Stockwinners Market Radar for September 26, 2024 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

19:50 EDT NLS Pharmaceutics AG trading halted, news pending

19:26 EDT Norfolk Southern activates emergency response plan for Hurricane Helene - In a service alert, Norfolk Southern stated: "As forecasted, the tropical disturbance we previously alerted you about has now intensified into a Category 3 hurricane, with potential to intensify to a Category 4 before making landfall. Hurricane Helene is projected to make landfall at the Florida panhandle on September 26 around 7:00 p.m. EST. Norfolk Southern is already experiencing operational impacts (curtailing or ceasing train movement) due to high winds and heavy rains in Florida and South Georgia. We expect the impact to our operations to persist through the end of the week as the storm tracks across the Southeast and Southern areas of our network including the Southern Appalachians. Additional route restrictions are expected in these areas with high wind and heavy rain. As a result, we have activated our emergency response plan, including advanced placement of equipment and materials in strategic locations, and when it is safe for our employees and contractors to do so, we will work expeditiously to get any impacted routes and facilities back online and operating at full capacity. Customers with shipments moving through the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic should prepare for delays of at least 72 hours... Thank you for your patience and understanding as we work through these weather challenges. Employee and partner safety and the safe handling of your shipments remain our top priority. We will issue our next update as significant changes occur."

18:53 EDT Tectonic Therapeutic director buys $1.44M in common stock - In a regulatory filing, Tectonic Therapeutic disclosed that its director Timothy Springer bought 50K shares of common stock on September 26th in a total transaction size of $1.44M. Shares of Tectonic Therapeutic are up 4.2% afterhours at $29.79.

18:16 EDT Cassava Sciences resolves SEC investigation - Cassava Sciences "announced that it has reached a settlement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission of negligence-based disclosure charges that resolve a previously-disclosed SEC investigation into statements made by the Company pertaining to the results of its 2020 Phase 2b clinical trial of simufilam and related matters. Two former senior employees of the Company also settled negligence-based disclosure charges brought by the SEC. Cassava, without admitting or denying the SEC's allegations, agreed to pay a monetary penalty of $40 million. The Company cooperated fully with the SEC's investigation and has implemented remedial measures."

17:39 EDT Cassava to pay $40M to settle SEC charges for misleading Alzheimer's claims - The Securities and Exchange Commission or SEC, announced Cassava Sciences its founder and former CEO, Remi Barbier, and its former Senior Vice President of Neuroscience, Dr. Lindsay Burns, will pay more than $40M to settle charges related to misleading statements made in September 2020 about the results of a Phase 2 clinical trial for the company's purported therapeutic for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease...According to the SEC's order, Wang received information that unblinded him to some aspects of the Phase 2 clinical data, which he used to identify about a third of the patients enrolled in the trial. In a blinded clinical trial, to avoid bias in the results, no one involved in the trial knows the treatment assignment of individual patients, including whether the patient received a placebo or an active dose of the therapeutic. Using information that unblinded him to aspects of the trial data, Wang was able to manipulate the data to create the appearance that the drug had caused dramatic improvements in biomarkers associated with Alzheimer's disease, such as total tau and phosphorylated tau, which are common indicators of neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's patients. The order also finds that Wang knew Cassava would disclose the manipulated data when announcing the results of its Phase 2 clinical trial, and Cassava did in fact publicize the data in a press release and investor deck issued on September 14, 2020. The SEC's related civil complaint alleges that Cassava and Burns misled investors with claims that the Phase 2 trial was conducted in blinded conditions, even though Wang had been unblinded. Reference Link

17:22 EDT Lockheed Martin awarded $130.32M Navy contract - Lockheed Martin was awarded a $130.32M cost-plus incentive-fee delivery order under indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for development and production of submarine electronic warfare equipment. Work will be performed in Syracuse, New York, and is expected to be completed by October 2027. Naval Sea Systems Command is the contracting activity.

17:22 EDT Curbline Properties to replace Cross Country Healthcare in S&P 600 at open 10/1 - Curbline Properties (CURB) will be added to the S&P SmallCap 600 effective prior to the open of trading on Tuesday, October 1, replacing Cross Country Healthcare (CCRN), which will be removed from the S&P SmallCap 600 effective prior to the opening of trading on Wednesday, October 2.

17:20 EDT TransMedics to replace Ensign Group in S&P 600 at open on 10/1

17:17 EDT Lockheed Martin awarded $422.24M Navy contract - Lockheed Martin was awarded a $422.24M cost-plus-fixed-fee, firm-fixed-price contract to provide program management, logistics, sustainment, and systems engineering services in support of the integration of the government of the Czech Republic into the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program as a Foreign Military Sales, or FMS, customer. Work will be performed in various undisclosed locations outside the continental U.S. and various undisclosed locations within CONUS, and is expected to be completed in September 2027. FMS customer funds in the amount of $422.24M will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to 10 U.S. Code 3204. Naval Air Systems Command is the contracting activity.

17:14 EDT NTSB issues safety recommendations on Boeing 737 rudder system - The National Transportation Safety Board Thursday issued urgent safety recommendations to The Boeing Company (BA) and the Federal Aviation Administration in response to the potential for a jammed or restricted rudder control system on some 737 airplanes. The NTSB is investigating a Feb. 6, 2024, incident in which the rudder pedals on a United Airlines Boeing 737-8, a MAX variant, were "stuck" in their neutral position during the landing rollout at Newark Liberty International Airport, Newark, New Jersey. The captain used the nosewheel steering tiller to control the airplane's direction after touching down. There was no damage to the airplane or injuries to the 155 passengers and six crewmembers. A preliminary report detailing the circumstances of the event was published on March 12. NTSB investigators tested one of the rudder control components from the incident airplane, a rollout guidance actuator, at the component's manufacturer, Collins Aerospace (RTX). When the incident actuator and an identical unit from another airplane were tested in a cold environment, the actuators' function was significantly compromised. nvestigators found evidence of moisture in both actuators, which failed testing. Collins Aerospace subsequently determined that a sealed bearing was incorrectly assembled during production of the actuators, leaving the unsealed side more susceptible to moisture that can freeze and limit rudder system movement. Collins notified Boeing that more than 353 actuators that Collins had delivered to Boeing since February 2017 were affected by this condition. The investigation is ongoing. Additional updates may be issued as circumstances warrant. Reference Link

17:13 EDT RTX awarded $196.72M Army contract - RTX was awarded a $196.72M cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for Coyote Interceptors. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work will be performed in Dulles, Virginia, with an estimated completion date of September 30, 2027. Fiscal 2024 aircraft procurement, Army funds in the amount of $196.72M were obligated at the time of the award. Army Contracting Command is the contracting activity.

17:07 EDT Ovintiv renews annual share buyback program - Ovintiv announced it has received regulatory approvals for the renewal of its share buy-back program. This action is consistent with the company's capital allocation framework, which returns at least 50% of post base dividend non-GAAP free cash flow to shareholders. The Toronto Stock Exchange has accepted Ovintiv's notice of intention to renew its normal course issuer bid, or NCIB, to purchase up to 25,920,545 common shares during the 12-month period commencing October 3 and ending October 2, 2025. The number of shares authorized for purchase represents 10% of Ovintiv's public float as of September 20 as calculated pursuant to TSX rules. Purchases will be made on the open market through the facilities of the TSX, New York Stock Exchange, other designated exchanges and/or alternative trading systems in Canada and the United States at the market price at the time of acquisition, as well as by other means permitted by stock exchange rules and securities laws including Rule 10b-18 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

17:03 EDT Establishment Labs receives FDA approval for Motiva SmoothSilk breast impants - Establishment Labs announced it has received approval from the FDA for the use of Motiva SmoothSilk Ergonomix and Motiva SmoothSilk Round breast implants in primary and revision breast augmentation.

17:01 EDT Payfare, DoorDash will not renew core services agreement - Payfare (PYFRF) announced that its core services agreement related to DoorDash, Inc.'s (DASH) DasherDirect card program will not be renewed beyond the current term in early 2025. DasherDirect is currently Payfare's largest program, and the revenue derived from the program has been a substantial proportion of Payfare's total revenues. As such, Payfare is withdrawing its previously issued 2024 financial guidance for revenue and earnings, as the company and DoorDash establish a transition plan to begin in the fourth quarter of 2024. Both parties are expected to work collaboratively during the remainder of the term. Payfare has over $100M in cash, cash equivalents, and guaranteed investment certificates and is well capitalized to fund its new strategic initiatives.

16:50 EDT Ellington Financial estimates book value per share of $13.69 as of August 31 - Ellington Financial Inc. announced its estimated book value per share of common stock of $13.69 as of August 31, 2024. This estimate includes the effect of the previously announced monthly dividend of 13c per share of common stock, payable on September 25, 2024 to holders of record on August 30, 2024, with the same ex-dividend date.

16:39 EDT SM Energy raises dividend to 20c per share - SM Energ announces that its Board of Directors approved the increased quarterly cash dividend of 20c per share of common stock outstanding. The dividend will be paid on November 4, to stockholders of record as of the close of business on October 25

16:36 EDT Mosaic announces July/August retail and sales volume - Reports July/August Potash sales volume 1.31M tonnes vs. 1.48M last year and sales revenue $358M vs. $489M last year. Reports July/August Phosphates sales volume 937K tonnes vs. 1.08M last year and sales revenue $620M vs. $642M last year.

16:32 EDT Coherent expands silicon carbide epitaxial wafer production - Coherent announced the launch of its 200 mm silicon carbide epitaxial wafers. Substrate and epi-wafer shipments from the company at 350 micron and 500 micron thickness are now underway. As a manufacturer of both SiC substrates and epitaxial wafers, Coherent combines these elements.

16:26 EDT SEC charges DraftKings with selectively disclosing nonpublic information - The Securities and Exchange Commission charged DraftKings Inc. with selectively disclosing material, nonpublic information to investors who followed or otherwise viewed the company CEO's social media accounts without disclosing that same information to all investors, in violation of Regulation Fair Disclosure. DraftKings agreed to pay a $200,000 civil penalty to settle the SEC's charges. "The order finds that, on July 27, 2023, at 5:52 p.m., DraftKings' public relations firm published a post on the personal X account of the DraftKings CEO. The post, according to the order, stated that the company continued to see "really strong growth" in states where it was already operating. DraftKings' public relations firm posted a similar statement that same day on the CEO's LinkedIn account. At the time of the posts, DraftKings had not yet disclosed its second quarter 2023 financial results, nor had it otherwise publicly disclosed certain information contained in the posts. Shortly after the public relations firm published the posts, it removed both posts at the request of DraftKings. According to the order, even though Regulation FD required DraftKings to promptly disclose the information to all investors after it was selectively disclosed to some, DraftKings did not disclose the information to the public until seven days later when it announced its financial earnings for the second quarter of 2023," the SEC stated. Reference Link

16:21 EDT Litinsky's United Atlantic sells entire stake in Trump Media - Andrew Litinsky's United Atlantic Ventures disclosed a 0% stake in Trump Media & Technology Group. United Atlantic sold its over 7.5M share stake in the company.

