Stockwinners Market Radar for December 17, 2024 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

21:19 EST Perfect Moment discloses NYSE notice of listing non-compliance - Perfect Moment received a notification from the NYSE American LLC stating that the Company is not in compliance with the minimum stockholders' equity requirements of Sections 1003(a)(ii) of the NYSE American Company Guide requiring stockholders' equity of $4.0 million or more if the Company has reported losses from continuing operations and/or net losses in three of the four most recent fiscal years. As of September 30, 2024, the company had stockholders' equity of $2.7 million and has had losses in its three most recent fiscal years ended March 31, 2024. The Company intends to submit a plan to regain compliance with NYSE American listing standards.

20:10 EST Cathie Wood's ARK Investment bought 317.6K shares of Tempus AI today

19:50 EST MMTec Inc trading halted, news pending

18:49 EST CommScope announces strategic refinancing with first-lien lenders - The company states: "CommScope announced the closing of a comprehensive refinancing with its first-lien secured lenders. The Transaction will enable CommScope to address its upcoming 2025 and 2026 debt maturities and position the Company for future success. As part of the Transaction, CommScope entered into new agreements with a group of its existing first-lien lenders, including funds managed by Apollo and Monarch Alternative Capital, including a new $3.15B first-lien term loan, maturing in 2029, and $1B in first-lien notes, maturing in 2031. Proceeds from the New First-Lien Debt will enable the Company to fully repay its senior unsecured notes due 2025 and its existing senior secured term loan facility. Expected proceeds from the previously announced sale of the Company's Outdoor Wireless Networks segment as well as the Distributed Antenna Systems business units to Amphenol Corporation for $2.1B, which is expected to close in Q1 2025, will be used to fully repay the Company's senior secured notes due 2026, and provide a ratable redemption or other repayment of a portion of the Company's senior secured notes due 2029. Following the use of net proceeds from the closing of the OWN and DAS asset sale, which is expected in Q1 2025, the Company anticipates meeting the conditions for the first term loan rate step down as part of the Transaction."

17:40 EST NetEase game 'Marvel Rivals' reaches 20M players in under two weeks - NetEase (NTES) said its latest free-to-play multiplayer title "Marvel Rivals" has crossed the 20M player threshold in less than two weeks of availability. The game is available on PC, Xbox Series X/S (MSFT), and PlayStation 5 (SONY). Reference Link

17:21 EST Lockheed Martin awarded $132.98M Navy delivery order - Lockheed Martin was awarded $132.98M for a firm-fixed-price delivery order, under previously awarded contract for the procurement of 128 main rotor blade assemblies in support of the CH-53K aircraft. This contract contains no options. All work will be performed in Stratford, Connecticut and work is expected to be completed by October 2032. Annual working capital funds in the amount of $58.03M; and Foreign Military Sales customer funds in the amount of $7.13M will be obligated at the time of award, and funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. One company was solicited for this sole-source requirement pursuant to the authority set forth in 10 U.S. Code 3204 (a)(1), with one offer received. Naval Supply Systems Command Weapon Systems Support is the contracting activity.

17:19 EST Hansa Biopharma-s imlifidase shows positive results in Phase 2 study of GBS - Hansa Biopharma announced positive full results from the 15-HMedIdeS-09 single arm Phase 2 study of imlifidase, a first in class IgG cleaving enzyme, in Guillain-Barre Syndrome, or GBS, and an indirect treatment comparison of the 15-HMedIdeS-09 study data to the International Guillain-Barre Syndrome Outcome Study - IGOS, a worldwide prospective study by the Inflammatory Neuropathy Consortium on prognosis and biomarkers of GBS. Data from the 15-HMedIdeS-09 study demonstrated that severe GBS patients treated with a single dose of imlifidase plus intravenous immunoglobulin had rapid overall improvement in functional status including expedited recovery of muscle strength, fast return to independently walking, and a median time to independently walk by 16 days. Patients in the 15-HMedIdeS-09 study treated with imlifidase plus IVIg returned to independently walking 6 weeks sooner vs. severe GBS patients in the IGOS real-world comparator group treated with IVIg. Additionally, patients in the 15-HMedIdeS-09 study experienced statistically significant improvement across several clinically meaningful measures at multiple time points vs. the IGOS real-world comparator group including 6.4 times more likely at week 1, and 4.2 times more likely at week 4 to walk independently.

17:16 EST Warner Bros. Discovery CEO Zaslav sells over $30M in shares - The CEO of Warner Bros Discovery David Zaslav disclosed the sale of 2,564,000 shares of company stock on Decemebr 16, at $11.73 per share for a total transaction amount of $30,075,720.

17:07 EST Seadrill announces Brazil contract award of $498M for West Tellus - Seadrill "announced the ultra-deepwater drillship, West Tellus, was awarded a 1,095-day contract for the Sepia and Atapu fields in the Santos Basin, offshore Brazil, following a competitive tender process. The contract, awarded by Petrobras, will contribute approximately $498 million to Seadrill's order backlog, including additional services and excluding a mobilization fee of $41 million. The program is expected to commence in the first quarter of 2026 and includes an optional period of up to 305 additional days. Petrobras holds a 65.7% stake in the shared Atapu field, a 55.3% stake in the shared Sepia field and is the Operator in both areas."

17:02 EST Seadrill's West Jupiter drillship awarded contract in Brazil - Seadrill announced the ultra-deepwater drillship, West Jupiter, was awarded a 1,095-day contract in Brazil following a competitive tender process. The contract, awarded by Petrobras, will contribute approximately $493M to Seadrill's order backlog, including additional services and excluding a mobilization fee of $31.5M. The program is expected to commence in Q1 2026.

16:53 EST Four Corners Property Trust acquires City Barbeque property for $2.6M - Four Corners Property announces the acquisition of a City Barbeque property for $2.6 million. City Barbeque is a 25-year-old fast casual barbeque concept with approximately 75 units primarily serving the Southeast and Midwest. The property is under a long-term, triple net corporate lease with approximately 11 years of term remaining. The transaction was priced at a cap rate in range with previous FCPT transactions.

16:42 EST Nixxy announces CEO Granger Whitelaw resigns from his positions - On December 12, Granger Whitelaw resigned from his positions as member of the Board of Directors of Nixxy effective immediately, and as Chief Executive Officer of the Company, effective December 31. Mr. Whitelaw's resignation was not due to any disagreement with the Company. The Company is in the active process of finding Mr. Whitelaw's replacement. Reference Link

16:37 EST United Therapeutics President Michael Benkowitz sells $3.7M in shares - United Therapeutics' President Michael Benkowitz disclosed the sale of 10,000 shares of company stock at $370.14 per share on December 16, for a total transaction amount of $3,701,377.

16:32 EST Fulton Financial announces $125M stock repurchase program - Fulton also announced that the board approved the repurchase of shares of Fulton's common stock and other securities in an aggregate principal amount not to exceed $125M commencing on January 1, 2025, and expiring on December 31, 2025. Under the 2025 Program, up to $25M may be used to repurchase shares of Fulton's preferred stock.

16:31 EST Bullfrog AI names Josh Blacher CFO - BullFrog AI Holdings announced the appointment of Josh Blacher as its Chief Financial Officer, effective immediately. This appointment comes in the wake of the untimely passing of Dane Saglio, BullFrog AI's former CFO, who recently lost his battle with cancer. "Dane's contributions to BullFrog AI were immeasurable. Beyond his exceptional expertise and dedication, Dane was a trusted advisor and a cherished friend. His wisdom, humility, and steadfast commitment to our mission will be deeply missed," said Vin Singh, CEO of BullFrog AI. "At the same time, we are grateful to welcome Josh to our team at this pivotal moment. Josh's extensive experience and leadership in financial strategy and corporate governance will be invaluable as we carry forward Dane's legacy and advance our mission to revolutionize drug development." Blacher, with more than two decades of experience in strategic finance and corporate development for life science and biotech companies, brings to BullFrog AI a proven track record in financial stewardship, capital raising, operations and profitability, and deal making. He has successfully overseen SEC reporting and investor relations for both private and publicly traded companies. Most recently, he has served as CFO for Predictive Oncology, Rampart Bioscience, Excision BioTherapeutics, and has previously held senior roles at Teva Pharmaceuticals, among others. Mr. Blacher earned his BA in Economics from Yeshiva University and an MBA in Finance from Columbia Business School.

16:22 EST Applied Digital announces Ellendale HPC data center development milestone - Applied Digital announced a major milestone in the development of its purpose-built HPC data center in Ellendale, N.D., with the successful energization of its on-site main substation transformer. This milestone signals the facility's progression into the next stage of its build-out, setting the foundation for a data center capable of supporting cutting-edge AI and high-performance computing. The energization of the on-site main substation transformer marks a critical step toward bringing the Ellendale HPC campus fully online. This milestone was celebrated at an event that brought together key partners and stakeholders who have been instrumental in the project's development. Participants included representatives from Applied Digital, utility provider Montana-Dakota Utilities MDU , and members of the Ellendale community, including Mayor Don Flaherty...The partnership between Applied Digital and the City of Ellendale was recently recognized with the CommunityImpact award at the 18th Annual Data Center Dynamics Awards, underscoring the Company's unwavering commitment to the Ellendale community.

16:17 EST Danimer Scientific issues super senior secure promissory note - Danimer Scientific announced that the Company issued a super senior secured promissory note in an aggregate principal amount of $11,250,000 to certain lenders under its existing term loan financing agreement, as well as certain additional lenders. The Secured Loan provides for $11,250,000 gross proceeds, less fees and expenses. The Secured Loan has a two-year maturity and accrues interest at 15.0% per annum, which interest is payable in kind. The Secured Loan provides liquidity and strengthens the Company's balance sheet as it remains focused on providing its customers with its innovative polyhydroxyalkanoate and polylactic acid products, which are used in the creation of biodegradable plastics alternatives. "Our world-class science and cutting-edge innovations in bioplastics have positioned us at the forefront creating sustainable and biodegradable plastic alternatives. We continue to work with our customers to launch the recently reported significant cutlery award that is progressing well, and we anticipate reaching the full annual run rate in mid-2025. Consistent with our end customer's ramp plan, we have received orders for over 365,000 pounds of cutlery resin and film resin to date," said Richard N. Altice, Interim Chief Executive Officer of Danimer. "We look forward to working with our lenders and other stakeholders and staying focused on ramping up our production and combatting non-degradable plastics waste."

16:16 EST TechnipFMC awarded substantial subsea contract from Shell - TechnipFMC (FTI) has been awarded a substantial contract by Shell (SHEL) Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Limited to supply Subsea 2.0 production systems for the Bonga North development in Nigeria. The contract covers the design and manufacture of subsea tree systems, manifolds, jumpers, controls, and services. Jonathan Landes, President, Subsea at TechnipFMC, commented: "Shell was the first to adopt our Subsea 2.0 configure-to-order solution, and continues to deploy it across multiple basins-underscoring its commitment to the technology globally. This award further positions us for future deepwater opportunities in the region." For TechnipFMC, a "substantial" contract is between $250M and $500M. This award will be included in inbound orders in the fourth quarter of 2024.

