Stockwinners Market Radar for August 09, 2023 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

20:07 EDT Cathie Wood's ARK Investment bought 1.06M shares of 2U today

20:01 EDT Accuray receives FDA clearance for VitalHold - Accuray announced that the company has received 510(k) clearance from the FDA for its VitalHold(TM)* breast package on the Radixact(R) System. The treatment option will also be available in the EU market. VitalHold facilitates deep inspiration breath hold treatments using the Radixact System's fixed beam angle delivery mode and a fully integrated and automated surface-guided radiation therapy solution, featuring the Catalyst+ HD system from C-RAD. With the addition of this new functionality, the Radixact System offers a comprehensive tool set for the treatment of breast cancer. The VitalHold technology will be available to customers in the United States and European Union as well as other regions, subject to regulatory clearance or approvals.

19:05 EDT Samsung announces launch of Galaxy Z Flip5, Fold5, Watch6, Tab S9 - Samsung Electronics announced the global availability of its highly anticipated Galaxy Z Flip5, Galaxy Z Fold5, Galaxy Watch6 series and Galaxy Tab S9 series. "Early users' response to the new Galaxy devices has been demonstrated by pre-order momentum," said TM Roh, President and Head of Mobile eXperience Business at Samsung Electronics. "With the Galaxy Z Flip5, Z Fold5, Watch6 series and Tab S9 series, our goal is to provide the latest and greatest in each category and providing our consumers with novel and engaging experiences that cater to various lifestyles. It is thrilling to see our vision resonating with consumers around the world." The Galaxy Tab S9 series is available in three models: the Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra, S9+ and S9. The series offers a one-of-a-kind tablet experience thanks to its industry-leading Dynamic AMOLED 2X displays, an IP68 rating across all three models and the in-box S Pen. Of the customers who have pre-ordered the Galaxy Tab S9 series, 60% have pre-ordered the Tab S9 Ultra. Designed to inspire spontaneous productivity, the Galaxy Tab S9 series enables seamless creative portfolios between smartphones and tablets, based on the Galaxy ecosystem. The Galaxy Z Flip5, Galaxy Z Fold5, Galaxy Watch6 series and Galaxy Tab S9 series will be available in selected markets, including Europe, North America, China and Korea on August 11, with launches planned for additional countries soon.

18:22 EDT Kellogg CEO: 80% of our business will be in snacking, emerging markets - Steve Cahillane is speaking on CNBC. He noted that the dividend will remain the same post-split.

17:56 EDT Vistagen up 29% as Commodore Capital increases position by $18M - Vistagen shares are up 29% afterhours at $9.05 after the company disclosed in a regulatory filing that Commodore Capital has increased its stake by 776K shares of common stock, purchased on August 7th for about $18M.

17:40 EDT Bird Global names Michael Washinushi as interim CEO - Bird Global announced the appointment of Michael Washinushi as interim CEO, effective immediately. Washinushi will succeed Shane Torchiana and continue to oversee the finance organization until a CEO replacement is appointed. Washinushi joined Bird in January 2023, serving as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and leading the company through various milestones towards its goal of being a cash generative business. Prior to joining Bird, he was the CFO for seven years at high growth technology company FreshBooks. Previous to that, he was the CFO of Sirius XM Canada for more than a decade.

17:37 EDT Chord Energy CFO Lou sells 7,632 common shares - In a regulatory filing, Chord Energy executive VP and CFO Michael Lou disclosed the sale of 7,632 common shares of the company on August 8 at a price of $161.26 per share.

17:20 EDT Blink Charging discloses SEC investigation - In its regulatory 10-Q filing, the company states "In July 2023, we received a subpoena from the SEC requesting the production of documentation and other information since January 1, 2020, relating to various subjects, including executive departures, related-party transactions, number of EV charging stations, and other discrete disclosure matters. We intend to fully cooperate with the SEC and are in the process of responding to the subpoena. At this point, we are unable to predict what the timing or the outcome of the SEC investigation may be or what, if any, consequences the SEC investigation may have on us. We can provide no assurances as to the outcome of the SEC investigation."

17:10 EDT Disney says trying to migrate more subscriptions to advertising tier of Disney+ - Says on track to deliver over $5.5B in savings. Says expects to achieve direct to consumer profitability by the end of FY24. Says film studios, parks and streaming will drive business. Says Q4 book occupancy for cruises is at 98%. Says exploring account sharing and will roll out tactics to drive monetization in 2024. Says has technical capability to monitor password sharing. Says seeing pressures from labor wage rate growth. Says expects Q4 operating margin to exceed FY23. Sees FY24 capital expenditures $5B. Says intends on recommending modest dividend by end of this calendar year. Says price increase is for premium product. Says advertising market place for streaming is picking up. Says trying to migrate more subscriptions to advertising tier. Says opportunity to significantly grow engagement with young ESPN consumers with ESPN Bet. Says likes that Penn Entertainment will use ESPN Bet as growth engine for their business. Comments taken from Q2 earnings conference call.

17:02 EDT First Watch Restaurant acquires six previously franchise-owned restaurants - First Watch Restaurant announced that it has acquired six of its previously franchise-owned restaurants, one restaurant under construction and corresponding development rights in Georgia and South Carolina.

17:00 EDT Avid Technology to be acquired by STG affiliate for $1.4B, or $27.05 per share - Avid announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by an affiliate of STG in an all-cash transaction valuing Avid at approximately $1.4B, inclusive of Avid's net debt. Under the terms of the agreement, Avid stockholders will receive $27.05 in cash for each share of Avid common stock. The cash purchase price represents a premium of 32.1% over the company's unaffected closing share price on May 23, the last full trading day prior to media speculation regarding a potential sale of the company. The transaction was unanimously approved by Avid's board and is expected to close during Q4 of 2023, subject to Avid stockholder approval, regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions. The transaction will be financed through a combination of equity and debt financing and is not subject to a financing condition. Upon completion of the transaction, Avid will become a privately-held company, and its common stock will no longer be traded on Nasdaq.

17:00 EDT Galera Therapeutics trading resumes

16:57 EDT SilverCrest Metals announces Normal Course Issuer Bid for 7.3M shares - SilverCrest Metals is pleased to announce that it has filed with and received acceptance from the Toronto Stock Exchange for a Notice of Intention to make a Normal Course Issuer Bid pursuant to TSX requirements permitting the company to purchase up to 7,361,563 common shares of the company, representing approximately 5% of SilverCrest's total issued and outstanding Common Shares. As of August 9, 2023 SilverCrest had 147,231,264 issued and outstanding Common Shares.

16:56 EDT Artisan Partners reports July assets under management - Artisan Partners Asset Management reported that its preliminary assets under management, or AUM, as of July 31 totaled $146.4B. Artisan Funds and Artisan Global Funds accounted for $70.9B of total firm AUM, while separate accounts and other AUM accounted for $75.5B.

16:54 EDT Groupon reports Q2 global units sold down 20% at 9.6M - The company states: "Global units sold in the second quarter 2023 were 9.6 million, down 20%, primarily driven by a decline in engagement on our platform and a de-emphasis on our Goods category."

16:45 EDT Galera Therapeutics to reduce workforce by approximately 70% - "As we explore a potential approval path for avasopasem, we are taking decisive actions to extend our cash runway," said CEO Mel Sorensen. "Unfortunately, this necessitates reducing our workforce by approximately 70%. We are grateful for the many contributions our talented team has made over the years and their commitment to avasopasem." Galera's restructuring plan includes a wind-down of commercial readiness efforts and headcount reductions across several departments. The company will focus resources to define the path forward for avasopasem and to progress the ongoing clinical trials for rucosopasem. Rucosopasem is the company's second product candidate in development to augment the anti-cancer efficacy of stereotactic body radiation therapy for patients with non-small cell lung cancer and locally advanced pancreatic cancer. "We will continue our focus on completing enrollment of our rucosopasem GRECO trials," continued Sorensen. "Our GRECO-2 trial is a 220-patient trial in locally advanced pancreatic cancer intended to build upon the positive results observed in our placebo-controlled pilot trial, where we saw meaningful improvements in multiple endpoints including overall survival and tumor outcomes. There is an urgent need for novel therapies to extend survival in patients with pancreatic cancer, and we believe rucosopasem's unique mechanism of action in combination with SBRT could offer a transformative treatment option." Galera estimates that its balance of cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities as of June 30 was $38.8M. The company now expects that its current cash will be sufficient to support operations into Q2 of 2024.

