Stockwinners Market Radar for January 23, 2024 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

20:10 EST B2Gold reports Q4 gold production 288.7K oz - The company also "reported total gold production for 2023 at 1,061,060 ounces including 68,717 ounces of attributable production from Calibre, achieving the upper half of 2023 guidance of 1.00M-1.08M and marking the Company's eighth consecutive year of meeting or exceeding annual production guidance."

20:05 EST Cathie Wood's ARK Investment bought 119K shares of Ginkgo Bioworks today

19:50 EST Inseego trading halted, news pending

19:22 EST eBay up 3% at $42.60 after announcing 9% full-time staff reduction

19:15 EST eBay to cut approximately 1,000 roles or 9% of full-time staff - In a note to the company, CEOJamie Iannone stated: "Team, We are on a path to building a stronger eBay for the future - one that is growing, and resilient in the face of any challenge. Over the past three years, we made fundamental changes in our experiences across categories and accelerated the pace of innovation at eBay. In areas where we're investing, we are seeing consistent increases in customer satisfaction and a meaningful improvement in our growth relative to the market. Our strategy is the right one, but there is more we can do to ensure our success. We need to better organize our teams for speed - allowing us to be more nimble, bring like-work together, and help us make decisions more quickly. Today, I am sharing news about changes we are implementing to better position eBay for long-term, sustainable growth. The most significant and toughest of these decisions is to reduce our current workforce by approximately 1,000 roles or an estimated 9% of full-time employees. Additionally, we plan to scale back the number of contracts we have within our alternate workforce over the coming months. These are not actions we take lightly - and we recognize the impact they will have on all eBayers. We have to say goodbye to people who have made so many important contributions to the eBay community and culture, and this isn't easy. Despite facing external pressures, like the challenging macroeconomic environment, we know we can be better with the factors we control. While we are making progress against our strategy, our overall headcount and expenses have outpaced the growth of our business. To address this, we're implementing organizational changes that align and consolidate certain teams to improve the end-to-end experience, and better meet the needs of our customers around the world." Reference Link

18:57 EST Costco director Jelinek sells 8,000 common shares - In a regulatory filing, Costco director W. Craig Jelinek disclosed the sale of 8,000 common shares of the company on January 23 at a price of $685.932 per share.

17:58 EST First Horizon authorizes $650M share repurchase program - First Horizon's board of directors has authorized the company to repurchase up to $650M of the company's common stock. This authorization will expire on January 31, 2025.

17:47 EST Leonardo DRS unveils Stretto family of high-precision lasers - The company states: "Leonardo DRS announced that it has launched the Stretto family of high-precision lasers, a next-generation system with unparalleled performance covering the ultraviolet, visible, and near-infrared spectrum. The technology is designed to bring a range of new benefits to quantum information science, including computing, sensing, timing and networking. Stretto lasers are designed to bring the reliability and adaptability required for cutting-edge quantum applications and are engineered as a versatile product platform, enabling expansion across a broad wavelength range while maintaining a uniform footprint and interface. This design enables scientific discovery while facilitating scalability in quantum information science applications and ensuring seamless OEM integration without the need for extensive redesigns."

17:44 EST Churchill Capital Corp VII to transfer listing to Nasdaq - Churchill Capital Corp VII, a special purpose acquisition company, announced that it plans to transfer the listing of its shares of Class A common stock, public warrants and public units from the New York Stock Exchange to Nasdaq Global Market. Churchill VII expects that listing and trading of its securities on the NYSE will end at market close on February 2, 2024, and expects to commence trading as a Nasdaq-listed company upon market open on February 5, 2024.

17:13 EST Netflix says licensing third-party games to be 'key' part of strategy - Says will continue to find "right opportunities" for licensing games to platform.

17:10 EST Gran Tierra reports total 2023 average production up 6% vs. 2022 to 32,650 BOPD

17:08 EST Signet Jewelers CEO Drosos sells 10,000 common shares - In a regulatory filing, Signet Jewelers CEO Virginia Drosos sells 10,000 common shares of the company on January 22 at a price of $99.85 per share.

17:04 EST Netflix says no immediate plans to expand ad business to new places - Says original films drawing "some of the biggest audiences in the world."

16:50 EST Netflix says WWE has been 'historically underdistributed' outside North America - Says WWE has grown multi-generational fanbase. Says WWE has been "historically underdistributed" outside North America. Says live programming fits into $17B content budget. Comments taken from Q4 earnings conference call.

16:48 EST Five Below director sells $1.86M in common stock - In a regulatory filing, Five Below disclosed that its director Thomas Vellios sold 10K shares of common stock January 19th in a total transaction size of $1.86M.

16:41 EST Intuitive Surgical jumps 9% to $405.48 after Q4 results beat estimates

16:35 EST Texas Instruments down about 4% after Q4 results, below-consensus guidance - Shares of Texas Instruments (TXN) are down 3.6% or $6.34 afterhours at $168.00 per share following the company's Q4 revenue miss and below-consensus Q1 guidance. Shares of other semiconducturs are down in sympathy following Texas Instruments results - Analog Devices (ADI) is down 1.7%, NXP Semiconductors N.V. (NXPI) is down 2.7%, Microchip Technology (MCHP) is down 2.6%, Monolithic Power Systems (MPWR) is down 2.0%, and Qorvo (QRVO) is down 1.3%.

16:32 EST Steel Dynamics CEO sees increased demand across operating platforms in 2024 - "We believe the market dynamics are in place to support increased demand across our operating platforms in 2024," said CEO Mark Millett. "Steel pricing has firmed, and customer order entry activity continues to be solid across our steel operations, as demand continues to be steady and customer inventories remain at historically low levels. In addition, we believe demand for lower-carbon emission, U.S. produced steel products will also support future domestic steel pricing. The continued onshoring of manufacturing businesses, combined with the expectation of significant fixed asset investment to be derived from public funding related to the U.S. Infrastructure, Inflation Reduction Act, and Department of Energy programs, will competitively position the domestic steel industry. We believe this will benefit all of our operating platforms, especially our steel and steel fabrication businesses. Steel Dynamics continues to be in a position of strength as we enter 2024. We are ramping up operations at our new state-of-the-art electric arc furnace flat rolled steel mill located in Texas, and just recently completed construction of four additional value-added flat rolled steel coating lines comprised of two paint lines and two galvanizing lines with Galvalume coating capability. These lines will increase our value-added flat rolled steel annual capacity by 1.1 million tons. We plan to commission these lines during the first quarter of 2024. This demand environment, in combination with our ongoing expansion initiatives, provide firm drivers for our continued growth. The team continues to make great progress on our aluminum flat rolled products mill and related investments. We still plan to begin commissioning of the aluminum flat rolled mill mid-2025. We remain incredibly excited about this meaningful growth opportunity, which is aligned with our existing businesses and operational expertise," said Millett. "We have intentionally grown with our customers' needs, providing efficient sustainable supply-chain solutions for the highest quality products. Thus far, this has primarily been achieved within the steel industry - however, a significant number of our flat rolled steel customers are also consumers and processors of aluminum flat rolled products. We are pleased to further diversify our end markets with plans to supply aluminum flat rolled products with high recycled content to the countercyclical sustainable beverage can and packaging industry, in addition to the automotive, industrial, and construction sectors. We believe our unique performance-based operating culture, coupled with our considerable experience in successfully constructing and operating cost-effective, highly profitable flat rolled steel mills, positions us exceptionally well to execute this strategic opportunity and to deliver strong long-term value creation. Our planned biocarbon production facility is also progressing well, and the team plans to begin operating the plant before the end of 2024," said Millett. "This project is a key to our further decarbonization strategy for our already low-carbon emissions steel offerings. In combination, with our renewable product purchase agreement with NextEra, these two initiatives will help us achieve our stated Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions reduction goals. Our commitment is to the health and safety of our teams, families, and communities, while meeting the current and future needs of our customers. Our culture and business model continue to positively differentiate our performance compared to others. We continue to strengthen our financial position through strong cash flow generation and the execution of our long-term strategy," concluded Millett.

16:30 EST Fortive announces replenishment of buyback authorization - Fortive announced that its Board of Directors approved a replenishment of 11 million shares of Fortive common stock to the Company's previously announced share repurchase authorization, bringing the total amount for future repurchases to 20 million shares, including 9 million shares available under the prior authorization by the Board of Directors announced on February 17, 2022.

16:21 EST Canadian National increases quarterly dividend 7%, announces new NCIB - CN announced that its board has approved a 7% increase in the 2024 dividend on the company's common shares outstanding as well as the repurchase of its shares under a new normal course issuer bid, or NCIB. The bid permits CN to purchase, for cancellation, over a 12-month period up to 32M common shares, representing 5.63% of the 568,002,080 common shares issued and outstanding of the company not held by insiders on January 18. On that date, 642,832,885 common shares were issued and outstanding. CN's current normal course issuer bid, announced in January for the purchase of up to 32M common shares, expires on January 31. As at the close of trading on January 18, CN had repurchased 27,831,537 common shares at a weighted-average price of C$156.25 per share, excluding brokerage fees, returning C$4.35B to its shareholders. Purchases were made through the facilities of the Toronto stock exchange. CN's board of directors also approved a first-quarter dividend on the company's common shares outstanding. A quarterly dividend of C$0.84.5 per common share will be paid on March 28, to shareholders of record at the close of business on March 7.

16:18 EST Cadre raises quarterly dividend by 9% to 8.75c per share - Cadre's dividend payment will be made on February 16, 2024 to shareholders of record as of the close of business on the record date of February 2, 2024.

16:17 EST CACI selected for $382M contract by U.S. Army - CACI International announced that it won a five-year, single-award task order valued at up to $382M to provide technology to the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Engineering and Systems Integration Directorate (ESID) Trojan Engineering and Systems Integration Advancement of Trojan Systems. This work is part of the One Acquisition Solution for Integrated Services indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract vehicle.

16:08 EST Netflix says 'not interested in acquiring linear assets' - Netflix said in its quarterly letter to investors: "As our competitors adjust to these changes, it's logical to expect further consolidation, particularly among companies with large and declining linear networks. We're not interested in acquiring linear assets. Nor do we believe that further M&A among traditional entertainment companies will materially change the competitive environment given all the consolidation that has already happened over the last decade... It's why continuing to improve our entertainment offering is so important, and as many of our competitors cut back on their content spend, we continue to invest in our slate. In FY24, we expect a high single digit percentage year over year increase in content amortization. If we continue to execute well and drive continuous improvement - with a better slate, easier discovery and more fandom - while establishing ourselves in new areas like advertising and games, we believe we have a lot more room to grow."

16:06 EST Netflix says 'logical to expect further consolidation' - Netflix said in its quarterly letter to investors: "Entertainment has always been a fast changing industry - with new technology and consumer behavior patterns creating new business models. Choice and control are the price of entry in modern entertainment, and that is streaming. It's what consumers want, and we believe it's the best way for our industry to stay relevant and growing. As Netflix has shown, it can also be a very healthy business. Since our global launch in 2016, we've been able to invest heavily in our slate - with content amortization up almost 3X from $4.8B in 2016 to $14.2B in 2023 - while steadily increasing our operating margins (up more than 5X, from 4% to 21% over the same period) and growing our free cash flow (from negative $3.3B in 2019 to positive $6.9B in 2023). As our competitors adjust to these changes, it's logical to expect further consolidation, particularly among companies with large and declining linear networks. We're not interested in acquiring linear assets. Nor do we believe that further M&A among traditional entertainment companies will materially change the competitive environment given all the consolidation that has already happened over the last decade (Viacom/CBS, AT&T/Time Warner, Disney/Fox, Time Warner/Discovery, etc.). But we expect our industry to remain highly competitive given: the franchise strength and programming expertise within traditional entertainment companies; ongoing heavy investment from large tech players like YouTube, Amazon and Apple; and broader competition for people's time, including gaming and social media."

16:06 EST Allison Transmission forms strategic pact with SANY for mining vehicles - Allison Transmission announces a strategic partnership agreement with SANY, a global heavy equipment manufacturer for the mining and construction markets. Allison will supply its family of Off Road Series and Wide Body Dump Series transmissions for integration into their lineup of mining vehicles including the next-generation SANY SKT105 wide body mining dump truck, rigid dump trucks and articulated dump trucks.

