Stockwinners Market Radar for July 07, 2023 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

20:45 EDT Volaris reports June capacity up 16.1% from last year - The company states: "In June 2023, Volaris' capacity measured in ASMs increased by 16.1% year-over-year, while demand measured in RPMs increased by 14.6%; the result was a load factor decrease of 1.1 pp YoY to 83.3%. Volaris transported 2.7 million passengers during the month, an 13.7% increase compared to June 2022. Demand in the Mexican domestic and international markets increased by 10.4% and 24.1%, respectively.

17:26 EDT BCE pauses advertising on Facebook, Instagram - Wade Oosterman, Bell Media President, released the following statement: "As Meta continues with its plan to block Canadian news content from its digital platforms, we are immediately pausing our advertising on Facebook and Instagram. Like many Canadians, we are concerned about the consequences Meta's decision to block links from Canadian news organizations will have on Canadians, and all those who reside or work here, all of whom should be able to rely on independent and trusted news from Canadian sources. The Online News Act will provide the necessary framework for fair negotiations for access to valuable news content with a Canadian perspective, which is critical for our democracy."

17:10 EDT Workday exec sells $935K in common stock - In a regulatory filing, Workday disclosed that its General Secretary Richard Sauer sold 4.2K shares of common stock on July 5th in a total transaction size of $935K.

16:39 EDT Ra Capital Black discloses $4.68M purchase of Diamond Therapeutics common stock - In a regulatory Form 4 filing, Diamond Therapeutics announced that Ra Capital bought 936K shares of common stock on July 5th in a total transaction size of $4.68M.

16:18 EDT Steel Dynamics announces outage at Sinton Texas Flat Roll Steel Mill - Steel Dynamics "announced an unplanned outage of the hot mill at its Sinton Texas Flat Roll Steel Mill, with expectations for restart within the next two to four weeks, or before July 30, 2023. The outage relates to caster shear equipment issues, which occurred on July 1, 2023. The company plans to continue to operate the cold mill and downstream value-added flat rolled steel coating lines during the hot mill outage. The mill achieved positive EBITDA for the second quarter 2023, and the company believes the additional expenses related to fixing the caster shear issue will be less than $1 million during the outage."

16:09 EDT iMedia Brands enters into asset and equity agreement with RNN National Media - Global media company iMedia Brands "announced that it has entered into an asset and equity purchase agreement with an affiliate of RNN National Media Group, a privately owned portfolio of independent broadcast assets and production and distribution capabilities, to sell substantially all of the Company's assets, including its ShopHQ Networks, 1-2-3.tv, iMDS, J.W. Hulme, and Christopher & Banks businesses for approximately $50 million of transaction value, plus the assumption of certain liabilities, contracts and ongoing expenses. The Company intends to effectuate the transaction with RNN through its ongoing Chapter 11 cases in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware pursuant to Section 363 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code."

15:37 EDT Novartis to appeal to uphold validity of Entresto combination patent - Novartis announced that the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware issued a negative decision regarding the validity of a patent covering Entresto and combinations of sacubitril and valsartan, which expires in 2025 with its pediatric exclusivity. "Novartis strongly believes the combination patent is valid and will appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit to reverse the District Court's decision. The company will continue to defend vigorously its intellectual property rights relating to Entresto, including the combination patent as well as multiple patents covering additional innovations. Currently no generic Entresto products have tentative or final FDA approval. If approved, any commercial launch of a generic Entresto product prior to the final outcome of Novartis appeal, or ongoing infringement litigations involving other patents, may be at risk of later litigation developments. Novartis maintains its confidence in the growth and profitability outlook for both the short and mid-term, based on the future growth potential of other key brands including Kisqali, Pluvicto, Leqvio, Kesimpta, Scemblix and iptacopan," the company stated.

13:01 EDT Baker Hughes reports U.S. rig count up 6 to 680 rigs

12:00 EDT NET Power falls -5.4% - NET Power is down -5.4%, or -69c to $12.03.

12:00 EDT Kontoor Brands falls -8.2% - Kontoor Brands is down -8.2%, or -$3.38 to $37.70.