16:15 EST Mondelez moves to AWS to advance digital and growth strategy - Mondelez International has entered a strategic partnership with Amazon Web Services, AWS, to enhance digital innovation across the company. Mondelez has designated AWS as its strategic cloud provider and has already migrated hundreds of workloads. Leveraging AWS's industry leading cloud infrastructure and services, Mondelez will achieve greater security, agility, and reliability for its operations including migrating its ERP landscape to SAP RISE powered by AWS. "A key focus of our growth strategy is our digital transformation," said Kostas Georgakopoulos, Chief Technology Officer, and Chief Information Security Officer at Mondelez. "AWS is a strategic partner complementing our own internal Cloud Platform Engineering capabilities to lead digital transformation across the Enterprise."

16:13 EST Origin Materials announces transition to single CEO structure - Origin Materials "announced that Origin Co-Founder and Co-CEO John Bissell will serve as CEO effective December 31. Rich Riley will step down from his role as Co-CEO and from the Origin Board, effective December 31, and will remain at the company in an advisory role through the end of 2025 to ensure a smooth and successful transition. Effective December 31, Origin CFO Matt Plavan will take on the additional role of Chief Operating Officer. Riley, who joined Origin as Co-CEO in 2020, helped steer the company's commercial efforts and go-to-market strategy. Riley has been an advisor to and investor in Origin since 2010."

16:10 EST Canadian Pacific Kansas City completes second span of international rail bridge - Canadian Pacific Kansas City has completed construction of the new international railway bridge span over the Rio Grande from Laredo, Texas, to Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas. Kansas City Southern broke ground on the project in late 2022. Built to accommodate growing trade between the U.S. and its largest trading partner, Mexico, the $100M rail bridge now will be known as the Patrick J. Ottensmeyer International Railway Bridge, after the last president and chief executive officer of KCS, Patrick Ottensmeyer, who passed away in July. The Ottensmeyer bridge is the only railroad bridge crossing the Rio Grande River linking Laredo and Nuevo Laredo across the international border. The U.S. Presidential Permit for construction of the new bridge span was received in July 2020.

16:07 EST Post Holdings to aAcquire Potato Products of Idaho - Post Holdings has agreed to acquire Potato Products of Idaho. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed. PPI is a manufacturer and packager of refrigerated and frozen potato products. The acquisition includes a manufacturing facility in Rigby, Idaho. The acquisition is expected to be completed in calendar Q1 2025, Post's Q2 of FY25, subject to customary closing conditions.

16:00 EST NeuroMetrix trading halted, news pending

15:55 EST Linde chief HR officer Strauss sells 2,218 ordinary shares - In a regulatory filing, Linde chief HR officer David Strauss disclosed the sale of 2,218 ordinary shares of the company on December 16 at a price of $434.35 per share.

15:24 EST Pulte Family Office calls on Virtu Financial to sell itself - The Pulte Family Office, a current activist shareholder in Virtu Financial, is calling upon Virtu Financial to sell itself to either a third-party private equity firm or to another public company. William J. Pulte, Chairman of The Pulte Family Office, stated: "After significant review and attempts to work with management constructively, it appears to us that current CEO Doug Cifu is not focused on building a materially bigger business and spends precious time tweeting on items not related to the core operations of the company. As such, it now makes sense to put the Company in the hands of professional owners. We strongly encourage the Board of Directors of Virtu Financial to pursue strategic alternatives, including but not limited to selling themselves to an owner who can unlock the true potential of Virtu. We predict that if change is not made soon, Virtu Financial will and should be sold. We stand ready to help usher in the change for a new generation of Virtu Financial. If the company does not elect to explore a sale, we may be forced to bring forth a proxy contest or other actions as appropriate, legal, and necessary."

15:11 EST Disney, BBC announce first-ever 'Bluey' animated feature film - BBC Studios and The Walt Disney Company announced the first-ever animated feature film for Bluey, the beloved Emmy and BAFTA Award-winning animated series that is 2024's No. 1 series on streaming. The new deal sees Disney acquiring the global theatrical rights for the film, which will land in cinemas in 2027 under the Disney banner. Following the global theatrical release, it will stream on Disney+. Written and directed by Bluey creator Joe Brumm, the film is a Ludo Studio production in collaboration with BBC Studios. Delivering the same charm and humor that made the television series a global phenomenon, the movie will continue the adventures of Bluey, a loveable, inexhaustible, blue heeler dog, who lives with her Mum, Dad and her little sister, Bingo. Reference Link

15:04 EST CAR petitions FCC for 'strict conditions' on proposed Paramouont owner transfer - The Center for American Rights announced it has filed a petition with the Federal Communications Commission calling for "strict conditions" on the proposed ownership transfer involving Skydance Media and Paramount Global. "CAR urges the new corporation to demonstrate how it will protect content from undue foreign influence, promote viewpoint diversity on the airwaves, and treat all employees equally without regard to race or gender. The petition asks the Commission to place the approval on a probationary status for an appropriate period of years until compliance with the conditions is evident," the group stated. Reference Link

14:50 EST Brazil Potash appoints Mayo Schmidt new executive chairman - On December 17, Brazil Potash (GRO) announced that Stan Bharti will resign as the Executive Chairman and a director on the board of directors of the company, which resignation will become effective on January 6. Mr. Bharti will assume the role of the chairman of the advisory board of the company following the effectiveness of his resignation. In connection with Mr. Bharti's resignation, the Board has appointed Mayo Schmidt as the new Executive Chairman and a director of the company, which appointment will become effective concurrently with the effectiveness of Mr. Bharti's resignation. Schmidt has served on the advisory board of the company since July 2024. Most recently, Mr. Schmidt served as the chairman of the board of directors of VersaCold from May 2021 to August 2022. Mr. Schmidt previously served in a number of roles with Nutrien including as a member and the chairman of the board of directors, as well as the transitional president and chief executive officer for one-year term, from February 2013 to December 2021. Mr. Schmidt was instrumental in the merger of Agrium and Potash , which resulted in the formation of Nutrien (NTR).

14:05 EST Salesforce announces launch of 'Agentforce 2.0' - Salesforce announced the launch of "Agentforce 2.0," the newest version of its Agentforce digital labor platform for enterprises. "This release introduces a new library of pre-built skills and workflow integrations for rapid customization, the ability to deploy Agentforce in Slack, and advancements in agentic reasoning and retrieval augmented generation. These advances will enable companies to scale their workforce with customized agents capable of handling complex, multi-step tasks with even more precision and accuracy," the company stated. "Agentforce 2.0 takes our revolutionary Salesforce digital labor platform to another level, with new reasoning, integration and customization features that supercharge autonomous agents with unprecedented levels of intelligence, precision and accuracy. The demand for Agentforce has been amazing - no other company comes close to offering this complete AI solution for enterprises. We're seamlessly bringing together AI, data, apps, and automation with humans to reshape how work gets done. Agentforce 2.0 cements our position as the leader in digital labor solutions, allowing any company to build a limitless workforce that can truly transform their business," added Marc Benioff, Chair and CEO, Salesforce.

13:25 EST Honda, Nissan confirm companies 'exploring various possibilities' - Honda (HMC) and Nissan (NSANY) said in an emailed statement to media outlets after Financial Times reported the companies are beginning merger talks: "The reported content was not released by our company. As announced in March of this year, Honda and Nissan are exploring various possibilities for future collaboration, leveraging each other's strengths. We will inform our stakeholders of any updates at an appropriate time."

12:11 EST Grubhub will pay $25M to settle FTC, Illinois charges - Just Eat Takeaway.com's Grubhub will pay $25M to settle charges from the Federal Trade Commission and the Illinois Attorney General that the company "engaged in an array of unlawful practices including deceiving diners about delivery costs and blocking their access to their accounts and funds, deceiving workers about how much money they would make delivering food, and unfairly and deceptively listing restaurants on its platform without their permission." Under the proposed settlement, Grubhub must make changes to its operations across a number of areas, including telling consumers the full cost of delivery, advertising pay for drivers, and listing restaurants on its platform only with their consent.

12:00 EST Vicarious Surgical falls -10.2% - Vicarious Surgical is down -10.2%, or -$1.45 to $12.79.

12:00 EST Claros Mortgage falls -18.2% - Claros Mortgage is down -18.2%, or -$1.15 to $5.13.

12:00 EST SelectQuote rises 17.9% - SelectQuote is up 17.9%, or 49c to $3.25.

11:23 EST Insight Acquisition Corp trading resumes

11:22 EST Momentus trading resumes

11:17 EST Momentus trading halted, volatility trading pause

11:07 EST Pennant Group, Kno2 enter strategic partnership for patient care - Kno2 announced a partnership with The Pennant Group to drive automation and innovation to deliver patient care in the home. Under the partnership, Pennant Group will join Kno2's Qualified Health Information Network The Pennant Group will leverage Kno2's full-stack healthcare communication infrastructure to drive automation, efficiency and innovation on behalf of its agencies and communities.

11:03 EST Insight Acquisition Corp trading halted, volatility trading pause

10:43 EST Nukkleus acquires 51% controlling stake in Star 26 Capital - Nukkleus announced that it has successfully acquired a 51% controlling stake in Star 26 Capital, a defense acquisition company holding 95% ownership in RIMON. "RIMON is a leading Israeli supplier of critical components for the Iron Dome missile defense system, as well as other defense and tactical solutions. The transaction, finalized on December 15, 2024, involved a total purchase price of $26M, including cash, a promissory note Nukkleus's common stock, and warrants to purchase additional shares of common stock of Nukkleus. This acquisition also includes an option agreement allowing Nukkleus to acquire the remaining equity in Star 26 at a later date. With this acquisition, Nukkleus gains control over RIMON's diversified operations, which include two key business lines," the company stated. "The combined entity will focus on the Israeli and US market opportunities - acquiring controlling interest in medium-sized companies while providing them financing and global business development opportunities. With a shared commitment to innovation and excellence, Nukkleus and Star are poised to drive growth and deliver value to shareholders, customers, and stakeholders alike," the company added.

10:22 EST Richardson Electronics announces two multimillion dollar contracts for PEMs - Richardson Electronics announced two multimillion dollar production contracts with two of the world's largest owners and operators of wind farms in North America for Richardson's patented ultracapacitor pitch energy modules, or PEMs, and other related products. Richardson expects these orders to be shipped during the calendar year 2025. Under the terms of the agreements, Richardson Electronics will provide its patented ULTRA3000 units to numerous wind farms throughout North America. "We are excited to secure these contracts," said Greg Peloquin, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Power & Microwave Technologies and Green Energy Solutions groups.

10:15 EST FOX News says saw 'record' month on YouTube, driving 400M video views in Nov. - FOX News said it secured over 400 million video views on YouTube during November, according to Shareablee. As Americans voted in an historical election, FOX News Digital said it marked its best month since November 2020 leading news brands with multiplatform views and minutes, according to Comscore. For the month, FOX News Digital secured 4.5 billion total multiplatform minutes, up 57% over November 2023, 2.4 billion total multiplatform views, up 43% over last year, and 114.9 million total digital multiplatform unique visitors, up 30% over November 2023. Additionally, it said The FOX News Mobile App reached 7.2 million unique visitors in November, its best month since September 2021.

10:00 EST Teva rises 19.2% - Teva is up 19.2%, or $3.17 to $19.68.