16:04 EST Netflix sees Q1 paid net additions to be down sequentially, up versus prior year - Netflix said: "Similar to prior years, we expect paid net additions to be down sequentially (reflecting typical seasonality as well as some likely pull forward from our strong Q4'23 performance) but to be up versus Q1'23 paid net adds of 1.8M. We expect global ARM to be up year over year on a F/X neutral basis in Q1."

16:02 EST Netflix reports Q4 global streaming paid net additions of 13.12M - Netflix said in its quarterly letter to investors: "Paid net additions totaled 13.1M in Q4'23 vs. 7.7M in Q4'22 - our largest Q4 ever. ARM was up 1% year over year on both a reported and F/X neutral basis."

14:58 EST Southwest flight attendants approve strike authorization - The Transport Workers Union of America Local 556 announced results of members' strike authorization vote. "More than 98% of voting members authorized the TWU Local 556 Executive Board to call for a strike against Southwest Airlines," the union, which states that it represents more than 21,000 flight attendants at Southwest Airlines, announced in a press release.

14:12 EST Jin Medical International Ltd trading halted, volatility trading pause

13:02 EST Nielsen announces multi-year renewal agreement with Fox - Nielsen announced a multi-year renewal agreement with Fox. The deal includes measurement of Fox networks across broadcast, cable and free streaming and includes Nielsen ONE Ads measurement across all Fox properties. Also with this agreement, Fox will continue to license Nielsen's suite of planning and audience measurement solutions to "help advertisers and agencies reach audiences at scale for critical live news and sports programming." Nielsen also continues to be a measurement provider for digital ad measurement on Fox's streaming platform, Tubi, the company said.

12:47 EST Plug Power jumps after saying near $1.6B DOE loan - On the company's 2024 Business Update Call earlier, Plug Power CEO Andy Marsh stated: "I'd like to begin by sharing the exciting news that our Georgia plant is now operational. This facility stands as the largest PEM electrolyzer plant in operation across North America and Europe, and it's coupled with our liquefaction plant. Achieving this milestone previously only within the reach of traditional industrial gas companies marks a significant achievement and signals a new era for the hydrogen industry. While the construction took slightly longer than expected, it still progressed at a pace unmatched by other projects of comparable size and complexity in our sector. And we'll continue as we anticipate that our joint venture plant in St. Gabriel with Olin will start its operation in the third quarter of 2024, positioning us as one of the largest liquid hydrogen producers globally. Our strategy to expand our plant operations will be carefully timed to align with market development and the support we receive from the Department of Energy. On this note, I'm thrilled to announce that Plug Power has finalized the term sheet negotiation with the Department of Energy for a $1.6 billion loan facility. We were notified yesterday that the application has been submitted to the Credit Review Board for their final considerations and issuance of a conditional commitment. This funding, when received, will support the development construction and ownership of up to 6 hydrogen production facilities, significantly advancing green hydrogen deployment in the United States. The loan can catalyze our ongoing projects with the planned facilities expected to generate over 200 tons of hydrogen daily. We're grateful for our partnership with the Department of Energy and look forward to our continued collaboration which will play a pivotal role in scheduling our forthcoming plants in Texas and New York. Addressing the critical issue of cash management and resolving our going concern is now our foremost priority." In early afternoon trading, shares of shares of Plug Power are up 47c, or nearly 17%, to $3.31.

12:00 EST Spirit Airlines rises 10.4% - Spirit Airlines is up 10.4%, or 83c to $8.81.

12:00 EST Wheels Up rises 17.0% - Wheels Up is up 17.0%, or 60c to $4.12.

12:00 EST 3M falls -12.3% - 3M is down -12.3%, or -$13.26 to $94.76.

11:39 EST CBS Sports' presentation of Chiefs-Bills surpassed 50M viewers - Paramount's CBS Sports said that CBS Sports' presentation of Chiefs-Bills on Sunday is the most-watched NFL Divisional Playoff Game ever and the first to surpass 50M viewers, averaging 50.393M and up +10% vs. last year's comparable window of Cowboys-49ers, which had 45.659M viewers. The previous record was 48.522M viewers for Cowboys-Packers on Jan. 15, 2017. Kansas City's 27-24 victory was the most-watched program on any network since Super Bowl LVII, CBS said, adding that Sunday's game peaked with more than 56M viewers and that Paramount+ recorded its most-streamed live event ever.

11:31 EST Lockheed Martin says 10.5% margin a good jumping off point for 2025

11:18 EST Amazon fined $35M by French privacy watchdog CNIL - France's privacy watchdog has fined Amazon's French warehouse business EUR 32M, or $35M for using an "excessively intrusive system" for monitoring employee activity and performance. The company was also fined for video surveillance without information nor sufficient security. Reference Link

11:13 EST United Airlines sees positive TRASM for the year, not giving exact guidance

11:00 EST United Airlines: 'Unrealistic' to expect 31 MAX 9 deliveries this year - Sees reduction in Boeing orders, deliveries in 2025.

10:57 EST DISCO appoints Melanie Antoon as CCO, Karen Herckis as CHRO - DISCO announced the promotion of two senior leaders to C-level roles. Melanie Antoon will serve as DISCO's first Chief Customer Officer and Karen Herckis has been appointed Chief Human Resources Officer. In this new role, Antoon will have leadership over the Customer Success team in addition to the Professional Services and Review organizations that she previously led while serving as DISCO's SVP of Professional Services. Antoon's newly created Customer Experience team will deliver enhanced methods of engagement to drive better customer outcomes. As CHRO, Herckis will continue to lead DISCO's People team and be instrumental in evolving the company's culture. Herckis will continue to focus on attracting and retaining top talent and strengthening leadership capabilities throughout the organization. In her previous role as SVP of Human Resources, Herckis also helped lead DISCO's successful globalization efforts.

10:45 EST United Airlines: Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft represents 8% of capacity in Q1

10:44 EST United Airlines: Working carefully to ensure safety of MAX 9 aircraft

10:38 EST Barrick Gold's Lumwana Super Pit project on track for first production in 2028 - Barrick Gold Corporation announced that the Lumwana copper mine's Super Pit expansion project has been accelerated with first production now scheduled for 2028, Barrick president and CEO Mark Bristow advised Zambian president Hakainde Hichilema at their meeting. The estimated cost of the project is almost $2B and construction is scheduled to start towards the end of this year, Barrick said.

10:36 EST United Airlines sees 'repeat' of 2023 trends in 2024 - Sees "challenges" in operating environment in 2024. Comments taken from Q4 earnings conference call.

10:04 EST Precipio reports Q4 cash burn from operations below $100,000 - Precipio announces that continued revenue growth generated cash levels that bring the company closer to breakeven. Cash Burn From Operations declined by over 90% from the previous quarter, from approximately $1M/quarter in Q3-2023 to below $100k/quarter in the following recent quarter Q4-2023. Precipio's end of quarter cash balance changed from approximately $1.5M at the end of Q3-2024, to approximately $1.4M as of Dec 31, 2023. This was achieved without any significant increase in AP. While management is pleased with this accomplishment which continues to move the company forward towards breakeven, it cautions that Q1-2024 may not demonstrate the same results, for several reasons. First, the pathology business typically experiences a seasonal decline during the year-end holidays, which would impact revenue and cash receipts going into the start of Q1-2024. Basic human psychology has taught us that people tend to prefer to put off "bad news" until after the holidays. Subsequently, new patient visits to our customers decline, and with it drops the biopsy volume received in our laboratory. Second, many insurance plans reset at the start of the calendar year. This means that patients must first meet their deductibles before insurance payments begin to kick in. While historically we have not seen an adverse impact in overall cash collection rates, we have experienced a lag of 30-60 days in the receipt of payments from some insurance carriers, which will impact cash receipts in Q1 of 2024. Notwithstanding the above mentioned "seasonal" effects, the Q4-2023 CBFO results demonstrate the company's ability to approach cash flow breakeven. With the high variable margins generated by product sales, management believes that achieving incremental growth to close the remaining gap is very much attainable.

10:00 EST Annovis Bio falls -7.8% - Annovis Bio is down -7.8%, or -$1.01 to $11.92.

10:00 EST Digital Equipment Corporation falls -16.8% - Digital Equipment Corporation is down -16.8%, or -$2.23 to $11.05.

10:00 EST Spirit Airlines rises 14.3% - Spirit Airlines is up 14.3%, or $1.14 to $9.12.

09:48 EST Forestar Group rises 11.4% - Forestar Group is up 11.4%, or $3.96 to $38.73.

09:47 EST TKO Group rises 22.9% - TKO Group is up 22.9%, or $17.70 to $95.11.

09:47 EST 3M falls -8.4% - 3M is down -8.4%, or -$9.10 to $98.92.

09:46 EST D.R. Horton sees dividend payments about $400M for 2024

09:40 EST Johnson & Johnson sees FY24 MedTech sales above pre-Covid levels - Sees FY24 Pharma sales lower in 2H vs.1H on Stelara. Says "very well positioned" to entertain many types of M&A deals. Says "agnostic" to sector or size when it comes to M&A. Says "very positive outlook" for Orthopedics business.

09:31 EST Nuvve Holding awarded $16M contract from Fresno EOC - Nuvve Holding was selected and approved by the Board of the Fresno Economic Opportunities Commission to implement its turnkey fleet electrification program for Fresno EOC's 50-shuttle fleet. Nuvve assisted Fresno EOC, one of the largest nonprofit community action agencies in the U.S., in securing grant funding through the Carl Moyer Memorial Air Quality Standards Attainment Program and Pacific Gas & Electric. This groundbreaking initiative underscores Fresno EOC's commitment to sustainable transportation and marks a significant step towards reducing the city's carbon footprint.

09:30 EST Agile Therapeutics notes Biden administration guidance on contraceptive access - Agile Therapeutics commends the Biden-Harris Administration for their continued commitment to reproductive health including increasing access to no-cost contraception. Following several months of focus by the Biden Administration and lawmakers on contraception and impermissible barriers to reproductive healthcare, the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and the Treasury jointly released new guidance in the form of Frequently Asked Questions on Monday, January 22, 2024. The FAQ outlines a "new pathway for plans and issuers to meet existing obligations under federal law by covering, at no cost, a broader range of FDA-approved contraceptive drugs and certain devices." The Tri-Agencies describe how plans may comply with the ACA requirement to cover contraception without cost sharing by "covering all [FDA] approved drugs and drug-led devices other than those for which there is a covered therapeutic equivalent" as identified in the Orange Book. This new pathway comes after reports of many plans and issuers imposing impermissible barriers to no-cost contraceptive coverage The new guidance follows the President's Executive Order in June 2023, which directed the Secretaries to consider actions, to the greatest extent permitted by law, that will ensure coverage of comprehensive contraceptive care including all contraceptives approved, granted, or cleared by the Food and Drug Administration, without cost sharing for enrollees, participants, and beneficiaries. "We recognize the importance of reproductive freedom for women and applaud the administration for taking concrete actions to ensure women have access to the contraceptive product that is right for them without barriers and cost-sharing," said Agile Therapeutics, Inc.'s Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer Al Altomari. "We believe the new guidelines take a significant step towards eliminating financial barriers to contraceptives and we look forward to working with patients and providers interested in a low dose patch option like Twirla."

09:21 EST Terreno Realty announces redevelopment in two-building property in California - Terreno Realty announced the commencement of the redevelopment of Terreno Realty Corporation's 231,000 square foot two-building property on 11.1 acres in Gardena, California. The property at 1855 W 139th Street is south of I-105 and between I-405 and I-110. After demolition of the existing buildings and redevelopment, expected to be completed in 2027, the property will contain three industrial buildings totaling 228,000 square feet with 34 dock-high and 17 grade-level loading positions and parking for 332 cars for a total expected additional investment of $64M. The redeveloped property is expected to achieve LEED certification and the estimated stabilized cap rate is 6.1%. Terreno Realty Corporation has executed a short-term lease for the existing property with an e-commerce firm that commenced January 19, 2024 and will expire January 2026. Estimated stabilized cap rates are calculated as annualized cash basis net operating income stabilized to market occupancy divided by total acquisition cost. Total acquisition cost includes the initial purchase price, the effects of marking assumed debt to market, buyer's due diligence and closing costs, estimated near-term capital expenditures and leasing costs necessary to achieve stabilization.