12:00 EDT Eastman Kodak rises 15.0% - Eastman Kodak is up 15.0%, or 76c to $5.82.

11:50 EDT Meta CEO says 70M sign ups on Threads so far 'way beyond our expectations' - Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who'd previously said Threads had 30M sign ups as of Thursday morning, just posted an update that states: "70 million sign ups on Threads as of this morning. Way beyond our expectations." Reference Link

11:01 EDT Postmedia pauses direct company advertising on Meta Platforms - Postmedia Network, a wholly owned subsidiary of Postmedia Network Canada Corp. (PCDAF), announced it has paused all direct company advertising on Meta platforms, including Facebook and Instagram, "adding to the wave of support for the Canadian news industry in the face of the unfair actions of dominant digital players." Andrew MacLeod, President and CEO of Postmedia, said: "Our government recently made important steps by passing the Online News Act. There is no greater proof of the critical need for this law at this time than the actions taken upon its passing. We hope to work together to ensure that all parties can do what the Online News Act allows for, to bargain fairly, level the playing field and preserve journalism in Canada."

10:00 EDT Avista falls -6.2% - Avista is down -6.2%, or -$2.38 to $36.26.

10:00 EDT Levi Strauss falls -7.8% - Levi Strauss is down -7.8%, or -$1.11 to $13.12.

10:00 EDT Adtalem Global Education rises 8.3% - Adtalem Global Education is up 8.3%, or $2.78 to $36.46.

09:51 EDT Eldorado Gold provides update on tax impacts in Turkiye related to Lira - Eldorado Gold Corporation provided an update on the tax impacts in Turkiye related to the weakening of the Turkish Lira. The company stated: "The Company's profits from mining operations in Turkiye are taxed at an enacted rate of 20% and the resulting current income tax expense may be increased or reduced by other items. In the second quarter, the Company expects the Turkish current income tax expense on mining profits to be higher by $5.5M-$6.5M. This increase is expected to be primarily related to the weakening of the Lira in the quarter and the resulting generation of taxable unrealized foreign exchange gains, partly offset by reductions related to the investment tax credit relating to Kisladag and Efemcukuru."

09:47 EDT Kontoor Brands falls -3.5% - Kontoor Brands is down -3.5%, or -$1.44 to $39.64.

09:47 EDT Hudbay Minerals rises 7.4% - Hudbay Minerals is up 7.4%, or 34c to $4.88.

09:47 EDT Churchill Capital Corp VI rises 8.0% - Churchill Capital Corp VI is up 8.0%, or 82c to $11.15.

09:30 EDT Prestige Wealth Inc. trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:02 EDT Check Point awarded two government cybersecurity certifications - Check Point announces that the Check Point R81.10 Quantum Cyber Security platform has been awarded Common Criteria EAL4+ and FIPS 140-2 certifications. Governments recognize Common Criteria certifications at the EAL4+ level as the standard needed for validating security products as fit-for-purpose in protecting their networks and data. Achieving assurance at EAL4+ validates that the certified product correctly implements the claimed security and provides assurance of the vendor through audit of its lifecycle activities and its delivery of customer services.

08:45 EDT Ondas' Airobotics completes Optimus Drone Infrastructure PoC program - Ondas Holdings wholly-owned subsidiary Airobotics completed a proof-of-concept of the Optimus Drone Infrastructure in an industrial facility in Abu Dhabi in June 2023. The completion of the PoC program with our UAE-based partner SkyGo is a significant milestone in advancing a $3.5 million multi-system deal previously announced in February 2023. Airobotics will continue to advance the fleet deployment of Optimus Systems around the city of Abu Dhabi to provide aerial data and services to industrial and governmental entities.