10:00 EST SelectQuote rises 20.9% - SelectQuote is up 20.9%, or 58c to $3.34.

10:00 EST Amentum falls -8.7% - Amentum is down -8.7%, or -$2.06 to $21.72.

09:59 EST Arqit Quantum trading resumes

09:54 EST Arqit Quantum trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:48 EST SelectQuote rises 15.9% - SelectQuote is up 15.9%, or 44c to $3.20.

09:48 EST Kosmos rises 16.6% - Kosmos is up 16.6%, or 45c to $3.16.

09:47 EST VeriSign Inc falls -4.7% - VeriSign Inc is down -4.7%, or -$3.24 to $65.04.

09:47 EST Compass Minerals falls -9.0% - Compass Minerals is down -9.0%, or -$1.13 to $11.48.

09:46 EST Swiftmerge Acquisition Corp trading resumes

09:42 EST Amentum Holdings LLC trading resumes

09:41 EST Swiftmerge Acquisition Corp trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:37 EST Amentum Holdings LLC trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:34 EST EVgo sinks 23% after 23M share offering prices at $5.00 - EVgo priced an underwritten public secondary offering by EVgo Holdings, an affiliate of LS Power Equity Partners IV, of 23M shares of class A common stock at a public offering price of $5.00 per share. LS Power will receive all of the proceeds from this offering, and the company will not receive any proceeds. J.P. Morgan, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and Evercore ISI acted as lead book-running managers for the offering. EVgo is trading down 23% to $4.89 in early trading following the offering.

09:31 EST Cineverse, Younify announce partnership - Cineverse and Younify announced a partnership to improve personalized content recommendations for cineSearch - Cineverse's proprietary content search and discovery service. cineSearch is currently available on a Public Preview basis at cineSearch.com. Through this partnership, Cineverse will leverage viewing data derived from their cineSearch customers' viewing activity across the leading video streaming platforms by utilizing the Younify Connect SDK. cineSearch uses a Generative AI-driven chatbot named "Ava" to discern a user's search intent and recommend films influenced by the user's past viewing history as well as titles they have given positive ratings to in the past. By implementing Younify Connect, cineSearch's AI capabilities can now be informed of what a user has watched, is currently watching, has previously liked, and is planning to watch. This behavioral data greatly improves Ava's ability to understand the tastes, preferences and viewer profile of the user which in turn allow Ava to provide more nuanced content recommendations.

09:30 EST Northwest Bancshares, Penns Woods to merge in $270.4M all-stock transaction - Northwest Bancshares and Penns Woods Bancorp have entered into a definitive Agreement and Plan of Merger whereby Northwest will acquire Penns Woods in an all-stock transaction valued at approximately $270.4 million. Combining the two organizations will significantly enhance the combined company's presence in North Central and Northeastern Pennsylvania. Headquartered in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, Penns Woods has approximately $2.3 billion in assets, $1.7 billion in total deposits, and $1.9 billion in total loans as of September 30, 2024. The combined company is expected to have pro forma total assets in excess of $17 billion and is expected to be one of the nation's top 100 largest banks. The combined company's Pennsylvania banking presence will be enhanced through the addition of 24 branch locations across Blair, Centre, Clinton, Luzerne, Lycoming, Montour, and Union counties. The complementary footprint of Penns Woods links Northwest's presence in both eastern and western Pennsylvania. When the transaction is completed, Northwest will have more than 150 financial centers, as well as loan production offices, across four states. Under the terms of the Agreement, which has been unanimously approved by the board of directors of both companies, Northwest will exchange shares of its common stock for all of the outstanding shares of Penns Woods common stock, in an all-stock transaction. Penns Woods shareholders will be entitled to receive 2.385 shares of Northwest common stock for each share of Penns Woods common stock they own upon the effective time of the merger. Any unexercised stock options of Penns Woods will be canceled in exchange for a cash payment at the spread value over the exercise price. Based on Northwest's closing stock price of $14.44 as of December 16, 2024, the transaction consideration is valued at $34.44 for each share of Penns Woods which equates to a 139.0% multiple of tangible book value, a 12.8x multiple on LTM core earnings and a core deposit premium of 5.2% as of September 30, 2024. Including the consideration paid to option holders, the aggregate consideration is approximately $270.4 million. The merger is expected to qualify as a tax-free reorganization. Following completion of the transaction, Penns Woods shareholders would be expected to receive, on a per share equivalent basis, a dividend equal to approximately $0.48 per share based on Northwest's current quarterly dividend of $0.20 per share. This dividend is approximately 49% higher than Penns Woods' current quarterly dividend of $0.32 per share. Upon completion of the merger, the shares issued to Penns Woods shareholders are expected to comprise approximately 12% of the outstanding shares of the combined company. The Agreement also provides that Northwest will appoint Richard A. Grafmyre to the boards of Northwest and Northwest Bank after closing. Excluding one-time transaction costs, Northwest expects the transaction to be approximately 23% accretive to 2026 fully diluted earnings per share. Tangible book value dilution is expected to be approximately 9% at closing, with an expected tangible book value earn-back period of under 3 years using the "cross-over" method. The "pay-to-trade" multiple is 0.91x. Northwest and Northwest Bank capital ratios are expected to be significantly above "well-capitalized" regulatory thresholds upon closing. The companies expect to complete the transaction in the third quarter of 2025, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals and approval by Penns Woods shareholders. At closing, Jersey Shore State Bank and Luzerne Bank branches will become branches of Northwest Bank.

09:25 EST AeroVironment:GAO denies protest of Army's $990M sole-source Switchblade award - The U.S. Government Accountability Office GAO has denied the protest filed on September 6 challenging the U.S. Army's sole-source award of a $990M contract for AV's Switchblade systems. This decision reaffirms confidence in the integrity of the Army's procurement process and its thorough evaluation of operational requirements. AV is proud to continue delivering these combat-proven, mission-critical Switchblade systems to meet the warfighter's operational needs. "AV remains steadfast in our commitment to fulfilling this important contract and upholding our mission to provide innovative, relevant, and effective capabilities to those who serve and defend freedom," said Wahid Nawabi, AV's Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer.

09:20 EST Vimeo appoints Irene Hendricks as CPO - Vimeo announced the recent appointment of Irene Hendricks as Chief People Officer. Hendricks, who joined Vimeo in August, is responsible for the continued acceleration of Vimeo's people-first strategy and culture, reflecting the company's recent growth in attracting top-tier talent. Hendricks helms Vimeo's human resources operations with a focus on fostering an inclusive, positive, and engaging culture. Under her leadership, Vimeans are empowered and inspired to push the boundaries of video and continue to create an unparalleled experience for users. Most recently, Hendricks was Chief People Officer at revenue cycle management company Acclara.

09:19 EST Hyperfine announces new distribution partnerships in EMEA - Hyperfine announced further global expansion of its commercial operations through agreements with experienced distributors to support commercial expansion plans of the Swoop system into Turkey, Israel, and Saudi Arabia. These distribution agreements strengthen the company's global expansion strategy, broadening access to MR brain imaging in regions with large populations, low penetration of MRI, and significant unmet healthcare needs...The new distribution partnerships ensure efficient market entry and afford Hyperfine strong local support for adopting the Swoop system. These areas, home to over100 million people, face challenges in providing timely neurological care, particularly in remote and emergency settings lacking access to advanced imaging equipment. With its portability and cost-effectiveness, the Swoop(R) system eliminates barriers posed by conventional MRI systems, enabling clinicians to deliver high-quality imaging at the point of care.

09:18 EST Skyx Platforms collaborates with JIT Electrical Supply - SKYX Platforms announces a new collaboration with JIT Electrical Supply. The collaboration is expected to enhance SKYX's penetration into the builder and professional segments. SKYX's advanced and smart technologies make homes and buildings smart and safe, while saving time, cost, and creating significant value for property developers and homeowners.

09:17 EST Zynex partnering with Veterans Affairs Medical Centers - Zynex announced a new partnership to conduct business with Veterans Affairs Medical Centers - VAMCs - across the U.S. It is estimated that the VA spends over $112B annually on healthcare. Currently, less than 1% of Zynex's sales are from VAMCs and the partnership provides an opportunity to expand sales into the largest healthcare network in the U.S. Zynex's sales team will work with healthcare providers within the VA and MTF networks to deliver its full product suite of pain management treatments.

09:16 EST Guardian Pharmacy expands to NJ by teaming with Freedom Pharmacy - Guardian Pharmacy Service announced that Freedom Pharmacy, an independent LTC pharmacy based in Randolph, New Jersey, is joining the Guardian family. The pharmacy will continue to operate under the name Freedom Pharmacy and serve residents in assisted living and skilled nursing, as well as individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities throughout North, Northwest and Central New Jersey, with plans to further increase its presence across the Garden State in the future. This strategic partnership expands Guardian's Mid-Atlantic footprint and marks its first venture into New Jersey.

09:13 EST Lexaria Bioscience appoints Michael Gibson as chief medical advisor - Lexaria Bioscience announces the appointment of Dr. Michael Gibson as its new Chief Medical Advisor. Dr. Gibson will collaborate directly with President John Docherty as Lexaria's patented DehydraTECH drug delivery platform continues to expand its applications in GLP-1 and hypertension. C. Michael Gibson M.S., M.D., is an interventional cardiologist, cardiovascular researcher & educator. He is the CEO of the combined non-profit Baim and PERFUSE research institutes at Harvard Medical School. Gibson founded PERFUSE in 1987 which served as the TIMI Data coordinating center that coordinated data for the first 50 TIMI trials. The Baim institute was formerly known as Harvard Clinical Research Institute and was founded in 2000. As Chief Medical Advisor, Dr. Gibson will participate with other scientific and medical experts within Lexaria's newly-formed scientific advisory board in pursuing Lexaria's prioritized objectives in the fields of drug delivery optimization.

09:10 EST Mount Logan Capital expands corporate credit facility - Mount Logan Capital announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary, MLC US Holdings, as Borrower, has entered into an amendment to its existing credit agreement to upsize the facility by approximately $13M, while amending the facility to, among other things, incorporate a pricing step-down mechanism as the business continues to perform, which is expected to reduce Mount Logan's cost of debt. The Fourth Amendment also provides for additional distribution capacity from MLC US Holdings to Mount Logan to support key business initiatives. The net new proceeds will enable Mount Logan to further invest in its two key business segments. Proceeds will also be used for general corporate purposes and paying related transaction fees and expenses. The outstanding principal amount and accrued but unpaid interest in respect of the credit facility will become payable on August 20, 2027, subject to certain adjustments pursuant to the credit agreement. As collateral security for its obligations under the Credit Agreement, MLC US Holdings has granted in favour of the lenders a security interest in all of the assets of MLC US Holdings. In addition, Mount Logan has guaranteed the obligations of MLC US Holdings under the Credit Agreement in favour of the lender. MLC US Holdings is the holding company for Mount Logan's US asset management business.

09:08 EST Alpha Tau appoints Nester to its board of directors - Alpha Tau Medical announced that following its Annual General Meeting of Company shareholders in Jerusalem, Maya Netser has been appointed to the Company's Board of Directors. Meir Jakobsohn is completing his term on the Board, having decided not to pursue re-election, but will continue to serve the Company in an advisory capacity.