09:18 EST Vanda Pharmaceuticals' IND application for VCA-894A granted FDA approval - Vanda Pharmaceuticals announced that the FDA has approved the Investigational New Drug, or IND, application to evaluate VCA-894A for the treatment of a patient with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, axonal, type 2S - CMT2S -, caused by cryptic splice site variants within the IGHMBP2 gene. CMT2S is a rare subtype of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, an inherited peripheral neuropathy for which there is no available treatment. CMT2S is characterized by slowly progressive distal muscle weakness and atrophy, affecting the upper and lower limbs in a child's first decade of life. The estimated overall prevalence of CMT is 1 in 2,500 individuals. The prevalence of the CMT2S variant is estimated to be less than 1 in 1,000,000 worldwide.

09:13 EST Diana Shipping announces sale of a Panamax Dry Bulk Vessel, the m/v Artemis - Diana Shipping announced that it has signed, through a separate wholly-owned subsidiary, a Memorandum of Agreement to sell to an unaffiliated third party, the 2006-built vessel "Artemis", with delivery to the buyer latest by March 8, 2024, for a sale price of US$12.99 million before commissions. Upon completion of the aforementioned sale, Diana Shipping Inc.'s fleet will consist of 39 dry bulk vessels. As of today, the combined carrying capacity of the Company's fleet, including the m/v Artemis, is approximately 4.5 million dwt with a weighted average age of 10.59 years.

09:12 EST Edible Garden receives US patent for GreenThumb Agriculture System - Edible Garden announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, USPTO, has issued a patent related to its Greenhouse Agriculture System, GreenThumb. The USPTO has issued U.S. Patent No. 11,830,088 B2, titled, "Greenhouse Agriculture System," to Edible Garden AG Incorporated. The patent encompasses methods and systems designed for optimizing various aspects of greenhouse farming, including the planting process, the application of pesticides, and the harvesting of greenhouse crops, such as herbs. The greenhouse system is designed to incorporate the use of sensors and a proprietary learning engine. The data collected from these sensors is instrumental in forecasting the availability of the crops. Jim Kras, Chief Executive Officer of Edible Garden, commented, "This patent further illustrates our commitment to innovation to drive sustainability. The GreenThumb system is not only crucial for enhancing our supply chain effectiveness, which has led to increased shipping and fill rates, as well as significant sales growth, but is also vital in supporting Edible Garden as we integrate new greenhouse facilities like Edible Garden Heartland in Grand Rapids, Michigan. This marks the third distinct patent awarded for our proprietary GreenThumb system, and we are currently in the process of seeking a trademark for the system's name."

09:11 EST Photronics announces CFO Jordan to retire, Rivera appointed interim CFO - Photronics announced that John Jordan, executive vice president and chief financial officer, CFO, has decided to retire. Jordan, who has served as CFO since he joined the company in 2017, will retire February 23, 2024. The Board of Directors has approved the appointment of Eric Rivera as interim chief financial officer, effective upon Jordan's retirement. Rivera joined Photronics in 2016 as corporate controller and has served as chief accounting officer since 2020.

09:10 EST Intapp Collaboration & Content selected by DAC Beachcroft - Intapp announced that DAC Beachcroft, a leading international legal business, has selected Intapp Collaboration & Content to enhance knowledge management firmwide. Intapp Collaboration & Content will transform DAC Beachcroft's Microsoft 365 platform into a personalized, matter-centric collaboration and intelligent file management solution. Designed specifically for the way law firms operate, Intapp Collaboration & Content simplifies collaboration, enhances compliance, automates governance, and helps firms deliver better client outcomes. Alignment with Microsoft applications will boost productivity and focus for DAC Beachcroft professionals by eliminating the need to switch between platforms when managing documents and communications. DAC Beachcroft is joining Intapp's Legal Modern Work Consortium to drive next-generation collaboration. The program will help them improve how information is managed within the firm, with the goal of increasing client satisfaction and internal efficiency. Additionally, the firm will help Intapp build best practices for how modern legal work will be supported by document management technology.

09:09 EST Instacart and DispatchHealth partner for access to nutritious foods - Instacart and DispatchHealth are teaming up to ensure access to nutritious foods. Using Instacart Health technology, DispatchHealth's in-home providers can now prescribe food interventions as they do traditional medications. DispatchHealth offers a variety of medical treatments to patients of all ages-from managing everyday health hiccups and post-hospital recovery support, to providing complex care that would typically require a hospital stay. Instacart Health leverages Instacart's platform, products, and partnerships to increase access to nutritious foods, inspire healthy choices, and scale food as medicine programs across the country. The program empowers DispatchHealth's medical professionals to allocate digital, category-specific food stipends to patients using Fresh Funds, offer patients medically tailored shopping lists through customized Virtual Storefronts, and send food directly to patients' doorsteps in as fast as an hour through Care Carts, which could help boost adherence rates. Instacart accepts diverse payment options on its platform-including FSA and HSA cards, eligible Medicare Advantage health payment cards like OTC Network, and SNAP benefits.

09:08 EST SEALSQ announces initiative focused on semiconductor personalization centers - SEALSQ announced a strategy set to incentivize the creating of Semiconductors Personalization Centers to contribute into the decentralization of the global semiconductor, cryptocurrency, AI and IoT sectors. The initiative encompasses the development of Semiconductor Personalization Centers through Public-Private Partnerships, and the introduction of SEALCoins to support this advanced venture. SEALSQ is currently in negotiation for three major projects in Europe, Middle East and Far East to implement a process known as OSAT Centers which are run by experienced hardware designers to create the chip design using RISC-V technology. The chips are built locally at the SEALSQ centers to meet the highest security standards and certifications from bodies such as Common Criteria and NIST.

09:07 EST Plug Power starts production of liquid green hydrogen at Georgia plant - Plug Power has started operation of the largest liquid green hydrogen plant in the U.S. market. This is the largest electrolytic liquid hydrogen production plant, and largest PEM electrolyzer deployment operating in the U.S., representing a landmark achievement in Plug's build-out of a vertically integrated hydrogen ecosystem. The plant showcases Plug's own electrolyzer technology, demonstrating first-hand to customers its reliability in producing sustainable fuel. Located in Woodbine, Georgia, the plant is designed to produce 15 tons per day of liquid electrolytic hydrogen - enough to power approximately 15,000 forklifts per day. Through eight 5-megawatt PEM electrolyzers, water is separated into hydrogen and oxygen. The hydrogen gas is then condensed into liquid form at -423F to be delivered to customers' hydrogen fueling stations through Plug's logistics network using Plug cryogenic trailers. This new facility will bolster Plug's supply of liquid hydrogen currently being delivered to Plug's pedestal customers for material handling operations, fuel cell electric vehicle fleets, and stationary power applications. Liquid hydrogen production, in addition to the on-going gaseous hydrogen production, is expected to positively impact Plug's bottom line and provide an additional step change in fuel margin expansion. The addition of this liquid green hydrogen production plant to Plug's electrolyzer, fuel cell, and cryogenic equipment manufacturing facilities enables Plug to further its vision for building a vertically integrated green hydrogen ecosystem, a one-stop shop for producing, liquefying, storing, and transporting hydrogen. The continued build-out of Plug's global hydrogen network allows customers to seamlessly integrate hydrogen into its operations across multiple industries.

09:07 EST Colony Bankcorp names Derek Shelnutt CFO - On January 18 Colony Bankcorp named Mr. Derek Shelnutt, the current Chief Accounting Officer of the Company and Chief Financial Officer of Colony Bank , as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of the Company effective January 23 . Mr. Shelnutt will continue to serve as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of the Bank. Mr. Shelnutt has served as Senior Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer of the Company since May 9, 2022 and Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of the Bank since July 1. Since joining the Company in September 2020, Shelnutt has served in roles of increasing responsibility including Chief Accounting Officer, Treasurer, and Controller. With over ten years of experience in the financial services industry, he has also held the positions of Auditor, Treasury Accountant, and Sarbanes-Oxley Compliance Manager.

09:05 EST Johnson & Johnson says 'encouraged' by sales of new product launches - Says continues to invest in R&D at "competitive levels." Says plans to continue to increase dividend annually. Expects Innovative Medicine sales growth "slightly stronger" in 1H24 vs. 2H24. Expects FY24 MedTech operational sales growth "relatively consistent" throughout the year.

09:04 EST Qualcomm appoints Akash Palkhiwala to additional role of COO - Qualcomm announced the appointment of Akash Palkhiwala to the expanded role of CFO and COO. In addition to his CFO responsibilities, as COO, he will now have oversight for the global go-to-market organization and operations, and IT. Palkhiwala's appointment will be effective immediately and he will continue to report directly to Cristiano Amon, president and CEO of Qualcomm Incorporated.

09:04 EST Galaxy Gaming to showcase new table game operating system - Galaxy Gaming will showcase their innovative new table game operating system, brand-new table games, and their vast online content portfolio at this year's ICE London show from February 6 - 8 in stand S8-320 at ExCel London. Boasting innovative progressive jackpot options, eye-catching LED sensors, and groundbreaking digital tracking capabilities, Galaxy Operating System is a pioneer in table game technology. GOS' flexible electronic bonusing platform powers the world's first Dynamic Progressive. Unlike any other progressive, Dynamic Progressive blends our most popular games with an exhilarating experience for those players looking for a thrill by adding volatility to the game without changing the play experience on the player-favorite base game. Visit the Galaxy Gaming stand to see the latest version of Dynamic Progressive complete with new themes, animations, and celebrations.

09:02 EST Gaxos.AI expands into AI-powered health, wellness optimization solutions - Gaxos.ai announced a significant strategic expansion with Gaxos Health, a division dedicated to revolutionizing personal health and wellness. Expansion and Growth: A Dual-Division Strategy: Gaxos.AI is evolving with a dual-division structure: Gaxos Gaming and Gaxos Health. While Gaxos Gaming continues to innovate in the gaming sector, Gaxos Health is poised to capture a significant share of the preventative medicine and health tech market, offering value and growth potential for the company and its shareholders. A Paradigm Shift in Health and Wellness: Gaxos Health: Building on the response for Artificial Intelligence implementation in gaming, Gaxos is set to disrupt the health sector with its innovative AI-powered health optimization solution. Gaxos Health will be at the forefront of a health revolution, offering personalized wellness strategies that integrate AI-driven insights with individual biometric data and health goals. This cutting-edge approach promises to redefine preventative medicine, offering unparalleled personalization in healthcare. Empowering Individuals with Data-Driven Health Strategies: Gaxos Health's unique solution analyzes a wealth of health data to provide tailored wellness plans, addressing the growing demand for personalized health solutions. This technology is not just a step but a leap forward in empowering individuals to take control of their health and longevity with AI's precision and intelligence. Game Launches: NFTG launched four games in 2023 and expects to launch more games in 2024. The Company has a pipeline of games in various stages of development. The Company will methodically launch games based on research and market data.

09:02 EST Heidrick & Struggles CEO Krishnan Rajagopalan to retire, Monahan succeeds - Heidrick & Struggles International announced that President and CEO Krishnan Rajagopalan has decided to retire, after more than 23 years with the company. Rajagopalan will step down as President and CEO and from the Board, effective March 4, and will retire from the company as of April 1, after which he will continue to serve as an advisor, working closely with clients around the world. Following a planned succession process, the Board has appointed Thomas Monahan III to succeed Rajagopalan as CEO and member of the Board, effective March 4. Monahan currently serves as Managing Partner of Norton Street Holdings and was previously President and CEO of DeVry University and CEO and Chairman of CEB, formerly Corporate Executive Board, where he helped grow the C-suite advisory company to serve over 90 percent of the Fortune 500. The company also announced that Tom Murray, Heidrick & Struggles' Global Managing Partner of Executive Search, will become the Company's President, reporting to Tom Monahan, effective March 4, 2024. In addition to continuing to lead Executive Search, Murray will have operational responsibility for On-Demand Talent, Heidrick Consulting and Go-to-Market in his new role.