16:17 EDT Postal Realty Trust receives 162 fully executed new leases from the USPS - Postal Realty Trust announced an update on its ongoing lease negotiations with the USPS. Agreed to new rents on all expired 2023 leases and the majority of the expired and scheduled to expire 2024 leases. As of September 25 the Company had received 162 fully executed new leases from the USPS, representing 2023 and 2024 leases that have expired and are scheduled to expire. The 2023 leases received represent nearly 57% of the aggregate 2023 expired rent and the 2024 leases received represent 51% of the aggregate 2024 expired and scheduled to expire rent. This excludes leases subject to renewal options and leases negotiated by prior ownership. "Our team has been working diligently with the Postal Service to modify our historical leasing process to enable more efficient lease negotiations and timely lease execution. We are pleased with the results of the 2023 and 2024 lease negotiations. With continued annual rent escalations and the introduction of ten years of duration on a subset of leases, we believe we will be able to enhance our internal growth story and maximize long-term shareholder value. Discussions are in progress with the Postal Service on the 2025 lease expirations with the mutual goal of executing new leases prior to lease expiration. We look forward to providing further details in our next quarterly update," stated Andrew Spodek, Chief Executive Officer. 2023 Leases

16:16 EDT Vulcan Materials to acquire Wake Stone - Vulcan Materials has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Wake Stone Corporation, a pure-play aggregates supplier in the Carolinas. The transaction is expected to close later this year, subject to satisfaction of customary closing conditions.

16:15 EDT Mondelez collaborates with Accenture, Publicis Groupe on global marketing - Mondelez (MDLZ) announced the launch of a new platform designed to improve its global marketing capabilities while optimizing consumer experiences through expanded use of artificial intelligence, or AI, and generative AI. Working in collaboration with Accenture (ACN) and Publicis Groupe, the company said its new platform will enable faster, more efficient creation of personalized text, images and videos - helping the company's brands stay a step ahead of rapidly changing consumer tastes and interests.

16:12 EDT California Bancorp promotes Michele Wirfel to COO - California Bank of Commerce, announced the promotion of Michele Wirfel to executive VP, COO of the company and bank as of September 20. Wirfel succeeds Thomas Sa who has stepped down to pursue opportunities outside the organization. Wirfel will report to CEO Steven Shelton and serve out of the bank's Walnut Creek office.

16:10 EDT UL Solutions opens new portable generator testing laboratory in Toronto - UL Solutions announced it opened a new portable generator testing laboratory at the company's multiple laboratory complex in Toronto in an effort to help global manufacturers bring safer portable generators to the market and help prevent carbon monoxide poisoning of humans and pets.

16:08 EDT Vail Resorts announces two-year transformation plan - Vail Resorts announced a two-year plan to transform the company for future growth and global expansion. Vail Resorts has expanded significantly over the past 10 years, from 10 owned and operated mountain resorts to 42 across four countries, more than doubling the size of the company's workforce. During that expansion, the company captured initial acquisition synergies in corporate support functions and through technology integrations, while investing more than $2B in the guest and employee experience and industry leading innovations. The company now has a unique opportunity to transform resource efficiency given the scale of its 42 owned and operated mountain resorts, its common enterprise technology ecosystem, and its robust data and analytics capabilities. The two-year Resource Efficiency Transformation Plan is designed to improve organizational effectiveness and scale for operating leverage as the company grows. Through scaled operations, global shared services, and expanded workforce management, the company expects $100M in annualized cost efficiencies by the end of its 2026 fiscal year. "We believe this is a natural progression and next step for our company, that builds upon our success and paves the way for the next phase of growth," said Vail Resorts CEO Kirsten Lynch. "Our mission: to create an Experience of a Lifetime for our employees and our guests, galvanizes our company, as does our commitment to reinvesting for growth." A portion of the cost efficiencies are position eliminations, impacting less than 2 percent of the company's total workforce, including 14 percent of its corporate workforce and less than 1 percent of the company's operations workforce. Impacts in operations are focused on management structure and back-end support structure, with only 0.2 percent impact on frontline roles. Impacted employees will have the opportunity to apply for open roles across the company. "No matter how big or small the impact of position eliminations, we do not take lightly any decision that affects our team members," Lynch said. "Our team members are the core of our mission to create an Experience of a Lifetime, and we have tremendous gratitude for their passion and commitment to our mission, our mountains, and our guests." The Transformation Plan includes three pillars: Scaled Operations: With 42 owned and operated mountain resorts, plus hospitality operations, as well as retail and rental operations, the company's operations leaders have developed substantial operating best practices and learnings on how the ski industry solves the same problems differently across the U.S., Canada, and Australia. The company now has an opportunity to capture acquisition synergies by leveraging those best practices and introducing new tools to scale the way operations are supported across the company. This will enable operations to focus on the guest experience and reduce the administrative burden on frontline managers. Global Shared Services: As a part of the Transformation Plan, the company plans to consolidate and outsource its internal business services and call centers into best-in-class global shared services to support its North American businesses while creating a scalable model that can expand for future global expansion support. In addition to its 37 North American mountain resorts, the company owns and operates three mountain resorts in Australia - and over the past two years has expanded into Europe, with the purchase of Andermatt-Sedrun and Crans-Montana Mountain Resort in Switzerland. Expanded Workforce Management: Vail Resorts recently implemented Workforce Management technology across its North American resorts to provide the company's frontline managers with the tools and data insights needed to allocate talent based on the guest experience and demand, resulting in more efficient use of hours. The tool also gives frontline team members visibility, access, and cross-training for available shifts in-resort and network-wide. The Transformation Plan includes an expansion of Workforce Management by leveraging best practice models, adding lines of businesses and departments, and adding new functionality.

16:07 EDT Crinetics submits NDA for paltusotine for treatment of Acro - Crinetics Pharmaceuticals announced the submission of a New Drug Application NDA to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration FDA for paltusotine, the first once-daily, oral, selectively-targeted somatostatin receptor type 2 nonpeptide agonist in development for the proposed treatment and long-term maintenance therapy of acromegaly. "This NDA submission brings us one step closer to our goal of delivering a new generation of therapy that can help people living with acromegaly," said Scott Struthers, Ph.D., Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Crinetics. "Based on the comprehensive data from the Phase 3 PATHFNDR program, we are excited about the significance of this potential advancement for the acromegaly community, as well as what it represents to Crinetics as a company. Paltusotine is the leading candidate of a deep, innovative pipeline - the first of many therapeutic candidates that have been purposefully designed in-house to transform the lives of people impacted by a wide range of endocrine conditions." The NDA is supported by data from 18 clinical trials.. All primary and secondary endpoints were met in both Phase 3 studies. Treatment with paltusotine was well-tolerated and resulted in . Crinetics anticipates receiving notification from the FDA on the status of the NDA submission in December

16:06 EDT AAR Corp. awarded five-year P-8A Poseidon engine overhaul contract by U.S. Navy - AAR Corp. has been awarded a five-year indefinite delivery / indefinite quantity contract with an aggregate ceiling value of approximately $1.2B by the U.S. Navy's Naval Air Systems Command to perform engine depot maintenance and repair for its P-8A Poseidon Aircraft fleet. This new award follows a recently announced award under which AAR will continue to perform P-8A airframe maintenance for the U.S. Navy. Beginning October 2024, AAR, along with strategic partner Delta TechOps, will provide program management, supply chain management, engineering support, and maintenance and repair services to increase engine asset availability for the Navy's growing fleet. The additional engine maintenance capability achieved through this partnership with AAR will enable the U.S. Navy to continue flying the P-8A and complete its vital national security mission. This contract is an important step forward in AAR's strategy to grow and advance its commercial derivative business through the delivery of integrated solutions. It is also expected to increase the volume of engine part sales in the company's Part Supply segment.

16:04 EDT Wearable Devices files neural wrist technology patent application - Wearable Devices announces the filing of an application for its first patent in a patent family titled Gesture and Voice-controlled interface device," with the Korean intellectual property office. The patent application is part of the Company's intellectual property strategy to broaden the protection of its core IP globally using patent families that cover multiple future applications of wearable bio-potential sensors and allows the Company to adapt its patent portfolio in real time to future changes in global markets. The filed patent application protects the Company's revolutionary neural interface technology, which is used as a wearable scale for measuring the weight of objects held by a user, and as a wearable torque meter for measuring the torque applied by a user when fastening rotating objects such as screws.

16:03 EDT Seres Therapeutics shareholders approve sale of VOWST - Seres Therapeutics announced that its stockholders voted to approve the previously announced proposed sale of the Company's VOWST business to Societe des Produits Nestle S.A. Seres will file a Current Report on Form 8-K with the SEC which details the voting results. The transaction is expected to close on September 30, 2024, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions.

16:01 EDT Oshkosh's SBTi emissions targets approved - Oshkosh Corporation announced that the Science Based Targets initiative has validated the company's science-based greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets. These targets meet the rigorous criteria and recommendations set by SBTi, confirming Oshkosh's commitment to aligning its sustainability efforts with the latest climate science. "Oshkosh's commitment to sustainability is at the core of how we operate and innovate," said Kevin Tubbs, vice president and chief sustainability officer, Oshkosh Corporation. "By aligning our near-term and net-zero targets with the latest climate science, we are taking a significant step toward building a more sustainable future for our employees, customers and the communities we serve. SBTi's validation of our reduction targets reflect our determination to reducing environmental impact, while consistently delivering groundbreaking solutions that shape a more sustainable future."

15:42 EDT KKR to sell GeoStabilization International to Leonard Green & Partners - KKR announced an agreement to sell GeoStabilization International to Leonard Green & Partners. "GSI is a leading provider of geohazard mitigation solutions and roadway safety services. The sale delivers a return of five times the equity invested by KKR, and all GSI employees will receive substantial cash payouts on their ownership stakes in the Company," KKR stated.

14:19 EDT Walmart CSO says board approved 'robust' long range plan - Asked about how Walmart chooses to invest in growth at the Goldman Sachs Global Sustainability Forum, Walmart's Executive Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer, Kathleen McLaughlin, stated, according to a transcript: "we have a really terrific and robust long range plan. We've actually just our board just approved it, you know, a week or two ago for the next three years. And it's really anchored in our financial framework, which some of you may be familiar with, which is really articulating the initiatives related to growth and margins and returns, and it's holistic and integrated across our whole enterprise. So Walmart, US, Sam's Club, US International all works into that plan, all of our functional initiatives. So our sourcing and merchandising initiatives, our operational initiatives, including energy transformation automation in our DCs and FCs and so on, our new businesses so Walmart Connect our Data Ventures, you know, financial services, health services, all these things ladder into this. And we think about it holistically and every initiative competes for that capital dollar the same as any other initiative."

14:02 EDT Biomea Fusion says FDA lifts clinical hold on BMF-219 trials - Biomea Fusion announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has lifted the clinical hold on Biomea's ongoing Phase I/II clinical trials of the company's investigational covalent menin inhibitor BMF-219 in type 2 and type 1 diabetes, respectively. "We greatly appreciate FDA's review of our data, and the swift resolution of the clinical trial hold. The in-depth review of the clinical data to date reconfirms our confidence in BMF-219 as a novel, first-in-class agent for the treatment of diabetes. We are encouraged from the safety review of the ongoing Phase 2b Expansion Study, where the concerning safety signals seen in the Phase 2a Escalation Study did not translate over to the larger Expansion Study. And most importantly, none of the elevated lab values translated to confirmed serious liver injury or liver impairment," stated Thomas Butler, Biomea Fusion's Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board. "We look forward to continuing our robust development plan for BMF-219 following full resumption of our ongoing studies, COVALENT-111 and COVALENT-112."