09:08 EST Crexendo selected by Popp Communications for NetSapiens Platform - Crexendo announced that Popp Communications has chosen Crexendo's NetSapiens Platform as its next-generation replacement for their legacy Microsoft Metaswitch solution. Microsoft previously announced end-of-life for their Metaswitch MaX UC offering and has also just announced they will be selling off their Metaswitch division which has prompted many service providers to actively seek new and improved partner solutions to support their transition.

09:07 EST Vaccinex receives delisting notification from Nasdaq - Vaccinex announced that on December 16, 2024, the Company received written notice from the Office of General Counsel of The Nasdaq Stock Market indicating that the Nasdaq Hearings Panel has determined to delist the Company's shares from Nasdaq due to the Company's failure to meet Nasdaq's continued listing standards. As previously disclosed, the Company has not been compliant with the requirements under Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(b)(1) to maintain a minimum of $2.5 million in stockholders' equity for continued listing on the Nasdaq Capital Market. The Notice indicated that trading in the Company's shares of common stock on Nasdaq will be suspended effective at the open of trading on Wednesday, December 18, 2024. Upon suspension of the trading of its Common Stock on Nasdaq, the Company expects that its Common Stock will be quoted under its existing symbol "VCNX" on the OTC Markets Group.

09:06 EST Castor Maritime completes acquisition of majority stake in MPC Munchmeyer - Castor Maritime announces that on December 16, 2024, Thalvora Holdings, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company, completed the acquisition of 26,116,378 shares of common stock representing 74.09% of the share capital of the Frankfurt-listed investment and asset manager MPC Munchmeyer Petersen Capital from Munchmeyer Petersen & Co. GmbH at the agreed price of EUR 7.00 per share, which is equal to an aggregate consideration of EUR 182.8 million.

09:05 EST Lovesac introduces multi-year financial algorithm at Investor Day - The Lovesac Company will host an Investor Day, December 17, 2024, at 10:00 am ET. Interested parties may access the webcast of the event, related published materials and a replay of the event by accessing Lovesac's IR website at https://investor.lovesac.com/. The event will feature presentations by members of Lovesac's leadership team, followed by a live question-and-answer session. CEO, Shawn Nelson, President and COO Mary Fox, Executive Vice President and FO, Keith Siegner, and other members of the senior leadership team will provide an in-depth review of the company's strategic framework, new products, growth initiatives, commitment to operational excellence, and financial ambitions. In connection with the event, the Company has introduced a multi-year financial algorithm. The Company estimates a normalized year to achieve the following: Annual Net Sales Growth of +10% to +15%; Gross Margin Rate of 59% to 60%; Advertising & Marketing of ~12.5% of Net Sales; Annual Adjusted EBITDA Margin Rate Expansion of 50 basis points to 100 basis points; and Annual EPS Growth of at least 25%.

09:04 EST T2 Biosystems achieves milestone with 250,000th novel sepsis test shipped - T2 Biosystems announced that it has surpassed the shipment of 250,000 sepsis tests, marking a significant milestone that underscores the growing customer adoption of the Company's direct-from-whole-blood technology. A meta-analysis of 14 controlled studies, published in a peer-reviewed medical journal, compared T2 Biosystems' sepsis tests to blood culture-based diagnostics, and showed that T2 Biosystems' products provided: faster time to detection, faster targeted therapy, and reduced length of stay. In March 2024, the Company announced the results of a new prospective study that was published in the Journal of Clinical Microbiology, highlighting the performance and clinical benefits of the T2Resistance Panel compared to blood culture and standard microbiology methods, including high accuracy, rapid turnaround time, and clinical impact.

09:03 EST Cansortium's FLUENT offers Freedom Town Holdings' flower window bags - Cansortium is the first dispensary in Florida to offer Freedom Town Holdings' new flower window bags, a significant advancement in both product presentation and regulatory compliance. The design of the new flower bags, which maintain the required child-resistant closures and detailed labeling, allows patients to visually inspect their purchase before leaving the dispensary, fostering trust and transparency in a previously opaque process. For patients, this new packaging offers a significant improvement to the dispensary experience. The "peekaboo" window offers a clear, unobstructed view of the cannabis flower inside, allowing patients to view color, texture, and overall quality at the time of purchase. The packaging is designed to be both functional and visually appealing, reflecting the high standards of quality and craftsmanship that FLUENT upholds, signifying a notable milestone across Florida's expansive medical marijuana industry.

09:02 EST LivePerson names Christopher Mina as Chief Technology & Product Officer - LivePerson announced that Christopher Mina will be joining the company as Chief Technology & Product Officer. In this role, Mina will set LivePerson's product vision and oversee the company's engineering and product operations to enhance customer experience and accelerate innovation. Mina comes to LivePerson from Vonage, where he guided product, business strategy, and execution for the Global Apps business, which included UCaaS, CCaaS, and Conversational AI.

08:57 EST LPL Financial: Jeffrey Grange joins Linsco by LPL Financial - LPL Financial announced that financial advisor Jeffrey Grange has joined LPL's employee advisor channel, Linsco by LPL Financial, to launch Grange Wealth Management of LPL Financial. He reported serving approximately $300 million in advisory, brokerage and retirement plan assets and joins LPL from D.A. Davidson & Co. He will operate from a new Linsco office in Santa Barbara, Calif. Grange's journey into financial services followed tenures as a college coach and professional sailor, where he won multiple national titles and a world championship in sailing. Now with two decades of experience as a financial advisor, Grange has built a successful practice that primarily serves high-net-worth individuals and affluent families. He's supported by registered Client Service Associate Debora McKenzie-Jakushak.

08:55 EST ECD Automotive Design announces production of classic Ford Mustangs - ECD Auto Design has officially kicked off production of the highly anticipated ECD Ford Mustang. The company said, "Each bespoke car takes the iconic 1966-1970 Ford Mustang and reimagines it with modern technology, precision craftsmanship, and timeless style. It's more than just a car, it's a statement of what a classic American muscle car can be. The ECD Ford Mustang is designed for those who appreciate the perfect balance of heritage and innovation and is a masterfully crafted one-of-one restomod, blending classic design with modern performance. Its robust chassis and expertly manufactured body ensure a perfect balance of strength, durability, and iconic style. With production now in full swing, we're delivering a muscle car like no other, offering endless opportunities for customization, innovative performance upgrades, and luxurious touches that make it truly your own."

08:47 EST Momentus to deploy DoD and commercial payloads on rideshare with SpaceX - Momentus announced it has signed a contract with SpaceX to join an upcoming Transporter rideshare mission launching as soon as early 2026. Momentus plans to use this port for the launch of its flight-proven Vigoride Orbital Service Vehicle or OSV to transport a mix of payloads from the U.S. Department of Defense or DoD, and commercial customers to Low-Earth Orbit orLEO. For this mission, Momentus has additional capacity to support customers planning LEO deployment and hosted payload missions in early 2026. Government and commercial customers interested in utilizing the ability of the Vigoride vehicle to cost-effectively launch and deliver microsatellites up to 200 kg and cubesats, provide average power up to 1kW, and deploy or operate hosted payloads in orbits above 500 km and below the International Space Station are encouraged to contact Momentus while booking opportunities remain open.

08:46 EST LUMA announces contract to launch next phase of Smart Meter Initiative - LUMA announced the completion of the open procurement process and the next step of their initiative to deploy approximately 1.5 million smart meters across Puerto Rico. This significant milestone in the modernization of Puerto Rico's electric grid and customers will not see any rate increases associated with the initiative. This contract is the result of a thorough and competitive process that followed all applicable laws and regulations including an open Request for Proposal. The selected vendor, Itron will provide Puerto Rico with cutting-edge grid intelligence capabilities, enhancing the grid's reliability, efficiency, and resilience. This contract will allow local companies in Puerto Rico to be part of the installation of the equipment, creating more than 150 direct and indirect jobs on the island.

08:44 EST CAAP reports 2.7% decrease in November passenger traffic y/y - Corporacion America Airports reported today a 2.7% year-on-year YoY decrease in passenger traffic in November 2024. Excluding Natal for comparison purposes, total traffic in November decreased by 0.2% YoY. Total passenger traffic declined by 2.7% in November compared to the same month in 2023, or 0.2% when adjusting for the discontinuation of Natal airport. Domestic passenger traffic decreased by 6.7% YoY, or 2.6% when excluding Natal, primarily due to weaker YoY domestic traffic performance in Argentina. International traffic increased by 6.6%, mainly driven by growth in Argentina and Italy. In Argentina, total passenger traffic declined by 3.3% YoY, an improvement compared to the 7.8% YoY decline recorded in October...Cargo volume increased by 23.2% compared to the same month in 2023, with positive YoY contributions from all countries of operation, except for Italy and Ecuador: Argentina , Uruguay , Armenia , Brazil , Ecuador and Italy . Argentina, Brazil, and Armenia accounted for more than 80% of the total cargo volume in November. Aircraft movements increased by 7.0% YoY..

08:42 EST Sealsq announces strategic partnership with Hedera - SEALSQ announced a strategic partnership with Hedera to deliver next-generation quantum-resistant semiconductors, integrating cutting-edge security solutions to protect critical infrastructures in the emerging post-quantum world. SEALSQ has commenced the quality and functional testing phase for the initial batch of its revolutionary quantum-resistant hardware platform, the QS7001, and remains on track to begin production and delivery as scheduled in 2025.

08:41 EST Eos Energy appoints Urban to board of directors - Eos Energy Enterprises announced that David Urban, a Republican advisor from Western Pennsylvania, has been appointed to the Eos Board of Directors, effective December 16, 2024. Urban's deep expertise in government relations, public policy, and strategic communications will be instrumental as Eos continues to expand its operational presence and navigate evolving political and regulatory environments.

08:40 EST Palisade Bio appoints Feagan to Clinical Advisory Board - Palisade Bio announced the appointment of Brian Feagan, MD, FRCPC, to its Clinical Advisory Board.

08:39 EST New CMS decision allows Medicare coverage of TempusECG-AF device - Tempus AI announced the impact of a new decision by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services CMS that will allow reimbursement for assessments of cardiac dysfunction using the Tempus ECG-AF algorithm. ECG-AF is one of just a few FDA-authorized medical technologies in the country to be impacted by the new CMS decision, and this milestone allows Tempus to more broadly support clinicians in identifying patients at increased risk of atrial fibrillation/flutter AF. Per the CMS policy to allow payment for certain Software as a Service or SaaS, devices in the Hospital Outpatient setting, CMS has assigned associated procedure codes for assessments with assistive algorithms like Tempus' ECG-AF to APC 5734, which has a Medicare rate of $128.90, effective January 1. This ruling is expected to allow hospitals to receive reimbursement for using Tempus' ECG-AF to help identify patients at increased risk of AF. Earlier this year, Tempus received 510(k) clearance from the FDA for the Tempus ECG-AF device, which was the first FDA clearance for an AF indication in the category known as "cardiovascular machine learning-based notification software" and paved the way for clinicians to use this innovative algorithm in the care of their patients.

08:38 EST Tomi Environmental announces expansion of partnership with Betatek - TOMI Environmental Solutions announced the expansion of its partnership with Betatek, transitioning the long term Canadian partner from an independent manufacturing representative to an official SteraMist distributor. This strategic move comes in response to the increasing demand for SteraMist in the Canadian market.

