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

21:32 EDT Rocket Lab successfully deploys satellites 500km apart to separate orbits - Rocket Lab has "deployed two satellites to two different orbits approximately 500km apart on its 47th Electron mission. The "Beginning Of The Swarm" mission lifted-off from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 in Mahia, New Zealand at 10:32 NZST on April 24th, 2024 with payloads for the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, or KAIST, and NASA. The primary payload, NEONSAT-1 by KAIST, was first deployed by Electron to a 520km circular Earth orbit before Electron deployed NASA's Advanced Composite Solar Sail System to a higher circular orbit at 1,000km. NEONSAT-1 will perform Earth-observation of the Korean Peninsula for KAIST, which will then pair the satellite's data with artificial intelligence to monitor for natural disasters in the region. NEONSAT-1 is the first of 11 satellites for KAIST's planned constellation to image the Korean Peninsula several times daily. The second mission deployed today was NASA's Advanced Composite Solar Sail System, which is a technology demonstration of new materials that use sunlight to propel a spacecraft. Much like a sailboat is powered by wind pushing against a sail, solar sails employ the pressure of sunlight for propulsion to move around. This mission plans to test how well new composite booms unfurl the sail from the spacecraft - which is about the size of a toaster - to an area about the size of a small apartment. Data from this mission will be used for designing future larger-scale composite solar sail systems for space weather early warning satellites, asteroid and other small body reconnaissance missions, and missions to observe the polar regions of the sun."

19:50 EDT Cidara Therapeutics trading halted, news pending

18:46 EDT Mattel CEO: Our plan is to return to top line growth in 2025 - In an interview on CNBC's Mad Money, Ynon Kreiz said Mattel has a very clear strategy to grow its IP-driven toy business. The priority is "first and foremost" to drive organic growth. He "couldn't be more excited" with Barbie's growth trajectory.

18:35 EDT Nucor CEO: Q1 EPS miss was due to corporate eliminations, not operations - In an interview on CNBC's Mad Money, Leon Topalian said, "Prices have moderated, but I'm comfortable on where we're at." He expects 2024 to be a "very good year" for Nucor. The company is getting more refined in terms of how it operates its steel mills, he noted. The demand picture is still strong and the company's best days are still ahead, he added.

18:16 EDT Tesla CEO says we should be valued as AI robotics company, not auto company

18:14 EDT Tesla CEO Musk says Tesla constitutes majority of my work time

18:10 EDT Tesla CFO sees inventory build reverse, free cash flow turn positive in Q2 - CFO Vaibhav Taneja says: "While we did experience higher cost due to the ramp of Model 3 in Fremont and disruptions in Berlin, these costs were largely offset by cost reduction initiatives. In fact, if we exclude Cybertruck and Fremont Model 3 ramp costs, the revenue from auto margins improved slightly. Currently normalized model wide cost Model Y cost per vehicle in Austin and Berlin are already very close to that of Fremont.... On the demand front, we've undertaken a variety of initiatives, including lowering the price of both the purchase and subscription options for launching extremely attractive leasing specials for the Model 3 in the U.S. for $299 a month and offering attractive financing options in certain markets. We believe that our awareness activities paired with attractive financing will go a long way in expanding our reach and driving demand for our products... We had negative free cash flow of $2.5B in the first quarter. The primary driver of this was an increase in inventory from a mismatch between builds and deliveries as discussed before, and our elevated spend on CapEx across various initiatives, including AI compute. We expect the inventory build to reverse in the second quarter and free cash flow to return to positive again." Comments taken from Q1 earnings conference call.

18:02 EDT Tesla CEO says more affordable models to be made on current production lines - CEO Musk says: "New vehicles, including more affordable models will use aspects of the next-generation platform as well as aspects of our current platforms, and we'll be able to produce on the same manufacturing lines as our current vehicle lineup. So it's not contingent upon any new factory or massive new production line, it will be made on our current production lines much more efficiently."

18:01 EDT Tesla CEO says updated future of vehicle lineup to accelerate new model launch - CEO Elon Musk says: "We continue to expand our AI training capacity in Q1 more than doubling our training compute sequentially. In terms of the new product road map, there's been a lot of talk about our upcoming vehicle line in the next -- in the past several weeks. We've updated our future of vehicle lineup to accelerate the launch of new models ahead, previously mentioned start of production in the second half of 2025. So we expect it to be more like the early 2025, if not late this year." Comments taken from Q1 earnings conference call.

17:46 EDT Lockheed Martin awarded $102.06M Navy contract modification - Lockheed Martin was awarded a $102.06M cost-plus-incentive-fee modification to previously-awarded contract for capability package development and fielding, system integration and fielding, and in-service sustainment in support of current configurations of the AEGIS combat system. Work is expected to be completed by December 31. The Naval Sea Systems Command is the contracting activity.

17:23 EDT Seagate says demand environment improving - Says near term cloud demand trends "increasingly positive." Expects "healthy" demand growth through remainder of calendar 2024. Expects to return to long term target margin ranges. Expects FY24 CapEx "at or below" 4%-6% of revenue. Comments taken from Q3 earnings conference call.

17:19 EDT Mattel sees FY24 adjusted tax rate 23%-24% - Sees FY24 free cash flow $500M. Says has more than $1.1B in cash. Says bent portfolio well positioned with no maturities until 2026. Says trends in consumer demand for product improved through the quarter and expects to outpace the industry and gain market share in 2024. Says retail inventory levels have been largely corrected. Says now at appropriate levels to support the business going forward. Comments taken from Q1 earnings conference call and investor presentation slides.

17:15 EDT West Fraser Timber continues to experience near-term softness for MDF in Europe - "Although we continue to experience near-term softness for MDF and particleboard panel products in Europe and the U.K., we are experiencing slightly better demand for our OSB products early in 2024. We continue to expect demand for our European products will grow over the longer term as use of OSB as an alternative to plywood grows. Further, an aging housing stock supports long-term repair and renovation spending and additional demand for our wood building products. Near-term risks, including relatively high interest rates, ongoing geopolitical developments and the lagged impact of recent inflationary pressures, may cause further temporary slowing of demand for our panel products in the U.K. and Europe. Despite these risks, we are confident that we will be able to navigate through this period and capitalize on the long-term growth opportunities ahead..." noted the company in its earnings release.

17:07 EDT Waterstone Financial authorizes additional repurchase of 2M shares - Waterstone Financial announced that on its board of directors authorized the repurchase of up to an additional 2M shares of the company's outstanding shares of common stock under its existing repurchase program. Prior to this authorization, 224,852 shares remained available to repurchase under the existing program. Combined with the shares just authorized, the total 2,224,852 shares available for repurchase represent approximately 11.2% of the company's issued and outstanding shares of common stock as of April 23.

17:04 EDT Endeavour Silver Terronera construction reaches 53% completion - The company stated: "Endeavour Silver is pleased to provide a Q1 2024 construction progress update for its Terronera Project in Jalisco state, Mexico. A photo gallery presentation accompanies this news release and can be found here or on the Company website at Terronera Project Progress Photos. The Terronera project made significant progress in the first quarter, as concrete work was nearly complete on the Upper Plant Platform and erection of structural steel advanced for areas including crushing, coarse-ore storage, grinding, flotation, and thickening. Mechanical installation of major equipment continued to advance on schedule and the project remains on track for commissioning in Q4 2024. The Terronera Project is on track for commissioning in Q4 2024. For Q2 2024, surface construction will continue focusing on mechanical installations and initial electrical work for the crushing, coarse-ore stockpile, grinding, flotation and tailing thickener areas. Excavation of the Lower Platform is anticipated to be complete in the coming months. Concrete work is expected to be initiated for the LNG and power generation and concentrate and tailing filtration. Concentrate and tailing filtration structural, mechanical, and electrical installations will commence in early Q3."

17:03 EDT Baker Hughes reports Q1 Order value of $6.54B vs. $7.63B last year - Reports Q1 adjusted EBITDA $943M vs. $782M last year.

16:59 EDT Advent Technologies discloses Nasdaq notice on late filing of 10-K - Advent Technologies announced that, as expected, it received a notice from Nasdaq on April 17, 2024, notifying the Company that it is not in compliance with the periodic filing requirements for continued listing set forth in Nasdaq Listing Rule 5250(c)(1) because the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023 was not filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission by the required due date of March 31, 2024. This Notice received from Nasdaq has no immediate effect on the listing or trading of the Company's shares. Nasdaq has provided the Company with 60 calendar days, until Sunday, June 16, 2024, to submit a plan to regain compliance. If Nasdaq accepts the Company's plan, then Nasdaq may grant the Company an exception until Monday, October 14, 2024, as instructed by the Letter, to regain compliance with the Nasdaq Listing Rules.