13:29 EDT Google's NotebookLM adds audio and YouTube support, create study guides - Raiza Martin, Product Manager at Google, blogged in part.... "you can now add public YouTube URLs and audio files directly into your notebook, alongside PDFs, Google Docs, Slides, websites and more. In our early testing, people are using these new source types in interesting ways: Analyzing videos and lectures: When you upload YouTube videos to NotebookLM, it summarizes key concepts and allows for in-depth exploration through inline citations linked directly to the video's transcript. It's great for comparing perspectives across multiple sources on a specific issue...You can streamline team projects by adding audio recordings and having NotebookLM search across the transcribed conversations to locate specific information...Creating study guides: You can transform class recordings, handwritten notes and lecture slides into comprehensive study guides with a single click. These automatically generated guides consolidate all of the key information for convenient access. Audio Overview file on NotebookLM with a button to copy a share link...we're making it possible to share that Audio Overview directly. When you tap "share," it generates a public link that you can easily share with others." https://blog.google/technology/ai/notebooklm-audio-video-sources/

12:54 EDT CMS publishes preliminary CLFS determinations for new codes - The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, or CMS, has published its preliminary Clinical Lab Fee Schedule, or CLFS, determinations for new codes. Those include CMS's disagreement with the advisory panel's, CDLT, vote to crosswalk to $130 for tests like blood-based pTau-217. Instead CMS recommended a crosswalk to just $17.

12:32 EDT eBay praters with Liberis to introduce 'Flexible Cash Advance' - eBay said it has teamed up with Liberis to expand its Seller Capital program in the U.S. with the introduction of "Flexible Cash Advance." The new option provides sellers with access to larger and more flexible funding to help expand their businesses, the company said in a statement. Sellers can advance funds anywhere from $5,000 up to $2M. "They also have the flexibility to unlock even more capital as they pay - but only pay for what they use," eBay added. Reference Link

12:26 EDT Southwest doesn't believe proxy fight with Elliott is in company's interest - Comments taken from Southwest's Investor Day event.

12:24 EDT Southwest says Elliott has demonstrated little or no interest in collaborating

12:20 EDT Citi, Apollo announces $25B private credit, direct lending program - Citigroup (C) and Apollo (APO) announced that they have entered into an exclusive agreement for a subsidiary of Citi and certain affiliates of Apollo to form a landmark $25B private credit, direct lending program initially in North America, with the potential to expand to additional geographies. The program will include participation from Mubadala Investment company as Apollo's strategic partner as well as Apollo's subsidiary, Athene, both of which will have the opportunity to join commitments appropriate for their respective mandates. The strategic program is designed to significantly enhance access for corporate and sponsor clients to the private lending capital pool, at a scale and size which can provide funding certainty in strategic transactions. The program will join Citi's expansive banking client reach, origination and capital markets expertise with Apollo's scaled, extensive capital base. The firms anticipate the program will finance approximately $25B of debt opportunities over the next several years, encompassing both corporate and financial sponsor transactions. Citi and Apollo expect strong client demand and maintain the flexibility to significantly expand the size of the program beyond the initial $25B.

12:00 EDT Studio City rises 24.9% - Studio City is up 24.9%, or $1.57 to $7.88.

12:00 EDT Worthington Steel falls -7.4% - Worthington Steel is down -7.4%, or -$2.65 to $33.28.

12:00 EDT Aris Water Solutions falls -8.5% - Aris Water Solutions is down -8.5%, or -$1.50 to $16.24.

11:05 EDT Golden Sun Health Technology Group Ltd trading resumes

10:56 EDT Southwest has plan to aggressively manage costs, says CEO

10:53 EDT Super Micro trading resumes

10:49 EDT Supermicro down 4% to $438.75 after WSJ report of DOJ probe

10:47 EDT Southwest CEO says able to mitigate vast majority of current overstaffing

10:42 EDT Southwest CEO: 'I am accountable' for delivering against targets

10:40 EDT Southwest CEO: Sole focus is on returning Southwest to prosperity

10:39 EDT Southwest: 'Boeing delivery delays have created significant challenges for us' - Says Boeing "has delivered very few MAX aircraft on time."

10:32 EDT Wells Fargo jumps 4% to $55.87 after Bloomberg report

10:04 EDT Bank of South Carolina board raises dividend 12% to 19c per share - The Board of Directors of Bank of South Carolina Corporation declared a quarterly cash dividend of 19c per share to shareholders of record October 8, 2024, payable October 31, 2024. This represents the 140th quarterly cash dividend paid to shareholders.

10:01 EDT FuboTV launches Multiview beta feature on select Roku devices - FuboTV Inc. (FUBO) announced the launch of its popular Multiview feature in beta on select Roku (ROKU) devices. The beta feature is expected to launch on additional Roku devices in the coming weeks. Fubo customers can select and stream up to four live channels simultaneously with Multiview beta. Multiview is fully customizable and available for all Fubo channels, unlike some multiviewing features on other streaming platforms, and particularly lends itself to live sports and news.

10:00 EDT Studio City rises 20.4% - Studio City is up 20.4%, or $1.29 to $7.60.

10:00 EDT TAL Education rises 22.6% - TAL Education is up 22.6%, or $1.88 to $10.20.

10:00 EDT Armada Hoffler falls -6.6% - Armada Hoffler is down -6.6%, or -78c to $11.08.

09:47 EDT KE Holdings rises 17.6% - KE Holdings is up 17.6%, or $2.87 to $19.22.

09:47 EDT TAL Education rises 28.6% - TAL Education is up 28.6%, or $2.38 to $10.70.

09:47 EDT Armada Hoffler falls -7.4% - Armada Hoffler is down -7.4%, or -88c to $10.98.

09:46 EDT enGene Holdings Inc trading resumes

09:35 EDT Precision Optics Corporation Inc trading resumes

09:33 EDT Paymentus enters agreement with Altera Digital Health for EBPP platform - Paymentus Holdings announced an agreement with Altera Digital Health to offer its Electronic Bill Presentment and Payments platform in conjunction with Altera's suite of healthcare IT solutions.

09:30 EDT Avangrid shareholders vote to adopt Iberdrola merger agreement - Avangrid announced that its shareholders voted to adopt the agreement and plan of merger, whereby Iberdrola will acquire the remaining 18.4% of the issued and outstanding stock of Avangrid that it does not currently own. According to the preliminary results announced at Avangrid's annual meeting of shareholders, a majority of Avangrid's shareholders voted in favor of the merger agreement. In addition to approving the merger agreement, at the annual meeting, the Avangrid shareholders voted to elect each of the 14 nominees to the board of directors to serve one-year terms expiring at Avangrid's 2025 annual meeting. Additionally, the Avangrid shareholders voted to ratify the appointment of Avangrid's independent public accounting firm and approve on an advisory basis the compensation of Avangrid's named executive officers. On September 17, the Maine Public Utilities Commission voted to approve the merger transaction subject to a final written order. This follows the approval by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the recent favorable recommendation regarding the merger from two leading independent proxy firms. The merger is now subject to the satisfaction and approval of the New York Public Service Commission and once obtained, the transaction is expected to close during the fourth quarter of 2024. Upon closing the transaction, Avangrid's common stock will no longer be listed on the NYSE and Avangrid will operate as a privately-held company.

09:27 EDT Stryve Foods launches High Steaks pet treats - Stryve Foods announces the launch of High Steaks, a brand dedicated to providing high-quality, high-protein, human-grade pet treats. Stryve Foods is bringing their premium, high protein, 0g sugar, simple ingredient meat products to your pet. High Steaks human-grade pet treats, are the perfect on-the-go solution for an active, and healthy dog. High Steaks treats will be available for purchase on our website launching in October 2024, where pet owners can explore the full range of flavors and learn more about the nutritional benefits of High Steaks. Additionally, the Company plans to secure retail distribution for High Steaks in the coming quarters to further participate in the attractive, high-growth pet category with this differentiated offering.

09:21 EDT Infosys collaborating with Sally Beauty for enterprise-scale IT efficiencies - Infosys (INFY) announced its strategic collaboration with Sally Beauty (SBH). Infosys will implement best practices in IT operations to bring efficiencies through the optimization of IT service delivery. The collaboration will also help Sally Beauty standardize and simplify their IT systems and services by implementing AI-driven hyper-automation. The transformation will enable SBH to activate enhanced IT services with 24/7 predictive and proactive monitoring. The project will consolidate numerous support services, drive process improvements and optimize costs over a five-year window.

09:20 EDT Safety Shot spins off Caring Brands business, plans to issue dividend - Safety Shot has entered into a Separation and Exchange Agreement with its subsidiary Caring Brands, whereby Caring Brands will operate as its own entity. Safety Shot is transferring its wellness consumer products segment, along with associated assets, intellectual property, and liabilities, to Caring Brands, an innovative developer of natural based therapeutics and wellness products. Caring Brands focuses on the treatment of hair growth, psoriasis, vitiligo, and atopic dermatitis. Spinning off the wellness unit will help each separate entity to pursue its own distinct strategy and business, while allowing shareholders to evaluate how each business is performing. Moving forward Caring Brands will be responsible for all costs associated with the operation of its wellness business. Caring Brands' intent is to go public via an initial public offering within the next three months. As part of the agreement to divest Caring Brands, Safety Shot will receive three million shares of Caring Brands stock. To create value for shareholders, the Company's Board plans to issue a dividend of two million shares for Safety Shot shareholders.

09:17 EDT Opera makes Aria AI available without log-in - Opera's built-in browser AI - Aria - is now available to all desktop and gaming users, as well as users of Opera for Android in beta, without the log-in requirement. This change lowers the threshold for Opera's audience to experience Aria's full potential, including Image Generation, Image Understanding, Page Context mode, and more. Aria is now available without an account in Opera One, Opera GX, and Opera for Android Beta. In the next few weeks it will become available in Opera for Android and Opera for iOS. Aria utilizes Opera's AI Composer engine, which selects the most suitable model - GPT or Gemini - to handle users' queries.

09:16 EDT Zoetis and Danone team on dairy industry's approach to healthier cows. - Zoetis (ZTS )and Danone (DANOY) recently announced a joint business development plan to drive sustainable practices on today's dairy farms through the power of genetics for healthier cows. Combining Danone's commitment to environmental stewardship with Zoetis' expertise in animal genetics, the partnership aims to innovate the dairy industry's approach to breeding for sustainability. The plan between the two companies is intended to enable Danone to leverage Zoetis' cutting-edge genetic technologies globally. The focus is on integrating sustainable practices into dairy genetics and selection, emphasizing animal well-being, reducing environmental impact, and promoting long-term resilience in dairy farming. "Collaborative partnerships allow us to harmonize genetic innovation with sustainable practices. Through our partnership with Danone, we intend to leverage our respective expertise to set new benchmarks for healthier herds that contribute to a sustainable future for the dairy industry," said Wafaa Mamilli, EVP, Chief Digital & Technology Officer, and Group President for China, Brazil, and Precision Animal Health at Zoetis.

09:12 EDT First Solar opens thin-film solar manufacturing faciliry in Lawrence County, AL - First Solar inaugurated its new $1.1B fully vertically integrated thin-film solar manufacturing facility in Lawrence County, Alabama. The facility, which adds 3.5 gigawatts GW of fully vertically integrated nameplate solar manufacturing capacity in the United States, is expected to create over 800 new energy technology manufacturing jobs in the state. "This represents a great day for First Solar and for Lawrence County because this production facility is destined to become a major player in the US renewable energy market," said Alabama Governor Kay Ivey. "Moreover, the Alabama workers at this facility will help break the nation's dependence on foreign-made solar panels and contribute to our energy independence." The Lawrence County facility along with First Solar's three operating factories in Ohio brings the company's domestic nameplate manufacturing capacity to almost 11 GW and its global capacity to over 21 GW, once fully ramped. First Solar, the largest fully vertically integrated solar manufacturer in the Western Hemisphere, is also constructing a $1.1B, 3.5 GW facility in Louisiana, which is expected to be commissioned in the second half of 2025. The company expects to have over 14 GW of annual nameplate capacity in the United States and 25 GW globally by the end of 2026.