08:36 EST ICL announcesfollow-on investment in Plantible Food, no terms - ICL announced a follow-on investment in Plantible Foods, participating in the company's Series B funding round. This investment builds upon ICL's initial participation in Plantible's Series A round and furthers the strategic collaboration between the two companies. In October of 2023, ICL Food Specialties, in collaboration with Plantible Foods, launched Rovitaris Binding Solution powered by Rubi Protein..."Our continued investment in Plantible Foods underscores our commitment to advancing sustainable and innovative solutions in the food industry," said Hadar Sutovsky, vice president of Corporate Investments at ICL. ICL Group's investment in Plantible Foods, and the development of innovative ingredients like Rovitaris Binding Solution, aligns with these market trends and helps position the company to meet the evolving demands of consumers and capitalize on new market opportunities.

08:35 EST Mobile-health Network Solutions launches ManaSocial platform - Mobile-health Network Solutions announced the official launch of ManaSocial, a healthcare engagement platform designed to enable users, healthcare professionals, and organizations to connect, share knowledge, and provide mutual support on health-related topics. The company said, "The platform is expected to elevate MNDR's position in the rapidly growing digital health market and create robust opportunities for revenue growth, market expansion, and sustained shareholder value...ManaSocial is projected to significantly contribute to MNDR's top-line growth by enhancing user acquisition, engagement, and retention. The platform's focus on monetization and scalability enhances the Company's prospects for long-term profitability while reinforcing MNDR's reputation as a leader in MedTech innovation."

08:34 EST Assertio Holdings appoints Mark Reisenauer to board of directors - Assertio Holdings announced that Mark Reisenauer has been appointed as an independent director to the Company's Board of Directors. Mr. Reisenauer will serve as a member of the Compensation Committee. He previously served as President of U.S. Commercial at Astellas Pharmaceuticals.

08:32 EST Lakeside Holding signs $1.5M sales agreement with Sinopharm Group subsidiary - Lakeside Holding subsidiary Hupan Pharmaceutical has signed a Sales Agreement with Sinopharm Holding Hubei New Special Medicine, a subsidiary of Sinopharm Group. The agreement, valued at approximately $1.5M, is effective from January 1, 2025, through the end of the year and involves the sale and delivery of critical medicines, including Sodium Bicarbonate, Glucose, and Glucose Sodium Chloride. This Agreement follows the partnership with Sinopharm Group announced last month focusing on essential medicine storage, transportation, and logistics services.

08:31 EST Quantum Computing awarded NASA contract - Quantum Computing announced that the company has been awarded a prime contract by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Goddard Space Flight Center. This contract marks a pivotal step forward for QCi by applying its entropy quantum optimization machine, Dirac-3, to support NASA's advanced imaging and data processing demands. The contract will apply Dirac-3 to address the challenging phase unwrapping problem for optimally reconstructing images and extracting information from interferometric data generated by radar. QCi will support NASA in its mission to unwrap interferograms at full scale, ultimately enhancing their data quality and accuracy. QCi believes this project will highlight Dirac-3's capabilities in providing superior solutions to non-deterministic polynomial time hard (NP-hard) problems, significantly improving solution quality and computational speed.

08:23 EST VERSES AI says Genius outperforms OpenAI model in code-breaking challenge - VERSES AI revealed performance highlights of its flagship product Genius winning the code-breaking game Mastermind in a side by side comparison with a leading generative AI model, OpenAI's o1 Preview, which is positioned as an industry-leading reasoning model. Over one hundred test runs, Genius consistently outperformed OpenAI's o1-preview model one hundred and forty times faster and more than five thousand times cheaper ."Today we're showcasing Genius' advanced reasoning performance against state-of-the-art deep learning-based methods that LLMs are based on," said Hari Thiruvengada, VERSES CTO. "Mastermind was the perfect choice for this test because it requires reasoning through each step logically, predicting the cause-and-effect outcomes of its decisions, and dynamically adapting to crack the code. This exercise demonstrates how Genius outperforms tasks requiring logical and cause-effect reasoning, while exposing the inherent limitations of correlational language-based approaches in today's leading reasoning models. This is just a preview of what's to come. We're excited to show how additional reasoning capabilities, available in Genius today and demonstrated with Mastermind, will be further showcased in our upcoming Atari 10k benchmark results." Performance Highlights: Accuracy and Reliability. Genius solved the code every time in a consistent number of steps. Speed. Genius consistently solved games in 1.1-4.5 seconds, while ChatGPT's solve times ranged from 7.9 to 889 seconds Efficiency. Genius' total compute time for 100 games was just over 5 minutes, compared to ChatGPT's 12.5 hours. Cost. Genius' compute cost was estimated at $0.05 for all 100 games, compared to ChatGPT's o1 model at $263. In summary, Genius solved Mastermind 100% of the time, was 140 times faster and 5260 times cheaper than o1-preview.

08:21 EST Ascot Resources commences first development advance at Premier Northern Lights - Ascot Resources has completed its first development round for recommencement of the underground development of the Premier Northern Lights mine. Following the remobilization of the Company's mining contractor, Procon Mining & Tunneling to the site, the Company has: mobilized the underground mining equipment to site, established the underground ventilation, completed the initial rehabilitation with shotcrete to establish a heading for advancement of development and second egress for the PNL mine. Currently, development is approximately 115 meters away from the initial ore zone geological contact. The Company has progressed the initial development of PNL slightly ahead of its restart plans. The previous development rate had been ramping up to about 6.4 meters per /day on single heading and the Company expects that the rate will be similar or better. We anticipate to be up to 4 headings at the end of January, 2025. The initial longhole stopes at PNL will be prepped for mining by the end of April 2025. At the Big Missouri mine, mining is anticipated to resume in early May of 2025 when the development of PNL is completed, and BM infrastructure has been reinstalled. Derek White, President and CEO, commented: "We are pleased to commence development activities ahead of schedule to progress the main decline to the Prew zone and begin the development of the second egress. Over the coming months, we hope to build on the development activities and advance first ore from the PNL ahead of schedule."

08:19 EST Biomea Fusion announces results from ongoing COVALENT-111 study - Biomea Fusion announced positive topline results from the ongoing COVALENT-111 study, evaluating the efficacy, safety and tolerability of icovamenib in patients with type 2 diabetes, T2D. The study showed positive topline results at Week 26, demonstrating statistically significant and clinically meaningful reductions in HbA1c, the gold standard for assessing glycemic control in T2D. In patients who completed dosing per protocol and were suboptimally controlled at baseline on one or more prior agent, icovamenib showed meaningful reductions in HbA1c with statistical significance in all major categories. Here icovamenib showed a mean reduction in HbA1c of 0.36%. The strongest performing arm was Arm B with a mean HbA1c reduction of 0.5%. In the analysis of the T2D phenotypes, icovamenib showed further improved reduction in the insulin deficient patients. Within the mild age-related diabete and severe insulin-deficient diabetes patients the mean HbA1c reduction was 0.73% and in Arm B these patient subtypes reduced the mean HbA1c by 1.05%. Patients who were considered most severe insulin deficient, the SIDDs, demonstrated the best response with a mean HbA1c reduction in Arm B of 1.47%. Importantly, MARD and SIDD represent more than 50% of the US patient population. Of note, in the patients that failed on a GLP-1 based therapy an HbA1c reduction of 0.84% was demonstrated.

08:18 EST Northwest Bancshares to buy Penns Woods Bancorp in $270.4M all-stock deal - Northwest Bancshares (NWBI) and Penns Woods Bancorp (PWOD) announced that they have entered into a definitive Agreement and Plan of Merger whereby Northwest will acquire Penns Woods in an all-stock transaction valued at approximately $270.4M. Combining the two organizations will significantly enhance the combined company's presence in North Central and Northeastern Pennsylvania. Under the terms of the Agreement, which has been unanimously approved by the board of directors of both companies, Northwest will exchange shares of its common stock for all of the outstanding shares of Penns Woods common stock, in an all-stock transaction. Penns Woods shareholders will be entitled to receive 2.385 shares of Northwest common stock for each share of Penns Woods common stock they own upon the effective time of the merger. Any unexercised stock options of Penns Woods will be canceled in exchange for a cash payment at the spread value over the exercise price. Based on Northwest's closing stock price of $14.44 as of December 16, 2024, the transaction consideration is valued at $34.44 for each share of Penns Woods which equates to a 139.0% multiple of tangible book value, a 12.8x multiple on LTM core earnings and a core deposit premium of 5.2% as of September 30, 2024. Including the consideration paid to option holders, the aggregate consideration is approximately $270.4 million. The merger is expected to qualify as a tax-free reorganization. Following completion of the transaction, Penns Woods shareholders would be expected to receive, on a per share equivalent basis, a dividend equal to approximately $0.48 per share based on Northwest's current quarterly dividend of $0.20 per share. This dividend is approximately 49% higher than Penns Woods' current quarterly dividend of $0.32 per share. Excluding one-time transaction costs, Northwest expects the transaction to be approximately 23% accretive to 2026 fully diluted earnings per share. Tangible book value dilution is expected to be approximately 9% at closing, with an expected tangible book value earn-back period of under 3 years using the "cross-over" method. The "pay-to-trade" multiple is 0.91x. Northwest and Northwest Bank capital ratios are expected to be significantly above "well-capitalized" regulatory thresholds upon closing. The companies expect to complete the transaction in the third quarter of 2025, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals and approval by Penns Woods shareholders. At closing, Jersey Shore State Bank and Luzerne Bank branches will become branches of Northwest Bank.

08:17 EST Rocket Lab delivers 2nd spacecraft, completes 3rd for Varda Space Industries - Rocket Lab USA has successfully delivered its second Pioneer spacecraft to Vandenberg Space Force Base and completed production and testing of a third for Varda Space Industries he world's first orbital pharmaceutical processing and hypersonic Earth re-entry logistics company..."We're setting a new standard for rapid, reliable satellite production," said Rocket Lab founder and CEO Sir Peter Beck. "Each Pioneer spacecraft for Varda's missions is a perfect demonstration of our growing capability as an end-to-end space company that delivers design, manufacturing, integration, testing, launch support and in-space operations to get our customers' innovative ideas on orbit quickly and cost effectively." "This mission is another step toward high cadence reentry" said Varda CEO and co-founder Will Bruey. "Soon, reentry will be as common as launch."

08:16 EST Whitestone REIT shares letter to shareholders - Whitestone REIT shares the following CEO letter with shareholders: "At Whitestone, we are closing the year continuing to prove the value of our differentiated strategy and ability to execute. The value of our assets is steadily climbing as we show what a portfolio of high-return shop space can deliver when properly anchored to the community. Our strong results continue to underscore that our strategy is the right one. Our success is reflected not only in best-in-class Total Shareholder Return over the last 3 years, but also in a steadily increasing assessment of the value of our assets by analysts and investors. We have been deliberate and direct in communicating the key components of our strategy: 75% of ABR coming from high-growth, high-return optimally sized shop space, Shorter leases, with an average lease term of 4 years, allowing for quicker capture of mark-to-market rents, A dedicated leasing team trained to leverage technology and utilize strong underwriting skills to constantly evaluate and refresh tenants... We are proud of all that we have achieved over the last year and energized by the opportunities ahead as we move into 2025 with great momentum. We look forward to providing you with a comprehensive update on 2024 and our 2025 guidance in early March."