09:00 EST Pioneer Power, NOMAD launching zero-emission mobile EV charging platform - "Pioneer Power Solutions announced that it is launching its first zero-emission platforms. Under development with NOMAD since last year, the companies collaborated to design and test the platforms' architecture. Like all of Pioneer's e-Boost platforms, ZEeB and EXZELCR are mobile, but the new platforms offer the added benefit of battery energy storage to provide zero-emission EV charging. The new solutions will allow EV charging for a wide range of markets including at events, in remote locations, for disaster response, or even for fleet management where charging flexibility for a large number of EVs is a priority.Under development with NOMAD since last year, the companies collaborated to design and test the platforms' architecture. Like all of Pioneer's e-Boost platforms, ZEeB and EXZELCR are mobile, but the new platforms offer the added benefit of battery energy storage to provide zero-emission EV charging. The new solutions will allow EV charging for a wide range of markets including at events, in remote locations, for disaster response, or even for fleet management where charging flexibility for a large number of EVs is a priority. Pioneer eMobility is now offering the ZEeB to customers and is ready to begin delivery. The initial ZEeB has a 500 kW power capacity unit powered by KORE Power lithium-ion battery cells with 1.3 MWh energy storage capacity that can deliver more than five hours of EV charging with a 240 kW charger, more than 10 hours with a 120 kW charger or more than 21 hours with a 60 kW charger. Later this year, the Company plans to introduce two larger ZEeB units offering 750 kW and 1 MW of capacity. The ZEeB is EV charger brand agnostic...," said the company in a release.

08:55 EST TKO says Netflix pact has 10-year term with over $5B aggregate rights fee - TKO Group (TKO) provided more details on the announced a partnership between WWE and Netflix in a regulatory filing. Beginning in January 2025, Netflix will be the exclusive new home of Raw in the U.S., Canada, U.K. and Latin America, among other territories, with additional countries and regions to be added over time. As part of the agreement, Netflix will also become the home for all WWE shows and specials outside the U.S., as available, inclusive of Raw and WWE's other weekly shows - SmackDown and NXT - as well as the company's Premium Live Events, including WrestleMania, SummerSlam and Royal Rumble. WWE's documentaries, original series and forthcoming projects will also be available on Netflix internationally beginning in 2025. The agreement has an initial 10-year term for an aggregate rights fee in excess of $5B with an option for Netflix to extend for an additional 10 years and to opt out after the initial five years.

08:53 EST P&G CEO says best path forward to 'double-down' on plans that have delivered

08:46 EST Transcontinental director Remi Marcoux does not seek re-election - Transcontinental announced that Remi Marcoux, founder of TC Transcontinental and member of the Board, has not sought re-election as a director. Mr. Marcoux's term will end on March 13, at the annual shareholders' meeting. In recognition of his entrepreneurial career and his significant contribution to the vision, growth and development of the Company in keeping with its values, the Board has named Mr. Marcoux "Founder Emeritus".

08:45 EST Johnson & Johnson 'confident' in guidance for 2024 and beyond - Says moving into higher growth markets. Says "making strong progress" in pipeline. Says "never more excited" about future of business. Comments taken from Q4 earnings conference call.

08:44 EST American Resources' ReElement enters MOU with Afrivolt - American Resources' ReElement Technologies Corporation has executed a MOU with Afrivolt, a pioneer in developing large industrial projects to support the build-out of Africa's regional and global lithium-ion battery supply chains. The agreement between ReElement and Afrivolt will focus on establishing a comprehensive closed-loop lithium-battery and EV manufacturing ecosystem within Africa utilizing critical minerals mined in regional localities with refining and purification performed by ReElement Africa and its subsidiaries including ReElement Ghana. To support the build out of the African critical mineral ecosystem, ReElement and Afrivolt are dedicated to collaborating with local institutions to cultivate the necessary skills pipeline to provide the high-skilled labor for the next generation of African industry and manufacturing. ReElement Ghana is already committed to community development, having established a partnership with University of Mines and Technology, advocating education exchange programs with Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, USA. The MOU between ReElement and Afrivolt is designed to evolve into a comprehensive collaboration and offtake agreement for ReElement Technologies to support the operation of African gigafactories and supporting regional economic development with nearly all minerals and raw materials sourced regionally from African mines with a specific initial focus on Ghanaian critical minerals. The MOU places a strong emphasis on the development of a comprehensive manufacturing industry that utilizes critical minerals sourced, processed and refined in Africa while involving the local workforce at every step.

08:41 EST Iteris awarded two Contracts for Traffic Signal Coordination and Timing - Iteris announced it has been awarded contracts for traffic engineering, signal coordination and signal timing services for two Illinois-based transportation agencies; one with Illinois Department of Transportation IDOT Districts 2, 3, 4, and 5 and the other with Lake County Division of Transportation...With these most recent awards, the current combined value of Iteris' contracts with IDOT will total approximately $6.0M. Additionally, Iteris will become the only consulting firm with traffic engineering expertise to maintain active traffic signal operations contracts with all nine IDOT districts.

08:40 EST WaveDancer files registration statement on Form S-4 with SEC - WaveDancer announced the filing of a Registration Statement on Form S-4 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The Registration Statement contains a preliminary proxy statement in connection with the Company's previously announced merger with Firefly Neuroscience, an artificial intelligence company focused on creating better neurological outcomes for dementia, concussion, and other brain conditions. Although the Registration Statement has not yet become effective and the information contained therein is subject to change, it provides important information about WaveDancer, Firefly, and the proposed transactions. The definitive transaction agreements were announced on November 16, 2023. The transaction is expected to close during the second quarter of 2024, subject to customary closing conditions, including approval of the transactions by the stockholders of WaveDancer.

08:39 EST DLH Holdings appoints Carmody to a strategic advisory role - DLH Holdings (DLHC) announced that Cora Carmody has been appointed to a strategic advisory role for the Company. In this new role, Carmody will provide insight to executive management on driving enterprise architecture optimization and efficiencies, enhancing cybersecurity strategies, and developing technology-based value propositions for organic growth. Carmody previously served as Chief Information Officer at SAIC (SAIC) and Jacobs Engineering, both industry leading information technology solutions providers.

08:39 EST Air Industries receives two separate 'strategically important contracts' - Air Industries Group announced that it has received two separate strategically important contracts, both from new customers. Air Industries has received an initial order for structural engine nacelle components for the new CH-53K Heavy Lift Helicopter. This initial order is for just under $1M, but is the first release against an anticipated 5-year order expected to be in excess of $12M. Separately, Air Industries has received an order from a major landing gear manufacturer for actuator subassemblies on a developmental aircraft. This initial order is modest at approximately $1 million, but this award concludes what has been a multi-year effort to establish a relationship with this large and important customer. When the program enters the production phase, the anticipated order value increases exponentially. .

08:38 EST SharpLink sells fantasy sports, sports game development units to RSports - SharpLink Gaming announced that on January 18, 2024, the Company entered into an agreement to sell all of the issued and outstanding shares of common stock or membership interests, as applicable, in its SportsHub/fantasy sports and free to play sports game development business units to RSports Interactive for $22.5 million in an all-cash transaction. Nearly all employees of these acquired business units will also move to RSports to help ensure a seamless transition. SharpLink further reported that it used approximately $14.9 million of the proceeds from the sale to repay in full all outstanding term loans and lines of credit with its lender; in addition, SharpLink paid approximately $4.5 million to redeem an 8% Interest, 10% Original Issue Discount Senior Convertible Debenture issued to an existing shareholder in connection with a Securities Purchase Agreement signed in February 2023. As further detailed in a Current Report on Form 8-K to be filed by the Company with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission later today, SharpLink's Board of Directors considered the following factors, among others, in reaching their decision to approve the sale: With the sale consummated, SharpLink expects to significantly reduce its operating expenses, primarily due to a significant reduction in headcount, lower office lease costs, greatly diminished state licensing requirements, elimination of interest bearing debt service and other resulting cost savings; The sale significantly strengthens the Company's working cash position and total shareholders' equity and provides the capital necessary to extinguish nearly $19.4 million in interest bearing debt; The improvement in the Company's total shareholders' equity position is expected to enable SharpLink to regain compliance with Nasdaq's minimum continued listing requirements; and The sale of the Company's fantasy sports and free-to-play games development businesses positions SharpLink as a pure-play, performance marketing company serving the global sports betting and iGaming industries. In connection with the sale, Chris Nicholas, the Company's Chief Operating Officer and a member of the Board of Directors, resigned as an officer and director of the Company, effective immediately.

08:38 EST D.R. Horton sees Q2 home sales gross margin similar to Q1

08:37 EST D.R. Horton: Early signs for spring selling season 'encouraging' - Sees incentive levels remaining elevated in near-term. Comments taken from Q1 earnings conference call.

08:36 EST Exela Technologies, XBP announce launch of Reaktr.ai - Exela Technologies and XBP Europe announce the launch of a new Global Business Unit, Reaktr.ai. This step follows the successful expansion of FAO services more than a year ago, which was well received by customers, resulting in many new logos and industry accolades. Reaktr.ai is another example of Exela addressing a rapidly changing industry in which demand outpaces the customer's capacity to access available talent. Reaktr.ai will be spearheaded by industry veteran Vineet Chaku as President. This strategic move positions the Company at the forefront of the cyber, large data and generative AI landscape. Reaktr.ai is also establishing Centers of Excellence for both Exela and XBP, propelling operational efficiency and innovation to enterprise customers. Reaktr.ai is focused on four key services: AI-Powered Growth: Architecting and deploying scalable AI platforms designed to fuel internal operations and deliver innovative solutions to customers including private GPT for enterprises; Data Modernization: Modernizing data infrastructure, including cloud migration, to unlock deeper insights and drive better decision-making; Multi-Cloud Management: Managing complexity around multiple public and private clouds through observability, unified orchestration and fiscal management; Cybersecurity: Fortifying customers' defenses against evolving threats and ensuring the integrity of their operations

08:33 EST Femasys begins FemBloc trial enrollment at University of Utah - Femasys announced that it has activated enrollment for its pivotal FemBloc trial at another academic site, University of Utah Hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah. The FemBloc Intratubal Occlusion for TranscervicAL Permanent Birth Control (the "FINALE" trial) is being conducted to investigate the safety and efficacy of its investigational permanent birth control candidate, FemBloc(R). The FDA-approved, multi-center trial is designed to help women seeking permanent birth control, for whom elective surgery currently remains the only option. "As we continue to advance the FINALE trial for FemBloc, we are thrilled to partner with the University of Utah Hospital, recognized for their global expertise in the specialty and sub-specialties of obstetrics and gynecology, and, in particular to have the involvement of Dr. Gawron, M.D., Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, given her dedication to the field of gynecology and history with FemBloc," said Kathy Lee-Sepsick, founder, president and chief executive officer of Femasys. "Dr. Gawron's consistent involvement demonstrates support for FemBloc and the importance that it may hold in providing optionality to women seeking additional and improved birth control options."

08:32 EST Inspired Entertainment submits plans to address Nasdaq compliance - Inspired Entertainment announced that it has notified the Nasdaq Stock Market that it expects to file a Form 10-K/A for the year ended December 31, 2022 with restated financial statements, as well as Forms 10-Q/A for the quarters ended March 31, 2023 and June 30, 2023 and a Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2023 by no later than February 28, 2024. The Company also plans to file its Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023 by the March 2024 due date. In a press release dated November 29, 2023, the Company previously announced that it had received a standard notification letter from the Listing Qualifications Department of Nasdaq stating the Company was not in compliance with the requirements of Nasdaq Listing Rule 5250(c)(1) as a result of not having timely filed its Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2023 with the Securities and Exchange Commission. This notification has no immediate effect on the listing of the Company's securities on Nasdaq.

08:31 EST SurgePays announces strategic partnership with SIN PIN - SurgePays announced that it has entered into a distribution agreement with SIN PIN, a telecommunications service provider to immigrant communities in the US, which we believe will drive wireless subscriber growth in the Hispanic community. President of SurgePays, Jeremy Gies, said, "SIN PIN provides us thousands of distribution points to service immigrant populations beyond the traditional convenience store. We believe these stores represent a fantastic opportunity to increase our wireless subscriber base significantly. With over 150 team members working at our operations center in El Salvador, we are uniquely positioned to provide excellent store and customer support for Spanish-speaking customers. We are planning on making an impact in the Hispanic wireless market." The distribution agreement provides SIN PIN integrated access to the SurgePays software platform to activate prepaid wireless subscribers and allow consumers to apply for the Affordable Connectivity Program at thousands of retail locations.