16:43 EDT Golden Heaven announces individual waiver of certain lock-up restriction - Golden Heaven announced that the company's certain shareholder has received a limited waiver from the representatives of the company's underwriters, under a Lock-Up Letter Agreement that was entered into in connection with the company's initial public offering in April 2023. The Underwriters have agreed to waive lock-up restrictions with respect to ordinary shares of the company's certain shareholder. The waiver will take effect on August 9, and will permit the repurchase and issue of ordinary shares by the certain shareholders, officers and directors in connection with resolutions of the Company's extraordinary general meeting of shareholders held on August 11.

16:39 EDT Inovio sees available funds sufficient into 3Q25

16:37 EDT Mirati Therapeutics: Cancer Discover publishes results from MRTX1719 trial - Mirati Therapeutics announced Cancer Discovery published preclinical and initial clinical data from a first-in-human Phase 1/2 clinical trial of MRTX1719, a PRMT5 / methylthioadenosine-cooperative inhibitor evaluated in methylthioadenosine phosphorylase deleted cancers. These results provide preclinical and early clinical proof-of-concept for this differentiated approach and demonstrate that MRTX1719 may represent a promising targeted therapy for the ~10% of cancer patients with this biomarker. The publication can be found here. In preclinical studies, MRTX1719 was demonstrated to be a potent, selective inhibitor of the PRMT5/MTA complex. This compound exploits the elevated MTA levels present in MTAP-deleted cancers and turns this altered metabolic state into a therapeutic vulnerability to selectively kill MTAP deleted cancer cells while sparing normal cells. Preclinical results showed marked anti-tumor activity of MRTX1719, including regression, across lung, pancreatic, mesothelioma, and other solid tumor models. As of June 13, 2023, there were 18 patients with solid tumors harboring MTAP deletions in the Phase 1/2 trial of MRTX1719 that were evaluable for clinical response at dose levels of 100mg QD or greater. Initial dose level started at 50mg administered once-daily orally over 21-day cycles followed by 100% dose escalations for subsequent dose levels. Six individual case narratives were selected for inclusion in the Cancer Discovery publication: There were six confirmed objective responses observed in the Phase 1 study including one patient who achieved a response which subsequently confirmed post-data cutoff; MRTX1719 achieved apparent complete PRMT5 inhibition in MTAP deleted tumor cells at a dose of 200 mg QD as evidenced by pretreatment and on-treatment tumor biopsies of the PRMT5 biochemical biomarker symmetric dimethyl arginine; It was notable that four patients were on therapy for multiple cycles before experiencing an initial objective response, with their tumors continuing to decrease in size over the course of treatment. These findings suggest that tumor response may continue to deepen over time indicating the importance of evaluating tumor response kinetics and response rates across a broader patient population with longer follow up. MRTX1719 was well-tolerated with no dose limiting toxicities observed at dose levels up to 400mg QD. None of the patients treated with MRTX1719 experienced dose-limiting adverse events associated with first generation PRMT5 inhibitors such as thrombocytopenia, anemia or neutropenia.

16:33 EDT Victory Capital reports AUM of $165.9B as of July 31 - Victory Capital reported assets under management of $165.9B as of July 31, 2023, and average assets under management for July of $163.2B.

16:32 EDT Mativ names Mark Johnson as chief legal officer, general counsel - Mativ Holdings announced that Mark W. Johnson will succeed Ricardo Nunez as chief legal officer, general counsel and secretary for the ~$3 billion specialty materials company. Johnson will assume the leadership of the company's legal team on September 1, 2023, from Nunez, who will be departing the company the same day.

16:25 EDT Scholar Rock expects cash, cash equivalents to fund operations into 2025 - As of June 30, 2023, Scholar Rock had cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities of approximately $249 million, which is expected to fund the company's anticipated operating and capital expenditure requirements into 2025.

16:23 EDT Alarm.com sees Q3 SaaS and license revenue $141.4M-$141.6M

16:21 EDT MaxCyte sees FY23 core revenue comparable to 2022 - MaxCyte expects core revenue for 2023 to be comparable to 2022 and Strategic Platform License program-related revenue expectations remain unchanged at approximately $6M for the year.

16:21 EDT Illumina names Dr. Steven Barnard as Chief Technology Officer - Illumina announced Dr. Steven Barnard, Illumina's Vice President and Head of Global Advanced Science, will serve as its next Chief Technology Officer, effective immediately. Dr. Alex Aravanis, who held the position of CTO, will be departing Illumina to pursue another opportunity outside of the company. Dr. Barnard joined Illumina in 1998 as the company's first scientist and fourth employee, holding a variety of leadership positions within Illumina's R&D organization throughout his distinguished 25-year tenure.

16:20 EDT Disney down 1% in after-hours following Q3 report - Shares of Disney are down $1.20, or 1%, to $86.32 in after-hours trading ahead of the company's upcoming earnings call.

16:17 EDT 4D Molecular sees cash, equivalents funding operations into 1H26 - Cash and cash equivalents and marketable securities were $310 million as of June 30, 2023, as compared to $218 million as of December 31, 2022. The net change in cash was primarily a result of cash used in operations that was offset by approximately $129 million of net proceeds from our public offering of common stock completed in May. "We also received a $20 million cash upfront payment from our license agreement with Astellas in July. We currently expect cash and cash equivalents, inclusive of net proceeds from the upfront payment from Astellas, to be sufficient to fund operations into the first half of 2026."

16:14 EDT Illumina sees customers 'more cautious in their purchasing' in 2H23 - "Illumina's second quarter consolidated revenue grew 8% sequentially from the first quarter, and we saw higher-than-anticipated NovaSeq X shipments," said Charles Dadswell, Interim CEO. "Despite additional placements, we expect our second half revenue to be negatively impacted by customers remaining more cautious in their purchasing, a more protracted recovery in China, and a larger-than-expected temporary decline in high throughput consumables as customers transition to the NovaSeq X. In response, we are increasing customer support for the NovaSeq X and continue to manage our expense base in a disciplined way."

16:13 EDT Magnite sees FY23 adjusted EBITDA comparable to FY22 - Sees FY23 CapEx less than $40M, free cash flow to exceed $100M.

16:11 EDT Century Aluminum sees Q3 adjusted EBITDA $10M-$20M - The company expects third quarter Adjusted EBITDA to range between $10 to $20 million based on decreased LME prices and VAP sales, partially offset by improved volume and lower raw material prices and operating costs.

16:10 EDT Virtus Investment reports preliminary assets under management $171.9B - Virtus Investment Partners reported preliminary assets under management of $171.9B as of July 31, versus $169.32B last month. In addition, the company provided services to $2.6B of other fee-earning assets, which are not included in assets under management.

16:08 EDT Spire Global awarded $6.5M NASA contract renewal - Spire Global announced it was awarded a $6.5 million, 12-month contract renewal to continue participation in NASA's Commercial Smallsat Data Acquisition (CSDA) Program. The contract represents a $500,000 increase from the previous award of $6 million in June 2022. As one of the original vendors for the CSDA Program, Spire has provided Earth observation data to NASA's CSDA Program since 2018. With this contract extension, Spire's comprehensive data will be available to all U.S. Government-funded research and federal agencies for scientific purposes.

16:01 EDT Tetra Tech raises quarterly dividend by 13% to 26c per share - The dividend is payable on September 6, 2023, to stockholders of record as of August 23, 2023.

14:14 EDT FDA approves Genentech's pralsetinib fusion-positive lung cancer - The Food and Drug Administration granted regular approval to pralsetinib for adult patients with metastatic rearranged during transfection fusion-positive non-small cell lung cancer as detected by an FDA-approved test. The approval is granted to Gavreto and Roche's Genentech. Reference Link

13:33 EDT HeartBeam announces publication of Foundational Study on heart attack detection - HeartBeam announced the publication of a foundational study demonstrating the ability of its VECG platform to detect the presence of coronary artery blockages. The publication "Coronary Artery Occlusion Detection Using 3-Lead ECG System Suitable for Credit Card-Size Personal Device Integration" appeared in JACC: Advances, a journal of the American College of Cardiology. It demonstrated that HeartBeam's VECG technology detects the presence of a coronary occlusion, the cause of heart attacks, with the same accuracy as a standard 12 lead electrocardiogram . The significance of this result is the potential to provide patients with an easy-to-use system to record a diagnostic quality ECG signal outside of a medical institution, which could improve heart attack detection, speed up access to care, and save lives. Both 12L ECG and VECG signals were recorded in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention. Readings were taken before and after a 90 second balloon inflation that occluded the artery, a surrogate for a heart attack. Automated computer analysis of the ST segment of the 12L ECG and VECG was performed. In addition, a panel of three cardiologists analyzed the 12L ECGs. The study showed that the automated analysis of the VECG and 12L ECG signals had similar performance in determining whether the artery was occluded. Also in the study, the human interpretation of the 12L ECGs had significant intra- and inter-observer variability, which does not occur with automated readings.