09:10 EDT Nano One Materials awarded $12.9M by U.S. DoD - Nano One has been awarded $12.9M by the Department of Defense of the United States of America through the Defense Production Act Investments office's Title III program. The project will support work underway at the company's facilities in Burnaby, British Columbia, and Candiac, Quebec, and is effective for the period from July 1, 2024 through 2026. The funds will expand capacity at Nano One's Candiac, Quebec location, which is North America's only lithium iron phosphate production facility. The award is broadly focused on improving energy security by accelerating the formation of a resilient industrial base and LFP battery supply chain in the United States and Canada. The project also addresses the energy security requirements of the defense sector by supporting product validation and potential sales with customers that include, as previously disclosed, suppliers to the US government.

09:08 EDT Visa to acquire Featurespace, terms undisclosed - Visa announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Featurespace, a developer of real-time artificial intelligence, or AI, payments protection technology that prevents and mitigates payments fraud and financial crime risks. Since its inception out of Cambridge University's engineering department, Featurespace has developed algorithmic-based solutions to analyze transaction data and detect fraud cases. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including receipt of applicable regulatory approvals. The transaction is expected to close in fiscal year 2025 and will provide significant benefits to financial institutions, consumers, and the wider payments industry.

09:07 EDT Brilliant Earth introduces The Jane Goodall Collection - Brilliant Earth Group announced the launch of the "Rethink Everything You Know About Diamonds" campaign, featuring the debut of The Jane Goodall Collection. A continuation of the Company's partnership with iconic conservationist Dr. Jane Goodall, the collection underscores Brilliant Earth and Dr. Jane Goodall's collective vision of environmental stewardship. The "Rethink Everything You Know About Diamonds" campaign invites consumers to discover the Company's diamond leadership over a nearly two-decade period, starting with its pioneering standards for ethical sourcing. Over that time, Brilliant Earth has championed groundbreaking innovations in both natural and lab diamonds while remaining steadfast in delivering expert craftsmanship, design, and a seamless, highly personalized customer experience.

09:05 EDT Scilex announces U.S. Bankruptcy Court extended lockup period - Scilex Holding announced that the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas has extended the expiration of the restrictions on transfer of the shares of common stock of Scilex that were previously distributed by Sorrento Therapeutics, Scilex's former controlling stockholder, to Sorrento's stockholders as a dividend on January 19, 2023. Such lock-up period was previously set to expire on the earlier of September 30, 2024 or the date on which Sorrento and its Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors agreed in writing or on the record in Sorrento's chapter 11 cases certain claims that may be asserted in potential litigation to avoid Sorrento's distribution of Dividend Stock and to recover such Dividend Stock, should not be pursued, or on such date that the Court deems just and proper. On September 25, 2024, the Court approved a motion to extend the lock-up period on the Dividend Stock to January 31, 2025.

09:04 EDT Strong Global Entertainment announces closing of sale of Strong/MDI for $30M - Strong Global Entertainment (SGE) and Fundamental Global (FGF) announce the closing of the previously announced sale of Strong/MDI Screen Systems from Strong Global to Saltire Holdings. Mark Roberson, Chief Executive Officer of Strong Global, commented, "We are pleased to announce the closing of the sale of MDI. This is one element of our previously announced strategy to streamline operations, increase liquidity and drive shareholder value. We expect the transaction to result in a net pre-tax financial statement gain in excess of $25 million. At closing, Strong Global holds approximately 37% of the outstanding common shares of Saltire, and we look forward to participating in the Saltires' long term growth strategy." At closing, and after a working capital adjustment, Strong Global received total consideration of $29.5 million, consisting of $0.8 million of cash, $9.0 million of preferred shares of Saltire, and $19.7 million of common shares of Saltire.

09:03 EDT X3 Holdings acquiring Xpic Games - X3 Holdings is in the process of acquiring Xpic Games, a game development and service company, marking a move into the game service industry. Xpic Games' expertise spans game design and development, as well as publishing and game services.

09:01 EDT Synchrony and Dick's Sporting extend partnership - Synchrony (SYF) and Dick's Sporting Goods (DKS) announced a multi-year extension of their strategic partnership, which will allow the companies to continue to provide innovative financial solutions for athletes. The companies will maintain their ScoreRewards Credit Card Program by providing the ability to earn rewards 2X faster, exclusive member-only offers and digital account management for their ScoreRewards Credit Card and ScoreRewards Mastercard. Athletes will be able to continue using these cards online and in store across the company's 800+ retail locations, including Dick's Sporting Goods, House of Sport, Golf Galaxy and Public Lands.

08:57 EDT LPL Financial: GreenPoint Wealth joins broker-dealer, RIA, custodial platforms - LPL Financial announced that financial advisors Jeff Minucci, CFP, and David Ryzman, CFP, have joined LPL Financial's broker-dealer, RIA and custodial platforms. They reported having served approximately $150 million in advisory, brokerage and retirement plan assets and join LPL from Osaic. For more than 20 years, Minucci and Ryzman have collaborated in various roles within the financial services industry, eventually becoming business partners in the independent space. They specialize in developing innovative strategies to help meet their clients' retirement planning objectives and use robust financial education to encourage their clients to better understand their financial portfolios.

08:57 EDT American Resources initiates joint venture with Lohum Cleantech, ReElement - American Resources announced India's largest producer of sustainable critical minerals Lohum Cleantech has signed an MOU with U.S. pioneers in modular, adaptable, and circular magnet-grade & battery-grade mineral processing technology - ReElement Technologies Corporation and American Metals. The MOU marks the companies' initiation of a Joint Venture for establishing United States' first fully integrated battery recycling, repurposing, and critical material production facility. The 15.5 GWh facility will be set up with an initial investment of US$30 Million, and lead to the creation of 250 green jobs. The partnership is expected to initially supply over 315,000 electric vehicles annually with continued growth based on feedstock availability. The integrated end-to-end battery & critical minerals lifecycle management facility will host the entire value chain from battery cell testing and segregation for second-life energy storage applications to recycling, mineral refining, engineered materials, and battery-grade products. The facility will produce critical materials with purity levels greater than 99.5%, which can then circulate in the U.S. domestic battery ecosystem. The initial operating location will be at the Marion Advanced Technology Center in Indiana, and expand to other locations as determined by the joint venture parties. The joint venture will create a domestic ecosystem of recycled, high-purity lithium for developing North America's lithium-based battery manufacturing supply chain. The facility powered by LOHUM's and ReElement's capabilities will be able to eliminate a significant amount of capital expenditure, physical footprint, environmental impact, and associated operational expenditure needed for the separation and purification of battery materials.

08:55 EDT VivoPower, FAST announce merged entity will be headquarted in the UK - VivoPower International previously announced that it entered into a strategic heads of agreement to merge with Future Automotive Solutions and Technologies. The Heads of Agreement is exclusive for 90 days but is non-binding. The Company hereby provides further details on the proposed domicile of the combined entity and the proposed merger structure. Upon completion of the Transaction, the combined entity intends to remain headquartered in the United Kingdom. This is in an effort to qualify for significant and attractive potential UK Government incentives that have been announced. The incumbent UK Government that was elected in July 2024 has announced that clean energy is one of its top two missions, alongside economic growth. It has re-affirmed a goal of decarbonising the UK's electricity generation to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2030 and has re-instated a policy to ban the sale of diesel and petrol internal combustion engine vehicles by 2030. This had previously been deferred to 2035 under the previous UK Government. It has mandated for two investment bodies to be capitalised and tasked with driving investment into clean energy projects and companies, of which green hydrogen is an investment priority. These bodies are the Great British Energy unit and the National Wealth Fund, which have been allocated a combined budget of $21B. It is currently proposed that VivoPower will acquire FAST and issue restricted shares in VivoPower as consideration. Following the completion of the merger, VivoPower will remain a UK PLC corporation that is 49% owned by VivoPower shareholders and 51% by FAST shareholders. The Heads of Agreement values the pro forma combined company at an equity valuation of $1.13B. This means VivoPower's shareholders will hold 49% valued at $556M whilst FAST shareholders will own 51%, valued at $578M. It is currently proposed that VivoPower will acquire FAST and issue restricted shares in VivoPower as consideration. Following the completion of the merger, VivoPower will remain a UK PLC corporation that is 49% owned by VivoPower shareholders and 51% by FAST shareholders. VivoPower insiders and affiliates will also commit to a lock up of their shares in the merged entity.

08:51 EDT Wearable Devices 'applauds' Meta's entrance into gesture control space - Wearable Devices applauded Meta's entrance into the gesture control space with its announcement at Meta Connect 2024. "Welcome, Meta. Seriously," declared CEO Asher Dahan. "Competition only fosters innovation, and we are encouraged to see Meta's nascent commitment to the neural interface sector which we at Wearable Devices have been advancing and perfecting for over a decade. Meta's new move into this field validates the immense potential and growing importance of neural control. Clearly, we at Wearable Devices have been onto something big all along as the trailblazers in neural wearables, and we look forward to continuing to push boundaries alongside other key players in the space."

08:43 EDT Allogene to present pre-clinical data for next-gen AlloCAR T candidate - Allogene Therapeutics announced that it will present pre-clinical data for its next-generation investigational AlloCAR T candidate for autoimmune indications, ALLO-329, at the American College of Rheumatology's annual meeting, ACR Convergence 2024, being held from November 14-19 in Washington, D.C. ALLO-329, the Company's CD19/CD70 dual AlloCAR T product is the first CAR T designed to both reduce or eliminate the need for lymphodepletion while also targeting CD19+ B-cells and CD70+ activated T-cells, both of which are likely to play a role in autoimmune diseases. ALLO-329 utilizes CRISPR-based site-specific integration for dual CAR expression.

08:42 EDT Actelis receives $200,000 order from U.S. Department of Military Affairs - Actelis Networks announced that it has received a $200,000 order from the United States Department of Military Affairs to supply a US Army National Guard base with its cyber-hardened hybrid-fiber networking solution. Actelis continues to build on its momentum in the federal government sector, having just recently announced a significant order from a US Department of Aerial Transportation agency. This follows a $150,000 order in July from a tier-1 military contractor to deliver the company's advanced GigaLine 800 solution to US military bases.

08:41 EDT ConnectM eliminates $13.7M in debt - ConnectM Technology Solutions has completed its second tranche of a debt-to-equity swap by converting an additional $6.2 million of the Company's outstanding debt to common equity at $2.00 per share, bringing the current total to $13.7 million. This debt-to-equity swap is part of a series of actions to deleverage the balance sheet. With the total conversions the Company has: achieved 90% of $15 million target within 30 days of the Board approved plan; prioritized balance sheet optimization in immediate action following public listing; deleveraged its balance sheet, removing $13.7 million in debt; reduced annual interest expense by more than $2 million, thereby increasing Free Cash Flow to invest in operations to grow revenue and profitability; and improved its credit profile.