16:54 EDT Visa gains 3% to $282.50 after Q2 earnings beat, affirmed FY24 guidance

16:45 EDT Renasant: Kevin Chapman to become CEO effective May 2025 - The Board of Directors of Renasant Corporation implemented the next step of the company's management succession plan, designating Kevin D. Chapman to become Chief Executive Officer of the Company and Renasant Bank effective May 2025. Chapman will retain his current title and duties of President of both the Company and Bank. Over the next year, current Renasant CEO, C. Mitchell Waycaster will work with Chapman on the leadership transition; in May 2025, while stepping down from the CEO position, Waycaster will continue in his role as Executive Vice Chairman of the Company and the Bank. Chapman has been President and Chief Operating Officer for the Company since May 2023. From October 2011 until he assumed the Chief Operating Officer role, he was the Chief Financial Officer of the Company and the Bank. Prior to that, Chapman served in various capacities since joining the Bank in 2005, including the Chief Strategy Officer and Corporate Accounting Officer. Chapman has also been a director of the Bank since 2018.

16:41 EDT Range Resources sees FY24 production 2.12 - 2.16 Bcfe per day - The company said, "Range is targeting a maintenance production program in 2024, resulting in approximately flat production at 2.12 - 2.16 Bcfe per day, with more than 30% attributed to liquids production. Range's 2024 all-in capital budget is $620 million - $670 million."

16:39 EDT Pebblebrook Hotel reports Q1 same-property RevPAR up 1.7% - The company stated: "Business demand-both group and transient-continued to recover, driving increased occupancy in Washington D.C., San Diego, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Boston. Leisure demand remained roughly in line with the prior year, despite bad weather impacting many weekends in Florida and on the West Coast; the Company's resorts continue to maintain significant ADR premiums to 2019. Recently redeveloped hotels-including Hilton San Diego Gaslamp Quarter, Margaritaville Hotel San Diego Gaslamp Quarter, Viceroy Santa Monica Hotel, L'Auberge Del Mar, 1 Hotel San Francisco, and Estancia La Jolla Hotel & Spa-are demonstrating the benefits of their substantial investments with healthy gains in RevPAR, market share, cash flow, and future bookings."

16:35 EDT N.T. Butterfield reports Q1 net interest margin 2.68% vs. 2.88% last year

16:32 EDT Steel Dynamics sees 'strong' domestic steel consumption in 2024 - "We remain confident that market conditions are in place for domestic steel consumption to be strong throughout 2024," said CEO Millett. "Order entry activity continues to be solid across all of our businesses and steel pricing has firmed. We believe North American steel consumption will increase in 2024, and that demand for lower-carbon emission, U.S. produced steel products coupled with lower imports will support steel pricing. We believe the automotive, non-residential construction, industrial, and energy sectors will remain solid this year. 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. We have successfully started commissioning and operating our four new value-added flat rolled steel coating lines. The teams have produced prime quality galvanized and painted products on the first two lines in record times. We expect to begin benefitting from the additional 1.1 million tons of value-added steel products beginning in the second quarter of this year and fully in 2025. We are also quickly progressing on our aluminum flat rolled products mill and are incredibly excited about this meaningful growth opportunity, which is aligned with our existing business and operational expertise," said Millett. "We plan to begin operating the aluminum flat rolled mill mid-2025. 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 customers and our people are also incredibly excited for this growth opportunity. 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 from the rest of the industry. We are competitively positioned and focused to generate long-term sustainable value," concluded Millett.

16:31 EDT Marsh McLennan to acquire Fisher Brown Bottrell Insurance for $315.9M - Marsh McLennan Agency, a subsidiary of Marsh, announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Fisher Brown Bottrell Insurance, Inc. from Trustmark National Bank. Headquartered in Jackson, Mississippi, FBBINSURANCE is one of the top five largest bank-affiliated insurance agencies in the country and one of the largest agencies in the Southeast. Under terms of the agreement, Marsh McLennan Agency will pay $315.9 million in cash, subject to customary purchase price adjustments, to acquire FBBINSURANCE. The transaction is pending regulatory approval and standard closing conditions, and is expected to close during the second quarter of 2024.

16:24 EDT Lumen plans to reduce workforce by less than 7% - In a regulatory filing, Lumen Technologies disclosed that on April 19, the company finalized plans to reduce its workforce by less than 7% through a combination of involuntary and voluntary separations. "These reductions are a part of our efforts to change our workforce composition to reflect our ongoing transformation and cost reduction opportunities that align with the company's shapeshifting and focus on its strategic priorities. These initiatives are expected to be substantially completed by the end of the second quarter of 2024. As a result of this plan, the company expects to incur severance and related costs in the range of approximately $90 to $100M, substantially all of which we expect to record in the second quarter of 2024. Other than these costs, the company does not expect to incur any material impairment or exit costs related to this plan," the filing stated.

16:23 EDT Matador anticipates achieving high end of 2024 production guidance - Effective April 23, 2024, Matador anticipates achieving the high end of its full-year 2024 guidance range for total oil and natural gas equivalent production, oil production and natural gas production.

16:17 EDT Enova International reports Q1 adjusted EPS $1.91, consensus $1.72 - Reports Q1 revenue $610M, consensus $584.42M. "We are pleased to start the year with another quarter of consistent and profitable growth," said David Fisher, Enova's CEO. "This year marks the 20th year since Enova's founding and the 10th year as a public company. Our talented team continues to use that experience to skillfully leverage our flexible online-only business model, diversified product offerings and machine learning-powered credit risk management capabilities, allowing us to efficiently capture demand to drive strong growth while delivering stable credit performance as both our small business and consumer customers remain on solid footing in the current macro environment. We remain focused on delivering profitable growth to drive shareholder value while providing our customers with fast, trustworthy credit."

16:16 EDT MetLife raises quarterly common stock dividend to 54.5c per share from 52c - The dividend will be payable on June 11, 2024, to shareholders of record as of May 7, 2024.

16:14 EDT Nasdaq sends Real Good Food 'minimum bid price requirement notice' - The Real Good Food announced that on April 19 it received two notifications rom The Nasdaq Stock Market that the c ompany no longer satisfies Nasdaq Listing Rule 5450(a)(1) because the closing bid price of the company's common stock was below $1.00 per Share for 30 consecutive business days preceding the date of the Notification, and that the company was not in compliance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5250(c)(1) as a result of the company's failure to timely file its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

16:12 EDT Hawaiian Holdings reaffirms FY24 CapEx view $500M-$550

16:11 EDT Nasdaq sends BIMI delinquency compliance alert notice on April 19 - BIMI Holdings previously known as BIMI International Medical announced that on April 19 it received a delinquency compliance alert notice from the Listing Qualifications Department of The Nasdaq Stock Market advising the Company that due to the company's failure to timely file its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, with the Securities and Exchange Commissionc the Company is not in compliance with Nasdaq's continued listing requirements under Nasdaq Listing Rule 5250(c)(1)c, which requires the timely filing of all required periodic reports with the SEC. Nasdaq provided the Company 60 days to submit a plan to regain compliance with the Rule. The Company intends to submit its plan of compliance to Nasdaq by June 18 . If Nasdaq accepts the Plan, the Company may be granted an extension of 180 calendar days from the due date of the Form 10-K, or until October 14 to regain compliance with the Rule. In the event the Plan is not accepted by Nasdaq, the Company may appeal that decision to a Hearings Panel.

16:10 EDT Tesla up 5% after Q1 report - Shares of Tesla are up $7.66, or 5%, to $152.27 in after-hours trading ahead of the company's earnings call.

16:08 EDT Tesla says updated future vehicle line-up - Tesla said in its quarterly letter to investors: "We have updated our future vehicle line-up to accelerate the launch of new models ahead of our previously communicated start of production in the second half of 2025. These new vehicles, including more affordable models, will utilize aspects of the next generation platform as well as aspects of our current platforms, and will be able to be produced on the same manufacturing lines as our current vehicle line-up. This update may result in achieving less cost reduction than previously expected but enables us to prudently grow our vehicle volumes in a more capex efficient manner during uncertain times. This would help us fully utilize our current expected maximum capacity of close to three million vehicles, enabling more than 50% growth over 2023 production before investing in new manufacturing lines. Our purpose-built robotaxi product will continue to pursue a revolutionary 'unboxed' manufacturing strategy."

16:07 EDT Tesla still sees 2024 vehicle volume growth rate 'notably lower' than 2023 - Tesla said in its quarterly letter to investors: "Our company is currently between two major growth waves: the first one began with the global expansion of the Model 3/Y platform and we believe the next one will be initiated by advances in autonomy and introduction of new products, including those built on our next generation vehicle platform. In 2024, our vehicle volume growth rate may be notably lower than the growth rate achieved in 2023, as our teams work on the launch of the next generation vehicle and other products. In 2024, the growth rates of energy storage deployments and revenue in our Energy Generation and Storage business should outpace the Automotive business. We have sufficient liquidity to fund our product roadmap, long-term capacity expansion plans and other expenses. Furthermore, we will manage the business such that we maintain a strong balance sheet during this uncertain period. While we continue to execute on innovations to reduce the cost of manufacturing and operations, over time, we expect our hardware-related profits to be accompanied by an acceleration of AI, software and fleet-based profits."