08:28 EST Glass Lewis: Consolidated Comms holders should vote for Searchlight deal - Consolidated Communications Holdings announced that a leading independent proxy advisory firm, Glass Lewis & Co. has joined Institutional Shareholder Services in recommending that Consolidated shareholders vote "FOR" the proposed acquisition of the Company by affiliates of Searchlight Capital Partners and British Columbia Investment Management Corporation. The Company's special meeting of shareholders to vote on the Proposed Transaction is scheduled to be held on January 31 . Shareholders of record as of December 13 are entitled to vote at the Special Meeting. Consolidated urges its shareholders to vote "FOR" the Proposed Transaction today. Consolidated issued the following statement regarding the Glass Lewis recommendation to vote FOR the Proposed Transaction: "Glass Lewis joining ISS in its support of the Proposed Transaction underscores the financially compelling and certain value that this transaction delivers to our shareholders. Following its extensive and thorough review, the Board believes this transaction is critical for Consolidated's future and represents the best risk-adjusted outcome for shareholders."

08:25 EST Sharplink Gaming Ltd trading halted, news pending

08:24 EST TPG invests in human resources firm G&A Partners through TPG Capital, no terms - "G&A Partners, a leading human resources and technology services platform, announced that TPG, a global alternative asset management firm, has partnered with the G&A management team and employees to invest in G&A Partners. TPG is investing in the business through TPG Capital, its U.S. and European private equity platform" said a company release. "G&A is a leader in the PEO space that provides organizations with high-quality, comprehensive services at scale as they navigate and look to streamline key HR processes. We are excited to support the company in the years ahead," added Alex Minasian, Principal at TPG. Piper Sandler served as financial advisor to G&A, and Dentons served as legal counsel to the company. Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP and Ropes & Gray LLP served as legal counsel to TPG. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

08:22 EST Mace Security enters into supply, license agreement with Salt Supply - Mace Security International entered into a Supply & License Agreement with Salt Supply, LLC, a manufacturer of pepper spray launchers, for a range of .68 caliber products, including the new s2 Pepper Launcher. The two featured products in the partnership are the s2 high-velocity 5-shot magazine launcher, and an ultra-potent Mace Brand pepper plus tear gas projectile, both with a range of 60 feet. When fired from the s2, or other compatible launchers, these projectiles break on-target releasing the non-lethal powder, immediately causing temporary blindness, breathing difficulty and severe distress. The s2 pepper launcher will be offered in a full kit that includes a variety of practice projectiles, a starter CO2 cartridge, and Mace Brand powered rounds all housed in a premium carry case. Additional CO2 cartridges, accessories and projectiles that feature the industry's first air-tight, tamper-evident, and child-resistant packaging will be available through this partnership. The target market for these products includes private security agencies, specialty retailers, gun owners and e-commerce consumers.

08:20 EST India regulators issue BioAffinity unit patent for targeted cancer treatment - bioAffinity Technologies announced that India's Office of the Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks has issued a Certificate of Grant of Patent to bioAffinity subsidiary OncoSelect Therapeutics for its compositions and methods to treat cancer using chemotherapeutic agents conjugated to porphyrins, resulting in targeted delivery of the drugs. The Indian patent, titled "Porphyrin Compounds and Compositions Useful for Treating Cancer" is an important addition to bioAffinity Technologies' patent portfolio, which includes 16 awarded U.S. and foreign patents and 23 pending patent applications related to its porphyrin-based diagnostic platform and cancer treatment therapeutics.

08:19 EST Biomerica appoints Jack Kenny as chairman of the board - Biomerica announced the appointment of Jack Kenny, former CEO and board member of Meridian Bioscience, Inc., to serve as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Biomerica. Mr. Zack Irani will continue to serve as CEO. Mr. Kenny joined the Biomerica Board of Directors in August 2023 as an independent director.

08:18 EST CACI secures $526M task order - CACI announced that it was selected for a five-year, single-award, task order worth up to $526M to provide network modernization and sustainment technology to the U.S. Army Program Executive Office Command Control Communications-Tactical, or PEO-C3T. The Global Enterprise Network Modernization, or GENMOD, task order is part of the Alliant 2 indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity, or IDIQ, contract vehicle.

08:17 EST Webster Financial sees FY24 loan growth 5%-7%, deposit growth 5%-7% - Sees FY24 NII $2.4B-$2.45B, excluding $75M of FTE adjustments. Guidance assumes 4 Fed rate cuts beginning in May. Sees FY24 non-interest income $375M-$400M, with expenses $1.3B-$1.325B. Sees FY efficiency ratio in the low to mid 40% range, with a tax rate of 21%. Sees long-term common equity tier 1 capital ratio of 10.5%. Comments taken from Q4 earnings conference call presentation slides.

08:17 EST First Merchants plans to expand in Detroit - First Merchants Bank of Muncie announced the plans for its newest branch in the Fitzgerald neighborhood, located at 7525 West McNichols Road. The new branch will provide residents convenient access to essential banking products and services, including checking and savings accounts, loans, online banking, and a local and invested team to help people prosper.

08:16 EST Duos Technologies Group reports Duos RIP scans over 8.5M railcars in 2023 - Duos Technologies Group has reported that in 2023 the Company's Railcar Inspection Portal technology performed more than eight and a half million comprehensive railcar scans, on over 665,000 unique railcars. This metric encompasses all railcars scanned at locations across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, representing approximately 40% of the total freight car population in North America. Duos recently formalized a long-term partnership with a major Class 1 railroad to proactively develop critical AI solutions to streamline detection of mechanical railcar defects as its equipment traverses North America. The recently awarded long-term contract covers implementation, development and support services of AI on a recurring revenue basis.

08:15 EST MaxCyte signs strategic platform license with Imugene - MaxCyte and Imugene announced the signing of a strategic platform license, SPL. Under the terms of the agreement, Imugene obtains non-exclusive clinical and commercial rights to use MaxCyte's Flow Electroporation technology and ExPERT platform. In return, MaxCyte is entitled to receive platform licensing fees and program-related revenue. "By leveraging our scalable cell-engineering process and optimized clinical manufacturing workflow, Imugene is rapidly moving towards a potential Phase 2 registrational trial for azer-cel in cancer," said Maher Masoud, President and CEO of MaxCyte. "Our technology has been integral to the manufacturing of the allogeneic T-cell immunotherapies and was efficiently transferred from Precision Biosciences when Imugene obtained global rights for azer-cel from Precision in August 2023. With our new partnership, we will continue to support the development of azer-cel along with additional novel cell therapy programs."

08:14 EST Solid Power announces $50M share repurchase authorization - Solid Power announced that its Board of Directors has authorized the repurchase of up to $50 million of the company's common stock. "This program is a reflection of our strong cash position and commitment to creating shareholder value," said John Van Scoter, President and Chief Executive Officer of Solid Power, Inc. "It is driven by our view that Solid Power's shares are undervalued and demonstrates confidence in our progress. We believe that with our unique capital-light business model, we can opportunistically buy back shares while continuing to drive technology development."

08:13 EST Rumble announces public launch of Rumble Studio - Rumble announced the public launch of its new live streaming tool, Rumble Studio. The product is now available to all Rumble users across Web, iOS, and Android. "Rumble Studio not only offers live-streaming to all platforms at no cost to the creator but revolutionizes live-streaming monetization. With its one-of-a-kind features, I've never been more personally excited about a single product," said Chris Pavlovski, Chairman and CEO of Rumble. "Imagine a world with live advertiser bidding, where creators fully endorse and tell their audiences to buy your product, all automated and in real-time. That's what Rumble Studio will do," he added.

08:12 EST ProPhase Labs announces significant progress at PMI - ProPhase Labs announces significant progress at Pharmaloz Manufacturing, PMI, its wholly owned subsidiary. With the implementation of recent price increases across its entire product line, PMI has transitioned to significant projected 2024 profitability starting with Q1 2024. In view of favorable current market conditions and demand for PMI's services and products, PMI is optimistic that it will experience continued favorable pricing for the near to intermediate term. PMI's operational enhancements have helped drive its current success. PMI recently acquired cutting-edge automation equipment and, with other operating efficiencies, is set to escalate plant capacity by over 50%, raising annual production capability from below $10 million to over $15 million. PMI is not stopping there. The installation of a second lozenge production line and further automation in Q2 2024 are projected to approximately double capacity to a $30-$35 million potential run-rate. Additional equipment set to arrive by Q4 2024 could increase annual production capabilities to a range of $60-$80 million, based on a 3 1/2 day workweek. Ted Karkus, CEO of ProPhase Labs, reflects on this transformative journey: "What began as a modest manufacturing unit solely dedicated to our Cold-EEZE contract manufacturing has evolved into a top-tier facility producing premium lozenges for global brands. Our roadmap envisages scaling this business in the next 18-24 months from under $10 million in annual revenue to a potential $80-$100 million production capacity with healthy net profit margins. With prospective global partnerships, we're collaborating with a leading engineering and consulting firm to potentially enhance production capacity to $100-$200 million in annual revenues by the end of 2025. Of course, there can be no assurance that we will in fact be able to win new business at these levels, or that such new business will deliver the projected gross margins, but that is the goal."

08:10 EST VCI Global secures first IPO consultancy deal in 2024 - VCI Global has been engaged by a Singapore-based Fin-MedTech Medical Group as its initial public offering, IPO, consultant for its intended IPO on Nasdaq which is expected to be completed in 2024/2025. Under this engagement, VCI Global will provide consultancy services in equity structure and capital market strategy, facilitate engagements of external professionals namely underwriter, auditor and lawyer; assists in regulatory approval and provide recommendations in compliance and internal control matters. VCI Global will receive payment in shares throughout the engagement exercise. Subsequently, the estimated income, to be derived from this consultancy service, is in the range of USD4 million to USD8 million, pending the IPO valuation. "We are honoured that our reputation as an IPO consultant is fast gaining recognition within global business communities where we have been engaged by companies from different countries. With the Medical Group being the latest to engage our services, we are more than happy to share our experience with them, enabling them to have a successful IPO exercise," said Dato' Victor Hoo, Group Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of VCI Global.

08:10 EST FDA clears AngioDynamics Auryon XL Catheter to treat Peripheral Arterial Disease - AngioDynamics announced that the United States Food and Drug Administration FDA has cleared the Auryon XL Catheter, a 225-cm radial access catheter, for use with the Auryon Atherectomy System in the treatment of Peripheral Arterial Disease PAD..."Radial access is more than an entry point; it's a transformative expressway to enhanced patient outcomes," said Ankur Lodha, M.D., interventional cardiologist at Cardiovascular Institute of the South located in Lafayette, Louisiana. "With an innovative design and its ease-of-use, the Auryon XL Catheter brings significant advancements to radial procedures as the first non-orbital atherectomy device - setting a new standard for laser atherectomy technology." ...Following FDA 510(k) clearance, AngioDynamics initiated a limited market release of the Auryon XL Catheter in the United States in January 2024 and expects to enter full market release in February 2024.

08:09 EST NAYA Biosciences to acquire Florida Biotechnologies - NAYA Biosciences, a company which has recently signed a definitive merger agreement with INVO Bioscience, announced that it has entered into a binding letter of intent to acquire Florida Biotechnologies, a gene therapy company focusing on the treatment of mitochondrial diseases. "We are impressed by the initial safety and efficacy of the AAV gene therapy developed by Florida Biotechnologies and the University of Miami for the treatment of LHON, a rare and debilitating genetic disease with no currently approved therapeutic regimen," commented NAYA Chairman & CEO Dr. Daniel Teper. "NAYA is committed to accelerating clinical development and Early Patient Access to this breakthrough therapy, which has the potential to achieve curative results in patients with progressive vision loss and blindness." NAYA entered into a binding Term Sheet with Florida Biotechnologies to acquire all of the outstanding capital stock of Florida Biotechnologies for $20,000,000 in shares of NAYA post-merger with INVO, or 4,000,000 shares, each worth $5.00. In conjunction with this transaction, Dr. Peter Kash will join NAYA's board of directors as Vice Chairman.