13:05 EDT Terra Property issues statement on terminated Western Asset Mortgage merger - Terra Property Trust issued a statement regarding its terminated merger agreement with Western Asset Mortgage Capital Corporation. Vik Uppal, Chairman & CEO of TPT and Mavik Capital Management, L.P., commented: "We are disappointed that we could not come to an agreement with WMC's Board of Directors to merge. Our innovative proposal provided superior value to WMC stockholders in every regard, including higher total and cash consideration, perpetually reduced management fees, greater scale with lower leverage, lower transaction costs, and greater certainty of closing. WMC requested additional changes that we were unwilling to make because they would not have been in stockholders' best interests. Ultimately, our proposal offered WMC stockholders a new path to maximizing value, but the WMC Board of Directors opted to move forward with a partner who shared its same strategies and policies that have not worked. TPT will remain relentlessly focused on our pursuit of maximizing value, investing with discipline, and advocating for stockholders."

12:14 EDT SAIC protest of NASA award denied by GAO - Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) filed a protest of an award made by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and its protest was denied by the U.S. Government Accountability Office on August 8, according to a post to the GAO website. Reference Link

12:00 EDT Agiliti falls -22.8% - Agiliti is down -22.8%, or -$3.88 to $13.15.

12:00 EDT Rayonier Advanced Materials falls -27.1% - Rayonier Advanced Materials is down -27.1%, or -$1.15 to $3.10.

12:00 EDT Toast rises 16.0% - Toast is up 16.0%, or $3.25 to $23.46.

11:52 EDT Genprex small cell lung cancer treatment granted FDA orphan status - Genprex's quaratusugene ozeplasmid was granted FDA orphan status as a small cell lung cancer treatment, according to a post to the agency's website. Reference Link

11:30 EDT Xylem tells The Fly Spruce Point's report 'intentionally misleading' - In a statement emailed to The Fly, a spokesperson for Xylem responded to Spruce Point's short report on the company, saying that "Today's report from a self-proclaimed short-selling firm is intentionally misleading and includes numerous factually inaccurate assertions. Xylem's strong financial position and its track record of operating performance and shareholder value creation speak for themselves. As reported in our robust recent quarterly results, we are already seeing the momentum created by integrating two strong companies, since the acquisition of Evoqua. The company is reviewing the allegations raised in the report and considering the appropriate course of action to take to safeguard the interests of shareholders. Xylem will communicate on this matter, as appropriate, in due course." In Wednesday morning trading, shares of Xylem have dropped over 2% to $102.66. Reference Link

10:21 EDT PULSE extends debit fraud detection agreement with FICO - PULSE (DFS) has agreed to an extension of its partnership with FICO (FICO). PULSE and FICO collaborate to deliver fraud-detection technology that reduces losses and risk exposure for financial institutions, merchants and consumers worldwide. This extension supports PULSE in continuing to enhance its DebitProtect suite of advanced fraud-mitigation solutions, powered by the FICO Falcon Fraud Manager.

10:04 EDT Bruush Oral Care Inc trading resumes

10:00 EDT Roblox falls -21.2% - Roblox is down -21.2%, or -$7.99 to $29.75.

10:00 EDT Oscar Health rises 16.1% - Oscar Health is up 16.1%, or $1.15 to $8.28.

10:00 EDT Dutch Bros rises 18.5% - Dutch Bros is up 18.5%, or $5.17 to $33.16.

09:47 EDT Roblox falls -17.5% - Roblox is down -17.5%, or -$6.61 to $31.13.

09:47 EDT Doximity falls -24.0% - Doximity is down -24.0%, or -$7.87 to $24.92.

09:47 EDT Toast rises 14.4% - Toast is up 14.4%, or $2.92 to $23.14.

09:43 EDT Terns Parmaceuticles trading resumes

09:39 EDT Mirati Therapeutics trading resumes

09:34 EDT Mirati Therapeutics trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:32 EDT Kornit Digital trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:19 EDT Lexaria Bioscience reports results for human oral nicotine study NIC-H22-1 - Lexaria Bioscience reports results from its 2023 human oral nicotine study NIC-H22-1 comparing Lexaria's DehydraTECH-Nicotine tobacco-free pouch to brands ZYN and on! Lexaria's oral nicotine pouch was statistically significantly faster in the median time required to reach comparable maximum nicotine concentrations within the bloodstream, than both on! and ZYN. DehydraTECH-Nicotine was 15.0% faster in reaching Tmax levels than on! and 20.2% faster than ZYN. According to a pharmacokinetic study, both combustible cigarettes and "heat-not-burn" tobacco-containing devices require roughly 8 minutes to reach Tmax. Using this standard cigarette Tmax delivery time as a base, the ZYN pouch was 131% slower and the on! pouch was 121% slower than a smoked cigarette to reach Tmax. The Tmax times of a number of nicotine product formats at comparable dose levels used in study NIC-H22-1 are shown in the table below, taken from the published 2009 study Nicotine Chemistry, Metabolism, Kinetics and Biomarkers, showing the relative Tmax time delay per product compared to cigarette use. Generally speaking, rapid delivery of nicotine is a vital component of the potential for product adoption for use by consumers. Avoiding or minimizing harm is a major objective of oral nicotine products. Another study reported that heat-not-burn devices delivered as much as 27.9% of the same harmful and potentially harmful constituents delivered by combusted cigarettes. These include substances such as nitrosamines and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons such as benzene. By comparison, non-combusted oral nicotine pouch products with no tobacco and nicotine replacement therapies, have been shown to deliver non-quantifiable levels of these harmful substances for superior safety and tolerability. The FDA has indeed issued a reduced-risk notice for smokeless type products. Detailed questionnaires were administered to all participants in the study, for each test article, to assess subjective effects and determine the "human experience" while using the products. While the findings lacked statistical significance in most instances, possibly due to sample size limitations, a number of intriguing data trends were observed. In general, the fact that the Tmax was faster with Lexaria compared to both on! and ZYN, seemed to support apparent trends towards higher levels of certain pleasurable effects, sooner, with the Lexaria product. Conversely, the lowest frequency of certain unwanted negative effects such as moderate to severe nausea were reported from the Lexaria product users, demonstrative of some of the patented formulation benefits of Lexaria's DehydraTECH. Euphoria and Head Rush. The highest percentage of users reporting that they felt euphoric at all time points were the Lexaria users; and the highest percentage of users reporting they felt a head rush at the 5 and 30-minute marks were also Lexaria users. Tolerability. The highest endorsement score for users reporting "I tolerated this product well" were the Lexaria users, with statistical significance demonstrated at the second dosing visit in particular. Pleasure. The highest percentage of users reporting that they considered the experience "pleasurable" at the 30-minute mark were the Lexaria users, while the on! users reported the lowest percentage as "pleasurable" at this point. Mouth and Throat-burn. Lexaria scored best for percent enjoyment of the nicotine induced burning sensation in the mouth and throat. The highest percentage of severe mouth and throat-burn events were reported by users of the on! pouch. Nausea. The highest frequency of moderate and severe nausea effects were reported by users of the ZYN and on! pouches respectively; with the lowest frequency reported by users of the Lexaria pouch. Hiccups. Moderate to severe hiccups were only reported by users of the on! and ZYN products. Lexaria will now seek to commercialize DehydraTECH-Nicotine with suitable industry partners based on its clinical and intellectual property advancements.

09:08 EDT Star Group completes propane acquisition - Star Group has completed the purchase of a privately-held propane company for approximately $18.4 million. The entity, with operations in Long Island, will enhance the Company's footprint across the area. Additional terms were not disclosed.

09:06 EDT Fat Brands announces Hot Dog on a Stick to open 10 units in Iraq - FAT Brands, parent company of Hot Dog on a Stick and 16 other restaurant concepts, announces a new development deal to open 10 new franchised locations in Iraq. In partnership with Global Vita USA, 10 Hot Dog on a Stick locations will open throughout the country over the next five years, with the first units set to open in 2024. "Global Vita USA LLC continues to be a great growth partner for FAT Brands in the Middle East," said Taylor Wiederhorn, Chief Development Officer of FAT Brands. "Coming off of the Fatburger and Buffalo's Express, Great American Cookies and Marble Slab Creamery development deal announcement in Iraq earlier this year, we are thrilled to align with the group to make another iconic brand available in the country, Hot Dog on a Stick. This expansion signifies our commitment to bringing the classic Hot Dog on a Stick experience to global audiences in the years to come."