15:58 EDT Day One confirms FDA accelerated approval of Ojemda - Day One Biopharmaceuticals announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Ojemda, or tovorafenib, a type II RAF inhibitor, for the treatment of patients 6 months of age and older with relapsed or refractory pLGG harboring a BRAF fusion or rearrangement, or BRAF V600 mutation. This indication is approved under accelerated approval based on response rate and duration of response. With the approval, Day One received a rare pediatric disease priority review voucher from the FDA. "Ojemda ushers in a new day for children living with relapsed or refractory pLGG, and we are pleased that we can deliver a new medicine for these patients in desperate need of new treatment options. Moreover, Ojemda is the first and only FDA-approved medicine for children with BRAF fusions or rearrangements, which are the most common molecular alteration in pLGG," said Jeremy Bender, Ph.D., chief executive officer of Day One. "We are very proud that our first approved medicine addresses this serious and life-threatening disease of childhood and adolescence. We are grateful to the pLGG community, including patients and their families, study investigators, non-profit organizations, and advocacy groups, for their collaboration and support as we strive to close the innovation gap for children with cancer awaiting new treatments." Day One added: "The company continues its commitment to the pLGG community with the Phase 3 FIREFLY-2/LOGGIC randomized clinical trial evaluating tovorafenib as a potential front-line therapy compared to chemotherapy in patients aged 6 months to 25 years with pLGG, which it believes will satisfy certain post-marketing requirements to the FDA. This study is currently enrolling patients in the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, and Asia."

14:30 EDT FDA announces accelerated approval to Day One's tovorafenib - The Food and Drug Administration said it granted accelerated approval to Day One Biopharmaceuticals' tovorafenib for patients six months of age and older with relapsed or refractory pediatric low-grade glioma harboring a BRAF fusion or rearrangement, or BRAF V600 mutation.Reference Link

14:13 EDT Hashicorp trading resumes

14:03 EDT Hashicorp trading halted, volatility trading pause

13:08 EDT Regencell Bioscience Holdings Ltd trading resumes

12:20 EDT Air Products to build network of multi-modal hydrogen refeuling stations - Air Products intends to build a network of permanent, commercial-scale multi-modal hydrogen refueling stations stretching from Edmonton to Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The permanent, multi-modal hydrogen refueling stations will be equipped to serve heavy-duty vehicles, such as commercial and municipal trucks and buses, as well light-duty hydrogen fuel cell cars. The stations will be along the Queen Elizabeth II Highway that runs through Calgary and Edmonton, providing a fueling experience and speed that is similar to gasoline or diesel. This hydrogen infrastructure will help Western Canada reach a goal of 5,000 hydrogen or dual fuel vehicles on the road in five years.

12:04 EDT Satellos Bioscience granted orphan status for DMD treatment - The FDA granted Satellos Bioscience orphan status for its treatment of Duchene muscular dystrophy.

12:00 EDT Lifezone Metals rises 12.4% - Lifezone Metals is up 12.4%, or 83c to $7.53.

12:00 EDT Sasol falls -9.5% - Sasol is down -9.5%, or -76c to $7.17.

12:00 EDT MSCI falls -13.0% - MSCI is down -13.0%, or -$67.14 to $448.04.

11:43 EDT Globe Life says may consider accelerating share repurchases - On the company's Q1 earnings call, Globe Life said it anticipates share repurchases will continue to be the primary use of parent excess cash flows after the payment of shareholder dividends. "At the midpoint of our earnings guidance, we anticipate approximately $350M to $370M of share repurchases for the year, with approximately half of that occurring in the second quarter and the remainder in the third and fourth quarters. That said, current market conditions, and should they remain favorable, we will clearly consider accelerating repurchases and may consider accelerating some portion of our anticipated 2025 excess cash flows into 2024," the company stated, according to a transcript.

11:23 EDT Globe Life says law firm Wilmer Hale hired to review short seller assertions - Frank Svoboda, Co-Chairman of the Board of Globe Life, stated on the company's earnings call, according to a transcript: "Before we continue, we'd like to take a moment to address ahead of time questions many of you may have regarding dismissed litigation against the company, the DOJ inquiry, and the recent attack on the company by a short seller. For over 70 years, our business model has stood the test of time. And as we will further discuss today, we continue to generate sustainable earnings growth that provide long-term value for our shareholders. With over 17 million policies in force, our millions of customers value the protection of the company's products, and we strive to be there when our customers need us most. We want to assure you that Globe Life, its management and our Board of Directors strive to act in accordance with the highest level of ethics and integrity at all levels of the organization. While we believe the short seller's claims present a false and misleading overall picture of the company and its subsidiaries, as a demonstration of our commitment to operating ethically, the company's Audit Committee has retained the international law firm, Wilmer Hale, to conduct an independent review of the assertions in the short seller's report. As you can appreciate, given the ongoing nature of the DOJ's investigation and out of respect for the integrity of the independent review initiated by the Audit Committee, we are limited in what we can say. For this reason, we will not be taking any additional questions on these issues today, although our intent is to address questions we understand you may have to the extent possible. We will provide updates as and when appropriate. First, we want to provide a brief update on the status of the lawsuit filed by claimant [Renee Zinski], a former independent contractor sales agent, which, as many of you know, included allegations of sexual harassment and purported fraud joint business practices, neither of which we tolerate, and the claim that she was misclassified as an independent contractor. On September 27, 2022, the claim had filed the demand for arbitration and participated in the selection of the 3 arbitrator panel. After 1.5 years of litigation, the arbitration hearing was scheduled to begin on March 4, 2024. The night before the hearing, the claim had sought to dismiss her claims without obtaining any relief or payment. After a lengthy discussion on the record, the panel dismissed the case with prejudice, and on April 3, 2024 of the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania affirmed the dismissal with prejudice. On March 14, 2024, Global Life filed an 8-K addressing this matter in more detail, and the court filings are publicly available for those interested. Also noted in our Form 8-K, Global Life and American Income received subpoenas from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania. These subpoenas documents related to sales practices by certain licensed insurance agents in the areas of organization who are contracted to sell American Income policies. The company and American Income is in the process of responding to these subpoenas, which were received in late 2023, and have been fully cooperating with the DOJ. The DOJ has not asserted any claims or made allegations against the company and American Income with respect to the foregoing investigation. And the company currently is not aware that any legal proceedings are contemplated by governmental authorities. While no assurances can be made and we are still evaluating the matter, management did not believe when the subpoenas were received, and does not believe now, that it is either reasonably possible or probable this investigation will result in material liability to the company. As such, the company did not disclose the existence of the request from the DOJ in its Form 10-K. We are providing additional information regarding this matter to you now in light of recent questions that have been raised."

10:39 EDT Tungray Technologies Inc trading halted, volatility trading pause

10:29 EDT JetBlue says fleet moderization program is 'coming to fruition' - Says more A220s in service than E190s by the end of April. Says expects average of 11 aircraft to be out of service due to GTF issues through year. Says continues to work towards reaching agreement with Pratt & Whitney for compensation. Expects the number of grounded planes to increase above 2024 levels next year. Says continues to opportunistically look at hedging as a means of mitigating risk. Says 100% focused on executing on strategic initiatives.

10:11 EDT JetBlue says 'moving quickly' to execute on standalone plan - Says early progress supports confidence that company is building plan to support long-term, sustainable value. Says needs to make additional progress with Pratt & Whitney. Says shifting Investor Day into the fall. Says continuing to work with urgency to strengthen competitive position. Sees increasing demand for leisure travel. Says rigorously assessing customer needs. Says advancing strategy to return to profitability again. Comments taken from Q1 earnings conference call.

10:00 EDT Yatsen rises 13.4% - Yatsen is up 13.4%, or 51c to $4.31.

10:00 EDT Spotify rises 13.9% - Spotify is up 13.9%, or $37.72 to $309.96.

10:00 EDT Sasol falls -10.0% - Sasol is down -10.0%, or -79c to $7.14.

09:57 EDT Comstock Holding Companies trading resumes

09:47 EDT Yatsen rises 7.6% - Yatsen is up 7.6%, or 29c to $4.09.

09:47 EDT Cleveland-Cliffs falls -6.8% - Cleveland-Cliffs is down -6.8%, or -$1.42 to $19.43.

09:47 EDT Sasol falls -10.3% - Sasol is down -10.3%, or -82c to $7.11.

09:43 EDT MicroFinancial Incorporated trading resumes

09:36 EDT Redwoods Acquisition Corp trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:33 EDT MicroFinancial Incorporated trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:31 EDT Microsoft, Coca-Cola announce five-year strategic partnership - Microsoft (MSFT) and The Coca-Cola Company (KO) announced a five-year strategic partnership to align Coca-Cola's core technology strategy systemwide; enable the adoption of leading-edge technology; and foster innovation and productivity globally. As part of the partnership, Coca-Cola has made a $1.1B commitment to the Microsoft Cloud and its generative AI capabilities. The collaboration underscores Coca-Cola's ongoing technology transformation, underpinned by the Microsoft Cloud as Coca-Cola's globally preferred and strategic cloud and AI platform. Through the partnership, the companies will jointly experiment with groundbreaking new technology like Azure OpenAI Service to develop innovative generative AI use cases across various business functions. This includes testing how Copilot for Microsoft 365 could help improve workplace productivity.