08:39 EDT Genesis Unicorn files definitive proxy statement for business combination - Genesis Unicorn Capital and Environmental Solutions Group announced that Genesis has filed a definitive proxy statement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in connection with its Special Meeting of Stockholders to, among other things, approve the previously announced proposed business combination with ESGL. The Special Meeting will be held at the offices of Loeb & Loeb LLP, 345 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10154 on July 26, 2023 at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time. Mailing of the Proxy Statement to Genesis's stockholders of record as of the close of business on June 9, 2023 commenced on July 5, 2023. Before making any voting or investment decision, investors and security holders of Genesis are urged to carefully read the entire Proxy Statement and related proxy materials, and other documents filed in connection with the Business Combination with the SEC, because they contain important information about the Business Combination and the related stockholder proposals. The Business Combination is expected to close on or about July 31, 2023, subject to Genesis stockholder approval and the satisfaction of certain closing conditions. Following the completion of the Business Combination, the combined company will trade on the Nasdaq under the ticker symbol "ESGL."

08:34 EDT Thumzup receives over $750,000 in funded subscriptions to Reg A+ offering - Thumzup Media has received over $750,000 in funded subscriptions to its qualified Regulation A+ offering. According to an analysis of KingsCrowd data, Thumzup is now in the top 10 percent of currently active offerings under Regulation A+ and Regulation CF, ranked by amount raised as of July 6, 2023. The Company has now received investment capital of more than $4M since inception.

08:32 EDT Shell sees post tax impairments of up to $3B in Q2 - Shell offered an update to the second quarter 2023 outlook and an overview of current expectations for the second quarter, in which it stated in part that post tax impairments of up to $3B are expected for Q2'23, primarily driven by a one percent increase in the discount rate used for impairment testing. "Impairments / Impairment reversals are reported as identified items and have no cash impact," Shell noted. Reference Link

08:28 EDT Castle Biosciences to present new data on its gene expression profile at AHNS - Castle Biosciences announced it will "present new data on its gene expression profile risk-stratification test for patients with cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, DecisionDx(R)-SCC, and its GEP risk-stratification test for patients with cutaneous melanoma, DecisionDx(R)-Melanoma, at the American Head & Neck Society's, or AHNS, 11th International Conference on Head and Neck Cancer, being held July 8-12 in Montreal, QC, Canada. Castle's podium presentation on DecisionDx-SCC will share data demonstrating significantly improved metastatic risk prediction in patients with SCC of the head and neck when the test's results are used both independently and in conjunction with American Joint Committee on Cancer 8th edition and Brigham and Women's Hospital staging systems. This multi-center study expands on a previously published study1 and analyzed data from 622 patients with high-risk SCC-HN. In the study, DecisionDx-SCC significantly stratified patients according to their biologic risk of metastasis, independent of the clinicopathologic risk factors used in AJCC8 and BWH staging systems. Additionally, the metastatic risk predictions provided by AJCC8 and BWH staging were significantly improved when DecisionDx-SCC test results were included. The data show that DecisionDx-SCC contributes independent prognostic value to the prediction of metastatic risk in SCC-HN patients, relative to staging alone, which can help clinicians make informed decisions regarding treatment and follow-up care. These may include closer monitoring, more frequent imaging scans and the timely initiation of adjuvant treatments to mitigate metastatic risk and improve patient outcomes." Shares of Castle Biosciences are up 28% in pre-market trading at $16.95.

08:07 EDT WiMi develops an application scenario-based digital human gesture system - WiMi Hologram Cloud announced that it is developing an application scenario-based digital human gesture generation algorithm system. The system allows the digital human to generate different actions based on environmental changes. Not every digital human's sentence must be accompanied by a gesture. The same sentence can have other motions in different scenarios. Therefore, the application scenarios of the digital human need to be designed more profoundly.

08:04 EDT Curaleaf responds to speculation of a transaction involving the company - At the request of IIROC, Curaleaf responds to speculation published in the media regarding the possibility of a transaction involving the Company. The Company's policy is to refrain from commenting on market rumors. The Company does not intend to make further comment unless required by law.

08:03 EDT Curaleaf launches adult use sales at Groton, CT location - Curaleaf announced the beginning of adult use sales at its Groton, CT location. Located at 79 Gold Star Highway, Groton, CT 06340, Curaleaf Groton is the Company's third dispensary in Connecticut to open its doors to adult use customers. "Our goal is to continue to expand our adult use sales in the state, and we are working to get the necessary approvals to begin sales at a fourth Connecticut location," said Matt Darin, CEO Curaleaf. "We are committed to being an industry leader where medical patients and consumers can both be educated about cannabis consumption and find an assortment of high-quality and innovative products for their lifestyle needs."