08:40 EDT PodcastOne launches 'Beat It Out' podcast from Adam Carolla - PodcastOne announced the launch of Beat It Out, a podcast from Podcasting Hall of Fame member Adam Carolla exclusively on the Adam Carolla Show Substack featuring Season One co-host, comedian Jay Mohr. The addition of Beat It Out to the network's roster of podcast programming further strengthens the 15 years long relationship between PodcastOne and Carolla who has been with the network since its inception in 2009. Paid subscribers to the Adam Carolla Substack will have full access to Beat It Out, as well as ad free and video content for all new episodes of The Adam Carolla Show, Adam and Drew and Carolla Classics. Additionally, subscribers will receive an exclusive newsletter, access to archival content and be the first to experience planned live recording sessions and live chats. Beat It Out marks a podcasting return for Mohr who previously hosted the long running and fan favorite podcast Mohr Stories and Mohr Sports from Los Angeles through his Fake Mustache Studios.

08:39 EDT Bridgeline Digital announces top U.S. electrical distributor expands license - Bridgeline Digital announced that a top 10 U.S. electrical distributor has expanded its license with Bridgeline's HawkSearch to enhance its Salesforce B2B Commerce experience. HawkSearch will support over 740 profit centers, improving the distributor's product discovery with the Unit of Measure Conversion feature, while providing additional hosting services to address growing traffic demands. "Our solutions help businesses overcome challenges like managing dimensional products and scaling infrastructure for growth," said Ari Kahn, CEO of Bridgeline. "With HawkSearch's advanced features and scalable hosting, this distributor is positioned for continued operational efficiency and sales growth."

08:38 EDT Kopin receives $1.3M follow-on order for Emerald microdisplay module - Kopin announced that it has received a $1.3M follow-on order for its Emerald microdisplay module in support of a major weapon sight product. This order includes additional deliveries as part of an ongoing multi-year production program.

08:37 EDT Tempus teams withTakeda to leverage multimodal real-world datasets in oncology - Tempus AI (TEM), announces an expansion to its collaboration with Takeda (TAK)hat takes a data-first approach to research and development, with the aim of enhancing Takeda's oncology research and development efforts. After an initial collaboration that leveraged Tempus' de-identified multimodal datasets, this new agreement will expand upon that work. Takeda will combine Tempus' multimodal real-world datasets and Tempus' biological modeling capabilities to advance Takeda's pipeline of cancer therapeutics, which includes antibody-drug conjugates ADCs , small molecules, bispecifics and gamma delta T-cell therapies. Takeda researchers will use Tempus' analytics platform, Lens, to gain real-time access to de-identified patient records as well as a suite of AI-enabled tools to accelerate critical insights for Takeda's drug development efforts. Initial work has resulted in research that will be presented at an upcoming medical congress.

08:36 EDT Reborn Coffee announces strategic joint venture with Gaingan Humantech - Reborn Coffee announced a strategic joint venture with Gaingan Humantech to open three new Reborn Coffee locations in Bangkok, Thailand. The joint venture aims to expand Reborn Coffee's presence across Thailand, bringing its signature fourth-wave coffee experience to the country. The flagship location of the joint venture will be at One Bangkok, a landmark mixed-use development in the heart of Thailand's capital. It boasts a combined gross floor area of 1.83 million square meters and is designed to integrate modern urban living with culture, art, and green spaces.

08:34 EDT SPX Technologies appoints Carpenter as CHRO - SPX Technologies (SPXC) announce the appointment of Jennifer Carpenter as its new Chief Human Resources Officer, CHRO, effective September 30, 2024. She succeeds Tausha White, who earlier this year announced her decision to retire. Carpenter joins SPX from Honeywell International (HON)

08:33 EDT LightPath receives $0.5M production order for for thermal imaging assemblies - LightPath Technologies announced receipt of a $0.5M low rate initial production order for thermal imaging assemblies with a new tier-1 defense customer. The optical assemblies, which have already completed qualification with the customer, utilize the Company's BlackDiamond Chalcogenide material, among other materials, and will be utilized in next-generation thermal optics. LightPath's proprietary BlackDiamond material has been uniquely optimized for multi-spectral use in demanding military applications - including the ability to function in extreme temperatures while in a smaller, lighter form factor - providing a significant advantage over competing product offerings.

08:32 EDT Mega Matrix approves redomicile merger to Cayman Islands - Mega Matrix's stockholders have approved the adoption of the Third Amended and Restated Agreement and Plan of Merger which provides for a redomicile of the company to the Cayman Islands through a merger. Each share of the company's common stock, 0.1c par value per share, acquired prior to the effective date will be converted into the right to receive one Class A ordinary share, par value 0.1c per share of Mega Matrix, an exempted company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands. As a result of the redomicile merger, MPU Cayman will become the parent company of MPU. The company expects the Redomicile Merger to become effective on October 8, and on October 9, MPU Cayman Class A Ordinary Shares will begin trading on the NYSE American under the trading symbol "MPU", the same symbol as the common stock of the company. The CUSIP number for MPU Cayman Class A Ordinary Shares is G6005C 108.

08:32 EDT AudioEye achieves HIPAA compliance and SOC 2 Type II certification - AudioEye announced its successful achievement of both HIPAA compliance and SOC 2 Type II certification. These key milestones reaffirm AudioEye's ongoing dedication to strengthening data protection, security measures, and confidentiality for its customers, particularly those in the healthcare sector and other industries with stringent data protection requirements. Following the successful completion of its SOC 2 Type I examination earlier this year, AudioEye has completed the more rigorous SOC 2 Type II audit, confirming systems are properly designed and safeguarded against threats as the Company operates in the cloud. This certification, conducted by an independent third-party firm, confirms that AudioEye meets the highest standards for security, availability, confidentiality, and privacy.

08:23 EDT Fortis announces new C$26B 5-year capital plan - The company states: "Today the Corporation announced its new 2025-2029 capital plan of $26.0 billion, $1.0 billion higher than the previous five-year plan. The increase is driven by projects associated with the Midcontinent Independent System Operator long-range transmission plan and resiliency investments at ITC, as well as distribution investments largely due to customer growth at FortisAlberta. The five-year capital plan is low-risk and highly executable, with nearly all investments being regulated and 23% relating to major capital projects. Approximately $6.7 billion of the five-year capital plan supports energy transition investments which focus on interconnecting renewables to the grid, renewable, storage and new natural gas investments, and cleaner fuel solutions. Additionally, half of the five-year capital plan enhances and strengthens our infrastructure through system adaptation, hardening, and modernization investments. The balance supports customer growth, cybersecurity and other investments. The Corporation's five-year capital plan is expected to increase midyear rate base from $38.8 billion in 2024 to $53.0 billion by 2029, translating into a five-year compound annual growth rate of 6.5% on a constant foreign exchange basis. The five-year capital plan is expected to be funded primarily by cash from operations and regulated debt. Common equity proceeds are expected to be provided by the Corporation's dividend reinvestment plan, assuming current participation levels. The Corporation's $500 million at-the-market common equity program remains available and provides funding flexibility as required."

08:22 EDT Fortis raises quarterly dividend by 4.2% to C$0.615 per share - The company states: "The common share dividend declared of $0.615 per share represents an approximate 4.2% increase in the quarterly dividend, marking 51 consecutive years of increased dividends. Fortis expects its long-term growth in rate base will drive earnings that support annual dividend growth. The Corporation's annual dividend growth guidance of 4-6% has been extended one year through 2029."

08:20 EDT Kestrel provides update on work completed by Centerra on QCM - Kestrel Gold provided an update on work completed by Centerra Gold on the QCM gold property located in the Manson-Germanson area of central British Columbia. Centerra is currently in the process of earning a 75% interest in QCM by making cash payments totaling $900,000 and completing $6,500,000 in exploration work, which must include a minimum of 13,500 metres of drilling, by May 7th, 2029. Centerra collected 1,245 soil samples from the area of the 14 Vein showing and the Main Zone during May and June. Follow-up soil sampling and prospecting as well as a trial induced polarization geophysical survey over the 14 Vein showing are underway. Current plans are for a reverse circulation drill test of showings and anomalies to commence in early October. Highlights from Centerra's soil sampling program show that the 14 Vein showing, where RC drilling in 2022 returned 2.33 g/t Au over 44.19 metres, is located within the northwest portion of an approximate 1.8 kilometre long by up to 500-metre-wide southeast trending gold soil anomaly. Gold values from within this anomaly range from background to 1870.7 ppb with strongly anomalous gold typically associated with anomalous arsenic. The historically recognized gold in soil anomaly located over Main Zone, where hole 2004-002 returned 2.86 g/t Au over 110.95 metres, was extended approximately 550 metres to the southeast of previous limits. Gold values from the southeast extension range from background to 207 ppb.

08:17 EDT LifeVantage completes human clinical trial with new GLP-1 system - LifeVantage Corporation has completed its randomized, 12-week human clinical trial evaluating the efficacy of its innovative GLP-1 system for weight management. The study was conducted to explore the system's potential to activate GLP-1 in users and support their health goals. The clinical trial, which began in mid-June 2024, involved 60 participants and was designed to assess the impact the innovative two-product system has on weight management, food cravings, and overall well-being, among other factors.

08:16 EDT Cocrystal Pharma advances CDI-988 into Phase 1 MAD cohorts - Cocrystal Pharma announces dosing of the first subjects in the multiple-ascending dose portion of the Phase 1 study with CDI-988, its potent, broad-spectrum, oral pan-viral protease inhibitor. Topline study results are expected in late 2024 or early 2025. CDI-988 was specifically designed and developed using Cocrystal's proprietary structure-based drug discovery platform technology and is being developed as the first-in-class pan-viral antiviral for the treatment of viral gastroenteritis and COVID-19 caused by noroviruses and coronaviruses, respectively. This randomized, double-blind Phase 1 study, which is being conducted at a single center in Australia, is evaluating the safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics of orally administered CDI-988 compared with placebo in healthy adults. In July 2024 Cocrystal reported favorable safety and tolerability results from study participants in the single-ascending dose portion of the trial. All SAD participants completed the study with no reported serious adverse events or severe treatment-emergent adverse events. No clinically significant observations were noted in laboratory assessments, physical exams or electrocardiograms.

08:15 EDT DTE Energy broke ground on three new solar parks in last 4 months - DTE Energy announced that it has broken ground on three new solar parks in the last four months, in response to growing customer support for clean, renewable energy. The Fish Creek and Mission Road solar parks, located in mid-Michigan, and the Little Trout Solar Park, located in northern Michigan, are all funded by customers who voluntarily enrolled in DTE's CleanVision MIGreenPower program.

08:14 EDT INmune announces initial results from Phase I/II trial of INKmune with mCRPC - INmune Bio continues to advance its Natural Killer, NK, cell therapy, INKmune, in a Phase I/II trial for men with metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer, mCRPC. The Company is pleased to announce initial results from the first patient cohort in the trial. Blinded analysis of the monitoring blood samples from the first three patients showed changes in the phenotype and function of the patient's NK cells. Although this is the lowest dose cohort, 2 of 3 patients showed an increase in circulating activated NK cells and all three showed increased NK cell function sustained for more than 40 days after the final INKmune infusion. One patient showed a transient 21% decrease in PSA associated with the increase in NK cell activity and function.

08:14 EDT SaverOne 2014 announces distribution agreement with Motor Supply - SaverOne 2014 has signed a new distribution agreement in the United States with a leading trucking company, Motor Supply. Motor Supply has been granted exclusive rights in 10 U.S. states to sell, install, and support SaverOne's solution. This agreement follows a successful pilot program in February 2024.