09:20 EDT Petros Pharmaceuticals expands online distribution for prescription STENDRA - Petros Pharmaceuticals (PTPI) announces a new collaboration with Lemonaid Health, telemedicine provider and a subsidiary of 23andMe (ME), serving hundreds of thousands of patients with quality healthcare. As part of the collaboration, prescription STENDRA in all strengths will be available through Lemonaid Health's telehealth platform. This collaboration allows Lemonaid Health to work directly with Petros, resulting in expanded distribution, and better access for patients.

09:18 EDT UPS CEO says 'no intent to cut dividend,' looking to raise dividend every year

09:14 EDT UPS says examining strategic options on pensions - UPS says it is early in the process and will share progress on pension considerations when appropriate.

09:10 EDT Sealsq, WISeKey announce patented integration of Digital ID with NFT technology - SEALSQ (LAES) in collaboration with its parent company WISeKey International (WKEY) announced its patented integration of Digital Identification with NFT technology. This innovation builds on the Company's already extensive experience in securing luxury items, particularly Swiss watches, through advanced technology. This integration of Digital Identification with NFT technology is poised to transform the verification of ownership for valuable assets. Through this approach, assets such as luxury watches or renowned artworks that require authentication can now utilize NFTs to demonstrate ownership. These digital assets contain digitally signed information that is easily verifiable, significantly enhancing security and making duplication virtually impossible.

09:09 EDT Calix closed biggest cloud deal ever in first two weeks of Q2 - Calix, on its earnings conference call, said it closed its largest cloud deal in its history during the first two weeks of Q2. The firm says the deal gives it confidence in a second half of 2024 recovery. The stock in premarket trading is down 13% to $25.60.

09:07 EDT General Motors sees FY24 Cruise expense $1.7B - Says seeing profit improvement in EV portfolio. Says experienced higher labor costs in Q1. Says GM Financial continues to perform well. Sees FY24 Cruise expense $1.7B. Says assumes pricing pressure for ICE and EVs. Says strengthened the resiliency in supply chain. Says committed to China in the long term. Says seen softness in fleet, especially on EV side. Comments taken from Q1 earnings conference call.

09:06 EDT CME Group U.S. credit futures to begin trading on June 17 - CME Group's new credit futures are scheduled to begin trading on Monday, June 17, pending regulatory review. Launching alongside the company's U.S. Treasury complex, CME Group credit futures will aim to help market participants manage duration risk through an intercommodity spread with U.S. Treasury futures. The contracts will be based on the Bloomberg U.S. Corporate Index, which measures the performance of investment grade corporate bonds, and the Bloomberg U.S. High Yield Very Liquid Index, which is designed to measure a liquid, diversified component of the high yield corporate bond market.

09:05 EDT Safe and Green Development launches XENE Home AI platform - Safe and Green Development announced that the Xene Home Platform has launched. XENE is designed to assist customers, including buyers and sellers, real estate agents, lawyers, accountants and title companies in many facets of various real estate transactions by enhancing the transaction process with cost-efficiencies and dramatically reduced transaction fees in a range of just 1.99% to 3.99%. This lower cost, in of itself is expected to provide a cost-effective pathway to homeownership and a process that puts consumers back in the driver's seat. Real estate investors and prospective home buyers and sellers who register for membership to the XENE Home Platform will secure access to XENE's foreclosure listings and 'Buy It Now' properties, designed to provide a strategic edge in property investment. Licensed real estate professionals who join the Xene Home Platform will gain access to premium exclusive listings, dedicated buyers, traditional leads, and exclusive training/certification tools, all of which are intended to enhance such professional's portfolio and expand their business reach.

09:05 EDT Nasdaq sends Pioneer Power delinquency notification letter - Pioneer Power Solutions announced that on April 18 the company received a delinquency notification letter from the Listing Qualifications Department of the Nasdaq Stock Market indicating that the company was not in compliance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5250(c)(1) as a result of its failure to have timely filed its Annual Report for the year ended December 31 on Form 10-K with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The delinquency notification letter provides that, under Nasdaq rules for continued listing, the Company has 60 calendar days to submit to Nasdaq a plan to regain compliance. If the Company's plan is accepted, Nasdaq may grant the Company an exception of up to 180 days from the filing's due date, or until October 14 to regain compliance.

09:04 EDT VCI Global announces completion of YY Group IPO on Nasdaq - VCI Global (VCIG) announced the completion of YY Group Holding's (YYGH) initial public offering on the Nasdaq Capital Market. With strong specialization in IPO consulting, VCI Global facilitated YYGH's entire IPO journey, leading to its commencement of trading on Monday with a market capitalization of over $100 million. YYGH, founded in Singapore, is a data and technology-driven company that specializes in creating enterprise intelligent labor matching services and smart cleaning solutions. Through its subsidiaries, YYGH offers enterprise manpower outsourcing and smart cleaning services, with clients including Ritz-Carlton, McDonald's, Cainiao Smart Logistics, and others. With fast growing annual revenues exceeding $20m in FY2022, and regional expansion extending its reach from Singapore to Thailand, Malaysia and Hong Kong, YYGH is poised for rapid expansion across Asia and beyond with the guidance of VCIG. This IPO represents a significant milestone for VCI Global, generating approximately $5.2 million in revenue and underscoring VCI Global's revenue and profit growth in the IPO consulting sector, laying the foundation to deliver further IPOs in the US.

09:01 EDT UPS says announcing fuel surcharge later today - UPS made the comment during its Q1 earnings call.

08:56 EDT Calix 'confident' in calling Q2 the bottom - The company is speaking on its Q1 earnings conference call.

08:47 EDT Cleveland-Cliffs says U.S. Steel deal needs full support of USW

08:42 EDT 1847 Holdings to sell 1847 Cabinets for $27.6M - 1847 Holdings announced the execution of a non-binding Letter of Intent with a prospective strategic buyer to sell all assets of 1847 Cabinets Inc. Under the terms of the LOI, the buyer has proposed an enterprise value of $27.6 million for the acquisition of all assets of 1847 Cabinets Inc., representing a 5.91x multiple of 2023 EBITDA of approximately $4.7 million. The proposed acquisition deal is subject to the negotiation and entry into a definitive purchase agreement and the satisfaction or waiver of customary closing conditions. Ellery Roberts, CEO of 1847 Holdings, commented, "The decision to sell 1847 Cabinets Inc. stems from our commitment to maximizing shareholder value and strategically reallocating resources to capitalize on emerging opportunities within our portfolio. While the sale represents a significant milestone, it is just one facet of our broader strategy aimed at optimizing our asset allocation and enhancing overall shareholder returns. The proceeds from the sale will be strategically deployed to further strengthen our financial position, pursue growth initiatives, and potentially acquiring other companies that offer accretive value and positive cash flow. This infusion of capital not only provides liquidity but also positions us to seize new opportunities for value creation and expansion, ultimately benefiting our shareholders in the long run."

08:39 EDT Adeia enters into multi-year IP license renewal with Altimedia - Adeia has announced that Altimedia, a provider of solutions for managing advanced media services, has signed a multi-year license renewal for access to Adeia's media intellectual property portfolio. Altimedia offers a user experience platform to pay-TV and digital media service providers in the Korean market. Their platform empowers these providers with cutting-edge technology that enables consumers to navigate various services or applications and access the content they seek. Altimedia is recognized as a leading IPTV-based platform and UX service management provider that delivers the latest advancements in content search and recommendation.

08:39 EDT SP Plus to manage new on-street parking system for City of Jackson, Mississippi - SP+ Corporation announces its strategic partnership with the City of Jackson, Mississippi, to modernize and enhance the efficiency of on-street parking with a completely new and innovative system. Available this spring, on-street parking customers will be able to pay for parking using new kiosks located throughout the city, in addition to other payment methods, including text-to-pay with their phone, or via the parking.com app. SP+ Corporation will also assist the city with parking enforcement activities. These efforts will be streamlined by providing vehicles equipped with License Plate Recognition technology to enforce expired meter parking and time-limited parking. SP+ will also provide Parking Ambassadors to assist in educating the public on how to use the new parking system, as well as to answer any questions.

08:37 EDT Artelo Biosciences announces publication of peer-reviewed article on FABP7 - Artelo Biosciences announced the publication of an article, "The emerging role of fatty acid binding protein 7 in cancers," in Drug Discovery Today, a peer-reviewed journal. The article analyzes the results of various studies and presents a comprehensive analysis of FABP7's role in a variety of cancers and its correlation with patient prognosis, as well as its potential utility as a validated target in cancer treatment. The publication reveals that FABP7, an intracellular protein involved in the uptake, transportation, metabolism, and storage of fatty acids, is upregulated in several cancers including breast, brain, and kidney cancers and is generally associated with a poor patient prognosis. Additionally, the evidence shows that both genetic and pharmacological inhibition of FABP7 led to reduced tumor cell growth, migration, and invasion in multiple studies. Moreover, inhibition of FABP7 improved host survival rates, particularly in brain cancers, indicating its role as a novel target in cancer.