08:02 EDT Insmed announces inducement grants under NASDAQ listing rule - Insmed Incorporated announced the granting of inducement awards to 10 new employees. In accordance with NASDAQ Listing Rule 5635(c)(4), the awards were approved by Insmed's Compensation Committee and made as a material inducement to each employee's entry into employment with the Company. In connection with the commencement of their employment, the employees received options on July 3, 2023 to purchase an aggregate 136,060 shares of Insmed common stock at an exercise price of $20.75 per share, the closing trading price on the Nasdaq Global Select Market on the date of grant.

07:39 EDT ZyVersa Therapeutics granted European patent for VAR 200 - ZyVersa announces that the European Patent Office granted a patent covering the company's Phase 2a-ready Cholesterol Efflux Mediator VAR 200 for use in diabetic nephropathy/diabetic kidney disease. VAR 200 was developed in the labs of Dr. Alessia Fornoni, Katz Professor of Medicine, Chief, Katz Family Division of Nephrology & Hypertension, and Director of Peggy & Harold Katz Drug Discovery Center at the University of Miami. ZyVersa was granted an exclusive, worldwide, license for the development and commercialization of VAR 200 by L&F Research LLC, which was founded by Dr. Fornoni and others to obtain the intellectual property that had been released to the Inventors by the University of Miami.

07:31 EDT NuZee secures five-year global licensing deal with Stone Brewing - NuZee announced that it has entered into a five-year global licensing agreement with Stone Brewing, the nation's 7th largest craft brewery, sold in all 50 states and internationally in over 40 countries. Under the exclusive agreement, NuZee intends to co-manufacture and distribute Stone Brewing specialty coffee products nationwide through a vast network of natural grocery, traditional grocery, and convenience store channels, as well as office coffee and hotel brokers and distributors. NuZee also intends to build a strong direct-to-consumer business by marketing the specialty coffee line to craft beverage customers around the world. The new product line is expected to launch in Q3 2023. Masa Higashida, NuZee's CEO, commented, "We are delighted to build upon the success of our past collaborations and expand our partnership with our San Diego neighbors at Stone. Our team will capitalize on the remarkable brand recognition and expanding influence of the Stone brand, synergizing it with our exceptional coffees and coffee-related offerings. We believe that this agreement will drive significant revenue growth, which will significantly increase shareholder value. We look forward to serving Stone's expansive consumer audience and effectively driving long-term shareholder value."

07:21 EDT Biogen shares little changed after resumption of trade - Shares of Biogen are little changed following the resumption of trade in pre-market session at $285.30. Shares were halted after the close last night ahead of the FDA announcement to approve the supplemental Biologics License Application supporting the traditional approval of LEQEMBI 100 mg/mL injection for intravenous use, making the drug the first and only approved treatment shown to reduce the rate of disease progression and to slow cognitive and functional decline in adults with Alzheimer's disease.

07:11 EDT Bausch Health enters $600M financing facility - Bausch Health Companies and KKR announced that Bausch Receivables Funding has entered into a $600 million non-recourse financing facility with KKR and its credit funds and accounts. The facility will be collateralized by certain accounts receivables originated by a wholly-owned subsidiary of Bausch Health. Bausch Health expects to utilize the proceeds from the facility for general corporate purposes. The facility provides access to additional liquidity for a term of approximately five years. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. acted as the Company's financial advisor. Finacity Corporation acted as the administrator for the program, providing analytic and execution support, and is responsible for ongoing program administration and reporting.

07:09 EDT Ayr Wellness announces refinancing, upsizing of Gainesville facility mortgage - AYR Wellness has closed on a $40 million refinancing and upsizing of its existing mortgage for its Gainesville cultivation facility, with Needham Bank. Proceeds from the Loan will be used to pay down the Company's existing Gainesville mortgage of $25.3 million, which was due to mature in May 2024, and invest further in the Facility and the Company's Florida business. The new Loan carries an interest rate of 5-year FHLB Rate + 4%, which currently implies a rate of 8.26%.