08:15 EST Ameresco announces launch of Solstice microgrid project - Ameresco announced the launch of the Solstice microgrid project, a transformative renewable energy initiative developed in collaboration with the City of Edmundston and in partnership with Edmundston Energy. This project will supply the city with reliable, sustainable energy, reduce its carbon footprint, and support local economic growth. As the largest rooftop solar installation in the Atlantic region, Solstice features a 1 MW solar capacity combined with a 2 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS), specifically designed to enhance grid resilience and meet peak energy demands.

08:14 EST CardCash partners with Susan G. Komen to turn unused gift cards into donations - Giftify announced a partnership between CardCash.com and Susan G. Komen and source of funding for the cure against breast cancer. The collaboration introduces an innovative donation platform that converts unused gift cards into charitable contributions, making it easier than ever for supporters to join the fight against breast cancer. The new Komen Exchange Platform, accessible via komen.cardcash.com, enables supporters to transform unused gift cards from major retailers into meaningful donations that directly support Susan G. Komen's comprehensive approach to fighting breast cancer. With over 281,000 new cases of invasive breast cancer expected in the U.S. this year, this initiative provides a unique opportunity to convert everyday unused gift cards into vital support for research and patient services.

08:14 EST Maiden Holdings to sell Swedish subsidiaries, terms undisclosed - Maiden Holdings announced that it had entered into an agreement to sell its Swedish subsidiaries, Maiden General Forsakrings and Maiden Life Forsakrings to an expanding group of international insurance and reinsurance companies headquartered in London. Maiden General and Maiden Life were the principal operating subsidiaries of the company's International Insurance Services platform. The transaction is subject to customary regulatory approvals. The sale will be an all-cash transaction and pursuant to the terms of the agreement, all existing staff and independent directors of both Maiden General and Maiden Life will transition to the new ownership group.

08:12 EST Genius Group increases bitcoin treasury to total purchase of 214 bitcoin - Genius Group announced that it had increased its Bitcoin purchases for its Bitcoin Treasury by an additional $2M to 214 Bitcoin for $20M, at an average price of $93,586 per Bitcoin. The total purchase of $20M of Bitcoin has been made within a month of the Company's announcement in November of its "Bitcoin-first" strategy where it is committing 90% or more of its current and future reserves to be held in Bitcoin, with an initial target of $120M in Bitcoin.

08:11 EST MediWound to host virtual KOL event to discuss EscharEx Phase III VALUE study - MediWound will host a virtual Key Opinion Leader event on Wednesday, January 8, 2025, at 10:00 AM ET. The event will focus on EscharEx, an innovative biologic drug in late-stage clinical development for chronic wound debridement, including the upcoming Phase III VALUE study in venous leg ulcers and EscharEx's commercial opportunity. Discussion Topics Include: Compelling results to date from Phase II studies of EscharEx The upcoming Phase III VALUE study of EscharEx in VLUs The substantial unmet need and current treatment landscape for VLUs and diabetic foot ulcers EscharEx's competitive advantages and unique commercial potential

08:10 EST Barrett Business appoints Joseph Clabby as vice chairman - Barrett Business Services is announcing the establishment of a vice chairman role on its board of directors and appointing current board member Joseph Clabby to the new role. Clabby joined BBSI as director in September 2022. He spent over twenty years with ACE Limited and then Chubb following its merger with ACE in a number of senior executive positions, including board roles at several affiliated companies.

08:10 EST Penns Woods Bancorp trading halted, news pending

08:09 EST Cognyte in $1M plus deal with new customer LEA in EMEA region - Cognyte Software announced an agreement exceeding $1M with a new customer, a law enforcement agency LEA in the Europe-Middle East-Africa EMEA region. This partnership will empower the LEA with cutting-edge capabilities to combat criminal threats and enhance public safety. Cognyte secured the contract in a competitive bid, displacing a longstanding vendor. The agency chose Cognyte for its ability to deliver advanced solutions backed by proven methodologies and deep domain expertise. This win underscores Cognyte's growing influence in the global law enforcement community and its reputation as a trusted provider of innovative security solutions.

08:08 EST Westwood Holdings Group, WEBs Investments launch Defined Volatility ETF Series - WEBs Investments and Westwood Holdings Group announced the launch of the WEBs Defined Volatility ETF series. The WEBs Defined Volatility SPY ETF and the WEBs Defined Volatility QQQ ETF are designed to provide a more stable investment experience across market conditions, using a dynamic, rules-based strategy to adjust exposure to equity markets based on real-time volatility. Tracking the Syntax Defined Volatility U.S. Large Cap 500 Index and the Syntax Defined Volatility Triple Qs Index, the Defined VolatilitySM series seeks to dynamically adjust exposure to match a target risk level. During low-volatility periods, the ETFs use total return swaps to amplify exposure, attempting to enhance potential returns, while in high-volatility periods they shift toward cash and U.S. Treasuries to potentially help cushion against losses. This adaptive approach seeks to smooth the investment journey, and may provide investors with a more stable, risk-adjusted return potential.

08:07 EST Enphase Energy begins shipments of IQ Battery 5Ps in India - Enphase Energy announced initial shipments of its most powerful home battery to-date, the IQ Battery 5P, for customers in India. Enphase announced pre-orders of IQ Battery 5Ps in September 2024. "At Enphase, we are proud to deliver cutting-edge solar energy solutions that prioritize reliability, innovation, and safety," said Sunil Thamaran, senior vice president and managing director of India at Enphase Energy. "Through our collaboration with our installer network, we're supporting India's homeowners with reliable solar and battery systems that ensure continuous power during disruptions and advance the country's renewable energy future."

08:06 EST Victoria's Secret selects Global-e Online to advance online operations - Global-e (GLBE) announced that they have been selected by Victoria's Secret (VSCO) to advance their international online operations. With the support of Global-e, Victoria's Secret is now poised to bolster its e-commerce strategy in key international markets, namely, Canada and leading European markets such as Germany and France, with better insights, customer experience, logistics and flexibility. In addition, partnering with Global-e has enabled Victoria's Secret to launch an end-to-end localized shopping experience in over 100 markets across the globe. This includes pricing and payment in the local currency, a variety of local and alternative payment options, guaranteed final cost of purchase, and an enhanced delivery proposition.

08:06 EST Upstream Bio appoints Amrbose as General Counsel - Upstream Bio announced that the Company has appointed Allison Ambrose, J.D. as General Counsel. Ambrose is a senior legal leader with more than 15 years of experience providing counsel on a wide range of matters including corporate governance, securities law and compliance, and capital markets and corporate development transactions.

08:04 EST Polestar appoints Jonas Engstrom COO - Polestar has appointed Jonas Engstrom to the role of COO. As COO, Engstrom's main focus will be the delivery of Polestar's growing car programs and overseeing the company's daily operations. He will also work closely with Michael Lohscheller.

08:04 EST Provident Bank announces $50K in grants to 11 small business, 4 non-profits - Provident Bank has announced the bank recently awarded a total of $50,000 in grants to 11 small businesses and 4 non-profit organizations as part of the Federal Home Loan Bank of New York Small Business Recovery Grant Program. The SBRG program provides funds to benefit FHLBNY members' small businesses, including farms and non-profit customers. Through the SBRG Program, members can provide grants of up to $10,000 to qualifying small businesses that have faced economic challenges due to the rate environment, inflation, supply-chain constraints, and/or rising energy costs.

08:03 EST Actuate Therapeutics announces new data from Phase 2 trial of elraglusib - Actuate Therapeutics announced new positive data from its ongoing and fully enrolled randomized Phase 2 trial of elraglusib in combination with gemcitabine/nab-paclitaxel in first line treatment of metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, mPDAC. A pre-specified analysis was triggered by reaching greater than70% death events in the GnP control arm. The analysis of interim data demonstrated treatment with elraglusib in combination with GnP resulted in statistically significant increases in 1-year survival rate (p value of 0.002) and median overall survival versus treatment with GnP alone. The combination treatment also resulted in increased Objective Response Rates and Disease Control Rates in the elraglusib/GnP combination arm versus the GnP control arm.

08:03 EST Exelixis partner Sairopa provides milestones update - Sairopa has achieved a milestone event in its exclusive clinical development and option agreement with Exelixis involving ADU-1805, an anti-SIRPalpha antibody with the potential to enhance the immune system's ability to combat cancer. Under the terms of the agreement, Exelixis has an exclusive option to license worldwide development and commercialization rights for ADU-1805 and other anti-SIRPalpha antibodies following the review of data from Sairopa's phase 1 clinical studies. As part of its collaboration with Exelixis, Sairopa has previously received from Exelixis an upfront payment of $40M, a $35M milestone payment upon Investigational New Drug clearance of ADU-1805 with the FDA, and $35M in milestone payments linked to advances within the clinical development of ADU-1805, in monotherapy as well as in combination with a PD-1 inhibitor. The safety and pharmacokinetics of ADU-1805 are currently being evaluated in a first-in-human phase 1 study.

08:02 EST Lipocine granted FDA Fast Track Designation for LPCN 1148 - Lipocine announced that the U.S. FDA has granted Fast Track Designation to LPCN 1148 as a treatment for sarcopenia in patients with decompensated cirrhosis. LPCN 1148, an oral prodrug of bioidentical testosterone, was recently studied in a proof-of-concept Phase 2 study in patients with decompensated cirrhosis. Treatment with LPCN 1148 in the POC study improved sarcopenia and associated clinical outcomes. LPCN 1148 is targeted to be a "First in Class" product candidate with a novel mechanism of action for management of cirrhosis.

07:50 EST Wearable Devices, RayNeo unveil neural-controlled AR glasses at CES 2025 - Wearable Devices invites leading brands and original equipment manufacturers to try hands on augmented reality glasses that are fully controlled by Wearable Devices' neural wristband, at CES 2025. Wearable Devices and RayNeo will unveil their seamless and instinctive gesture control user experience of Mudra Link Neural Wristband with RayNeo's latest AR Glasses. At CES Booth #15758 in the LVCC Central Hall, attendees will have the unique opportunity to experience the world's first neural-controlled AR glasses integration in action. Combining RayNeo's expertise in augmented reality with Wearable Devices' neural gesture technology, this joint demonstration brings a new level of interactivity to AR applications, pushing the boundaries of what's possible in the extended reality space.