08:08 EST Outlook Therapeutics receives FDA agreement under SPA for NORSE EIGHT - Outlook Therapeutics has received written agreement from the FDA under an SPA for the NORSE EIGHT clinical trial protocol evaluating ONS-5010 in neovascular age-related macular degeneration subjects. Additionally, Outlook Therapeutics entered into securities purchase agreements with certain institutional and accredited investors for up to $172 million in gross proceeds to fund the advancement of ONS-5010. The FDA has reviewed and agreed upon the NORSE EIGHT trial protocol pursuant to the SPA. If the NORSE EIGHT trial is successful, it would satisfy the FDA's requirement for a second adequate and well-controlled clinical trial to address fully the clinical deficiency identified in the Complete Response Letter. NORSE EIGHT will be a randomized, controlled, parallel-group, masked, non-inferiority study of approximately 400 newly diagnosed, wet AMD subjects randomized in a 1:1 ratio to receive 1.25 mg ONS-5010 or 0.5 mg ranibizumab intravitreal injections. Subjects will receive injections at Day 0, Week 4, and Week 8 visits. The primary endpoint will be mean change in BCVA from baseline to week 8. Outlook Therapeutics expects NORSE EIGHT topline results and resubmission of the ONS-5010 BLA by the end of calendar year 2024. In addition, through a Type A meeting and additional interactions, Outlook Therapeutics has identified the approaches needed to resolve the chemistry, manufacturing and controls comments in the CRL. Outlook Therapeutics is working to address the open items and expects to resolve these comments prior to the expected completion of NORSE EIGHT.

08:07 EST FDA clears Scholar Rock's IND application for apitegromab study for obesity - Scholar Rock announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration FDA has cleared the company's Investigational New Drug or IND, application for its Phase 2 proof-of-concept trial of apitegromab to treat obesity in patients taking a GLP-1 receptor agonist GLP-1 RA . The Phase 2 trial is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multi-center study to evaluate the effect of apitegromab, a highly selective myostatin inhibitor, to safely preserve lean muscle mass as an adjunctive therapy in overweight and obese adults who are taking a GLP-1 RA. Trial initiation is on track for mid-2024, and data from the apitegromab Phase 2 trial are expected in mid-2025. In parallel, Scholar Rock is developing SRK-439, a novel investigational selective myostatin inhibitor, optimized for the treatment of obesity. The Company plans to file an IND for SRK-439 in 2025. "The FDA's acceptance of our IND application to study apitegromab in obesity allows us to assess the effect of our highly selective myostatin inhibitor on preserving lean muscle mass, and safety and tolerability of our approach when combined with a GLP-1 RA. The IND builds on our encouraging apitegromab clinical and safety data to date and allows us to inform the development of our cardiometabolic program with SRK-439, a novel preclinical selective myostatin inhibitor optimized for development in cardiometabolic disorders," said Jay Backstrom, M.D., MPH, President and Chief Executive Officer of Scholar Rock. "Maintaining lean mass during weight loss is important to overall metabolic health, and we look forward to initiating the Phase 2 proof-of-concept trial in apitegromab to validate our differentiated approach of selectively targeting only the pro- and latent forms of myostatin to retain muscle mass."

08:06 EST Red Cat integrates AI capabilities in next-generation drone system - Red Cat announces it will integrate advanced AI capabilities into its next generation drone under development for the U.S. Army's Short Range Reconnaissance Tranche 2 Program of Record. Red Cat's subsidiary Teal Drones will incorporate Teledyne FLIR's Prism AI platform, which provides classification, object detection, and autonomous tracking technology in real-time during both nighttime and daytime operations. Teal was recently selected by the Department of Defense's Defense Innovation Unit and the U.S. Army as one of two finalists competing in the SRR program. The program's goal is to provide small, rucksack-portable sUAS capabilities to Army platoons for situational awareness beyond the next terrain feature. The Company's collaboration through the Thermal by FLIR program will enable Teal to move beyond customary ISR capabilities and into the realm of tactical edge capability, battlefield management, and critical decision-making support designed to meet or exceed the SRR requirements. "Teal's solution is the first to integrate this kind of advanced artificial intelligence and real-time processing onboard the aircraft itself. This allows us to bring as much capability to the tactical edge as possible while lowering the cognitive load of warfighters," said George Matus, Red Cat's Chief Technology Officer. "Our collaboration with Teledyne FLIR continues to strengthen our product ecosystem and help unlock the powerful future we see with drones."

08:04 EST 4D Molecular receives RPDD from FDA for aerosolized 4D-710 - 4D Molecular Therapeutics announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, FDA, has granted Rare Pediatric Disease Designation, RPDD, for the Company's product candidate aerosolized 4D-710 for treatment of cystic fibrosis lung disease. 4D-710 is being evaluated in the Phase 1/2 AEROW clinical trial in people with CF who are not eligible for, or cannot tolerate any of, the currently approved CFTR modulators. "The Rare Pediatric Disease Designation is a very important regulatory milestone in our development path for 4D-710 and highlights the urgent need for novel therapeutic options for people living with CF lung disease, including children, especially those who are not eligible for currently available disease modifying therapies," said David Kirn, M.D., Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of 4DMT. "Based on the CFTR expression levels and clinical activity seen to-date, we are excited about the potential for 4D-710 to transform the lives of people with CF with an effective and durable treatment option. We continue to enroll our AEROW clinical trial and work with the CF Foundation and regulators to identify the most efficient path to advance this therapy, with preliminary feedback expected this quarter."

08:03 EST Ansys to acquire minority ownership interest in Humanetics, no terms disclosed - Ansys announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire a minority ownership interest in Humanetics from Bridgepoint, the global private equity firm that first invested in Humanetics in 2018. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and receipt of required regulatory approvals. Humanetics is a provider of physical and digital human safety systems and sensor technologies. Building on an existing partnership, the two companies will together strengthen the human safety engineering ecosystem and help propel the industry forward by marrying physical and virtual safety solutions with digital twins.

07:58 EST Anixa Biosciences granted ovarian cancer vaccine technology patent in Japan - Anixa Biosciences' collaborator Cleveland Clinic has received a "Decision to Grant" notice from the Japan Patent Office for the patent application titled "Ovarian Cancer Vaccines." The Ovarian Cancer Vaccines researchers demonstrated in pre-clinical studies that vaccination against the extracellular domain of anti-Mullerian hormone receptor II significantly inhibits tumor growth and enhances overall survival. The results indicate that vaccinating women against AMHR2-ED could provide safe and effective preemptive immunity against epithelial ovarian carcinoma, the most common form of ovarian cancer. Anixa is the exclusive worldwide licensee for the vaccine technology from Cleveland Clinic, a nonprofit, multispecialty academic medical center.

07:57 EST Clubhouse Media announces Bre Young joins HoneyDrip.com - Clubhouse Media announced that model and social media influencer, Bre Young, has joined HoneyDrip.com. Bre has a large following, boasting nearly 116K+ followers on Instagram alone. Honeydrip.com is a digital platform designed and wholly owned by CMGR with a focus on the empowerment of creators. The site allows creators to connect and engage with fans and monetize exclusive content.

07:57 EST Lockheed Martin sees FY24 Aeronautics sales $27.75B-$28.25B - Sees Aeronautics segment operating profit $2.75B-$2.8B. Sees MFC sales $11.9B-$12.1B, segment operating profit $1.375B-$1.425B. Sees RMS sales $16.45B-$16.85B, segment operating profit $1.9B-$1.95B. Sees Space sales $12.4B-$12.8B, segment operating profit $1.15B-$1.2B.

07:47 EST Lantheus CEO Mary Anne Heino to retire, Brian Markison to succeed - Lantheus Holdings announced that the Company has appointed Brian Markison, current Board Chair, to the position of CEO, effective as of March 1, 2024. He will also continue as a member of Lantheus' Board of Directors, where he has served for the past 11 years. Mary Anne Heino, who has successfully led and grown the Company for the past nine years, will retire as CEO on March 1, 2024 and assume the role of Chair of the Board of Directors as part of a deliberate CEO succession process. As part of this leadership transition, Mr. Markison will assume the role of Executive Chair of the Board immediately until his CEO appointment in March, and Board Member Julie McHugh will become Lead Independent Director effective immediately. Markison most recently served as CEO and Director of RVL Pharmaceuticals.

07:40 EST ARway.AI signs deal with AI Safer for AR navigation - ARway.ai announced a new deal with AI Safer, the Agency of Record for The Royal Institute of Traditional Arts in Saudi Arabia. This collaboration marks a significant step in enhancing visitor experiences at museums and tourist attractions across Saudi Arabia through AR navigation technology. This contract will see the integration of ARway's navigation technology in key cultural sites, offering visitors a unique, engaging, and educational experience.

07:38 EST FDA clears Cybin IND application for CYB004 for GAD, begins Phase 2a in Q1 - Cybin announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has cleared its investigational new drug IND application for CYB004, its proprietary deuterated dimethyltryptamine DMT molecule in development for the treatment of Generalized Anxiety Disorder or GAD. This clearance allows the Company to proceed with its plans to initiate a Phase 2a study of CYB004 in Q1 2024. The Phase 2a study will be a randomized, double-blind, active-controlled trial to assess the preliminary clinical efficacy, safety, tolerability, PK and PD of CYB004 in participants with GAD. This trial will be conducted at study sites in the United States."With the recent positive topline results from two Phase 1 studies of our proprietary deuterated DMT molecules, CYB004 and SPL028, we are well-positioned to initiate a Phase 2a study of CYB004 in GAD this quarter," said Doug Drysdale, Chief Executive Officer of Cybin. "From our extensive portfolio of DMT and deuterated DMT datasets across five completed clinical studies, we have gathered important insights on dosing and preliminary efficacy signals in both depression and anxiety that will inform our next steps. Exploratory data from our completed Phase 2a study of SPL026 IV DMT have shown that SPL026 reduced symptoms of anxiety in patients with major depressive disorder, which further serves to de-risk the development of deuterated DMT in anxiety disorders as we continue to evaluate the efficacy and safety of CYB004."

07:36 EST Jeffs' Brands' Fort Products signs exclusive distribution agreement - Jeffs' Brands announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, Fort Products, had signed an exclusive distribution agreement with a leading manufacturer of solar panel protection and related products. According to the agreement, Fort was granted the exclusive right to sell and market the Products as an independent distributor, with no territorial limitation. "As a leading brand in the pest control market, Fort recognized the growing demand for protecting solar panels from pests, leading us to expand into the solar panel protection sector. This exclusive distribution agreement and our success with similar products are testaments to our adaptability and commitment to addressing evolving market needs," states Victor Hakmon, CEO of Jeffs' Brands.

07:35 EST Zevra Therapeutics appoints Alvin Shih to board of directors - Zevra Therapeutics announced the appointment of Alvin Shih, MD, MBA, to the Company's Board of Directors effective as of January 20, 2024. Dr. Shih currently serves as President and CEO of Catamaran Bio, a biotechnology company developing cell therapies for multiple oncologic indications.

07:35 EST iSpecimen, TriMetis Life announces strategic partnership - iSpecimen announced that it entered into a pilot program agreement with TriMetis Life Sciences. This agreement aims to establish a strategic partnership between iSpecimen and TriMetis, providing opportunities for iSpecimen, its suppliers and customers to utilize technology solutions from TriMetis. By combining iSpecimen's global network of suppliers and researchers with TriMetis' AI-powered, automated digital pathology solutions, this partnership is working to address industry challenges, reduce the risk of errors associated with manual processes and revolutionize tissue assessment for preclinical research. "This pilot program exemplifies the fusion of two online portals, leveraging cutting-edge technological tools to both enhance customer service and elevate industry standards," said Tracy Curley, Chief Executive Officer of iSpecimen. Ms. Curley continued, "For both iSpecimen and TriMetis, the focus is first and foremost on establishing best practices for quality control and assurance. By incorporating AI readings and images, our goal is to enhance the standardization of tissue-based oncology samples on the iSpecimen Marketplace(R), contributing to a transformative shift in the quality assessments of tissue samples. Our collaboration with TriMetis represents a milestone in advancing tissue research quality, streamlining procurement processes and setting new industry-wide benchmarks through this innovative process that will further increase accuracy."

07:34 EST Lockheed Martin reports Q4 cash from operations $2.4B, free cash flow $1.7B

07:33 EST Lockheed Martin reports record backlog of $160.6B

07:33 EST Theratechnologies says FDA continuing to review sBLA for tesamorelin F8 - Theratechnologies has received correspondence from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration regarding the Company's supplemental Biologics License Application for the F8 formulation of tesamorelin. The FDA has notified the Company that it is continuing its review of the application beyond the Prescription Drug User Fee Act goal date of January 22, 2024. Further information will be provided in due course.