08:36 EDT Tarsus Pharmaceuticals refinances existing debt with $200M financing - Tarsus Pharmaceuticals announced that it has secured $200 million in committed capital from funds associated with Pharmakon Advisors, LP. Tarsus has elected to draw $75 million on the closing date, April 19, 2024, with the remaining $125 million of committed capital available at the company's option in three tranches through specified time windows, the last ending in December 2025. Net proceeds to the Company at closing will be approximately $40 million following the repayment of the existing credit facility, as well as fees and expenses associated with the transaction. The new five-year interest-only credit facility with Pharmakon provides for three potential additional loan tranches, to be drawn at the Company's option, in principal amounts up to $25 million, $50 million and $50 million, respectively, the latter two tranches available upon achievement of certain revenue thresholds. The credit facility bears interest at a floating rate based upon the secured overnight financing rate, plus a margin of 6.75% per annum. SOFR is subject to a 3.75% floor. Interest on the funded loan is paid quarterly in arrears until April 19, 2029, the Maturity Date, with the unpaid principal amount of the outstanding loan due and payable on the Maturity Date. There is no warrant coverage to the lenders and no financial covenants associated with the financing. Pharmakon Advisors, LP is a leading investor in non-dilutive debt for the life sciences industry and is the investment manager of the BioPharma Credit funds. Established in 2009, funds managed by Pharmakon Advisors, LP have committed $7.8 billion across 51 investments. Armentum Partners served as Tarsus' financial advisor on this transaction.

08:34 EDT Wave Life Sciences announces continued momentum in GSK collaboration - Wave Life Sciences (WVE) provided an update on its best-in-class small interfering RNA and RNA editing platform capabilities. As part of Wave's ongoing collaboration with GSK (GSK), GSK has selected its first two programs to advance to development candidates following achievement of target validation. These programs utilize Wave's next generation GalNAc-siRNA format and are in hepatology. GSK will provide an aggregate initiation payment of $12 million to Wave for these two oligonucleotide programs. Under the agreement, GSK can advance up to eight programs leveraging Wave's PRISM platform and multiple RNA-targeting modalities with target validation work ongoing across multiple therapy areas.

08:33 EDT Cleveland-Cliffs announces new $1.5B share repurchase program - During its earnings release yesterday, Cleveland-Cliffs announced that during the first quarter, the company repurchased 30.4M CLF common shares, fully utilizing the remaining balance of $608M under the previously authorized $1B share repurchase program. The average stock purchase price for the entire program was $18.79 per share. Following the completion of the program, the Cliffs Board of Directors authorized a new share repurchase program for the company to buy back up to $1.5B of its outstanding common shares. The new program does not have a specific expiration date.

08:32 EDT Palisade Bio enters strategic collaboration with Strand Life Sciences - Palisade Bio announced it has entered into a transformative strategic collaboration with Strand Life Sciences, a leading bioinformatics specialist, aimed at advancing precision medicine for ulcerative colitis, UC, therapy. The collaboration with Strand Life Sciences provides Palisade Bio access to advanced bioinformatics tools vital for understanding complex disease pathways and predicting responses to PDE4 inhibitors. Leveraging data from over ten UC clinical studies, Palisade has curated a pipeline of 1600 UC patient samples, including transcriptomics and clinical outcomes. This curated dataset, analyzed using in-house tools, enables Palisade to identify biomarkers for selecting UC patient responders, utilizing machine learning to develop a precision medicine approach to patient selection.

08:23 EDT Former executive at authID tells White Diamond 'selfie id has no market fit' - White Diamond Research says that a former authID top executive has told it that selfie identification will never be the second factor of authentication. He says software that tracks the user's behavior will be. According to the executive, as hard as the company tried, no sell-side brokerage has ever had an interest in the company or wanted to ask questions on their earnings calls. "AUID's PRs have falsely mentioned to investors a huge increase in 'sales,' instead of using the correct word 'bookings' which means 'possible sales,'" White Diamond Research added in a recently published report. "We believe AUID's sales will remain tiny, as the company continues to be unable to sell its product to any meaningful company. We have a $1 price target on AUID." Reference Link

08:23 EDT Optimi Health, KPU-AGC partner to advance mushroom science, research - Optimi Health announces an innovative research and development partnership with the Kwantlen Polytechnic University Applied Genomics Centre, KPU-AGC. The project, entitled, "Genetic Identification of Psilocybin Containing Mushroom," will utilize KPU-AGC's state-of-the-art genomics technology to unravel the intricate genetic makeup of Optimi's psilocybin-containing mushrooms, potentially paving the way for unprecedented advancements in the field of Psilocybin genetics. Dr. Preston Chase, Chief Science Officer at Optimi, expressed enthusiasm for the partnership and its potential impact on mushroom science and research. "The Kwantlen Polytechnic University Applied Genomics Centre brings a wealth of experience and expertise in genomics research, making it an ideal partner for Optimi's innovative initiatives in mushroom science," he added.

08:21 EDT Silo Pharma announces results for intranasal PTSD treatment - Silo Pharma announced positive data in the final validation report from the recent pharmacokinetic, PK, study of SPC-15, an intranasal prophylactic treatment for anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder. The PK study was conducted as part of non-GLP small animal dose-ranging study of SPC-15 completed in February 2024. The activity of SPC-15 in the subjects or the PK study was evaluated over a 7-day repeat intranasal dose, including the processes of absorption, distribution, and excretion. Time to peak drug concentration occurred between 0.5 and 2 hours following intranasal administration compared to 2 hours following oral gavage administration. Silo CEO Eric Weisblum commented, "Our evaluation of the PK profile for SPC-15 indicates effective and consistent exposure from intranasal administration of the drug. We believe these study results will be substantially replicated in humans."

08:20 EDT Metals Company announces production of nickel sulfate from seafloor nodules - TMC announced that it has successfully produced the world's first nickel sulfate derived exclusively from seafloor polymetallic nodules. The sulfate was generated during bench-scale testing of its hydrometallurgical flowsheet design in partnership with SGS Canada, at their Lakefield, Ontario facility. Undertaken on samples of nickel-cobalt-copper matte produced by TMC in 2021, the Extractive Metallurgy team at SGS tested TMC's efficient flowsheet to process high-grade nickel matte directly to nickel sulfate without making nickel metal, while producing fertilizer byproducts instead of solid waste or tailings. Following the successful nickel sulfate production, SGS continues testing to produce what TMC believes will be the world's first cobalt sulfate from polymetallic nodules.

08:19 EDT DOE selects Wallbox for $5.2M 48C tax credit for investments in Arlington site - Wallbox announced that it has been allocated a $5.2 M tax credit under the highly competitive 48C Qualifying Advanced Energy Tax Credit Program by the U.S. Department of Energy DOE. The credit will support the expansion of Wallbox's flagship U.S. EV supply equipment EVSE manufacturing facility in Arlington, Texas. ...The credit provides up to 30% in tax credits for eligible equipment in clean energy manufacturing projects provided they meet prevailing wage and apprenticeship requirements. Wallbox's award includes 30% of qualified investments for the second phase of its Arlington factory buildout to support increased manufacturing capacity.

08:16 EDT Staffing 360 receives Nasdaq notification related to filing of form 10-K - Staffing 360 Solutions reported that it received a letter from the Listing Qualifications Department of the Nasdaq Stock Market notifying the Company that it is not in compliance with the requirements of Nasdaq Listing Rule 5250(c)(1) as a result of not having timely filed its Annual Report on Form 10-K with the Securities and Exchange Commission for the period ended December 30, 2023. Pursuant to the letter, The Nasdaq Hearings Panel will consider the late filing in its decision regarding the Company's continued listing on The Nasdaq Capital Market. Staffing 360 has until June 17, 2024 to present its views in writing with respect to the filing deficiency.

08:13 EDT Baker Hughes to supply equipment for third phase of Saudia Arabia's MGS - Baker Hughes announced Tuesday that it has received an order by Worley, for and on behalf of Aramco, to supply gas technology equipment for the third phase of Saudi Arabia's Master Gas System, MGS, project. The award was booked in the first quarter of 2024. Baker Hughes will supply 17 pipeline centrifugal compressors driven by state-of-the-art aeroderivative gas turbines for Aramco's project. The new 4,000-km pipeline is vital to the Kingdom's energy transition, with expectations to increase domestic gas distribution and contribute to a reduction of carbon emissions and oil consumption. The order follows the delivery of 18 of Baker Hughes centrifugal compressors driven by aeroderivative gas turbines for Phase 1 and 2 of the Master Gas System projects executed by Baker Hughes. "For over 30 years, Baker Hughes has been a trusted partner in natural gas operations, and our long-standing partnership with Aramco is helping to reduce emissions by transitioning to gas," said Lorenzo Simonelli, chairman and CEO of Baker Hughes. "Baker Hughes solutions are advancing the efficient use of natural gas, and we are proud to be delivering a reliable system to transport and distribute gas across Saudi Arabia."