07:41 EST Lion Electric to initiate restructuring proceedings under the CCAA - The Lion Electric Company announced the expiry of the previously announced covenant relief period under its senior revolving credit agreement entered into with a syndicate of lenders represented by National Bank of Canada, as administrative agent and collateral agent, and including Bank of Montreal and Federation des Caisses Desjardins du Quebec, as well as the maturity of the company's loan agreement entered into with Finalta Capital Fund, L.P., as lender and administrative agent, and Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec, as lender. The company had previously announced on December 1, 2024 amendments to the Revolving Credit Agreement and the Finalta CDPQ Loan Agreement in order to extend the covenant relief period and the maturity date of the Finalta CDPQ Loan Agreement to December 16, 2024, which provided the Company with additional time to continue to actively evaluate potential alternatives relating to a restructuring of its obligations, a sale of the business or certain of its assets, strategic investments and/or any other alternatives. As no such alternatives have materialized and no further amendments, concessions or waivers have been obtained, the expiry of the covenant relief period and re-introduction of the financial covenants previously applicable under the Revolving Credit Agreement as well as the maturity of the Finalta CDPQ Loan Agreement on December 16, 2024 result in the Company being in default pursuant to the terms of the Revolving Credit Agreement, the Finalta CDPQ Loan Agreement and other debt instruments providing for cross-default or cross acceleration provisions, and in the company's lenders having the ability to exercise their rights and request immediate repayment of amounts borrowed by the company. As a result of the foregoing, the company is currently in discussions with its senior lenders to obtain additional funds pursuant to a new debtor-in-possession credit facility and expects to seek creditor protection under the Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act in order to restructure its business and financial affairs and pursue a formal sales and investment solicitation process in respect of the company's business or assets. Trading in the common shares and other listed securities of the company on the Toronto Stock Exchange and the New York Stock Exchange has been halted and it is anticipated that the trading thereof will continue to be halted until a review is undertaken by the TSX and the NYSE regarding the suitability of the company for listing on the TSX and the NYSE.

07:38 EST ZenaTech signed LOI to acquire third land survey engineering company - ZenaTech announces that it has signed an LOI to acquire a third land survey engineering company. The acquired company, located in the Western region of the US, will use drones for land surveys and to survey large tracks of land for wildfires and fire management applications on Native American reservations. In addition, Quantum Computing will be added to AI drone capabilities to accommodate large-size datasets. This third acquisition will form the base of ZenaTech's drone operations in the Western US region, providing local access to the ZenaDrone 1000 and the IQ series of drones, along with the previously announced LOIs for anchor acquisitions in the Southeast and Southern regions of the US.

07:35 EST AppTech Payments announces $5M common equity raise, reduces board size - AppTech Payments announced that AFIOS Partners invested $5M in the common stock of the Company. In connection with the transaction, the Company reduced its Board to five members from seven and appointed Albert Lord, Thomas Kozlowski Jr., and Calvin Walsh to its Board of Directors. As of December 16, 2024, the Company had received $2.5M of the $5M capital commitment. AFIOS will acquire a package of securities that includes up to 5.2M shares at an average price of $0.96 per share and approximately 13M warrants at prices ranging from between $0.90 and $1.20. If fully exercised, the warrants would provide AppTech with up to $14M in new common equity. Previous Board members Christopher Williams, Michael O'Neal, William Huff, and Mengyin Liang "Roz Huang" have resigned as directors.

07:33 EST Zevra Therapeutics to be added to Nasdaq Biotechnology Index - Zevra Therapeutics (ZVRA) announced its upcoming addition to the Nasdaq Biotechnology Index (NBI) as part of the annual reconstitution of the 2024 Nasdaq indexes. Zevra's inclusion in the NBI will be effective after the U.S. market opens on Monday, December 23, 2024.

07:17 EST Gilead, Terray Therapeutics announce research collaboration - Gilead and Terray Therapeutics announced that the companies have entered into a strategic collaboration to discover and develop novel, small molecule therapies across multiple targets. Terray's tNova platform combines high-throughput chemical experimentation and computational analysis with a generative AI-driven drug discovery engine. Under the terms of the agreement, Terray will utilize the Terray tNova platform to discover and develop small molecule compounds against a set of targets selected by Gilead. If Gilead exercises its option to exclusively license the compounds directed to a target, Gilead will be responsible for further development and commercialization activities for products resulting from the collaboration. Terray will receive an upfront payment and is eligible to receive milestone payments associated with the achievement of preclinical, clinical, and sales milestones as well as tiered royalties on net sales of products commercialized by Gilead in connection with the collaboration. Gilead does not exclude acquired IPR&D expenses from its non-GAAP financial measures. This transaction with Terray is expected to reduce Gilead's GAAP and non-GAAP 2024 EPS by approximately 1c.

07:14 EST American Shared Hospital receives CON to acquire tech for PBRT system - American Shared Hospital Services announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, ASHS - Rhode Island Proton Beam Radiation Therapy, has officially obtained a Certificate of Need to acquire the technology necessary to construct and operate a freestanding Proton Beam Radiation Treatment system in Johnston, Rhode Island. Following the unanimous positive recommendation by the Health Service Council, the Director of the Rhode Island Department of Health accepted the recommendation of the Health Service Council to grant the CON.

07:12 EST Gaming and Leisure Properties completes $395M transaction with Bally's - Gaming and Leisure Properties (GLPI) has completed the previously announced $395M acquisition of the land and real estate assets of Bally's Kansas City Casino and Bally's Shreveport Casino & Hotel from Bally's Corporation (BALY). The two properties have been put into a new Bally's Master Lease that is cross-defaulted with the Company's existing Bally's Master Lease, with initial annual cash rent of $32.2M representing an 8.2% initial cash capitalization rate. Total rent coverage on the Kansas City and Shreveport assets is expected to be 2.2x in the first year of ownership.

07:12 EST Laser Photonics provides update on Control Micro Systems acquisition - Laser Photonics provided an update on its acquisition of Control Micro Systems, or CMS. In the approximately one month after the $1.05M acquisition closed, LPC has already achieved nearly $600,000 in cash flow from accounts receivable collections and received nearly $600,000 in new CMS orders, reinforcing the strategic value of this addition. Wayne Tupuola, CEO of Laser Photonics commented: "We see a tremendous opportunity to expand CMS' presence in the pharmaceutical market. The combination of its innovative technologies and our robust sales and marketing infrastructure provides a pathway to scale their solutions, penetrate deeper into existing pharmaceutical customer bases, and attract new clients in this high-growth sector."

07:10 EST Tenaya reported early data from first cohort of patients in MyPEAK-1 trial - Tenaya Therapeutics reported encouraging early data from the first cohort of patients in the MyPEAK-1 clinical trial of TN-201 gene therapy. TN-201 is being developed for the potential treatment of MYBPC3-associated hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, HCM, a condition caused by insufficient levels of myosin-binding protein C. Preliminary data from three patients in the first dose cohort of 3E13 vg/kg (Cohort 1) showed that TN-201 was generally well tolerated, with readily detectable vector DNA in the heart, evidence of transgene RNA expression, and increasing TN-201 mRNA and MyBP-C protein levels over time. Circulating biomarkers of cardiac muscle strain and injury remained largely stable, and other clinical markers of disease showed stability or directional improvement in the first two individuals dosed, though longer-term data are needed to characterize TN-201's activity. Tenaya will continue to follow these first three patients with additional data readouts from Cohort 1 and the higher dose Cohort 2 anticipated in 2025.

07:10 EST Applied Optoelectronics appoints Kevin Jones as VP, sales for Quantum Bandwidth - Applied Optoelectronics announces the appointment of Kevin Jones as vice president of sales for its broadband access division, Quantum Bandwidth. Jones joins the broadband access team to oversee sales globally. As AOI has expanded its business by selling Quantum Bandwidth products into Cable Multiple System Operators, Jones plays a key role in furthering this strategy and the company's commitment to push the boundaries of what is possible in the telecommunications industry. Prior to joining AOI, Jones held sales leadership roles at Ciena, CommScope, Casa Systems, and Scientific-Atlanta, where he oversaw major cable network transitions such as Hybrid Fiber-Coaxial and DOCSIS upgrades, Digital TV, Voice over IP, Switched Digital Video, and Distributed Access Architecture.

07:08 EST Viad CFO Ellen Ingersoll to leave role, Michael Heitz to succeed - Viad announced that Michael Heitz will assume the role of CFO of the company in March 2025. Heitz joined the company on December 16 and is based in Pursuit's Denver office where he will work in close partnership with Pursuit President and future CEO David Barry and the rest of the company's leadership team to support Pursuit's strategy and growth as a standalone public company following Viad's sale of its GES business. Ellen Ingersoll, Viad's CFO since 2002, will remain CFO through the company's filing of its Form 10-K for 2024 and will work closely with Heitz to ensure a transition.

07:06 EST Aurora Cannabis signs distribution partnership for its Australia subsidiary - Aurora Cannabis announced a distribution partnership between The Entourage Effect and MedReleaf Australia. The Entourage Effect provides comprehensive distribution and support services to pharmacies in Australia and will serve as a wholesaler for MedReleaf Australia's portfolio of products under the CraftPlant, Aurora, and IndiMed brands. MedReleaf Australia, a wholly owned subsidiary of Aurora, is committed to quality, consistency and meets all TGA-GMP standards.

07:06 EST Better Choice Company provides update regarding stock repurchase program - Better Choice Company announced repurchasing 102,405 shares at an average price of $1.9869 per share under its previously announced authorized stock repurchase program under which the Company can repurchase up to $5M of the currently outstanding shares of the Company's common stock, until December 31, 2024.

07:03 EST Marker Therapeutics awarded $9.5M grant from CPRIT - Marker Therapeutics announced that the Company has been awarded a $9.5 million grant from the Cancer Prevention & Research Institute of Texas, CPRIT, to support the clinical investigation of MT-601 in patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer.

07:02 EST Stagwell to acquire analytics platform UNICEPTA - Stagwell has entered into an agreement to acquire UNICEPTA, a global media monitoring and analytics platform. The company will join Stagwell Marketing Cloud's PRophet Comms Tech Suite of AI-powered offerings purpose-built for modern PR and marketing professionals. With 30 years of expertise, UNICEPTA provides comprehensive monitoring and data analytics that empower Fortune Global 500 companies. Spanning eight countries and four continents, UNICEPTA is headquartered in Cologne with additional offices in Berlin, London, Paris, Sao Paulo, Shanghai, Washington and Zurich. Rohwer and Peinemann will continue to lead UNICEPTA and will be integrated in Stagwell's PRophet Comms Tech unit. UNICEPTA is Stagwell's tenth acquisition of 2024.

07:02 EST Siyata Mobile announces first major order in The Netherlands - Siyata Mobile proudly announces its first major order in The Netherlands for a prominent national Dutch transportation company, marking a significant milestone in its international expansion. The order, comprising 550 units of its SD7 handsets, will be delivered by Siyata in the fourth quarter of 2024.

06:57 EST Eton Pharmaceuticals announces final readout of PKU Golike clinical trial - Eton Pharmaceuticals announced the full readout and compelling results from the clinical trial evaluating PKU Golike as a protein substitute for the treatment of phenylketonuria - PKU - in patients during prolonged fasting periods. The study demonstrated that PKU Golike, administered as the last daily dose and compared to standard amino acid protein substitutes, improved metabolic control by reducing harmful phenylalanine levels and increasing beneficial tyrosine levels, both essential for brain function and metabolic health. PKU patients often experience significant fluctuations in blood Phe levels during prolonged fasting periods, particularly at night, when protein breakdown causes Phe concentrations to peak in the early morning. These fluctuations are associated with cognitive difficulties and overall health impacts, making nighttime metabolic control an important focus in PKU management. At the end of the one-week treatment period, patients receiving PKU GOLIKE as the last daily protein substitute dose showed a statistically significant reduction in blood Phe levels compared to those receiving standard amino acid substitutes and a statistically significant increase in blood Tyr levels. Compared to baseline levels measured prior to the start of treatment, the PKU Golike group achieved an average 17.8% reduction in blood Phe levels and an average 33.8% increase in blood Tyr levels upon awakening after the overnight fasting period. In comparison, when treated with standard amino acid protein substitutes, the same patients experienced an average 27.6% increase in blood Phe levels and no significant improvement in blood Tyr levels. Eton expects these findings to support the adoption of PKU Golike among healthcare providers and within the PKU community.