09:05 EDT Xylem down 2% after Spruce Point issues short report - Xylem shares are down $2.51, or 2% to $102.64 in pre-market following the publication of the short-selling firm's report.

09:04 EDT Renovaro BioSciences, GEDi Cube enter binding LOI for merger - Renovaro BioSciences has executed a binding, exclusive letter of intent to merge a subsidiary with health AI company GEDi Cube Intl Ltd. The combined company would aim to accelerate diagnosis, enhance treatment effectiveness, discover new therapies, and expand access to life-saving technologies for cancer and other diseases. While Renovaro's current results focus on pancreatic cancer, it plans to include other solid tumors with short life-expectancy in the first in human Phase I/IIa studies that are in track to start by mid-2024. The rates of these cancers and other serious health conditions are rising rapidly as many populations are growing older. As a concrete example of a potential multiplier effect, GEDi Cube's AI technology could potentially enable the combined Company to focus upcoming human trials on the cancers most likely to respond to therapy, expand the database of key markers for earlier diagnosis and disease progression and discover new generations of Renovaro's treatment approach as well as entirely new therapies.

09:03 EDT Bit Origin mined 22.7 bitcoins in July - Bit Origin provided its production and operation update for July 2023. Operation Update: As of July 31, 2023, the total mining hash rate stands at 403 PH/s with 4,250 miners installed in the Indiana facility, representing all miners the Company has purchased. Bitcoin Production and Revenue: The Company mined 22.7 Bitcoins and achieved a revenue of US$681,448 in July 2023. Mining Sites Development: As of July 31, 2023, the Company has one hosting mining site in operation and one mining site under development. The Company ceased its operation in the mining facility in Georgia from December 31, 2022.

09:01 EDT RTX awarded $36M contract from the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory - Collins Aerospace, an RTX business, has been awarded a $36M contract from the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory to develop and demonstrate a platform-agnostic, Beyond-Line-Of-Sight, satellite communications pod. The communications pod will provide warfighters resilient, high bandwidth, low latency communications and data directly to the cockpit. The pod brings together military and commercial satellites to add resiliency to the host platforms; and will switch between services from different vendors with little or no hardware modification, while providing the ability to utilize future constellations as they come online.

08:54 EDT Blue Apron sees ~$7M in annual savings from headcount reductions - Says will continue to focus on optimizing cost structure. Expects FY24 y/y revenue growth and adjusted EBITDA profitability.

08:46 EDT Jupiter Wellness reports efficacy results from study for NoStingz sunscreen - Jupiter Wellness announced data from a recent clinical study of NoStingz, its proprietary topical sunscreen formulated to protect users from jellyfish, sea lice, and UVA/UVB rays. Portuguese man-o'-war, a marine hydrozoan closely related to jellyfish, has a powerful sting that has been known to kill humans. The present in vivo study used Portuguese man-o'-war gathered from the Atlantic Ocean near Key West, Florida. 51 trials were conducted testing 3 sunscreen compounds, one of three being NoStingz, against control. In each trial, 4 separate areas of a participant's arm were treated with the 3 topical sunscreens, while the control area was left bare. Reconstituted MOW tentacle was applied across all four sections. Participants were asked to assess their pain score on a scale of 1-10. The NoStingz area of the participants' arms had a statistically significant lower pain score than control and both of other sunscreens tested. Application of MOW toxin often resulted in large, raised welts that persisted for days on the control area of the arms, as well as on one or both of the alternative sunscreens tested, while the NoStingz area remained relatively welt-free.

08:43 EDT Jaguar Health's Napo submits funding application to BARDA for NP-300 - Napo Pharmaceuticals has submitted a Stage 1 funding application to the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority for development of NP-300, the company's novel drug product candidate for the symptomatic relief and treatment of moderate-to-severe diarrhea, with or without concomitant antimicrobial therapy, from bacterial, viral and parasitic infections including Vibrio cholerae, the bacterium that causes cholera. BARDA, part of the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, supports advanced research and development of medical countermeasures and is a component of the Public Health Emergency Medical Countermeasures Enterprise. As announced, Napo's Investigational New Drug application for NP-300 was activated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in September 2022. In support of the IND application filing, the company received partial financial support for certain IND-enabling preclinical toxicity studies from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. NIAID is part of the National Institutes of Health.

08:42 EDT Quanterix appoints Vandana Sriram as CFO - Quanterix announced that it has appointed Vandana Sriram as CFO, effective August 21. Sriram replaces Michael Doyle, who has served as the company's CFO since July 2021. As previously announced, Doyle will transition to the role of executive director, finance, focusing on strategic growth programs until his retirement in March 2024. Sriram is a global senior executive with more than 20 years of diversified experience supporting the growth of high-tech manufacturing industries through financial strategy and transformation. Most recently, Sriram served as Senior Vice President of Global Finance at Azenta Life Sciences.

08:38 EDT Jack in the Box announces Brian Scott joins as CFO - Jack in the Box announced that Brian Scott will join the company as executive vice president, chief financial officer, effective August 14. Scott is a strategic and growth-oriented business leader with over 20 years of experience in the healthcare industry and has been instrumental in driving industry-leading financial and operational performance. Most recently, Scott served as chief financial officer of ShiftKey, the leading marketplace platform designed to combat the national healthcare shortage by directly connecting clinical professionals with healthcare facilities. He also served as chief financial officer of TheKey, the largest private pay provider of home care services. Before that, he served for over 10 years as chief financial officer and chief accounting officer of AMN Healthcare, a publicly traded company with a market cap of over $3.5B and the nationwide leader in total talent solutions for healthcare organizations.

08:35 EDT Alarum's NetNut will attend several events in Europe to showcase its solutions - Alarum Technologies announced that as part of its Enterprise Internet Access arm's, NetNut, expansion into the European market, with dozens of customers using its solutions to-date and the -increasing demand for its products, NetNut's sales team will attend the following events in Europe to further showcase its Enterprise Internet Access solutions: Big Data LDN; Web Summit; AI & Big Data Expo.

08:34 EDT Quisitive Technology migrates AgeChecker.Net to PayiQ platform - Quisitive Technology Solutions announced the successful migration of its patented AgeChecker.Net to PayiQ's payment processing, a significant milestone in its continued evolution of the PayiQ cloud-enabled payments platform. With this transition, AgeChecker.Net will now process the monthly payments for over 700 customers using PayiQ's cutting-edge payment solution. This development marks AgeChecker.Net as PayiQ's inaugural live customer, utilizing PayiQ's Visa and Mastercard authorization, clearance, and settlement services. AgeChecker.Net is a specialized solution for e-commerce age verification for credit and debit purchases and serves over 1,000 merchants.

08:33 EDT T2 Biosystems regains compliance with Nasdaq's market value requirement - T2 Biosystems announced that it received written notice from the NASDAQ Stock Market on August 8, 2023 informing the Company that it has regained compliance with the market value of listed securities requirement, as set forth in Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(b)(2) for continued listing on the NASDAQ Capital Market. As previously reported, T2 Biosystems was notified by the NASDAQ on November 22, 2022 that it was not in compliance with the NASDAQ's Capital Market requirement because it failed to maintain a MVLS of at least $35 million for a period of 30 consecutive business days. To regain compliance with the Rule, the Company was required to maintain a MVLS of at least $35 million for at least 10 consecutive trading days. This requirement was met on August 7, 2023, the tenth consecutive trading day when the MVLS was at least $35 million.

08:27 EDT OncoCyte regains compliance with Nasdaq listing requirements - Oncocyte has received written notice from the Listing Qualifications Staff of the Nasdaq Stock Market stating that the Company has regained compliance with the Nasdaq minimum bid price continued listing requirement and the matter is now closed. The Company was previously notified by Nasdaq on August 9, 2022 that it was not in compliance with the minimum bid price requirement because its common stock had failed to maintain a minimum bid price of $1.00 or more for 30 consecutive business days. To regain compliance, the Company's common stock was required to maintain a minimum closing bid price of $1.00 or more for at least 10 consecutive business days, which was achieved from July 25, 2023 to August 7, 2023, subsequent to the Company's 1-for-20 reverse stock split.