08:12 EDT Addus HomeCare 'disappointed' HHS kept 80% payment threshold - Addus HomeCare commented on the final rule announced on April 22 by the Department of Health and Human Services known as "Ensuring Access to Medicaid Services." The rule incorporates new requirements governing Medicaid Services, including home and community-based services. The proposed requirements are intended to improve access to care, increase transparency and accountability, and promote health equity for Medicaid beneficiaries, including those who receive home health services, the company noted. One provision of the rule, which was originally proposed in April 2023, mandates that state Medicaid agencies be required to ensure that a minimum of 80% of Medicaid payments for personal care and similar services be spent on compensation for the direct care workforce. The final rule has kept this requirement, however, it extends the period for states to comply to six years from four years after the effective date of the final rule, says Addus. Dirk Allison, CEO of Addus, added, "As a provider of home care services, we support the stated goal of HHS to expand access to more services like ours for Medicaid beneficiaries while providing for a stable ongoing workforce. The new reporting requirements, additional monitoring and quality measures will strengthen necessary safeguards that promote more consistent care for the patients we serve. However, we are disappointed that HHS elected to keep the 80% payment threshold in place, despite over 2,000 comment letters to HHS from our industry and trade groups over the past year, which pointed out the significant challenges implementing such a provision would create...We will continue to evaluate the potential impact of all aspects of this rule on our business, as we will have at least six years to prepare for final implementation...We would expect to see the most significant negative impact from implementation of the rule on smaller providers and the beneficiaries they serve...We also anticipate legal challenges from multiple stakeholders, including states, to prevent implementation of this provision, although the potential outcome of such litigation is unknown."

08:11 EDT Dare Bioscience announces it will receive payment of $1M under grant agreement - Dare Bioscience announced it will receive a payment of $1 million as the latest installment under a grant agreement to advance the development of Dare's investigational contraceptive DARE-LARC1 through nonclinical proof of principle studies and other IND-enabling work to allow for the submission of an Investigational New Drug, IND, Application with the FDA, approval of which will be required to commence testing in humans. Under the terms of the grant agreement, Dare may receive a total of up to approximately $49 million to support nonclinical development of DARE-LARC1. To date, Dare has received payments totaling approximately $28.3 million. Additional payments are conditioned on the program meeting specified development and reporting milestones.

08:10 EDT EMA grants Orphan Drug Designations for Edgewise's sevasemten to treat Becker - Edgewise Therapeutics announced that the European Medicines Agency EMA has granted Orphan Drug Designations for sevasemten for the treatment of Becker muscular dystrophy and for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy Duchenne . Sevasemten is an investigational orally administered small molecule designed to prevent contraction-induced muscle damage. Sevasemten is currently in late-stage clinical trials for individuals with Becker and is also being studied in Duchenne. "Receiving Orphan Drug designation in the U.S. and now in Europe highlights alignment across regions on the urgent and critical need for new and better therapeutic options for people living with Becker or Duchenne," said Kevin Koch, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Edgewise. "We are focused on advancing these muscle-targeted therapeutics as quickly as possible through clinical development for these communities."

08:09 EDT Affirm down 5% after report on Walmart-backed fintech One offering BNPL loans

08:07 EDT Unity Biotechnology announces extension of Phase 2b ASPIRE study of UBX1325 - UNITY Biotechnology announced that the ongoing Phase 2b ASPIRE study of UBX1325 has been extended from 24 to 36 weeks to assess potentially greater durability compared to aflibercept. In addition, the study is being upsized from 40 to 50 patients to increase the statistical power. The ASPIRE study is designed to evaluate the safety, efficacy, and long-term durability of UBX1325 as a monotherapy compared head-to-head to aflibercept in patients with diabetic macular edema, DME. "We previously demonstrated significant improvement in vision with extended durability in patients treated with UBX1325 in the BEHOLD proof-of-concept study and look forward to extending those findings in the current ASPIRE study," said Anirvan Ghosh, Ph.D., chief executive officer of UNITY. "As the only treatment candidate in clinical development for DME that targets senescent cells, UBX1325 leverages a novel mechanism of action that could provide sustained improvements in visual acuity and lessen the treatment burden compared to current standard of care. We see UBX1325 as an emerging, potentially paradigm-shifting therapeutic approach in DME." As a result of extending the study, UNITY expects to disclose topline results from the ASPIRE study in two data readouts: 24-week primary endpoint data in the first quarter of 2025, and 36-week long-term extension data in the second quarter of 2025. The Company continues to believe that current cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities are sufficient to fund operations into the third quarter of 2025.

08:06 EDT INmune Bio announces 24-month stability validation of XPro - INmune Bio announces the successful completion of the extended stability validation for XPro continuous storage in solution at 2-8C. The 24 and 30-month stability test samples passed all chemistry and potency assays; allowing the Company to make a conservative claim of 24-month stability. The 24-month stability claim is consistent with other pegylated cytokines, such as alpha-interferon, and allows the Company to design a global supply chain using proven and established systems. With this data, the company can benefit from such existing systems that use temperature controlled and monitored shipment of liquid-formulation drugs at 2-8C, which is routine across the pharmaceutical industry. The 24-month stability data confirms that XPro can mirror these established supply chain strategies.

08:04 EDT Rezolute announces presentation of Phase 2 RIZE study sub-analyses - Rezolute announced that a poster titled "An Analysis of Overnight Hypoglycemia in Patients with Congenital Hyperinsulinism: Results from the RZ358-606 Study" will be presented at the Pediatric Endocrine Society Annual Meeting, to be held May 2-5, 2024 at the Sheraton Grand Chicago Riverwalk. Paul Thorton, M.D., of Cook Children's Medical Center in Fort Worth, Texas, will present the poster, which details findings from the Company's Phase 2 RIZE study evaluating the treatment of congenital hyperinsulinism with RZ358 in pediatric patients. While primary and key secondary glycemic endpoints from the RZ358-606 study have been previously reported, the current sub-analyses highlight the benefits of RZ358 during the vulnerable overnight fasting period, utilizing continuous glucose monitor to evaluate average time in hypoglycemia and average glucose levels overnight. These and previously reported results, including improvements in overall hypoglycemia events and time of up to ~90% at the top doses, suggest that RZ358 has the potential to be a safe and effective therapy to treat all forms of congenital HI. A Phase 3 study is currently underway.

08:02 EDT Illumin announces relaunche of illumin Elect - illumin Holdings announced the relaunch of illumin Elect with a direct, in platform integration to L2's comprehensive voter database. This new integration dramatically reduces the turnaround time for building and utilizing custom audiences for political campaigns, revolutionizing the landscape of political campaign marketing. illumin Elect maximizes the capabilities of its existing connected journey advertising platform, facilitating efficient customization of political advertisements. Marketers gain access to integrated social media campaigns across Facebook and Instagram, enabling tailored political campaigns that engage voters throughout the entire marketing journey. Campaigns can efficiently reach custom audiences with precise targeting options, including first-party data uploads for retargeting and Point of Interest targeting for location-based segmentation. Additionally, illumin integrates with leading email service providers, empowering campaigns to target their specific first-party donor and supporter lists accurately. Overall, this makes illumin Elect a powerful tool for increasing ROI of every campaign.

07:46 EDT GE Aerospace says experiencing 'tremendous demand cycle' for services - Says all segments contributed to growth in Q1. Says "great confidence" in forward trajectory. Says demand "remained resilient" in Q1. Says can track about 80% of delivery challenges to 15 suppliers. Comments taken from Q1 earnings conference call.

07:42 EDT Cyngn joins John Deere supply base - Cyngn (CYN) has been chosen to supply its DriveMod Tuggers for industrial automation to John Deere's (DE) operation in Dubuque, Iowa. Cyngn is a supplier of AI-powered autonomous vehicle and data solutions based in Menlo Park, CA.

07:37 EDT Lockheed Martin reports Q1 cash from operations of $1.6B; free cash flow $1.3B

07:34 EDT Nextech3D.AI receives notice of allowance from USPTO - Nextech3D.AI announced that U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has informed of their decision to issue a patent for its technology to assemble and segment parts for 3D CAD files so that each 3D part can be textured individually. This technology is currently having success and being used on the Toggle3D.ai Platform. This is another patent which the Company believes is pivotal to Nextech3D.ai's artificial intelligence technology stack as it builds a moat around its 3D model making for ecommerce business with industry expertise and intellectual property; which includes its GPT AI powered 3D model generation. This patent approval reinforces and validates Nextech3D.ai's commitment to increasing shareholder value by investing in 3D-AI & GPT patents and solutions.

07:33 EDT Lockheed Martin backs FY24 cash from operations view $7.75B-$8.05B - Backs FY24 free cash flow view $6B-$6.3B; FY24 CapEx view ~$1.75B.

07:32 EDT Kiniksa sees FY24 ARCALYST product revenue $370M-$390M - Kiniksa expects 2024 ARCALYST net product revenue of between $370 million and $390 million, compared to prior guidance of between $360 million and $380 million. Kiniksa expects its current operating plan to remain cash flow positive on an annual basis.

07:19 EDT Nutriband signs exclusive supplier agreement with Fit for Life Group - Nutriband announced that following its engagement by Fit For Life Group, a major brand license holder, on April 19, 2024, the companies fully executed an exclusive Supplier agreement for FFL's new product launch under one of their top brands. Nutriband Inc.'s wholly owned contract manufacturing subsidiary, Active Intelligence, will act as manufacturer.