08:12 EDT Teledyne introduces next-gen AI-powered BOA3 smart camera - Teledyne DALSA announced its next generation AI-powered BOA3 smart camera for industrial automation and inspection. The new BOA3 smart camera is designed to leverage the best features from previous BOA generations and combine them with new sensor and AI inspection technologies developed by Teledyne. BOA3 is a highly integrated vision system in a compact, rugged smart camera format designed to meet the needs of the most complex, demanding machine vision applications.

08:12 EDT Inozyme presents new data at ASBMR 2024 annual meeting - Inozyme Pharma is presenting four posters at the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research, ASBMR, 2024 Annual Meeting, including new data that demonstrate the progression and impact of rare bone and blood vessel diseases in children. Key findings of the retrospective analysis included: In the 84 patients with ENPP1 Deficiency, cardiovascular complications and arterial calcifications developed early in life, predominately within the first few months. A striking 88% of patients experienced ectopic calcifications, with 81% showing arterial calcification and 66.7% showing aortic calcification. Cardiovascular complications, including hypertension, heart valve defects and heart failure, were noted in 76% of patients. Among the 84-patient cohort, 51 were diagnosed with Generalized Arterial Calcification of Infancy alone and only 19 survived beyond infancy; 22 were diagnosed with GACI, survived beyond infancy and progressed to Autosomal Recessive Hypophosphatemic Rickets Type 2; and 11 patients presented initially with ARHR2. Musculoskeletal complications, including phosphate-wasting rickets, bowed extremities, and pain, were documented in all patients diagnosed with ARHR2, with 45% of ENPP1 Deficiency survivors showing symptoms by age 3 and 75% by age 11. The data highlight that 95% of surviving ENPP1 Deficiency patients are expected to experience cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, and other organ complications, underscoring the lifelong burden of the disease.

08:09 EDT CervoMed to present on neflamapimod as DLB treatment at CTAD - CervoMed will deliver two oral presentations that inform on the potential of neflamapimod as a treatment for patients with dementia with Lewy bodies at the Clinical Trials on Alzheimer's Disease Conference taking place October 29 - November 1, 2024, in Madrid, Spain. "We are delighted that both of our abstracts have been accepted as late-breaking oral presentations at this year's CTAD," said John Alam, MD, CEO of CervoMed. "This recognition by the conference scientific committee, whom we thank, reflects both the urgent need to address the impact of DLB on patients and their families and the importance of the ongoing RewinD-LB Phase 2b study to the dementia clinical research community. The baseline data from RewinD-LB demonstrates the disease burden at study entry is consistent with our expectations when we designed and powered the study. Additionally, the plasma biomarker data indicate that neflamapimod acts on the underlying disease process in DLB. Combined, the findings being reported in the two presentations increase our confidence in the RewinD-LB trial's positive outcome. We look forward to reporting the topline data from RewinD-LB in December of this year."

08:08 EDT SolarBank applies for $1.5M in grants for EV fast charger projects in Canada - SolarBank has submitted $1.5M in grant applications for three fast electric vehicle - EV - charger projects in Ontario, Canada. The projects are owned by AI Renewable 2023 in partnership with a First Nation. These pilot projects represent AI Renewable's first EV charging investments. The applications were submitted as part of the Natural Resources Canada's Zero Emission Vehicle Infrastructure Program. SolarBank's role will be the turnkey developer, asset manager and operations and maintenance provider. The total cost of the Projects is estimated to be $2.3M, and the company is expecting to receive maximum grant funding subject to approval by Natural Resources Canada. The results of the application are expected by January 2025, with development of the Projects expected to reach completion by Q4 2026. Two of the Projects also have grant applications under review by the Ontario government's EV ChargeON program and are expecting to receive the results before the end of the current calendar year.

08:06 EDT Opal Fuels in new fueling station and expanded relationship with GT Carriers - OPAL Fuels announced the opening of its third fueling station in El Centro, CA with GT Carriers Inc., a Southern California regional freight carrier. The El Centro station, which is expected to begin operation in December, is the third station in Southern California that OPAL Fuels has completed for GT Carriers. OPAL Fuels owns these stations and has entered into long-term fuel supply agreements with GT Carriers. These stations expand OPAL Fuels' RNG dispensing network, comprised of over 300 stations across the U.S. The collaboration aligns with OPAL Fuels' mission of "Cleaner, Cheaper, Now," highlighting their commitment to delivering cleaner fuels solutions for heavy-duty fleets by reducing carbon emissions and cutting diesel fuel costs. These stations are strategically located near major Southern California transit routes allowing GT Carriers to efficiently and sustainably transport agricultural products to and from customer locations throughout the southwestern United States.

08:05 EDT InnovAge announces increase share repurchase program by $2.5M - InnovAge Holding announced that its Board of Directors has increased the amount of its common stock that may be repurchased under its share repurchase program, originally approved in June 2024. The increase authorizes the Company to repurchase up to an additional $2.5 million of its common stock, in addition to the $5.0 million originally authorized. Since June 2024, the Company has repurchased a total of 837,372 shares of common stock under the June 2024 authorization, with an aggregate market value of $5.0 million.

08:05 EDT Brera Holdings' FENIX TROPHY tournament begins in Poland - Brera Holdings announced that the Fourth Annual FENIX Trophy tournament, an international sporting event owned by the Company and organized by its Brera FC Milan-based football club, kicked off in Poland on September 21. The tournament, which features European non-professional clubs, each paired with a charity partner recognized for its social, historical, and cultural contributions, opened with a match between Polish team KP Bor and their Serbian guests, FK Miljakovac, at the Miejski Stadium in the town of Oborniki Slaskie. The match, which was won by FK Miljakovac by a score of 1-2, was followed by a post-game reception embodying the spirit of camaraderie inherent to the event.

08:03 EDT Janover launches AI tools for subsidiary Janover Insurance Group - Janover announced the launch of new AI tools to accelerate business development activities within its Insurtech subsidiary, Janover Insurance Group. The new tools include autonomous agents designed to reach out to as well as re-engage the Company's extensive user database, which includes more than 100,000 contacts. The newly introduced features include advanced email and SMS capabilities, boosting the sales team's effectiveness, while delivering a more streamlined, efficient experience for customers. The Company also plans to introduce a significantly more capable outbound AI application in Q4 2024 to actively reach out to and engage with potential insurance clients with large, sophisticated projects.

08:03 EDT IES Holdings appoints John Louis Fouts to board of dircectors - IES Holdings announced the appointment of John Louis Fouts to its Board of Directors, effective September 23, 2024. Fouts has served as the managing member at Fouts Family Investments, a private investment holding company, since 2021

08:02 EDT NaaS announces strategic partnership with IM Motors - NaaS Technology announced a strategic partnership with IM Motors, an electric vehicle joint venture among Alibaba, SAIC Motor, and Zhangjiang Hi-Tech, focused on the design and manufacture of high-end intelligent electric vehicles. This collaboration significantly expands NaaS's automotive ecosystem partnerships, leveraging its extensive nationwide charging network to offer IM Motors customers enhanced service features. This partnership will provide IM Motors customers with access to a broader range of intelligent, efficient, and convenient charging options, while also promoting open sharing within the charging service industry and accelerating the development of new energy vehicles. Under the agreement, both parties will utilize their respective strengths in technology, platforms, and resources to enhance platform interoperability and upgrade charging experience. IM Motors users can leverage their app and in-car charging maps to view real-time information regarding the location, pricing, equipment status, and parking fees of charging stations connected to the NaaS network. With a simple scan, drivers can enjoy a seamless, intelligent service experience featuring interoperable charging stations, plug-and-play capabilities, and one-touch payment solutions. This significantly improves the speed and efficiency of locating charging stations, helping new energy vehicle manufacturers enhance the competitiveness of their charging services and opening up extensive opportunities for both companies to enrich the new energy vehicle ecosystem.

08:02 EDT Bitdeer completes testing of SEAL02 bitcoin mining chip - Bitdeer Technologies announced the testing of its latest Bitcoin mining chip, SEAL02, following tape-out. SEAL02 uses one of the most advanced process nodes in partnership with TSMC, a world-leading semiconductor foundry. An exceptional power efficiency ratio of 13.5 J/TH - while running at low voltage, ultra power-saving mode - was indicated in SEAL02 chip's verification and prototype tests, achieving the power efficiency milestone outlined in the SEALMINER technology roadmap announced in June 2024. SEAL02 will be integrated into the Company's upcoming SEALMINER A2 mining machines, with mass production scheduled to commence in November 2024. Additionally, R&D work on the Company's upcoming chip, SEAL03, is ongoing and the Company's product release milestone is on track.

07:40 EDT DocGo appoints Eiwe Lingefors as Chief Information Officer - DocGo announces Eiwe Lingefors as Chief Information Officer CIO. Lingefors most recently served as the company's Chief Information Security Officer, and will continue in this role as well. In his new role as CIO, Lingefors will lead both DocGo's information security and digital innovation strategy in an evolving cybersecurity landscape. "Eiwe has been a vital part of our team, and his deep expertise in the security landscape has been instrumental in DocGo's operations," said Lee Bienstock, CEO of DocGo. "He has done an excellent job strengthening DocGo's existing cybersecurity practices, and I am confident his leadership will continue to propel our mission forward. This investment in our team is critical to the proactive healthcare revolution, where security and progress go hand in hand to enhance health outcomes."

07:36 EDT 374Water announces operability of AirSCWO tech at Iron Bridge facility - 374Water announced that its supercritical water oxidation technology, AirSCWO, is fully installed and commissioned. The technology is now operating and processing biosolids and other PFAS contaminated wastes at scale within the City of Orlando's Iron Bridge Regional Water Reclamation Facility. The AirSCWO system's integration into Orlando's facility marks the beginning of commercial biosolids processing, showcasing the capability of 374Water's supercritical water oxidation technology to destroy waste efficiently and sustainably. The AirSCWO system is designed to process Orlando's biosolids continuously with a direct connection to plant supplied waste activate sludge while still retaining the capability of processing other waste streams from different sources as well, offering a solution that reduces waste volumes, eliminates harmful contaminants, and supports the City's sustainability goals.

07:34 EDT Lilium debuts Lilium Jet to the U.S. market - Lilium debuting the Lilium Jet, the world's first fully electric jet that can take off and land vertically, to the U.S. market. The Lilium Jet is designed and optimized for regional travel with an aerodynamic shape and ducted electric fans that prioritize efficiency and speed during forward flight. With an anticipated initial operating range of roughly 110 miles, the Lilium Jet will be capable of quickly connecting Houstonians to the broader region, with routes like Houston Hobby Airport to Galveston, Houston Spaceport to College Station, The Woodlands to Galveston, and others.

07:33 EDT iSpecimen secures $1M loan, appoints three board members - iSpecimen has secured a $1M loan agreement and subsequently appointed three new members to its Board of Directors. On September 25, 2024, iSpecimen closed a $1M loan agreement with a lender which carries an interest rate of 18% per annum and is payable within 12 months of issuance. The agreement obligates the lender to provide iSpecimen with a revolving line of credit of up to $1M upon the Company's initial filing of a Registration Statement for a public offering with gross proceeds of at least $5M. Westpark Capital, Inc. served as placement agent. As a condition for the loan, iSpecimen replaced three of five members of its Board of Directors with three new directors designated by the lender. These appointments follow the resignations of Steven Gullans, Theresa Mock, and Elizabeth A. Graham from the Board. Richard Paolone, a Toronto-based securities lawyer with leadership experience at public and private companies, joins the Board alongside Avtar Dhaliwal, a seasoned executive with leadership experience across multiple industries including renewable energy and food. The third new appointee, Katie Field, an experienced executive with a background in strategy consulting, will chair the board.