07:32 EST Lockheed Martin sees FY24 cash from operations $7.75B-$8B - Sees FY24 free cash flow $6B-$6.3B; FY24 CapEx ~$1.75B.

07:26 EST One Stop Systems, FLYHT expand relationship for AFIRS Edge Solution - One Stop Systems (OSS) and FLYHT Aerospace Solutions (FLYLF) announced the commencement of a multi-year design and manufacturing collaboration for FLYHT's automated flight information reporting systems Edge family, including its new AFIRS Edge+. The expanded relationship ensures that FLYHT has access to OSS's scaled capabilities as it launches the aviation industry's first-to-market 5G-enabled avionics solutions. The AFIRS Edge is an aircraft interface device, connecting aircraft data with EFB applications and providing airlines with Wireless Quick Access capabilities, all while serving as a gateway on the aircraft for critical real-time information and onboard data storage.

07:23 EST Charah Solutions appoints Matthew Sutton as CEO - Charah Solutions announced the appointment of Matthew Sutton as President and CEO, effective January 22, 2024. Mr. Sutton, who will report to Charah Solutions Executive Chairman Curt Morgan and the Board of Directors, most recently served as President and CEO of Matrix Solutions.

07:19 EST Draganfly selected for electric mobility platform in UAE - Draganfly has been selected as a solutions provider of choice by Arabian Aero Investment, a Dubai-based company backed by a member of the Dubai Royal Family, which has announced the launch of a solar-powered charging platform in the UAE. Draganfly is to develop solutions for integrating Unmanned Aerial Vehicles with the UAE's inaugural end-to-end electric mobility platform that combines solar charging points with last-mile delivery, ushering in a new era of sustainable delivery systems. This initiative signifies the start of an ambitious plan to decarbonize the UAE's transportation landscape over the next three years.

07:18 EST Midland announces results from drilling on La Peltrie Option - Midland Exploration announced the results of the drilling campaign completed in the summer of 2023 in the vicinity of the large copper-gold-silver-molybdenum discovery made in 2022 on the La Peltrie Option. This significant mineralized system is located 15 kilometres southeast of Agnico Eagle's Zone 58N gold deposit and approximately 25 kilometres west of the former Selbaie mine, which produced 56.9 Mt grading 0.87% Cu, 1.85% Zn, 39 g/t Ag, and 0.55 g/t Au. The Property is currently subject to an option agreement and is explored in partnership with Probe Gold since July 2020. Highlights: Expansion of the mineralized zone intersected in discovery hole LAP-22-12 with a total interval of 0.20% CuEq over 513.5 metres; Higher-grade intervals within the mineralized envelope graded up to 1.33% CuEq over 9.5 metres and 0.56% CuEq over 13.2 metres; Indicates potential for a highly prospective and extensive mineralized system that remains open at depth with a possible trend interpreted to the west of discovery hole LAP-22-12. This drilling program was completed in September 2023 and consisted of eight drill holes totalling 2,700 metres, including five drill holes totalling 1,713.0 metres in the immediate vicinity of the Cu-Au-Mo-Ag discovery that graded 0.2% CuEq over 345.5 metres. During this program, drill hole LAP-22-12EXT, totalling 168.0 metres, extended the mineralized zone in the discovery hole by returning a total interval grading 0.20% CuEq over 513.5 metres. Drill hole LAP-23-18, drilled to the north approximately 150 metres east of drill hole LAP-22-12, intersected a wide Cu-Au-Mo-Ag mineralized interval grading 0.15% CuEq over 363.0 metres, including a high-grade zone with grades of 1.33% CuEq over 9.5 metres. Drill hole LAP-23-20, drilled to the south approximately 50 metres east of drill hole LAP-23-18, yielded a wide interval grading 0.12% CuEq over 400.2 metres, including an interval grading 0.56% CuEq over 13.2 metres. Hole LAP-23-21, drilled to the south approximately 250 meters northeast of hole LAP-23-18, returned an interval grading 0.19% CuEq over 22 meters, and another grading 0.15 % CuEq over 66 meters. A preliminary interpretation of results received to date indicates that combined Cu-Au-Mo-Ag grades appear to increase in drill holes from east to west, thus indicating a possible enrichment trend to the west of drill hole LAP-22-12 in an area that remains completely open in this direction and at depth. Midland and Probe are currently preparing an exploration program in order to resume follow-up drilling on this new discovery.

07:13 EST Lithium Ionic announces new assay results from Bandeira project - Lithium Ionic reports new assay results for 16 drill holes from its Feasibility-stage Bandeira Lithium Project, situated in northern Minas Gerais State, Brazil, in a world-class hard rock lithium district known as the "Lithium Valley", where two lithium producers currently operate. Blake Hylands, P.Geo., Chief Executive Officer of Lithium Ionic, commented, "Results from Bandeira continue to impress us with consistently high grades over meaningful widths. Our drilling efforts at Bandeira are primarily focused on expanding and upgrading the deposit, however geotechnical and condemnation drilling are also underway in preparation for mine development. We look forward to delivering some significant milestones in the near-term, including a Feasibility Study for Bandeira as well as an initial mineral resource estimate at our Salinas Project."

07:12 EST Largo Inc. reports annual production of 9,681 tons of vanadium pentoxide - Largo Inc. announced annual production of 9,681 tons of vanadium pentoxide, or V2O5, equivalent from its Maracas Menchen Mine and sales of 10,396 tons of V2O5 equivalent in 2023. Daniel Tellechea, Interim CEO of Largo, stated: "The Company continues to improve the operational efficiency of its Maracas Menchen Mine, and saw a considerable improvement in production results in the fourth quarter of 2023. As a result, the Company managed to achieve its annual production and sales guidance for 2023. The Company continues to place as many units as possible in the premium yielding high purity vanadium sector, achieving a record production of 1,670 tonnes of high purity V2O5 equivalent in Q4 2023, representing 60% of the Company's quarterly V2O5 output. This improvement is expected to partially offset the impact of lower vanadium prices in Q4 2023, which fell to their lowest level in approximately two years, and lower sales volumes compared to Q4 2022. In Q4 2023, we continued to ramp up our ilmenite concentrate plant and are pleased to provide the first annual guidance for this material in 2024. With a substantial investment in this new plant in 2022/2023, we look forward to reaping the benefits of diversifying Largo's product offering and revenues in 2024 from expected ilmenite sales as by-product of our traditional vanadium operations. We completed our first 500 tonne ilmenite sale in January 2024 and expect to sell between 8,500 - 10,500 tonnes in Q1 2024. For the coming year, it is our priority to remain focused on optimizing our operations, reducing costs, and achieving our production and sales targets as we continue to navigate a lower vanadium price environment. Lastly, Largo remains dedicated to advancing its exploration program surrounding the Maracas Menchen Mine as we strive to plan for future growth."

07:10 EST Americas Gold and Silver reports Q4 silver production up 56% YoY - Americas Gold and Silver Corporation is pleased to provide its Q4-2023 and full year 2023 production results as well as an update to Galena Complex exploration results...Drilling between 4600 and 4900 Level Q4-2023 was the Company's strongest production quarter of the year as consolidated attributable silver production rose over 50% totalling approximately 0.58M ounces compared with approximately 0.38M ounces in Q4-2022 and approximately 0.39 million ounces in Q3-2023...2023 consolidated attributable silver production increased by over 55% totalling approximately 2.04M ounces compared with approximately 1.31 M ounces in 2022. Despite the strong production in Q4-2023, the Company was 7% below it's original silver guidance for the year. Additional silver production was expected from the Galena Complex at the end of the Q4-2023..."The Company had its strongest quarter of the year in Q4-2023 and delivered an impressive 56% increase in silver production year-over-year. Despite the Company falling just short of its guidance, I'm proud of how the operational teams performed given the 45 days lost in the calendar year from unforeseen issues that are now behind us." stated Americas President and CEO Darren Blasutti. "Not only is attributable silver production expected to grow significantly again in 2024, but the Galena Complex exploration program continues to generate impressive results which the Company is confident will yield near term mining targets. We are excited by the scale of some of the targets that could generate new production areas that can be exploited by bulk mining methods as well as areas of exceptional grade."

07:08 EST Unicycive Therapeutics issues letter to shareholders - Unicycive Therapeutics issued a letter to shareholders. "In this letter, I am pleased to recap for you another year of great accomplishments. We've made significant advancements in our clinical programs which will propel us to new heights in 2024. Addressing a Critical Need... Our lead program, Oxylanthanum Carbonate, or OLC, is a next-generation lanthanum-based phosphate binding agent utilizing proprietary nanoparticle technology with two key advantages. First, only three tablets are required per day. Second, the tablets are swallowed whole with water and not chewed, making it easier for patients to take.During 2023 we made significant progress with OLC under the FDA's 505(b)(2) regulatory pathway which allows us to reference the already approved drug, lanthanum carbonate to streamline our submission package. As reported in December 2022, OLC was evaluated in a previous bioequivalence study that measured efficacy in healthy volunteers in which OLC has found to be equivalent to the reference drug, Fosrenol... Strong Scientific Leadership with OLC. This year we continued to publish scientific data on OLC at national and international conferences. We presented five posters on OLC at conferences including at the National Kidney Foundation, International Society of Nephrology and European Renal Association... Increasing Market Awareness. A top priority for us in 2023 was growing market awareness of OLC's potential best-in-class product profile. We conducted live and virtual advisory board meetings with some of the country's most influential nephrologists... We are encouraged by the overwhelmingly positive reception to the OLC story and are planning continued market-shaping activities for 2024. Portfolio Expansion. In addition to OLC, we continue to advance our second compound UNI-494 for the treatment of acute kidney injury and chronic kidney disease... UNI-494 is protected by issued patents in the U.S. and Europe and a wide range of patent applications worldwide...We believe 2024 will be a transformational year for Unicycive. We will report out our pivotal data for OLC next quarter and plan to complete our data package and submit an NDA mid-year. We continue to work closely with the medical community to publish data on our programs and plan for future commercialization of OLC. "

07:07 EST Verizon reports Q4 wireless retail postpaid phone net additions of 449,000 - Total wireless service revenue of $19.4 billion, a 3.2 percent increase year over year. Retail postpaid phone net additions of 449,000, and retail postpaid net additions of 1,460,000. Retail postpaid churn of 1.18 percent, and retail postpaid phone churn of 0.93 percent.

07:05 EST Staar Surgical announces strategic pact in U.S. with SharpeVision, no terms - STAAR Surgical announced a strategic agreement to provide EVO ICL lenses as a first choice for patients seeking visual freedom from contact lenses and glasses. Dr. Matthew Sharpe, SharpeVision STAAR Surgical and SharpeVision will collaborate on marketing and education activities to elevate awareness of EVO ICL and significantly increase availability of the lenses to all qualified patients in SharpeVision clinics. STAAR Surgical will also provide additional practice development and clinical support. The initial stage of the collaboration includes a target purchase amount of 1,000 ICL units annually, which represents approximately 25% of the group's refractive procedure volume..."We are pleased to announce SharpeVision as a new partner under our U.S. Highway 93 go-to-market program initiated in October 2023. Dr. Sharpe is a leading refractive surgeon known for his LASIK clinics who sees the advantage of EVO ICL over laser-based vision correction for his patients and practice alike," said Tom Frinzi, President and CEO of STAAR Surgical. "Our collaboration will further increase awareness of the patient and practice benefits of EVO ICL, which provides exceptional vision day and night and does not cause dry eye syndrome."

07:03 EST Autolus Therapeutics announces publication in ACS Chemical Biology - Autolus Therapeutics announced a publication in ACS Chemical Biology1 entitled: 'Designer small molecule control system based on Minocycline induced disruption of protein-protein interaction.' Cell-based therapies have become increasingly complex and are being used to treat a wide range of diseases such as cancer and autoimmunity. However, cell therapies have the capacity to engraft and function autonomously, making it challenging to modulate potency or toxicity by adjusting administration or dosage. Jha et al. describe a compact small molecule control system, called minoDab, using minimally immunogenic protein domains and the antibiotic minocycline as an inducer. Minocycline is in widespread clinical use, is safe and is highly bioavailable. This system is compact and versatile allowing development of a wide range of applications including OFF-switch CAR systems, controlled secretion of cellular payload such as cytokines, and customized synthetic cell-cell communication systems. "Cellular therapy of cancer, especially of solid tumours, can be challenging due to off tumor activity and immunotoxicity," said Dr Martin Pule, Chief Scientific Officer, Founder of Autolus and senior author. "This control system is very practical from a clinical perspective since it uses Minocycline for control. Such systems should improve the efficacy and safety of cellular therapies and accelerate clinical development."