07:18 EDT Whitestone REIT shareholder Erez issues presentation calling for board change - Whitestone REIT shareholder Erez Asset Management released a presentation outlining the "need for change" to Whitestone's Board of Trustees and detailing how Erez's trustee nominees, Catherine Clark and Bruce Schanzer, "can help to improve the company's performance and restore value for shareholders". Bruce Schanzer, Chairman and Chief Investment Officer of Erez Asset Management, commented, "We believe the blame for Whitestone's significant underperformance and persistent undervaluation lies squarely with the current Board, which lacks the real estate experience, shareholder alignment, and fiduciary mindset necessary to effectively steward the Company in the best interest of shareholders. By detailing the current Board's numerous capital allocation, corporate administration and governance failures, our presentation demonstrates the need for change at Whitestone and highlights how our nominees can help. We look forward to speaking directly with Whitestone shareholders about these issues in the coming weeks." Erez encourages Whitestone REIT shareholders to review the presentation at its webpage and to vote "for" Catherine Clark and Bruce Schanzer and "withhold" from David Taylor and Nandita Berry.

07:15 EDT Incyte to acquire Escient Pharmaceuticals for $750M - Incyte and Escient Pharmaceuticals have entered into a definitive agreement under which Incyte has agreed to acquire Escient, including EP262, a first-in-class, potent, highly selective, once-daily small molecule antagonist of Mas-related G protein-coupled receptor X2 and EP547, a first-in-class oral MRGPRX4 antagonist. Under the terms of the agreement, Incyte will acquire Escient and its assets for $750M plus Escient's net cash remaining at the close of the transaction, subject to customary adjustments. The acquisition is subject to clearance under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act, among other customary conditions, and will become effective promptly following the satisfaction or waiver of these conditions which is currently anticipated to be by the third quarter of 2024.

07:13 EDT Hitachi Energy to invest additional $1.5B in global transformer production - Hitachi Energy revealed investments of over $1.5 billion to ramp up its global transformer manufacturing capacity to keep pace with the growing demand and support the long-term plans and electrification efforts. The investments will gradually expand the company's global transformer capacity by 2027 and are in addition to the $3 billion already announced to progress on the electrification of the energy system driven by the energy transition. Today, the company is also announcing an investment of around $180 million in a new state-of-the-art transformer factory in the Vaasa region, Finland. This top-notch 30,000-square-meter campus will be a testament to Hitachi Energy's dedication to innovation, quality, and environmental stewardship. The investments complement Hitachi Energy's broader growth efforts, which include the recently announced larger than $30 million expansion in Bad Honnef, Germany. Leveraging the company's global footprint, additional investments will follow in Europe, the Americas, and Asia to meet the growing demand for power and distribution transformers. Hitachi Energy's transformer facility expansions include the ongoing project in South Boston, Virginia, US, and other recently completed projects at Jefferson City, Missouri, US, and Dos Quebradas, Colombia. In addition, the company has inaugurated new cutting-edge factories in Chongqing, China, and Hanoi, Vietnam, together with a new transformer service center in Welshpool, Australia.

07:12 EDT Mueller anticipates 'another strong year of cash' flow' - Mueller Industries' Christopher continued, "As reported in our annual report, our long-term outlook for our business remains positive and we are well positioned for the expected rebound in demand. Additionally, we anticipate another strong year of cash flow from operations. Our capital allocation priorities remain reinvestment in our operations to be a low cost producer and growth through acquisition. As previously reported, we are excited to complete our acquisition of Nehring Electrical Works, and look forward to capitalizing on the strong growth and expansion platform it will provide to us in the critical electrical transmission infrastructure market."

07:11 EDT Clarivate acquires Global QMS - Clarivate Plc has acquired Global QMS, known as Global Q, a provider of cloud-based solutions that enable life sciences clients to automate regulatory reporting and compliance management. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Global Q supports leading pharma, medtech and biotech companies by providing comprehensive access to linked and standardized workflow-ready data via its SaaS platform, Optiqs360 Digital. The platform includes solutions that provide clients with interconnected data visibility and common user interfaces, across internal and external sources of record. The addition of these cloud-based solutions will serve to embed Clarivate into critical client workflows and enable the expansion of Clarivate services into new markets. The acquisition of Global Q enables Clarivate to tap into the digital thread market, allowing for proprietary data and insights gleaned from Clarivate solutions to be integrated into customer workflows.

07:10 EDT Invesco increases quarterly dividend to 20.5c per share - Announced an increase in the quarterly common stock dividend to 20.5c per share reflective of strong cash position and stable cash flows. The company is declaring a first quarter cash dividend of 20.5c per share to holders of common shares. The dividend is payable on June 4 to common shareholders of record at the close of business on May 14 with an ex-dividend date of May 13.

07:08 EDT Neurocrine's NBI-1065845 shows efficacy in major depressive disorder - Neurocrine announced positive topline data for its Phase 2 SAVITRI study. This dose-finding study assessed the efficacy and safety of NBI-1065845 in adult subjects with major depressive disorder - MDD -. The study met its primary and key secondary endpoints, demonstrating that once-daily, oral administration of NBI-1065845 produced a statistically significant change from baseline in MADRS total score at both Day 28 and Day 56. NBI-1065845 was generally well tolerated. The most common adverse event was headache. The adverse event profile for both doses of NBI-1065845 were comparable to placebo. There were no deaths or serious adverse events. The discontinuation rates were low throughout the study. The company expects to meet with the FDA to discuss a path into Phase 3 studies.

07:08 EDT Fiserv raises FY24 EPS view to $8.60 -$8.75, consensus $8.63 - Fiserv continues to expect organic revenue growth of 15% to 17% and raises adjusted earnings per share outlook to $8.60 to $8.75, representing growth of 14% to 16%, for 2024. "Fiserv remains committed to our virtuous cycle of investment, revenue growth, operating leverage, capital return and re-investment for further growth, reinforced with a focus on clients, operational excellence, and a strong balance sheet," said Bisignano. "This proven model, along with our strong first quarter results, led us to raise our 2024 adjusted earnings per share outlook for the full year."

07:06 EDT Plug Power reached nameplate capacity at plants in Georgia, Tennessee - Plug Power has reached nameplate capacity at the company's hydrogen plants in Georgia and Tennessee. With this increased supply from our hydrogen production network, Plug will benefit from a lower cost of hydrogen, a crucial step in the company's roadmap to achieve profitable growth. This is headlined by the company's first green hydrogen plant in Georgia already reaching nameplate capacity of 15 tons per day of liquid hydrogen production. "As part of our initiative to strengthen financial performance, we are pleased to make headway in a two-prong strategy: lower cost sourced hydrogen through capacity expansions at our Georgia and Tennessee plants coupled with improved margins through the recalibration of pricing across our portfolio," said Andy Marsh, Plug CEO. "We greatly appreciate our customers' loyalty and commitment to our joint vision for a clean energy future. Their willingness to work alongside us underscores the critical role that Plug's hydrogen products play in their operations."

07:05 EDT Theriva Biologics announces topline data from Phase 1 trial of VCN-01 - Theriva announced topline data from the investigator sponsored Phase 1 trial conducted by collaborators at Sant Joan de Deu-Barcelona Children's Hospital. The Phase 1 trial was designed to evaluate the safety and tolerability of two intravitreal injections of Theriva's investigational oncolytic adenovirus VCN-01 in patients with intraocular retinoblastoma that is refractory to chemotherapy or radiotherapy, and for whom enucleation was the only recommended treatment. Key Takeaways: Patients received two intravitreal injections of VCN-01, 14 days apart, at a dose of either 2 x 109 vp/eye or 2 x 1010 vp/eye. The data for 9 evaluable patients were reviewed by the study Monitoring Committee who agreed that the trial had a positive outcome: Safety: VCN-01 was well tolerated after intravitreal administration at the 2 doses and the most frequently reported treatment-related adverse events were Grade 1 or 2. There were no dose limiting toxicities and no ocular or systemic toxicities equal to or greater than Grade 3 during the evaluation period. Some degree of ocular inflammation and associated turbidity was observed after VCN-01 injection. Inflammation was managed, and vitreous haze improved in some cases, by local and systemic administration of anti-inflammatory drugs. Antitumor effects: intravitreal VCN-01 demonstrated promising antitumor activity and did not appear to change the retinal function. Four patients presented a response characterized by unequivocal improvement in vitreous seed density. Eye enucleation was avoided in 3 patients to date, one of whom has retained their eye after 4 years of follow-up.

06:59 EDT Ryder lowers FY24 CapEx view to ~$3.2B from ~$3.3B

06:48 EDT MSCI sees 2024 CapEx $95M-$105M

06:43 EDT Clean Energy: RNG facility in South Dakota has completed construction - Clean Energy Fuels announced its latest renewable natural gas facility at Victory Farms Dairy in Revillo, South Dakota, has successfully completed construction and is injecting pipeline quality RNG into the interstate natural gas infrastructure. The Victory Farms two-digester facility is utilizing the manure of 6,000 jersey cows, which could process approximately 120,000 gallons of manure each day to produce an estimated 900,000 gallons of negative carbon-intensity RNG annually.