07:25 EDT Vertex Pharmaceuticals presents vanzacaftor/tezacaftor/deutivacaftor data - Vertex Pharmaceuticals announced the first accepted medical presentations of the Phase 3 data on the investigational once daily vanzacaftor/tezacaftor/deutivacaftor - the potential next-in-class triple combination medicine - will take place at the North American Cystic Fibrosis Conference, or NACFC. Vertex also announced presentations describing long-term outcomes in people with cystic fibrosis ages 2 to 11 years taking Trikafta, demonstrating consistent and sustained improvements across multiple measures of disease. Vertex will present data on the vanza triple in an oral presentation and two posters on Friday, September 27. This is the first time that the clinical data from the Phase 3 clinical trials of the vanza triple in patients six years and older with CF have been accepted for presentation at a medical meeting. These data formed the basis of global regulatory submissions. Vertex will present new data on Trikafta from long-term studies in patients ages 2-11 years old that reinforce the sustained benefit seen in studies in older people with CF. Specifically, that early treatment with Trikafta is associated with sustained improvements in lung function. These new data demonstrate that in these young children, Trikafta could also lead to improved exocrine pancreatic function over time. The data presented at NACFC highlight the safety and tolerability of Trikafta, which were generally consistent with the established safety profile. Vertex will have four poster presentations that include clinical trial and real-world evidence data, three specifically on Trikafta and one showing sustained benefits from Kalydeco, which is approved for treatment in the youngest ages.

07:18 EDT Stevanato Group enters strategic industry alliance - Stevanato Group together with Gerresheimer and Schott Pharma, announced that they have entered into a strategic industry alliance to support market adoption of ready-to-use, or RTU, vials and cartridges.

07:16 EDT Integral Ad Science expands misinformation brand safety product to YouTube - Integral Ad Science will now offer its misinformation brand safety and suitability reporting for advertisers running campaigns across YouTube ad inventory. IAS can now detect content across YouTube that it identifies as misinformation enabling advertisers to further verify the safety & suitability of their digital media investments on YouTube. IAS's Total Media Quality product suite provides third-party assurance that advertisers' campaigns are running adjacent to brand safe and suitable content. IAS's misinformation measurement delivers independent verification, complementary to YouTube's own policies and procedures.

07:14 EDT White Gold encounters gold in host rocks at Chris Creek target - White Gold (WHGOF) announced that surface rock sampling has encountered gold with associated anomalous silver and tellurium in altered and mineralized intrusive rocks over a 1.25 km section of the 2.2 km Chris Creek target, a recently discovered gold-in-soil anomaly on its QV property. The Chris Creek target is located approximately 9 km northwest of the VG deposit and appears to be similar in character to the VG and Golden Saddle deposits which form part of the Company's flagship White Gold Project. The White Gold Project is located in west-central Yukon, Canada, and comprises 16 million tonnes averaging 2.23 g/t Au for 1,152,900 ounces of gold in the Indicated Resource category and 19 million tonnes averaging 1.54 g/t Au for 942,400 ounces of gold in the Inferred Resource category. These new results form part of the Company's 2024 exploration program on its extensive and underexplored land package in the emerging White Gold District, Yukon, supported by strategic partners including Agnico Eagle Mines Limited (AEM) and Kinross Gold Corporation (KGC). Highlights The surface expression of the Chris Creek gold-in-soil anomaly strikes east-northeast, measures 350 m wide x 2.2 km long, and is open along strike to the west and to the east and includes some of the highest gold in soil values encountered to date. The anomaly displays clear multi-element geochemical zonation, with gold, tellurium, and silver. Gold within favourably altered and mineralized intrusive rocks was encountered in multiple samples along the Chris Creek target. All surface rock samples returned anomalous gold including up to 1.06 and 1.09 g/t Au over a 1.25 km section of the gold-in-soil anomaly. Rock samples collected suggest strong continuity of the Chris Creek soil anomaly which appears to be underlain by a broad, gold bearing variably altered, brittle fractured, silica flooded monzogranite. The Chris Creek target forms part of a larger property-scale mineralized system on the QV property which measures 5.2km in strike, with multiple other prospective targets which have not been drill tested. A maiden diamond drilling program at the target has been executed, testing an approximately 400 m strike length of the target with results to be released in due course.

07:12 EDT Laser Photonics & Brokk team on laser-powered robotic in Australia - Laser Photonics and Brokk, a leading provider of remote-controlled robotic machines for construction, tunneling, mining and process customers, announce the expansion of their technology partnership for collaboration in Australia. Under the agreement, LPC and Brokk Australia plan to bring laser cleaning and cutting technology to the mining, tunneling, construction, metal processing, and military ecosystems in Australia, New Zealand and throughout the Asia-Pacific region. With their combined experience, LPC and Brokk Australia will apply their joint expertise to revolutionize the way contractors work while addressing the challenges of labor shortages and worker safety..."Laser Photonics is excited to expand our presence overseas with Brokk Australia," said Wayne Tupuola, CEO of LPC. "Our laser systems complement Brokk's robotic machinery in handling challenging tasks, and we are proud to take our relationship further and collaborate abroad. We look forward to working together and providing Brokk equipment operators worldwide with advanced laser technology." "

07:11 EDT Tilray's Shock Top Company introduces LiiT Hard Iced Tea - The Shock Top Company, a subsidiary of Tilray Brands, introduces its latest innovation: Shock Top LiiT Hard Iced Tea. With a robust 9% alcohol content by volume, this hard iced tea is designed to keep the good times rolling, even as the days get shorter.

07:09 EDT Marex Group, Key Carbon announce carbon financing, investment - Key Carbon and Marex Group announce a partnership whereby Marex will take a minority stake in Key Carbon and provide financing for carefully-sourced offset projects. Key Carbon sources and finances carbon credit projects and provides ongoing governance, monitoring and operational support to ensure its projects are held to the highest quality and integrity standards. The funding from Marex will predominantly be used to help finance the production and distribution of low-emission, affordable cookstoves within Africa through the project developer Global Cookstoves, Key Carbon's joint venture with BURN Manufacturing. This partnership will allow Marex to gain access to a wider carbon client base as well as streams of carbon credits, as it seeks to grow its environmental business and support clients as they transition to a low carbon economy.

07:09 EDT Southwest says 'ushering in a new era' - "We're now ushering in a new era at Southwest, moving swiftly and deliberately to transform the Company by elevating the Customer Experience, improving financial performance, and driving sustainable Shareholder value," said Bob Jordan, President, CEO, and Vice Chairman of the Board. Southwest's transformation is guided by data-driven research of travelers' changing needs and expectations. Southwest's evolution will provide even more choices for its Customers and preserve aspects of the business that make the airline unique among its competitors: Southwest will broaden its consumer appeal and boost demand through an assigned seating model. Airline passengers now have a clear preference for seat assignments: 80 percent of Southwest Customers and 86 percent of passengers who choose other airlines want assigned seats. The Company expects to begin selling assigned seats in the second half of 2025, with its first flights operating with the new model in the first half of 2026.

07:08 EDT TFF Pharmaceuticals announces preclinical data published on TFF technology - TFF Pharmaceuticals, announces positive preclinical data published in the Journal of Drug Delivery Science and Technology further validating the Company's TFF technology as superior approach to formulate dry powders for pulmonary drug delivery. The study demonstrates the superiority of TFF inhalational dry powders over jet-milling and spray-drying technologies in a rat model, with enhanced uniform drug distribution in the lungs, lower airway-to-lung distribution ratio, and rapid disaggregation of particles of the TFF powder and subsequent particle movement of the resulting TFF nanoaggregates.

07:07 EDT Southwest sees ROIC of 15% or greater, well above WACC in 2027 - The company's three-year financial plan is expected to support its long-term targets for sustainable profitability: Approximately $4B in cumulative incremental run rate EBIT contribution in 2027; ROIC of 15% or greater, well above WACC in 2027. Key elements of Southwest's financial plan include: The Company's multi-year plan is expected to deliver an estimated $500 million run rate of cost savings in 2027, by minimizing hiring, optimizing scheduling efficiency, capitalizing on supply chain opportunities, and improving corporate efficiency. Southwest is pursuing opportunities to monetize the value of its fleet order book and drive a significant fleet modernization, with the goal of achieving an average fleet age of just five years in 2031. The Company's fleet strategy is expected to reduce average aircraft capital expenditures to approximately $500 million through 2027. Southwest is balancing its capital allocation priorities to minimize capital expenditures on aircraft, continue investing in infrastructure that optimizes operations, and manage debt to preserve the airline's investment-grade balance sheet, all while returning capital to Shareholders through dividends and share repurchases. The Board of Directors today approved a $2.5 billion share repurchase program, reflecting the Board's confidence in the strategic plan and new revenue-generating initiatives, and in management's ability to execute. Southwest is focusing on operational efficiencies to mitigate cost pressures and modernize processes. These efforts are signed to fund nearly all new capacity growth over the next three years without incremental aircraft capital deployment: In February 2025, Southwest expects to begin offering redeye flying in key markets to maximize aircraft utilization. The airline is aiming to further reduce the time it takes to turn an aircraft, which is intended to increase its aircraft productivity, while making day-to-day processes easier for Employees.

07:07 EDT AstraZeneca's Tagrisso gets US approval for patients with EGFRm NSLC - AstraZeneca's TAGRISSO or osimertinib, has been approved in the US for the treatment of adult patients with unresectable, Stage III epidermal growth factor receptor-mutated or EGFRm, non-small cell lung cancer NSCLC whose disease has not progressed during or following concurrent or sequential platinum-based chemoradiation therapy or CRT. TAGRISSO is indicated for patients with exon 19 deletions or exon 21 , L858R, mutations, as detected by a FDA-approved test. The approval follows a Priority Review by the Food and Drug Administration that was based on results from the LAURA Phase III trial, which were presented during the Plenary Session at the 2024 American Society of Clinical Oncology ASCO Annual Meeting and simultaneously published in The New England Journal of Medicine... Overall survival results remain immature at this current analysis. The trial continues to assess OS as a secondary endpoint. ..Suresh Ramalingam, MD, Executive Director of Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University, Atlanta, US, and principal investigator in the trial, said: "This approval represents a major breakthrough for patients with Stage III, EGFR-mutated lung cancer who will now have the opportunity to benefit from osimertinib. Patients treated with osimertinib lived without disease progression by more than three years in the LAURA trial, and this impressive benefit underscores the importance of diagnosing and testing lung cancer patients as early as possible."