07:01 EST Lithia & Driveway names Adam Chamberlain as Chief Customer Officer - Lithia & Driveway has promoted Adam Chamberlain to Chief Customer Officer. Prior to Lithia & Driveway, the Atlanta-based automotive executive held the role of President at Aston Martin NA after spending over five years as Vice President of Sales and Products for Mercedes Benz USA, where he excelled in leading diverse teams to deliver great customer-oriented business results.

06:59 EST Procter & Gamble reports Q2 gross margin up 520 bps y/y - Gross margin for the quarter increased 520 basis points versus the prior year, 590 basis points on a currency-neutral basis. The increase was driven by benefits of 240 basis points from gross productivity savings, 200 basis points of favorable commodity costs and 190 basis points from increased pricing. These were partially offset by 40 basis points of product reinvestments and other impacts.

06:55 EST TKO Group appoints Dwayne Johnson, Brad Keywell to board of directors - TKO Group has appointed Dwayne Johnson to its board of directors, effective today. Johnson "brings decades of experience in live entertainment and sports to the Board. Through his expansive business portfolio, which includes Seven Bucks Productions, Teremana Tequila, ZOA Energy, Project Rock, and the recently combined spring football league, the United Football League," the company stated. Ariel Emanuel, CEO, TKO, said: "I am thrilled to partner with Dwayne and welcome his immense talent to TKO's Board. Dwayne brings an incredible track record of creating content and building globally recognized consumer brands, and he will play a key role in realizing our ambitions for TKO." WWE has also entered into a services and merchandising agreement with Johnson that provides for his promotional, licensing, and other services, and an intellectual property assignment agreement pursuant to which Johnson has secured ownership of the trademarked name, "The Rock". The addition of Johnson, as well as today's appointment of Brad Keywell to TKO's Board of Directors, will increase TKO's board from 11 to 13 members. "Keywell, an accomplished entrepreneur with deep expertise in technology and artificial intelligence, brings significant experience in innovation and industry disruption to the Board. He has co-founded and led multiple companies, including Groupon, Echo Global Logistics, MediaOcean, and Uptake Technologies, where he is currently Founder and Executive Chairman," the company added.

06:53 EST WestRock to build new corrugated box plant in Wisconsin - WestRock announced plans to build a new corrugated box plant in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin, to meet demand from customers in the Great Lakes region. The company intends to close its existing plant in North Chicago when construction of the new facility is completed. Construction is estimated to cost approximately $140M and is expected to be partially offset by property sales. The new facility is expected to support reduced manufacturing costs and waste, improving WestRock's overall manufacturing cost profile; improve sustainability through reduced energy consumption and new technology; enhance digital capabilities and provide real-time data to improve decision making and reduce unplanned downtime; and serve all key end markets in the Great Lakes region, which include retail, distribution, processed food, industrial, and protein businesses among others. Construction will begin in 2024 and is expected to be completed in 2025.

06:50 EST Golden Minerals starts operations at Velardena Silver-Gold Properties - Golden Minerals Company is pleased to announce that on December 18, 2023, it began silver-gold mining operations at its Velardena Properties, located in Durango State, Mexico. The company has begun mining in six stopes and is steadily ramping up daily production to reach a rate of approximately 150 tonnes per day in March, and ultimately a full production rate of approximately 325 tpd in the second quarter. The restart of mining operations follows the company's announcement in November 2023 that it had also begun producing gold-rich pyrite flotation concentrates from Velardena. The concentrates come from material that has been stockpiled at the Velardena Properties since the fourth quarter of 2015, when the mines were last operational. At that point, mining activities were suspended when a combination of low metals prices, mining dilution and metallurgical challenges rendered operations unprofitable. The company elected to preserve the asset for future use, and since that time has evaluated a number of mining methods and processing alternatives that could enable sustainable profitable operations. The December 2023 restart of mining represents the culmination of that work. The company anticipates continuing to produce the pyrite concentrates until such time that mine production can sustain continuous operation of the flotation plant to produce the three concentrates, lead-silver, zinc, and pyrite-gold from newly mined material.

06:47 EST Halliburton reports Q4 cash flow from operations $1.4B; free cash flow $1.1B

06:45 EST Vertex Energy provides Q4 operational update - Vertex Energy provided an update to its financial and operational outlook for 4Q23. Reported throughput volumes at the company's Mobile, Alabama Refinery for 4Q23 are expected to be approximately 67K barrels per day, just below management's previous guidance. The slight reduction reflects a combined impact of a strategic curtailment in throughput in light of deteriorating market conditions during the quarter as well as the previously disclosed downtime to proactively replace an electrical transformer. The expected yield of finished conventional fuel products such as gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel is expected to be 65%-67%, in line with the previously forecasted range of 64%-68%. This reflects the ongoing benefit of the yield optimization efforts introduced in 2Q23. Operating expenses per barrel for 4Q23 are expected to total $3.75-$3.95 per barrel, a 5.5% improvement vs. prior expectations at the mid-point. Capex is expected to be $8M-$10M, 48.6% below expectations at the midpoint. Reported renewable diesel production for 4Q23 is expected to be 3,900 bpd, just under the forecasted range of 4,000-6,000 bpd. The yield on renewable throughput volumes is expected to be approximately 96%, slightly below the previously anticipated range of 97%-98%. The company expected to receive LCFS credits in 4Q23 for its renewable diesel production volumes produced in Q3 and Q4 of 2023. The initial LCFS credits reflect a temporary carbon intensity score and amounted to $9.5M in the period. Upon receiving its provisional CI score, sometime in Q1 or Q2 of 2024, Vertex anticipates the per-barrel LCFS credits to improve materially over temporary CI values.

06:39 EST Iris Energy announces 10 EH/s expansion update - Iris Energy provided an update on its near-term expansion to 10 EH/s, as part of a pathway to 20 EH/s. 10 EH/s expansion - H1 2024: The company is pleased to advise that it has commenced installation of miners for its expansion to 10 EH/s, with operating hashrate increased to 6 EH/s. The remaining 4 EH/s is expected to be commissioned in H1 2024. 20 EH/s pathway - H2 2024: As previously announced, the company has also secured a pathway to 20 EH/s in 2024, following a purchase and fixed price option agreement for an additional 10 EH/s of Bitmain T21 miners.

06:27 EST Parsons included on $200M GSA construction management contract - Parsons was named on a multiple award task order contract by the U.S. General Services Administration - GSA - Public Building Service. The estimated $200M Blanket Purchase Agreement for program management and construction management services is new work for the company and has a five-year ordering period. Under the contract, Parsons will compete for task orders to provide pre-planning, construction management and commissioning services, among many others, to GSA for building renovations and new construction projects.

06:18 EST Johnson & Johnson announces opioid settlement agreement with State of Washington - Johnson & Johnson and its U.S.-based Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies announced a settlement agreement with the State of Washington and its participating subdivisions resolving their opioid-related claims against the company. "With this agreement, the company has now resolved all pending opioid litigation by the State and its subdivisions, as well as all litigation brought by the U.S. state Attorneys General. The $149.5M settlement will be drawn from the nationwide settlement announced in 2021 and will directly support local community efforts to seek meaningful progress in addressing the opioid crisis in Washington state. This settlement is not an admission of liability or wrongdoing and marks continued progress in resolving opioid-related claims and litigation by states, cities, counties, and other subdivisions in the United States. The company will continue to defend against any litigation that the final agreement does not resolve," the company stated. Reference Link

06:02 EST Beam Global receives $4.8M order from U.S. Department of Homeland Security - Beam Global announced that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has ordered 47 Beam EV ARC sustainable off-grid charging systems and 16 ARC Mobility trailers to enable efficient transportation of the products. The EV ARC systems will be deployed to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Customs Border Patrol, Coast Guard, Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers and Secret Service.

05:31 EST Inhibrx to sell INBRX-101 to Sanofi in $2.2B transaction - Inhibrx (INBX) and Sanofi (SNY) announced that the companies have entered into a definitive agreement under which Aventis, a subsidiary of Sanofi, will acquire all the assets and liabilities associated with INBRX-101, an optimized, recombinant alpha-1 antitrypsin, or AAT, augmentation therapy currently in a registrational trial for the treatment of patients with alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, or AATD. Immediately prior to the closing of the merger, all non-101 assets and liabilities, including INBRX-105, INBRX-106, INBRX-109, Inhibrx's non-101 discovery pipeline and its corporate infrastructure, will be spun out from the company into a new publicly traded company, Inhibrx Biosciences. Under the terms of the agreement, Sanofi will acquire all outstanding shares of Inhibrx through a merger, and in turn, each Inhibrx shareholder will receive: $30.00 per share in cash, one contingent value right per share, representing the right to receive a contingent payment of $5.00 in cash upon the achievement of a regulatory milestone and one SEC-registered, publicly listed, share of New Inhibrx per every four shares of Inhibrx common stock held. In addition, in connection with the transaction, Sanofi will assume and retire Inhibrx's outstanding third party debt and cause New Inhibrx to be funded with $200M in cash and will retain an equity interest in New Inhibrx of 8%. The boards of directors of both Inhibrx and Sanofi have unanimously approved the transaction. Combined, the upfront cash portion of the consideration, the potential contingent value payment, if achieved, and the assumption of Inhibrx's debt, implies an aggregate transaction value of approximately $2.2B. Additionally, Inhibrx shareholders will own 92% of New Inhibrx capitalized with $200M in cash. Following the closing, New Inhibrx will continue to operate under the "Inhibrx" name and will be led by Mark Lappe as chairman and CEO, as well as the other members of the current management team of Inhibrx. New Inhibrx will continue to own Inhibrx's other clinical therapeutic candidates, INBRX-105, INBRX-106, and INBRX-109, as well as its non-101 discovery pipeline and certain corporate infrastructure owned by Inhibrx. Sanofi expects to finance the transaction with available cash resources. Sanofi's acquisition of Inhibrx is subject to the completion of the New Inhibrx spin-off transaction and other customary closing conditions, including receipt of regulatory approvals and approval by Inhibrx's stockholders. Subject to the satisfaction or waiver of customary closing conditions, Sanofi and Inhibrx expect the transaction to close in the second quarter of 2024.

05:21 EST Ericsson says mobile network industry remains challenging - The company said, "The mobile network industry remains challenging. We expect the current market uncertainties to prevail into 2024 with a further decline of the RAN market outside China as our customers remain cautious and the investment pace is normalizing in India. The new US contract will start to ramp up in the second half of 2024. Underlying demand from growing data traffic and 5G only being in the early stages of build-out will require additional network investments. In our view, the current investment levels are unsustainably low for many operators. We are therefore confident that a market recovery should materialize. However, the timing of market recovery is ultimately in the hands of our customers. It is critical for us to lead in technology while focusing on operational efficiency, to ensure we are well positioned when the market recovers. Our strong IPR portfolio with over 60,000 patents gives us great opportunities to grow our licensing revenue, with a continued emphasis on ensuring that the full value is recognized in all contracts."

05:07 EST Jacobs selected by NTA in Ireland as consultant to enhance mobility in Cork - Jacobs has been selected by the National Transport Authority, or NTA, in Ireland as consultant for the BusConnects Cork Sustainable Transport Corridors program, planned to connect communities and enhance mobility in Cork, Ireland's second largest city. Jacobs' scope of work includes preparation of the Environmental Impact Assessment Report and the Network and Information Security for each of the schemes' statutory planning advice services; the construction strategy; and the transport assessment which includes extensive modeling for design development. Jacobs will also support the preliminary business case preparation for the overall BusConnects Cork program. Jacobs has also been appointed as one of the Engineering Design Consultants, providing advisory support, and preparing the preliminary design report and the planning permission application to go to Ireland's independent statutory body, An Bord Pleanala. The BusConnects Cork program will provide better walking, cycling and bus infrastructure for 11 key access corridors in the Cork region, to transform the public transport network, enabling efficient, safe and sustainable mobility around the city and preparing for future demand. A range of enhancements are planned, including the creation of new bus routes and cycling lanes, improved bus frequencies, new bus stops and shelters and the transition to a zero-emission bus fleet.