions 360,000 - Business reported 360,000 wireless retail postpaid net additions in third-quarter 2022, including 197,000 postpaid phone net additions. This was the fifth consecutive quarter that Business reported more than 150,000 postpaid phone net additions. Global Enterprise delivered its best ever phone net addition performance, and Small and Medium Business and Public Sector both reported year over year double digit phone gross addition growth.Business wireless retail postpaid churn was 1.42 percent in third-quarter 2022, and wireless retail postpaid phone churn was 1.10 percent. Business reported 108,000 fixed wireless net additions in third-quarter 2022.

07:36 EDT Verizon reports Q3 broadband net additions 377,000 - Total broadband net additions of 377,000, including 342,000 fixed wireless net additions, reflecting a strong demand for reliable and high-value broadband offerings. Total broadband net additions increased 109,000 from second-quarter 2022, and fixed wireless net additions increased 86,000 from second-quarter 2022. More than 40 million households covered by fixed wireless in third-quarter 2022, including over 30 million households covered by 5G Ultra Wideband. 61,000 Fios Internet net additions, an increase from 36,000 Fios Internet net additions in second-quarter 2022.

07:34 EDT Verizon on track to reach 200M POPs within 1Q23 - Verizon Chairman and CEO Hans Vestberg said, "The pricing actions we took earlier this year, as well as our new cost savings program, show that we are being deliberate and strategic in our decisions to strengthen our business. At the same time, we are focused on executing our 5G strategy, as we are covering every major market and accelerating our C-Band network build. We are on track to reach 200 million POPs within first-quarter 2023."

07:22 EDT ICL announces launch of ICLeaf - ICL announced the launch of ICLeaf, a diagnostics tool, which will provide farmers with a personal prescription for maximizing yield. The tool measures 10 different elements in a leaf sample and then delivers accurate, real-time feedback and a recommendation regarding nutrient use. The process begins with the collection of leaves from the targeted crop, which are then analyzed using unique technology. Results are rapidly available - within up to three days after initial sampling - versus several weeks using traditional methods, and the new tool is also more sustainable than traditional testing. It will allow farmers to make quick and data-driven decisions, based on the measurements, and enable them to take multiple samples each year and make immediate, in-season improvements.

07:19 EDT Diebold and Featurespace announce partnership - Diebold Nixdorf and Featurespace announced that the companies are partnering to integrate its highly specialized, fraud prevention technology into Diebold Nixdorf's Vynamic Payments platform. By partnering with Featurespace, Diebold Nixdorf can provide financial institutions a fully integrated payments solution with proven real-time fraud detection and prevention capabilities without the concern of managing multiple vendors. Vynamic Payments is a cloud-native payments platform that allows the reuse of services across acquiring, processing and issuing domains, and has been proven with leading financial institutions around the globe. The software's microservice architecture enables business agility and consumer experiences that seamlessly bridge any channel, integration point, payment type or authentication method.

07:12 EDT Spectrum announces commercial availability of Rolvedon - Spectrum announced the commercial availability of Rolvedon injection to decrease the incidence of infection, as manifested by febrile neutropenia, in adult patients with non-myeloid malignancies receiving myelosuppressive anti-cancer drugs associated with clinically significant incidence of febrile neutropenia. Rolvedon received FDA approval in September.

07:04 EDT Simply Good Foods board approves $50M increase to stock repurchase program - On October 19, 2022, the Company's Board of Directors approved a $50M increase to its existing stock repurchase program which was first adopted in November 2018. As of October 19, 2022, an aggregate of approximately $71.5M is available under the Company's revised stock repurchase authorization.

07:02 EDT Huntington Bancshares CEO says 'credit continues to perform very well' - "We are very pleased with our performance this quarter, which included record net earnings for the second consecutive quarter," said Steve Steinour, chairman, president and CEO. "We successfully executed on our business strategies, delivering robust loan growth, higher deposit balances, and expanded fee income. These results, and the benefit from the higher interest rate environment, combined to produce sequential pre-provision net revenue growth of 14% for the quarter when excluding Notable Items. We continue to make strategic investments to drive sustainable revenue growth, which resulted in broad-based commercial loan growth across geographies and sectors. Our recent addition of Capstone Partners has expanded the expertise we bring to customers, benefiting our deepening efforts with commercial customers and bolstering our fee income opportunities. In the consumer bank this quarter, we implemented additional Fair Play enhancements that offer a compelling value proposition for customers. Credit continues to perform very well with five consecutive quarters of declining nonperforming assets, reflecting our aggregate moderate-to-low risk appetite through the cycle. Capital levels increased during the quarter and credit reserves are robust allowing us to continue supporting customers and economic growth in the communities we serve. Looking forward, we are well positioned with a high quality balance sheet, and earnings power to drive long-term performance and generate significant value for our shareholders in a variety of economic scenarios."