06:38 EDT Aquaron Acquisition receives noncompliance notice from Nasdaq - Aquaron Acquisition announced that the company received a written notice from Nasdaq notifying the company that it currently does not satisfy Listing Rule 5250(c)(1), as a result of not having timely filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission its Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023. The notice is a notification of deficiency, not of imminent delisting, and has no immediate effect on the listing or trading of the company's securities on the Nasdaq Capital Market.

06:36 EDT JetBlue sees FY24 ASMs down low single digits y/y - Sees FY24 CASM ex-fuel up mid-to-high single digits y/y. Sees FY24 CapEx ~$1.6B.

06:30 EDT AstraZeneca reports Voydeya approved in EU as PNH add-on treatment - Voydeya has been approved in the European Union as an add-on to ravulizumab or eculizumab for the treatment of adult patients with paroxysmal nocturnal haemoglobinuria, or PNH, who have residual haemolytic anaemia. Voydeya is a first-in-class, oral, Factor D inhibitor developed as an add-on to standard-of-care Ultomiris or Soliris to address the needs of the approximately 10-20% of patients with PNH who experience clinically significant extravascular haemolysis, or EVH, while treated with a C5 inhibitor, AstraZeneca stated.

06:22 EDT High Tide reports C$1.97M in retail sales on April 20 - High Tide announced that on April 20, it generated C$1.97M in total retail gross revenues across all retail platforms, representing a 35% increase from the previous Saturday. The company's Canadian bricks-and-mortar stores reported a 30% increase, while sales across its e-commerce platforms reported an increase of 119% over the previous Saturday.

06:16 EDT Rivian targets gas-powered vehicles with $5,000 'electric upgrade' discount - In an announcement on its website, Rivian (RIVN) said, "For eligible purchasers or lessees of Rivian vehicles who trade in an eligible vehicle as part of the purchase or lease of a qualifying Rivian R1 vehicle, Rivian will provide a discount toward such purchase or lease of a new Rivian R1 vehicle in the amounts indicated in these rules and charging for your new Rivian R1 vehicle at Rivian Adventure Network charging sites at no additional cost for one year. This offer is open only to residents of the United States or Canada who have reached the age of majority in their jurisdiction of residence and who trade-in an eligible vehicle toward the purchase of a qualifying Rivian R1 vehicle. To qualify for the discounts toward the purchase of a Rivian R1 vehicle, you must trade in a vehicle that meets the requirements described in the list below: 2018 or newer Ford (F): F-150, Explorer, Expedition, Bronco excluding Bronco Sport; 2018 or newer Toyota (TM): Tacoma, Tundra, Highlander, 4Runner; 2018 or newer Jeep (STLA): Grand Cherokee, Wrangler, Gladiator; 2018 or newer Audi (AUDVF): Q5, Q7, Q8; 2018 or newer BMW (BMWYY): X3, X5, X7. Rivian R1 vehicle discount: Eligible purchasers/lessees who qualify under these rules will receive a discount toward the purchase or lease of a qualifying new Rivian R1 vehicle in the following amounts: R1T Standard, Standard+ Pack - $3,000 / $4,500 CAD; R1T Large Pack - $4,000 / $6,000 CAD; R1T Max Pack - $5,000 / $7,500 CAD; R1S Large Pack - $1,000 / $1,500 CAD." Reference Link

06:14 EDT Spotify reports Q1 gross margin 27.6% vs. 25.2% last year - Reports Q1 free cash flow EUR 207M vs. EUR 57M last year.

06:13 EDT Cango announces new $50M share repurchase program - Cango announced that its board of directors has authorized a new share repurchase program under which the company may repurchase up to $50M worth of its outstanding American depositary shares, or ADSs, each representing two Class A ordinary shares, and/or Class A ordinary shares over the next 12 months starting from April 25.

06:06 EDT BeiGene receives European Commission approval for tislelizumab - BeiGene announced that the European Commission has approved tislelizumab as a treatment for non-small cell lung cancer across three indications, including first- and second-line use. "Tislelizumab is foundational for BeiGene's solid tumor portfolio and has demonstrated its potential across multiple tumor types, including NSCLC, in which there remains a significant unmet need at all stages of the disease," said Mark Lanasa, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Medical Officer, Solid Tumors at BeiGene. "Today's EC authorization marks the second in the region for tislelizumab, with both NSCLC and locally advanced or metastatic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma now approved in the European Union. Second-line use in ESCC was also approved just weeks ago by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, putting us well on our way to fulfilling our commitment to bring this innovative therapy to many more patients around the world."

05:46 EDT Volaris sees Q2 TRASM $9.10-$9.20 - Sees Q2 ASM down 18%. Sees Q2 CASM excluding fuel. Sees Q2 EBITDAR margin 31%-33%. Sees Q2 average jet fuel price $2.60-$2.70. The company said, "Despite the ongoing industry challenges, we continue to execute well and remain focused on delivering shareholder value. The company produced strong results that exceeded expectations. We generated a remarkable increase in TRASM and ancillaries while costs remained controlled. Moreover, Volaris achieved net profitability in the first quarter, posting a net income of $33 million dollars. This marks a significant achievement, as historically, due to seasonality, our first quarters have resulted in net losses; the last time we recorded a net profit in the first quarter was in 2019."

05:38 EDT Wolfspeed comments on letter from Jana partners - Wolfspeed issued the following statement in response to the letter from Jana Partners to Wolfspeed's board of directors: "Wolfspeed's Board of Directors and management team maintain an open dialogue with, and value constructive input from, our shareholders. The company continually evaluates options to enhance long-term value and is committed to acting in the best interests of all our shareholders. The Wolfspeed Board will carefully review JANA's letter, and we look forward to engaging with them in the near future."

05:33 EDT Vertex Pharmaceuticals, TreeFrog Therapeutics announce licensing agreement - Vertex Pharmaceuticals and TreeFrog Therapeutics announced that Vertex has obtained an exclusive license to TreeFrog's proprietary cell manufacturing technology, C-Stem, to optimize production of Vertex's cell therapies for type 1 diabetes, or T1D. TreeFrog and Vertex will collaborate to scale-up TreeFrog's process to produce and amplify cells for Vertex's T1D therapies. TreeFrog's proprietary technology platform, C-Stem, is designed to mimic the natural microenvironment, allowing cells to grow exponentially in 3D. The technology will enhance Vertex's ability to generate large amounts of fully differentiated cells for its portfolio of T1D cell therapies.

05:27 EDT Kyndryl Holdings, Honda Motor Europe expand IT partnership - Kyndryl (KD) and Honda Motor Europe, announced a multiyear managed infrastructure services renewal agreement. Building on an established partnership, Kyndryl will continue to manage Honda's centralized IT infrastructure and modernize the company's mainframe estate with Kyndryl Bridge, Kyndryl's open integration platform, and AIOps. Honda Motor Europe Ltd. is a subsidiary of Honda Motor (HMC), and is responsible for the sales, marketing and distribution of Honda products in Europe. The company offers a wide range of products, including automobiles, motorcycles, power equipment, parts, accessories and marine engines. The companies will work together to drive agility across Honda's business operations, standardize key processes, and future-proof the company's IT systems for a more digital and data-driven environment. Through the expanded agreement, Kyndryl will move critical applications to its newly upgraded z16 mainframe and infrastructure environment, allowing Honda Motor Europe to modernize operations and optimize costs with the latest platforms and best-in-class technologies offering advanced security, reliability, scalability and performance.

05:18 EDT Medivir continues fostrox + Lenvima trial with two adjustments after FDA meeting - Medivir announced an update from a Type C meeting with the FDA, regarding the company's plans for a global phase 2b study and opening of an IND for fostroxacitabine bralpamide in the U.S. The key outcome of the Type C meeting was that Medivir's preparations for the randomized phase 2b study, comparing fostrox + Lenvima with Lenvima alone, continues with two key adjustments to the study design. Firstly, as Medivir plans to use the improved capsule formulation of fostrox in the upcoming phase 2b study, an initial dose run-in as the first part of the study will be added. This means including 20-25 additional patients in an arm with a lower dose, in addition to the 30 mg dose used in the currently ongoing phase 1b/2a study. This change will also further strengthen the study design in relation to FDA's Project Optimus. Secondly, objective response rate, or ORR, is a validated surrogate endpoint for overall survival. In prior HCC studies, ORR has supported accelerated approvals. Therefore, the primary endpoint in the enhanced study design will be changed to ORR with key secondary endpoints, including duration of response, progression free survival and overall survival. The aim of the study, as well as size and study length, remain similar as previously planned and communicated phase 2b design. The FDA guidance has been discussed with Scientific Advisory Council members and regulatory experts. The next step is to finalize the study design and study protocol before submitting an IND in the U.S. to enable study start in the beginning of 2025. Medivir will provide additional details regarding the updated study design at the Quarterly Results webcast on April 30.