07:06 EDT Renalytix announces clinical data on KidneyIntelX in vitro prognostic use - Renalytix announced late-breaking new clinical data demonstrating that KidneyIntelX in vitro prognostic use was associated with post-test actions that led to sustained improvements in both type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease health through 12 months. The results are from the evaluation of 2,317 patients being followed in a large real-world evidence study in New York City. The twelve-month outcome data were presented at the American Diabetes Association 83rd Scientific Sessions held June 23-26, 2023, in San Diego, California. There are approximately 14 million adults with diabetic kidney disease in the U.S. today, and that number could more than double by the year 20602 due to rising trends in obesity and diabetes. KidneyIntelX is designed for use in patients with type 2 diabetes and stages 1-3 of kidney disease to assess which patients are at low, intermediate, or high risk for a rapid progressive decline in their kidney function. In patients classified as high risk, median A1C levels improved by 0.7%, a decrease from 8.2% to 7.5 at one year; median HbA1c decreased from 7.5% to 7.3% for patients in the intermediate risk group, and median A1C decreased from 7.1% to 7.0% in the low risk patients. These results support that the previously published improvement in A1C levels observed at six months pre and post KidneyIntelX testing, has been sustained for the full year, especially in the higher-risk patients. GFR slope is widely accepted as a clinical measure to determine the progression of chronic kidney disease. In patients classified as high risk by KidneyIntelX, median eGFR slope improved from -7.1 to 4.5ml/min/1.73m2 at one year, indicating a slowed progression of their disease. For patients with an intermediate risk score, median eGFR slope was stable at -1.5 to -1.4ml/min/1.73m2 at one year while patients classified as low risk, the median eGFR slope improved from -1.9 to -0.28 ml/min/1.73 m2/year, further highlighting a need for broad engagement at both ends of the risk spectrum. This data builds upon the RWE 6-month interim results published in the Journal of Primary Care and Community Health which demonstrated a reduction in the amount of urinary protein in the low and intermediate KidneyIntelX risk groups. The authors concluded that the use and deployment of KidneyIntelX to risk stratify patients with early-stage diabetic kidney disease was associated with escalation in various actions taken to optimize cardio-metabolic-kidney health, including guideline-based pharmacy management and specialist consultation. Furthermore, glycemic control and kidney health improved post-KidneyIntelX testing, with the largest improvements observed in those scored as high-risk. Importantly this data demonstrates that implementation of KidneyIntelX in patient care leads to improved clinician and patient engagement directed to slowing the progression of diabetic kidney disease and associated cardiovascular complications. In addition, during the ADA meetings, the Company presented validation data from a new IVD assay developed utilizing the KidneyIntelX platform. The risk score calculation was updated to incorporate the new race-free eGFR calculation, the availability of contemporary patient cohorts reflecting recent changes in care for diabetic kidney disease, and simplification of test inputs to enhance clinical adoption in the primary care setting. The updated version of KidneyIntelX utilizes the same three biomarkers, and three clinical features. It was validated in an external cohort with overall excellent performance characteristics which included diverse subgroups of the intended use population.

07:06 EDT BrainStorm announces data from its Phase 3 trial of NurOwn - BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics this week presented new biomarker data from the Phase 3 trial of its late-stage investigational ALS treatment, NurOwn at the 2023 ALS and Related Motor Neuron Diseases Gordon Research Conference. These data show that treatment with NurOwn significantly elevated markers of neuroprotection and lowered markers of neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration, including neurofilament light, NfL, over time compared to placebo in all trial participants. "It's well known that in ALS, accounting for disease characteristics such as site of onset, time from first symptom to treatment and baseline physical function are important to understanding the treatment effect in clinical trials given the great heterogeneity in the disease, which can influence prognosis," said Stacy Lindborg, PhD, BrainStorm co-CEO and presenter of the poster. "The data we presented at the Gordon Research Conference show that it is equally important to examine biomarker data, particularly neurofilament light, which is a predictor of disease progression. Treatment-driven reductions in NfL are associated with better clinical outcomes in ALS."