08:26 EDT Ainos partners with Nisshinbo Micro Devices, Inabata for VOC sensing platform - Ainos signed an agreement with Nisshinbo Micro Devices and Taiwan Inabata Sangyo to co-develop a volatile organic compound sensing platform. The Platform is intended to be used in a variety of applications including telehealth, automotive, industrial, and environmental safety. Under the Agreement, Ainos and NISD will co-develop a VOC sensing platform that leverages Ainos' digital nose intellectual properties, the AI Nose platform. Ainos will be compensated with an upfront development fee and per-unit fees. Inabata will provide business logistics for the program and liaise between Ainos and NISD. The Parties have a shared vision for the future of VOC sensing technology across a variety of applications, including telehealth, automotive, industrial, and environmental safety. To achieve this vision, the Parties have committed to collaborating on the development of innovative technologies by leveraging Ainos' cutting-edge artificial intelligence algorithm and digital nose technologies. These technologies have been developed over the past decade, and are protected by over 50 active and pending patents. By combining their expertise and resources, the Parties aim to create a new standard in VOC sensing and analysis, utilizing Ainos' deep-learning algorithm and cloud-based big data analysis to provide unparalleled accuracy and insight.

08:23 EDT Alpha Teknova opens GMP-certified facility in California - Alpha Teknova announced the opening of their newest GMP-certified production facility, enabling bioprocessing and gene therapy companies to get into the clinic faster. Located in Hollister, California, the Company's state-of-the-art modular manufacturing facility recently received ISO 13485:2016 certification for the production of GMP-grade products. Previously operational for research-grade production, the new facility adds more than 10,000 square feet of GMP-certified ISO cleanrooms and provides a three-fold increase in overall manufacturing capacity. With expanded formulation, dispensing, cleanroom, and warehouse space - including increased automation to support single-use needs and animal-free and endotoxin-controlled environments - the new GMP-certified facility exemplifies Teknova's modular manufacturing platform, further enabling the flexible, scalable, and consistent production of high-quality reagents that the Company is known for. Bioprocessing and gene therapy companies are now able to work with one trusted partner across the entire clinical pipeline, accelerating their breakthroughs as they transition from RUO to GMP.

08:22 EDT Elicio Therapeutics announces publication of preclinical data on AMP-CpG - Elicio Therapeutics announced the publication of preclinical data demonstrating its lymph node-targeting Amphiphile adjuvant, AMP-CpG, combined with cell surface-associated viral protein EBV gp350 and EBVpoly protein, elicited a potent and durable immune response to Epstein-Barr virus in Human Leukocyte Antigen expressing mice. Robert Connelly, Chief Executive Officer of Elicio, added, "We are excited about the versatility of the AMP platform and the potential of lymph node targeting to improve immunity across indications in oncology and infectious disease. The first-in-human safety data presented in June at ASCO1, the data in this paper demonstrating utility in an infectious disease model and the Cell paper2 recently published by our scientific founder in cellular therapy support broad applicability of the AMP platform. Our near-term focus, however, remains progressing ELI-002, our cancer vaccine candidate for mutant KRAS-driven solid tumors, through the ongoing phase 1 trials and to a randomized trial in pancreatic cancer in 2024."

08:21 EDT Treasure Global's ZCITY App launches AI personalization engine - Treasure Global announced that the integration of its next-gen, personalized AI-powered chatbot assistant, Jojo, into the Company's proprietary ZCITY app is now live for users. Powered by TGL's data analysis engine and integrated with ChatGPT, Jojo uses artificial intelligence and deep learning to track users' personal likes and dislikes to recommend the ideal promotion and product personal to them. From monthly essential spending to online shopping, ZCITY deploys AI to personalize the user experience for its members. The added functionality is expected to enhance user retention and attract new customers to drive revenue growth, as well as allowing merchants to capture expanded data on user behavior and spending patterns. The AI chatbot leverages machine learning to optimize user spending behavior and provide accurate marketing tools to merchants to promote their products and services with cost efficiency.

08:19 EDT Graf Acquisition IV, NKGen Biotech nominate two independent directors - NKGen Biotech and Graf Acquisition Corp. IV (GFOR) announced that Michael Klowden and Kathleen Scott have been nominated to serve as independent members of the Board of Directors of the post-business combination company. Assuming the director nominees are elected by the stockholders of Graf at the special meeting of its stockholders to be held to approve the business combination between Graf and NKGen, their appointment will be effective upon the closing of the business combination. The closing of the proposed business combination is expected to occur in the third quarter of 2023. Klowden is currently serving as the executive vice chairman of the board of the Milken Institute, a non-profit, nonpartisan think tank. KScott has been serving as the chief financial officer of ARS Pharmaceuticals (SPRY)

08:18 EDT Smart for Life commences rollout of new line of Ice Kreem - Smart for Life announced that its line of proprietary and healthy, high protein, high fiber Ice Kreem bars are now available for delivery in the greater Miami area in South Florida. Smart for Life's new line of Ice Kreem bars can be purchased on most popular delivery apps. "We are excited that our gourmet, high protein, high fiber Ice Kreem bars are now available in the Miami area," said Darren Minton, Smart for Life's Chief Executive Officer. "We believe our innovative ratio of protein, fiber and other nutrients in an ice cream bar format is completely novel and represents a pioneering new concept in frozen foods. Our Ice Kreem bars are gluten free, contain whey isolate, are low sugar, high in protein and fiber with a crispy and delicious texture. Our bars provide sustained energy throughout the day, preventing energy crashes and helping to maintain focus and productivity. We look forward to launching a variety of flavors and plan to launch in other major markets very soon."

08:16 EDT Kratos Defense, Hypersonix announce exclusive teaming agreement - Hypersonix Launch Systems and Kratos Defense & Security Solutions announced an Exclusive Teaming Agreement to provide the Hypersonix DART AE Hypersonic System within the U.S. market, integrated with Kratos' Zeus family of solid rocket motors. With Kratos' Zeus and "other" rocket propulsion systems, Kratos and Hypersonix aim to frequently and reliably deliver an affordable, high cadence, high availability, overall hypersonic capable system and vehicle, to the hypersonic customer community. Both Hypersonix and Kratos view the Teaming Agreement as an important step towards rapid future hypersonic flights in the United States. Dave Carter, President, Kratos Defense & Rocket Systems Division said, "This exclusive partnership and Kratos' potential procurement of up to 20 DART AE systems, enables the Kratos/Hypersonix Team to be first-to-market with a relevant capability, in support of U.S. and Australia hypersonic initiatives. With Kratos' Zeus family of solid rocket launch systems, Kratos' Erinyes and Dark Fury hypersonic flyers, and the DART AE hypersonic vehicle, we can rapidly provide incredible capability to the hypersonic community at an affordable cost."

08:14 EDT Immersed to go public via merger with Maquia Capital Acquisition - Immersed and Maquia Capital Acquisition have entered into a definitive business combination agreement that will result in Immersed becoming a publicly listed company. The transaction values Immersed at $150,000,000. Upon closing, the Company is expected to be named "Immersed Inc." and its common stock is expected to trade on The Nasdaq Stock Market under the ticker symbol "AIMR". The Company will continue to be headquartered in Austin, Texas, and will continue to be led by Renji Bijoy, Founder and CEO of Immersed. Founded in 2017, Immersed has developed some of the leading spatial computing software optimized for enterprise, that allows users to work full-time with their team in virtual AR/VR spaces. Immersed is also developing purpose-built, light weight, spatial computing hardware that bridges the physical world to the virtual world and an AI assistant trained for enterprise office productivity using a multi-modal Large Language Model named "Curator", that it believes has the potential to vastly increase worker productivity and save significant time and costs. With Immersed's innovative spatial computing software and AI-driven solutions, Immersed believes it is well positioned to help organizations adapt to the changing dynamics of the workforce and equip employees with the skills and capabilities needed for the jobs of the future. Immersed's application has already had over 730,000 unique users to date and its success can be seen by the number of hours that users have spent working in it. Immersed users have spent 20 million minutes working in the Immersed application just this past quarter alone and monthly active user usage to date reached a peak of about 87,000 monthly active users. In connection with executing the business combination agreement, Immersed has executed $1.95 million in strategic bridge financing by entering into convertible notes with All Blue Capital, Pat Gelsinger, Tim Tebow, Sovereign Capital, and others.

08:13 EDT The Oncology Institute, Ambience Healthcare announce new agreement - Ambience Healthcare and The Oncology Institute are announcing an agreement to implement a new AI operating system for oncology care. "The average oncologist spends as much as two thirds of their time in the EHR. That's time that our clinicians could otherwise be spending with patients," reflects Dr. Yale D. Podnos, M.D., MPH, FACS, Chief Medical Officer of The Oncology Institute. "With Ambience's technology automatically capturing clinical conversations and producing documentation in real-time, our oncologists will no longer need to multitask within the EHR during a visit. Instead, they will be fully engaged with the patient and their caregivers," shared Dr. Podnos. "After each visit, patients and their families will also have access to highly personalized educational materials and care plans generated in real-time, titrated to their level of health literacy, and translated into their preferred language. After careful evaluation of the generative AI ecosystem, we felt that Ambience's platform was the only clinical documentation solution on the market with the technology maturity required to meet the complexity of our care model and the diversity of our population."