07:06 EDT Pasithea Therapeutics announces initial data from Phase 1 trial of PAS-004 - Pasithea Therapeutics announced safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetic and preliminary efficacy data from the first 2 cohorts of patients in its Phase 1 clinical trial of PAS-004, being conducted at four clinical sites in the United States. The Phase 1 clinical trial is a multi-center, open-label, dose escalation 3+3 study design to evaluate the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamic, and preliminary efficacy of PAS-004 in patients with MAPK pathway driven advanced solid tumors with a documented RAS, NF1 or RAF mutation or patients who have failed BRAF/MEK inhibition. Pharmacokinetics: Plasma exposure increased with an increase in dose and linear PK is observed; Long half-life of approximately 70 hours will allow for once daily dosing or longer intervals; Prolonged systemic exposure with minimal fluctuation in PAS-004 plasma concentration at steady state indicates a potential to achieve constant target inhibition. Safety: No treatment-related adverse events or dose limiting toxicities observed to date

07:05 EDT Sage Therapeutics announces discontinuation of SAGE-324 pact with Biogen - Sage Therapeutics (SAGE) announced that Biogen (BIIB) has terminated its rights under the collaboration and license agreement with Sage specific to the SAGE-324 program. The companies recently announced negative results from the Phase 2 KINETIC 2 Study of investigational SAGE-324 for the chronic treatment of essential tremor, or ET, and discontinued further clinical development of SAGE-324 in ET. Sage and Biogen will continue to partner on Zurzuvae the first and only FDA-approved oral treatment for women with postpartum depression, or PPD, and will continue to work on their shared vision to help women suffering from PPD. Under the terms of the collaboration and license agreement, the termination will be effective on February 17, 2025, and Sage will resume full ownership of the SAGE-324 asset at that time. Sage plans to continue to evaluate other potential indications, if any, for SAGE-324.

07:03 EDT Mural Oncology to host first virtual Investor Day - Mural Oncology will host a virtual Investor Day today beginning at 10 a.m. ET. Mural leadership will provide new clinical insight into the trial design, statistical assumptions, and progress of the company's late-stage trials of nemvaleukin. "Mural has the most advanced IL-2 program currently in development and we have made significant progress this year. We have a great deal of conviction around nemvaleukin, which is engineered to unlock the efficacy potential of high dose IL-2 for more patients, and we are pleased to share more details around our study designs and assumptions during today's Investor Day," said Caroline Loew, Ph.D., CEO of Mural Oncology. "There has also been significant interest in our IL-18 program and we announced today that we plan to submit an IND to the FDA for this program in Q4 2025. Together we believe these programs have the potential to be the next wave of much needed treatment options for cancer patients."

07:03 EDT BlackRock to invest $1B per year in select opportunities with Santander - BlackRock (BLK) and Santander (SAN) announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding, or MoU, by which funds and accounts managed by BlackRock will invest up to $1B per year in select project finance, energy finance, and infrastructure debt investment opportunities with Santander through structured transaction formats. The agreement follows an initial transaction whereby funds and accounts managed by BlackRock agreed to provide financing on a $600M diversified portfolio of infrastructure credit from Santander.

07:02 EDT Surge Copper completes 2024 field Program at Berg, Ootsa projects - Surge Copper announced the completion of its 2024 field program at its 100%-owned Berg and Ootsa copper-molybdenum-precious metals projects located in central British Columbia. Field crews have now been demobilized, and with the conclusion of physical operations, the Company is ramping down associated expenditures as it transitions into the data analysis and reporting phase. 2024 Field Program Highlights: Completed a total of 13 diamond drill holes for 5,054 metres: At the Berg Project, 10 holes were drilled for a total of 3,707 metres within the main Berg deposit, with an additional 450-metre hole testing the Berg SW exploration target. At the Ootsa Project, two holes were drilled for a total of 897 metres, targeting the copper-gold porphyry zone discovered in 2022, northeast of the Seel deposit. All 10 holes at the Berg deposit are expected to support resource definition and conversion of Inferred resources to higher confidence categories. Six of the Berg deposit holes underwent downhole geotechnical testing, including Packer tests, piezometer installations, and televiewer surveys, supporting pre-feasibility mining studies. Core samples will also undergo geochemical analysis and acid-base accounting test work during the winter, supporting ARD/ML environmental baseline and pre-feasibility studies on waste rock management. An environmental baseline data collection program was initiated across the project area to bolster previously completed database efforts. A pre-feasibility level metallurgy program is ongoing and slated for completion in early 2025. Assay results from all drill holes will be released once data are received, verified, and interpreted.

07:01 EDT Freightos adds Hainan Airlines to WebCargo digital air cargo booking platform - Freightos announced the addition of Hainan Airlines (HNA Cargo), a top five airline in China, to its leading WebCargo digital air cargo booking and payment platform. This collaboration marks a significant expansion of capacity available for forwarders on the platform in Asia Pacific and Europe. Additionally, WebCargo's digital payment solution now supports transactions with HNA Cargo, enabling forwarders to seamlessly book and pay for shipments through a single interface.

06:58 EDT Southwest now sees Q3 RASM up 2%-3% vs. prior view flat to down 2% - Still sees Q3 ASMs up 2% y/y, with CASM-x up 11%-13% y/y.

06:56 EDT Aecom awarded contract to support LA Metro's transition to zero emission buses - Aecom announced it has been awarded a contract to provide program management, design and engineering services to support the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority's ambitious goal of transitioning its bus fleet to Zero Emission Buses. As one of the largest electric bus programs in the nation, this initiative with support from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, will emphasize reduced greenhouse gas emissions and improved air quality while delivering high-quality services for Los Angeles County's residents and visitors. In this role, Aecom will provide ZEB and charging infrastructure conceptual design, specification, and procurement support. In addition, the firm will advise on implementation strategies that ensure a seamless and successful transition to zero-emission operations.

06:47 EDT Merck to present new long-term data for tulisokibart (MK-7240) - Merck announced that new data highlighting the long-term efficacy and safety of tulisokibart (MK-7240), an investigational humanized monoclonal antibody directed to a novel target, tumor necrosis factor-like cytokine 1A, in ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease will be presented at the United European Gastroenterology Week 2024 Congress in Vienna, Austria. Long-term efficacy and safety data for tulisokibart from the open-label extension period of the Phase 2 ARTEMIS-UC and APOLLO-CD studies will be featured in two oral presentations. In both studies, at week 50, maintenance of treatment efficacy was generally observed in 12-week induction responders. The observed safety profile in the study extensions was consistent with previously reported data.

06:43 EDT Accenture raises quarterly dividend 15% to $1.48 per share - Accenture plc has declared a quarterly cash dividend of $1.48 per share for shareholders of record at the close of business on October 10, 2024. This dividend, which is payable on November 15, 2024, represents a 15% increase over the company's previous quarterly dividend.

06:42 EDT Accenture sees Q1 revenue $16.85B-$17.45B, consensus $16.94B - Or an increase of 2% to 6% in local currency, reflecting the company's assumption of an approximately positive 1.5% foreign-exchange impact compared with the first quarter of fiscal 2024.

06:32 EDT Clean Energy to build first private CNG fueling station for Houston METRO - Clean Energy Fuels has announced a new agreement with the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, the region's largest public transport provider, to build the agency's first private compressed natural gas fueling station. The new state-of-the-art facility will be the first of its kind and will exclusively serve up to 120 of METRO's newest natural gas-powered transit buses operating busy routes throughout Houston and beyond. Under the new agreement, Clean Energy will design and build the new station, upgrade the current site's bays, and provide operations and maintenance services for the station that is expected to consume 2M gallons of CNG annually, when it is completed and fully operational. The new station is set to play a crucial role in METRO's efforts to reduce nitrogen oxide and carbon emissions by helping the agency meet its commitment of running fleet vehicles on zero emissions fuels by 2030. By transitioning to CNG, the transit fleet will be able to achieve a 90% reduction in NOx and tailpipe emissions, contributing to cleaner air in areas where the buses operate.

06:06 EDT Centessa presents preclinical Data for ORX142 in excessive daytime sleepiness - Centessa Pharmaceuticals shared new preclinical data from non-human primate - NHP - studies of ORX142, an investigational, novel, orexin receptor 2, or OX2R, agonist being advanced for the treatment of excessive daytime sleepiness - EDS - in select neurological, neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders. ORX142 is the second drug candidate from the company's growing pipeline of OX2R agonists and is in IND-enabling studies. The preclinical data were featured in a late-breaking poster presentation at the 27th Congress of the European Sleep Research Society in Seville. ORX142 potently activated the human OX2R with an EC50 of 0.069 nM and greater than 13,000-fold selective over the human orexin receptor. Oral administration of ORX142 showed significant activity at the lowest dose tested, which was 0.03 mg/kg. ORX142 induced sustained increases in wakefulness that suppressed NREM and REM sleep at the lowest dose tested. Wakefulness induced by ORX142 was associated with normal physiological arousal and EEG power spectra signatures of enhanced alertness and attention. No significant pharmacological activity was observed in GPCR selectivity and in vitro safety panels.

06:03 EDT Enanta's EDP-323 meets Phase 2a endpoints in respiratory syncytial virus - Enanta Pharmaceuticals announced positive topline results from a Phase 2a human challenge study of EDP-323 in healthy adults infected with respiratory syncytial virus - RSV -. These data demonstrated that EDP-323 was generally safe and well-tolerated and achieved an 85-87% reduction in viral load area under the curve - AUC - by qRT-PCR, a 97-98% reduction in infectious viral load AUC by viral culture, and a 66-78% reduction of total clinical symptoms score AUC vs. placebo. EDP-323, which received Fast Track designation from the FDA, is a novel L-protein inhibitor in development as a once-daily oral treatment for RSV. EDP-323 demonstrated a rapid and sustained antiviral effect. EDP-323 demonstrated favorable pharmacokinetics, supportive of once-daily dosing. Overall, EDP-323 demonstrated a favorable safety profile over a 5-day dosing period and through 28 days of follow-up. Adverse events were similar between EDP-323 dosing groups and placebo. There were no serious adverse events, no severe adverse events, and no adverse events leading to treatment discontinuation or study withdrawal.

06:01 EDT Lulu's Fashion Lounge announces strategic collaboration with Dillard's - Lulu's Fashion Lounge (LVLU) announced a strategic collaboration with Dillard's (DDS). This marks a significant milestone in Lulus' wholesale strategy, aimed at reaching new audiences and expanding the brand's distribution footprint across key markets. As part of this collaboration, Lulus will bring its latest collections to more than 30 Dillard's stores nationwide, offering a selection of special occasion and event apparel that reflects the brand's commitment to style, quality and attainable luxury. This collaboration not only enhances Lulus' presence in the retail space but also provides Dillard's customers with access to the brand's unapologetically feminine designs and quality craftsmanship. Lulus also has plans to introduce an expanded Prom collection at Dillard's in early 2025, further strengthening the brand's presence in the special occasion wear market.

05:20 EDT Faraday Future appoints Koti Meka as CFO - Faraday Future announced personnel changes. On September 17, the board of directors of the company appointed Koti Meka as the company's CFO and principal financial officer, effective September 23. In his new position, Meka will oversee FF's accounting and finance business units and report directly to Matthias Aydt, FF's Global CEO. In addition, the company recently announced that Aaron Ma has been appointed as the acting head of EV R&D, effective August 20. In this new role, Ma will oversee the FF Global EV R&D business and will also report directly to Aydt. Meka served as the company's acting head of finance operations since November 2023. Meka replaces Jonathan Maroko, interim CFO of the company, who resigned effective September 20. Maroko will continue to work with the company as a consultant.

05:03 EDT Chesapeake, Southwestern Energy announce expiration of HSR Act waiting period - Chesapeake (CHK) and Southwestern Energy (SWN) announced the waiting period in connection with the companies' pending combination under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, or HSR Act, has expired. The companies expect the merger to close in the first week of October. Upon closing, the combined company will be the largest natural gas producer in the U.S. and assume the name Expand Energy Corporation. It will commence public trading on the Nasdaq under the ticker symbol (EXE) at the open of trading the day after closing.