07:02 EDT Pineapple Energy sells substantially all assets of JDL Technologies, Ecessa - Pineapple Energy announced the sale of substantially all the assets of legacy non-core subsidiaries JDL Technologies and Ecessa Corporation to TheIPGuys.net doing business as OneNet Global. The Transaction closed on June 30, 2023. Sale proceeds from the Transaction, net of commissions, fees, closing expenses, escrows and any reserves required under the Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of March 1, 2021, by and among Pineapple Energy LLC, Communications Systems, Inc. and the other parties thereto will be distributed to the contingent value rights holders in accordance with the Merger Agreement and the Contingent Value Rights Agreement entered into in connection therewith.

07:00 EDT Aaon announces a three-for-two stock split - AAON announced that the Board of Directors of the Company has declared a three-for-two stock split of the Company's common stock to be paid in the form of a stock dividend on August 16, 2023. Stockholders of record at the close of business on July 28, 2023, will receive one additional share for every two shares they hold as of that date. Cash will be paid in lieu of fractional shares.

06:59 EDT Fisker reports Q2 vehicle production volume of 1,022 Fisker Ocean SUVs - Fisker announced its vehicle production volume for Q2 2023. In the second quarter of this year, 1,022 of the Fisker Ocean SUVs were produced in Austria for customers as well as marketing and engineering purposes. A few suppliers had challenges ramping to the targeted 2Q levels, as they did not receive components from sub-suppliers in a timely manner. The company is focused on working with all suppliers to ramp to the required volumes. Fisker exceeded its targeted assembly rate of 80 units per day at the end of June and expects vehicles produced to exceed 1,400 in early July. Looking ahead, Fisker is investing in additional battery pack capacity to protect the compressed manufacturing timeline this year and support higher volumes than originally anticipated next year.

06:48 EDT Triton International announces date of special general meeting of shareholders - Triton International (TRTN) has set August 24, 2023 as the date for the special general meeting of shareholders to approve the previously announced acquisition of Triton by Brookfield Infrastructure Partners L.P. (BIP), through its subsidiary Brookfield Infrastructure Corporation and its institutional partners. The Special Meeting will be held virtually at 12 PM ET. The record date for the Special Meeting has been set as July 3, 2023. Holders of Triton's common and preference shares at the close of business on the record date are entitled to vote at the Special Meeting. Subject to shareholder approval at the Special Meeting, Triton anticipates that the transaction will close shortly thereafter, subject to the satisfaction or waiver of the remaining closing conditions. As a result, the parties now expect to close the transaction in the third quarter of 2023, ahead of initial expectations.

06:33 EDT KalVista expects cash to fund operations into 2025 - Cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities were $149.4 million on April 30, 2023, compared to $166.2 million on April 30, 2022. The decrease in the net cash position over the fiscal year is primarily due to increased operating expenses.

06:04 EDT Reliq Health Technologies signs first contract in Mexico - Reliq Health Technologies has signed its first contract in Mexico. The new client, a healthcare organization, will be using the company's iUGO Care Remote Patient Monitoring solution, which has been proven to improve health outcomes, increase patient engagement and reduce healthcare costs, even in the most challenging patient populations and environments. This contract is expected to add more than 10,000 patients to the iUGO Care platform by the end of June 2024, at an average of $50 per patient per month with an expected 75% gross margin, with onboarding of new patients to begin next month. Management anticipates an increasing demand for Reliq's iUGO Care solutions in Mexico going forward.

05:56 EDT Meta working to stop deleted Threads accounts from deleting Instagram - In a post on Threads, Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, said: "I've been getting some questions about deleting your account. To clarify, you can deactivate your Threads account, which hides your Threads profile and content, you can set your profile to private, and you can delete individual threads posts - all without deleting your Instagram account. Threads is powered by Instagram, so right now it's just one account, but we're looking into a way to delete your Threads account separately." Reference Link