08:05 EDT Southwest Gas sees completion of spin-off of Centuri towards the end 1Q24 - In the second quarter, Southwest Gas continued to pursue its previously announced plan to simplify the company's business portfolio and position Southwest Gas as a pure-play utility. On June 21, the company announced that it had received approval from the ACC to divest its financial interest in and separate from Centuri. Additionally, the company confidentially submitted a draft Registration Statement on Form 10 with the SEC. The company anticipates completion of the spin-off of Centuri towards the end of the first quarter of 2024, subject to, among other things, the receipt of a favorable Internal Revenue Service private letter ruling relating to the tax-free nature of the transaction, SEC review and Form 10 effectiveness, and final approval by the Southwest Gas Board of Directors.

08:00 EDT Palisade Bio Inc trading halted, news pending

07:53 EDT Protagonist Therapeutics receives $34M from warrant exercises - Protagonist Therapeutics has received approximately $34.4 million in proceeds from the exercise of warrants to purchase 2.75 million shares of the Company's Common Stock. The warrants were issued in connection with an August 2018 equity financing and expired on August 8, 2023. "These proceeds make Protagonist's cash position even stronger, with an estimated cash runway through the first quarter of 2026," said Dinesh V. Patel, Ph.D., President and CEO of Protagonist. "Importantly, that estimate does not include $200 million in potential milestones associated with a successful Phase 3 study, NDA filing, and approval of JNJ-2113 in psoriasis," Dr. Patel continued.

07:50 EDT Osino Resources announces discovery of gold mineralization at Eureka project - Osino Resources announces the discovery of significant gold mineralization at the Eureka greenfields exploration project, approximately 35km northeast of the Company's Ondundu Gold Project. Dave Underwood, Osino's VP Exploration commented: "The Eureka license was identified in 2019 as part of a regional target generation exercise based on structure and geology. There has been no previous exploration in the area and there are no known local gold deposits. The license was initially explored using soil and rock chip sampling, which produced a gold anomaly at surface. The first two scout holes into the anomaly intersected wide zones of gold, including 29m @ 2.69g/t, from surface. These two holes were quickly followed up with a nine hole, step-out diamond drill program which again intersected gold in several holes including high grade shoots of 47m @ 5.92g/t and 18m @ 4.70g/t."

07:49 EDT Societal CDMO reschedules Q2 results reporting - Societal CDMO has rescheduled its second quarter 2023 financial results reporting to Monday, August 14, 2023 at 4:30 p.m. ET and that the company intends to file its Form 10-Q for the second quarter 2023 on or before August 14, 2023.

07:49 EDT CalciMedica enrolls first patient in international expansion of CARPO trial - CalciMedica announced that its ongoing CARPO trial, a Phase 2b trial evaluating Auxora for the treatment of acute pancreatitis with accompanying systemic inflammatory response syndrome, was expanded to clinical research sites in India and that the first patient has been enrolled there. Overseeing the trial in India as a member of the steering committee is Dr. Pramod Garg, Professor of Gastroenterology and Associate Dean of Research at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi, India. CARPO is expected to enroll approximately 216 patients at more than 30 sites in the United States and India. The randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, dose-ranging trial is intended to demonstrate the tolerability and potential efficacy of Auxora in patients who have AP with accompanying SIRS, a condition that can be life-threatening and for which there is currently no approved therapy. Data from the CARPO trial are expected in the first half of 2024.

07:47 EDT Xanadu, Zijin Mining provide update on infill drilling at Stockwork Hill - Xanadu Mines and its joint venture partner Zijin Mining Group are pleased to announce delivery of further higher-grade drill results during Phase One infill drilling at the Kharmagtai Copper and Gold Project, in preparation for the Prefeasibility Study. Highlights: New infill drilling conducted in preparation for the PFS has returned strong higher-grade results from the Stockwork Hill deposit. Best downhole intersects include: KHDDH649 - 424m @ 0.36% eCu from 126m Including 72.2m @ 0.72% eCu from 126m & 30.2m @ 0.89% eCu from 168m & 6m @ 0.96% eCu from 348m& 18m @ 0.66% eCu from 466m; KHDDH650 - 131m @ 0.70% eCu from 6m Including 76m @ 0.96% eCu from 26m Including 38.5m @ 1.24% Cu from 58m & 29m @ 1.00% eCu from 185m & 41.7m @ 0.94% eCu from 347m; KHDDH660 - 421.25m @ 0.48% eCu from 152.75m Including 105m @ 0.84% eCu from 168m including 62m @ 1.05% eCu from 196.75m; KHDDH653 - 6.2m @ 2.08% eCu from 183.8m And 14m @ 0.83% eCu from 202m; KHDDH655 - 370m @ 0.55% eCu from 236m Including 106m @ 0.80% eCu from 386m & 46m @ 0.85% eCu from 544m Including 12m @ 1.35% eCu from 578m; Completed Phase 1 drilling has defined and expanded the volume of higher-grade mineralisation within the Stockwork pit, indicating both grade uplift and resource expansion potential. Building on recent infill drilling success, these newly identified higher-grade zones are expected to enhance the 2021 Mineral Resource Estimate, currently an Inferred and Indicated Resource of 1.1Bt containing 3Mt Cu and 8Moz Au. Interim MRE update to be completed early 4Q CY2023, in preparation for Final PFS MRE during 4Q CY2023, which will include results from Phase 2. Growth-focused discovery exploration drilling at Kharmagtai also continues with 2 diamond rigs; we expect to provide further shallow results, plus first ever deep drilling results during 3Q CY2023. Xanadu's Executive Chairman and Managing Director, Mr Colin Moorhead, said "Our infill drilling program to support the PFS has progressed safely and efficiently and is continuing to demonstrate results in line with or materially better than the 2021 MRE. Results from this Phase One have continued to show upside to the existing Resource that formed the basis for the 2022 PEA and Scoping Study4. Pleasingly, we've intersected new higher grade zones at Stockwork Hill within the existing Resource boundary, which supports the potential to expand and increase the near-surface high-grade tonnes; a significant value-driver for the open-pit project going forward. Hole KHDDH649 is extremely encouraging, intersecting a high-grade steeply dipping tourmaline breccia, adding at least 120 m vertical extension of known higher grade zones. Not only does it highlight potential for significant grade boosts relative to the existing MRE, but also has dragged high-grade mineralisation closer to surface. Phase Two drilling, currently underway, is focussed on Golden Eagle, Zephyr and West White Hill, and will also address any outstanding issues arising from Phase One. Phase 2 results will then be combined with the Interim MRE to produce a final PFS Mineral Resource update in Q4 CY2023."

07:45 EDT Marathon Gold, Miawpukek First Nation hold formal signing ceremony - Marathon Gold announces that the Socio-Economic Agreement between Marathon and Miawpukek First Nation, which was concluded on May 8, 2023, was the subject of a formal signing ceremony held in Conne River, Newfoundland and Labrador, on August 7, 2023. The Agreement was signed by Matt Manson, Marathon's President & CEO, and Miawpukek Chief Mi'sel Joe during a community meeting and reception hosted by Miawpukek.

07:44 EDT Virios Therapeutics announces plans to advance lead candidate IMC-1 - Virios Therapeutics announced that the Food & Drug Administration communicated that, following their initial review of the Company's chronic toxicology program, the program's studies appear adequate to support the safety of IMC-1 at the dose proposed by the Company for chronic use. With this critical feedback in hand, the Company plans to initiate its proposed pharmacokinetic and food effect study this year, while concurrently resubmitting a final Phase 3 program outline and study protocols for FDA review. Following completion of the pK study, the goal will be to begin enrollment in the first fibromyalgia Phase 3 safety and efficacy study in mid-2024. Key Highlights and Upcoming Milestones: The Company plans to execute the pK study in males and females as a precursor to the FM studies with an updated IMC-1 dose and formulation. Consistent with the previously proposed Phase 3 plan, the Company will concurrently submit its final Phase 3 program outline and associated study protocols to FDA, to progress the following: Two adequate and well-controlled clinical studies; and A long-term extension trial to support chronic administration of IMC-1. Based on the results from its recently completed FORTRESS Phase 2b trial, the Company has designed a Phase 3 development program targeting community-based FM patients who have not participated in prior FM trials.