07:00 EDT Bristol-Myers: FDA accepts sNDA for CAMZYOS - Bristol Myers Squibb announced that the U.S. FDA has accepted its supplemental new drug application for CAMZYOS for an expanded indication to reduce the need for septal reduction therapy. CAMYZOS is currently FDA approved for the treatment of adults with symptomatic New York Heart Association class II-III obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy to improve functional capacity and symptoms. The FDA assigned a Prescription Drug User Fee Act goal date of June 16, 2023.

06:55 EDT Schlumberger expects sequential revenue growth, margin expansion in Q4 - CEO Le Peuch said, "On a companywide basis, year-to-date revenue increased more than 20%; EPS on a GAAP basis grew 83%; EPS-excluding charges and credits-grew 67%; and pretax segment operating margin expanded 285 bps. I am very proud of these exceptional results delivered by the Schlumberger team as we approach the end of an outstanding year. As we close the year, we expect to deliver sequential revenue growth and margin expansion in the fourth quarter."

06:52 EDT Schlumberger CEO says 'second half of the year is off to a great start' - Schlumberger CEO Olivier Le Peuch commented, "The second half of the year is off to a great start with strong third-quarter results that reflect the acceleration of international momentum and solid execution across our Divisions and areas. Sequentially, we delivered another quarter of double-digit revenue growth and margin expansion, as the pace of growth in our international business stepped up significantly, complementing already robust levels of activity in North America. On a companywide basis, sequential revenue grew 10%, by more than $700 million; EPS-excluding charges and credits-increased 26%; pretax segment operating margin expanded 161 basis points to reach 18.7%; and free cash flow was $1.1 billion. Both EPS-excluding charges and credits-and pretax segment operating margin represent their highest levels since 2015, as we continue to execute on our returns-focused strategy with much success. Year-over-year comparisons were exceptional with revenue growing by 28%; EPS-excluding charges and credits-increasing 75%; and pretax segment operating margin expanding 320 bps."

06:42 EDT GSK submission accepted by Japanese regulator for RSV older adult vaccine - GSK plc announced that a new drug application for its respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, older adult vaccine candidate has been accepted for review by the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, or MHLW. The proposed indication is for adults aged 60 years and above to prevent lower respiratory tract diseases caused by RSV. "Further announcements on regulatory progress in the US and EU are anticipated before the end of 2022. GSK's RSV older adult vaccine candidate contains a recombinant subunit prefusion RSV F glycoprotein antigen combined with GSK's proprietary AS01E adjuvant. There are currently no RSV vaccines for adults approved anywhere in the world," the company said.

06:32 EDT HCA Healthcare reports Q3 cash flow from operating activities totaled $3.02B - Same facility admissions declined 1.5% while same facility equivalent admissions increased 2.3%.

06:03 EDT TuanChe signs cooperation agreement with YangMing New Energy Technology - TuanChe has recently signed a strategic cooperation agreement with YangMing New Energy Technology to expand its research capabilities in the field of EV batteries as well as strengthen the company's supply chain capacity. YangMing is focused on developing safer, more efficient, and more cost-effective technologies for electric vehicles and energy storage via supercapacitor and solid-state battery systems. Collaborating with Xi'an Jiaotong University, YangMing also established the Yangming Jiaotong University Joint Research Institute of Supercapacitor Batteries and Solid-state Batteries Energy Storage in January 2021. With a shared vision to provide battery and energy storage technologies that offer a leap in performance and reliability, TuanChe and YangMing will work together to promote the development of ultra-safe solid-state batteries. YangMing plans to complete the construction of 20 battery production lines by 2023, leveraging TuanChe's established supply chain network and access to key players in the country's growing EV market. Under the strategic cooperation agreement, the two companies will also cooperate on research projects regarding solar power supply systems and in the area of sodium-ion batteries.

06:02 EDT Regions Financial reports Q3 adjusted net interest margin 3.68% - Compared to 3.3% a year ago.

05:23 EDT Seadrill to sell 35% shareholding in Paratus Energy Services, terms undisclosed - Seadrill announced that it has entered into binding share purchase agreements, or SPAs, under which it will sell its entire 35% shareholding in Paratus Energy Services and certain other interests. Paratus Energy Services is the entity through which investments in SeaMex Group, Seabras Sapura and Archer are held. Completion of the sale is subject to customary closing conditions, including approval of competition authorities in relevant jurisdictions, and is anticipated to occur within the fourth quarter or early 2023.

05:17 EDT KKR to invest $300M for a 13.33% stake in Advanta Enterprises - KKR announced the signing of definitive agreements under which KKR will invest $300M for a 13.33% stake in Advanta Enterprises, a subsidiary of UPL and a global seed company that aims to deliver innovative farming solutions and technology to farmers around the world. KKR will make its investment from its Global Impact strategy, which invests in businesses delivering solutions to address critical global challenges, and contributing towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Upon completion of the transaction, Advanta will operate as a standalone platform and aim to become a global sustainability leader in seeds. KKR looks to collaborate closely with Advanta to further expand its business regionally and globally, including through bolt-on acquisitions, and maximize the company's growth potential by leveraging KKR's deep expertise and experience in strategic carve-outs, the agricultural sector and environmental, social, and governance best practices.