07:42 EDT El Pollo Loco adopts limited-duration shareholder rights plan - El Pollo Loco announced that its Board of Directors has unanimously adopted a limited-duration shareholder rights plan to protect the best interests of all El Pollo Loco shareholders. The Rights Plan is effective immediately and will expire on August 7, 2024. The Board may consider an earlier termination of the Rights Plan if circumstances warrant. The limited-duration Rights Plan was adopted in response to the rapid and significant accumulation of El Pollo Loco stock by Biglari Capital Corp. The Rights Plan is intended to enable the Company's shareholders to realize the long-term value of their investment, ensure that all shareholders receive fair and equal treatment in the event of any proposed takeover of the Company, and to guard against tactics to gain control of the Company without paying all shareholders an appropriate premium for that control. The Rights Plan applies equally to all current and future shareholders and is not intended to deter offers or preclude the Board from considering offers that are fair and otherwise in the best interest of the Company's shareholders.

07:40 EDT Applied UV receives first order for disinfecting mirrors - Applied UV announced the first purchase order for its disinfecting mirrors has recently been received. This order is for the Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York.

07:39 EDT Global Crossing Airlines expects to fly over 6,000 block hours in Q3 - Q3 Update: Will take delivery of one A319, one A320 and one A321 freighter; Will complete the financing and sign the lease for the maintenance facility to be built at Ft. Lauderdale Int'l Airport; Projected to fly over 6,000 block hours in the quarter; Signed LOI for two additional A321 freighters for delivery this year Guidance items provided in this release are based on Company's current estimates and are not a guarantee of future performance. The Company expects to operate over 6,000 block hours in Q3 and is increasing its revenue guidance for 2023 to $150 million, a 54% increase over 2022. Currently $112 million of this revenue, or approximately 75%, is contracted. The Company is currently bidding on average $2M worth of contracts a day and has a current pipeline of potential contracts for 2023 of approx. $50M. To support this growth, the Company is looking to take delivery of three more passenger aircraft in 2023, plus up to four more A321F aircraft. To date for all of 2023, the Company has contracted for 13,629 block hours and expect to contract an additional 7,000 hours subject to actual aircraft delivery dates. This compares to 10,615 block hours contracted in all of 2022.

07:33 EDT Regeneron to acquire Decibel Therapeutics for $4.00 per share plus CVR

07:28 EDT Nuvista Energy sees 2023 production 76,000-78,000 boe/d - The company said, " We are extremely well positioned with top-tier assets and highly favorable economics. Our disciplined execution has allowed us to achieve growth in production and adjusted funds flow, while generating positive free adjusted funds flow, even amid the significant moderation of natural gas pricing in the first half of 2023. Due to our high condensate weighting, our execution economics remain very strong. Although the Alberta wildfires did have an impact on our second-quarter production, all production has since been restored and increased, with no damage to our assets or facilities. We have recently achieved a new weekly production record of approximately 85,000 Boe/d. We have well capability to produce more than this figure, but are currently working through some temporary in-field and midstream facility capacity constraints to allow us to push beyond 85,000 Boe/d. Average production for the third quarter is expected in the range of 80,000 - 82,000 Boe/d, including an impact on the quarter of 1,250 Boe/d due to unplanned third party facility outages which were experienced in July. Our full year production guidance range is tightened to 76,000 - 78,000 Boe/d versus the original range of 76,000 - 79,000 Boe/d. Cost inflation remained limited but persistent through the first quarter of 2023, partially offset by improving execution and capital efficiency. Inflation appears to have moderated into the summer, but this will remain somewhat dependent on commodity prices. At this time, we are maintaining our outlook for full year spending by optimizing phasing toward the end of the year, and our 2023 net capital expenditure guidance is unchanged at $425 - $450 million. We intend to continue our track record of carefully directing free adjusted funds flow towards a prudent balance of return to shareholders and debt reduction, while investing in production growth until our existing facilities are filled and debottlenecked to maximum efficiency. NuVista has an exceptional business plan that targets production levels, reaching approximately 100,000 Boe/d in 2025. NuVista possesses top-quality assets, supported by a management team dedicated to continuous improvement. With a strong balance sheet and ample liquidity, we are prepared to deliver significant value for our shareholders. We will continue to adjust to the environment in order to maximize the value of our asset base and ensure the long-term sustainability of our business. We would like to thank our staff, contractors, and suppliers for their continued dedication and delivery, and we thank our Board of Directors and our shareholders for their continued guidance and support."

07:26 EDT VIA Optronics appoints Roland Chochoiek as new CEO - The Company announced that the Supervisory Board has expanded the Management Board and appointed Roland Chochoiek, the Company's Chief Marketing Officer CMO, as the new Chief Executive Officer CEO of the Company. Jurgen Eichner, founder and a shareholder of the Company who has served as Chief Executive Officer since 2005, jointly decided this move with the Supervisory Board as part of the planned succession process during his current contract period. He will remain a member of the Management Board and he will support Roland Chochoiek in his new role whilst having room to focus on the Company's ecosystem, current and new customers to tackle the challenges the Company is currently facing . Dr. Markus Peters will continue in his role as the Company's Chief Financial Officer.

07:25 EDT Nuvei sees 15%-20% annual y-o-y revenue growth in medium-term - Sees 50%+ growth of adjusted EBITDA margin over the long-terms. Sees capex 4%-6% of revenue over the medium-term.

07:20 EDT Canadian Solar, EDF Renewables sign multi-year module supply agreement - Canadian Solar and EDF Renewables North America announced the signing of a multi-year module supply agreement to deliver up to 7-gigawatts of high efficiency N-type TOPCon solar modules to be produced at Canadian Solar's new factory in Mesquite, Texas. Under the agreement, Canadian Solar will be supplying its latest high efficiency N-Type TOPCon solar modules to support EDF Renewables' project pipeline in the U.S. between 2024 and 2030. The TOPCon modules will solidify Canadian Solar's mission to provide the best return on investment for its customers. TOPCon modules boast high conversion efficiencies of up to 22.5%, a low temperature coefficient of -0.30%/degrees C, low LID resulting in a low power degradation, and improved bifaciality over Mono-PERC modules, all resulting into an increased energy production. In July 2023, Canadian Solar announced it would invest over $250M in a state-of-the-art solar photovoltaic module factory in Mesquite, Texas. Once fully ramped up, the factory would have an annual output of 5 GW and create approximately 1,500 skilled jobs. Production is expected to start in Q4 2023.

07:15 EDT Zentalis expects cash to fund operations into 2026 - As of June 30, 2023, Zentalis had cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities of $553.0 million. The Company believes that its existing cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities as of June 30, 2023 will be sufficient to fund its operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements into 2026.

07:13 EDT Valvoline CEO Sam Mitchell to retire, Lori Flees to succeed - Valvoline announced that Sam Mitchell is retiring as CEO and a member of the Board of Directors, effective September 30. Mitchell will be succeeded by Lori Flees, current President of Retail Services, as the company's CEO. Flees will also join the company's Board. Flees has served as President of Valvoline Retail Services for the past year. In this role, she has led the Company's operations, driving top and bottom-line growth to new record levels. She will continue in her role as President, in addition to serving as the Company's CEO.

07:08 EDT Wendy's maintains long-term outlook for 2024-2025 - Sees: Systemwide sales growth: Mid-Single Digits; Free cash flow growth: High-Single to Low-Double Digits.

07:06 EDT Ceva implemented cost-saving initiatives - Yaniv Arieli, CFO of CEVA, stated: "As we navigate the current macroeconomic conditions, we have implemented cost-saving initiatives to reduce expense levels for the remainder of the year. We believe these initiatives will enable us to remain lean and dynamic, which combined with our strong balance sheet will allow us to act decisively to support our future growth strategy."

07:04 EDT Kornit Digital issues its Impact Report for 2022 - Kornit Digital issued its Impact Report for 2022, highlighting the Company's progress against its long-term goals related to climate action, waste management, green chemistry, and workplace diversity. This third-annual report reinforces Kornit's commitment to an Environmental, Social, and corporate Governance, or ESG, strategy that aims to transform the fashion and textile industry into one that is significantly more sustainable and ethical.

06:48 EDT International Seaways raises share buyback program to $50M from $26M

06:41 EDT FTC Solar announces 1-gigawatt tracker supply agreement with CCE - FTC Solar and Cat Creek Energy, a renewable energy Independent Power Producer, announced a multi-year, 1-gigawatt tracker supply agreement to supply the PV solar portion of CCE's multi-technology renewable energy and water storage project, which is under development in southwest Idaho. Beginning in the fall of 2023, FTC Solar will supply solar tracker equipment and services for the broader $1.5B new solar and battery infrastructure CCE will build to fulfill its recent agreement with Bayer, a global enterprise with core competencies in the life science fields of health care and nutrition. The long-term Structured Renewable Energy Credit Purchase Agreement between Bayer and Cat Creek Energy supplies 1,400 GWh of clean energy annually - one of the largest long-term corporate renewable energy agreements in the U.S.

06:23 EDT Montauk Renewables enters REC agreement with Duke Energy - Montauk Renewables (MNTK) has signed a Renewable Energy Certificates, or REC, agreement with Duke Energy (DUK) for Montauk's proposed waste-to-renewable energy facility in Sampson County, North Carolina, which will expand Duke's renewable energy efforts in the state. Montauk is constructing the Turkey Creek facility which will use its patented near zero emissions conversion technology. The patented technology, as we believe, is designed in a manner that avoids meaningful amounts of greenhouse gas emissions. Montauk, through a wholly owned, locally focused subsidiary, will operate the project, which is designed to convert swine waste into renewable electricity, renewable natural gas, and other renewable commodities such as biochar fertilizer. The 15 year Agreements call for Duke to buy the electricity as well as the associated swine waste Renewable Energy Certificates, or RECs, from the conversion which is contracted to be up to 47,000 RECs per year once the facility is fully commissioned. Once fully commissioned, the initial stage of this expandable facility, as currently envisioned, is expected to generate material amounts of renewable electricity, Renewable Natural Gas, or RNG, and biochar which can be used as a fertilizer. As a result, the project initially has the potential to generate renewable energy sufficient to power more than 5,000 homes and businesses throughout eastern North Carolina and facilitate Duke in meeting its swine waste requirement under the Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard law in North Carolina. Montauk is in the process of constructing the facility in Turkey, N.C., and anticipates being fully operational during the first half of 2025.

06:12 EDT European Wax Center: David Willis to succeed David Berg as CEO - European Wax Center announced that President and COO David Willis will succeed David Berg as CEO as part of the company's succession plan, effective September 30. Willis will also join the company's Board of Directors at that time. David Berg will assume the newly created role of Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors on September 30. Prior to joining the company, Willis served as an Operating Partner for Riata Capital Group, LLC from October 2014 to July 2016, during which he provided consulting services to the company on supply chain, finance, and operations matters.

06:08 EDT CMS Energy to explore selling 13 hydroelectric facilities - CMS Energy announced it will be issuing a request for proposal, or RFP, to explore the possibility of selling its 13 hydroelectric facilities as the energy provider continues to evaluate the future of the dams and considers all options to safely maintain the dam reservoirs. Consumers Energy last year held a series of public meetings with community members and local leaders about the dams' future. Based on community feedback, Consumers Energy understands how important these facilities and the associated reservoirs are to local communities. Therefore, the energy provider is exploring all options to safely maintain the reservoirs - the lakes created by the dams -- while reducing costs for Consumers Energy's customers. Consumers Energy began working with local officials and meeting with community leaders last year as licenses for the company's dams begin to expire in 11 years. Consumers Energy's 13 dams together produce less than 1% of energy used by the energy provider's nearly 2 million customers, and they are several times more expensive than other energy sources. Consumers Energy is planning another series of public community meetings later this summer and into the fall with the goal of collecting community feedback and discussing what a potential sale of the dams would mean, as well as other options continuing to be considered.

05:58 EDT Atai Life Sciences announces results from PCN-101 study - Atai Life Sciences announced results from Perception Neuroscience's Phase 1 intravenous-to-subcutaneous bridging study of PCN-101, or R-ketamine. The Phase 1 open-label, 4-period crossover study assessed the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetic profile of 60mg, 90mg and 120mg of PCN-101 delivered subcutaneously, or SQ, as compared to 60mg of PCN-101 delivered intravenously, or IV. The study enrolled 16 healthy volunteers, each into one of four sequences of administration. The study was designed to inform dosing regimens of the new subcutaneous formulation that may optimize the therapeutic index-the balance of safety, tolerability, and efficacy-of PCN-101 in future studies, thereby supporting further exploration of the potential of R-ketamine as a rapid acting anti-depressant for at-home use. Pharmacokinetic, or PK, analysis indicates that 120mg of PCN-101 delivered SQ resulted in an approximate doubling of drug exposure, or AUC, while maintaining approximately the same maximum concentration, or Cmax, as the 60mg IV dose. Further, PCN-101 was generally well-tolerated with no serious adverse events reported. At the 60mg IV dose, rates of sedation and dissociation were consistent with prior studies of PCN-101 at this dose-level. Encouragingly, at the highest SQ dose of 120mg, rates of sedation (defined as MOAA/S1 score less than5) and dissociation were each 14%. While recognizing the limitations of this small bridging study and cross-trial comparisons, this safety and tolerability profile compares favorably to that of Spravato, for which rates of sedation and dissociation have been reported to be in the ranges of 50-61% and 61-69%3, respectively, in prior studies. In addition, rates of sedation and dissociation were similar to those seen in the placebo arms of both the prior Phase 2 study of PCN-101 and the Spravato clinical trials in depression. Collectively, we believe these data support the concept of at-home use of PCN-101 in future studies.

05:25 EDT Kyndryl Holdings, Microsoft announce joint effort - Kyndryl (KD) and Microsoft (MSFT) announced a joint effort to enable the adoption of enterprise-grade generative AI solutions for businesses on The Microsoft Cloud. Leveraging the partnership's Joint Innovation Centers, Kyndryl's growing patent portfolio in data and AI, and its access to Microsoft 365 Copilot, Azure OpenAI Service and Microsoft Fabric, the two companies will rapidly design, develop and drive new generative AI innovations and solutions across their enterprises. To further the advancement of new AI capabilities, Kyndryl is also committing to utilize the Kyndryl University for Microsoft to educate thousands of Kyndryl employees on new Microsoft AI technologies.

05:21 EDT Rio Tinto, H2 Green Steel sign multi-year supply agreement for iron ore pellets - Rio Tinto and H2 Green Steel, an industrial startup establishing large scale production of green steel, have signed a multi-year supply agreement for high grade direct reduction iron ore pellets from Rio Tinto's Iron Ore Company of Canada, or IOC, operations. Rio Tinto will also purchase and on-sell a part of the surplus low carbon hot briquetted iron (HBI) produced by H2 Green Steel during the ramp-up of its steelmaking capacity. IOC's direct reduction pellets will account for a significant part of the iron ore supply to H2 Green Steel's flagship plant in Boden, Sweden, which will be one of the world's first large-scale producers of low carbon iron and steel. The fully integrated, digitalised, and circular plant is expected to start operations in 2025, processing direct reduction pellets into HBI and then making steel through electric arc furnaces using green hydrogen. The Boden site will hold one of the world's largest electrolysis plants for green hydrogen production. The production of steel, a key material for infrastructure and net-zero energy transition, currently contributes around 8% of global carbon emissions. By using green hydrogen in electric arc furnaces instead of coal in traditional steelmaking with a blast furnace, CO2 emissions can be reduced by up to 95%.

05:08 EDT Accenture, Coca-Cola Bottlers Japan form joint venture - Coca-Cola Bottlers Japan, a consolidate subsidiary of Coca-Cola Bottlers Japan Holdings and Accenture have agreed to form a joint venture that will commence in January 2024 to support Coca-Cola Bottlers Japan Group's goal to become a data-driven organization with streamlined administrative and back-office operations. With the establishment of the joint venture, Coca-Cola Bottlers Japan Group aims to become a cost-effective and profitable bottler, with Accenture providing local business process managed services. Certain functions within the Information Technology division, as well as those related to human resources, general affairs, finance, procurement, customer service, and sales support, currently operated by Coca-Cola Bottlers Japan and Coca-Cola Bottlers Japan Business Services* (responsible for the administrative and support services of Coca-Cola Bottlers Japan Group), will be transferred to this joint venture. This joint venture will consolidate administrative, back-office, and support services. It will also provide Coca-Cola Bottlers Japan Group with technology to capture, analyze, and utilize data necessary to the beverage business. Coca-Cola Bottlers Japan Group will employ this data to attain greater insights for better decision-making, identify future business opportunities, and strive to provide higher quality products and services. Accenture will enable wider access to specialized talent, industry expertise and leading automation platforms to help Coca-Cola Bottlers Japan Group adopt a strategy of continuous enterprise reinvention, through an effective combination of domestic locations.