06:54 EST Endeavour Silver's Guanacevi Mill operating at full capacity - Endeavour Silver announced the fabrication and installation of its primary ball mill trunnion at the Guanacevi mine. Guanacevi processing resumed to full capacity this week after the trunnion failure in August. After a 15-week period of operating at a reduced capacity averaging 620 tons per day, the newly fabricated trunnion was installed on November 30 with alignment testing occurring over the ensuing two weeks, restoring the plant to its designed capacity of 1,200 tpd. The total cost of fabrication and installation was just over $400K.

06:51 EST Pfizer CEO sees additional $500M in operating expense savings in 2025 - Dr. Albert Bourla, Pfizer Chairman and CEO, stated: "Pfizer is in a strong position to continue making a positive impact for patients and delivering on our financial commitments in 2025. Our team will build on a year of disciplined execution in 2024 and our product portfolio remains strong. We also expect to continue improving our operating margins with focused financial discipline. We've been successful in delivering on our goal of $4 billion in net operating expense savings through 2024 from our cost realignment program, with an additional $500 million still expected to come in 2025. Additionally, in support of our ongoing efforts to improve gross margin performance, we will work to make additional progress with our Manufacturing Optimization Program in the coming year. As we look forward, we are confident in our future. With our clear strategic roadmap, a robust pipeline of potential innovative medicines and vaccines and a talented team laser-focused on execution, we believe we are on course to deliver significant shareholder value."

06:49 EST Merck's Biologics License Application for clesrovimab accepted by FDA - Merck announced the FDA has accepted the Biologics License Application, or BLA, for clesrovimab, the company's investigational prophylactic long-acting monoclonal antibody designed to protect infants from respiratory syncytial virus - RSV - disease during their first RSV season. The FDA has set a Prescription Drug User Fee Act or target action date of June 10, 2025. The application is supported by results from the pivotal Phase 2b/3 CLEVER trial evaluating a single dose of clesrovimab administered to healthy preterm and full-term infants, and interim results from the ongoing Phase 3 SMART trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of clesrovimab versus palivizumab in infants and children at increased risk for severe RSV disease. Data from these trials were presented in October 2024. If approved, Merck anticipates that clesrovimab would be available for ordering by physicians and healthcare administrators by July 2025, with shipments to arrive in time for the 2025 RSV season.

06:35 EST CGI, SkyAlyne announce 25-year agreement - CGI and SkyAlyne announced the signing of a 25-year agreement. This strategic partnership is set to build SkyAlyne's operational capabilities, streamline processes, and drive innovation for Canada's Department of National Defence Future Aircrew Training, or FAcT, program. Under the terms of the agreement, CGI will deliver a suite of services, including cybersecurity, cloud computing, end-user services and infrastructure management.

06:33 EST Affimed's AFM24/atezolizumab combination shows positive results in NSCLC trial - Affimed announced updated clinical data from the ongoing AFM24-102 trial of AFM24/atezolizumab combination therapy in heavily pretreated NSCLC patients. Results continue to demonstrate meaningful clinical activity in both Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer, or NSCLC, EGFRwt and EGFRmut patients with good tolerability. In addition, the company reported findings from a post-hoc exposure-response analysis in patients treated with 480 mg AFM24 showing higher AFM24 exposure is associated with significantly better response rates, improved PFS and overall survival. Based on these data, the future development program for AFM24 will use a dose of 720 mg weekly, a dose that has already been successfully tested in the phase 1 study of AFM24 showing a manageable safety profile. "Advanced-stage NSCLC remains one of the most challenging cancers to treat, and our findings bring new hope," said CMO Andreas Harstrick. "We see compelling efficacy results with the AFM24/atezolizumab combination in heavily pretreated NSCLC patients, independent from the mutational status. The results are remarkable as we achieve this with a purely immunotherapy-based approach in patients that are often not able or not willing to take additional toxic therapies. The insights in the relation of exposure and efficacy will allow us to further improve on the efficacy and provide a clear path forward as we strive to unlock new possibilities for EGFR NSCLC patients."

06:19 EST Meta settles with OAIC over Cambridge Analytica lawsuit for A$50M - The Australian Information Commissioner today agreed to a A$50M payment program as part of an enforceable undertaking received from Meta Platforms to settle civil penalty proceedings. The payment scheme will be open to eligible Australian Facebook users impacted by the Cambridge Analytica matter. The Commissioner alleged that the personal information of some Australian Facebook users was disclosed to the This is Your Digital Life app in breach of the Privacy Act 1988. The information was exposed to the risk of disclosure to Cambridge Analytica and other third parties, and risked being used for political profiling purposes. The agreement announced today follows a court-ordered mediation, which has been ongoing since February 2024, as part of the Federal Court civil penalty proceedings the Commissioner commenced in March 2020. "Today's settlement represents the largest ever payment dedicated to addressing concerns about the privacy of individuals in Australia," Australian Information Commissioner Elizabeth Tydd said. Reference Link

06:11 EST KBR awarded $88M task order contract under DoD IAC MAC vehicle - KBR announced it has been awarded an estimated $88M task order contract under the Department of Defense Information Analysis Center's, or DoD IAC, multiple-award contract, or MAC, vehicle. These DoD IAC MAC task orders are awarded by the U.S. Air Force's 774 Enterprise Sourcing Squadron to develop and create new knowledge for the enhancement of the Defense Technical Information Center repository and the research and development and science and technology community. The work, primarily located at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, will take place over a period of five years. Under the terms of the contract, KBR will promote rapid prototyping of new technologies into unmanned aviation platforms and systems, demonstrating these new technologies in representative and realistic environments, and integrating new technologies into existing platforms. KBR will mature designs into producible and sustainable products.

06:09 EST Ideaya announces IDMC recommendation for darovasertib, crizotinib combination - Ideaya Biosciences announced the Independent Data Monitoring Committee, or IDMC, recommendation of a move-forward dose and the completion of the Part 2a dose optimization consistent with the FDA's Project Optimus guidelines for the potential registration-enabling Phase 2/3 trial evaluating the combination of darovasertib and crizotinib in the first-line setting in patients with HLA-A2-negative metastatic uveal melanoma. The darovasertib and crizotinib combination in MUM has FDA Fast Track designation and is currently being evaluated in two clinical trials: a potentially registration-enabling Phase 2/3 trial of darovasertib and crizotinib combination in first-line HLA-A2 MUM and a Phase 2 trial. Additionally, darovasertib as neoadjuvant monotherapy is currently being evaluated in a Phase 2 trial in primary uveal melanoma. IDEAYA is also finalizing a clinical trial protocol and is targeting to initiate a potential Phase 3 registration-enabling study for neoadjuvant uveal melanoma patients in the first half of 2025.

06:06 EST Eli Lilly announces regulatory approval for insulin manufactured in Egypt - The Egyptian Drug Authority approved the insulin glargine injection manufactured by EVA Pharma through a collaboration with Eli Lilly. Launched in 2022, the collaboration aims to deliver a sustainable supply of human and analog insulin to at least one million people annually living with type 1 and type 2 diabetes in low- to middle-income countries, most of which are in Africa. Under this agreement, Lilly has been supplying its active pharmaceutical ingredient for insulin to EVA Pharma at a significantly reduced price and providing pro-bono technology transfer to enable EVA Pharma to formulate, fill and finish insulin vials and cartridges.

06:04 EST Meta's Zuckerberg: Threads has over 100M DAUs, 300M MAUs - Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg says Threads now has more than 100M Daily Active Users and more than 300M Monthly Active Users. Reference Link

06:04 EST Sintx Technologies awarded patent for silicon nitride biomaterial applications - Sintx Technologies has achieved a significant milestone. The United States Patent and Trademark Office has issued a Notice of Allowance for Sintx's patent application no. 17/237,687, titled "Methods of Silicon Nitride Laser Cladding." This milestone underscores Sintx's leadership in biomaterial innovation and reinforces its robust intellectual property portfolio. The patent, expected to be issued soon, protects a revolutionary method for laser bonding bioactive silicon nitride to various biomedical implant substrates, including titanium, alumina, zirconia, and advanced polymers like PEKK. This breakthrough technology enhances the biological performance of these substrates by imparting silicon nitride's superior osseointegration and bacterial resistance properties.

06:03 EST Talos Energy sell additional interest in Talos Mexico for $49.7M in cash - Talos Energy and its Mexican subsidiary announced the sale of an additional 30.1% interest in Talos Mexico to Zamajal, an entity owned 90% by Grupo Carso, and 10% by Control Empresarial de Capitales, which owns approximately 24% of Talos's common stock. As consideration for the additional stake, Talos will receive $49.7M in cash at closing, with an additional $33M due upon first commercial production from the Zama Field, for an aggregate price of $82.7M. At closing, Talos Mexico will be owned 20% by Talos Energy and 80% by Zamajal. Talos Mexico holds a 17.4% interest in the Zama Field. The transaction is expected to close upon the receipt of all regulatory approvals. Upon the achievement of commercial production from the Zama Field, Talos now expects to receive $82.9M in cash contingent considerations. This amount comprises $33M from the current transaction and $49.9M from the earlier equity interest transaction.

05:31 EST Tamboran Resources, DWE enter pact with APA to deliver Sturt Plateau Pipeline - Tamboran Resources and Daly Waters Energy, or DWE, have entered into binding agreements with APA Group whereby APA will build, own and operate the 12-inch diameter Sturt Plateau Pipeline, or SPP, for the proposed Shenandoah South Pilot Project. The 23-mile SPP will connect the proposed Sturt Plateau Compression Facility, or SPCF, to the existing APA-owned Amadeus Gas Pipeline, or AGP, the delivery point for gas volumes under the Gas Sales Agreement, or GSA, with the Northern Territory Government. Tamboran and DWE have contracted all foundation capacity on the SPP from the commencement of operations until at least 2041, which reflects the term of the GSA and have competitive access and pricing rights to contract capacity following completion of the initial term. APA has materially progressed the SPP project, with detailed design and approval applications well progressed. APA expects to place orders for the long-lead packages before the end of 2024. Construction of the pipeline is expected to occur in 2H 2025, with the SPP available to accept gas from the SS Pilot Project in 1H 2026.

05:25 EST Sandoz enters $275M settlement for antitrust litigation - Sandoz announced a number of steps to resolve the US Generic Drug Antitrust Class Action Litigation. Following the previously announced settlements with the US Department of Justice in 2020 and 2021 and with the direct purchaser plaintiffs' class in February, Sandoz has now also entered into a settlement agreement with the end payer plaintiffs' class for a total of $275 million, which is expected to be paid before December 31. The company has also taken a provision of $265M for the outstanding claims brought by opt-out plaintiffs and State Attorneys' General. The settlement payment and the provision will be included in the company's 2024 financial results. This does not affect current Sandoz full-year 2024 and mid-term guidance. Sandoz and its subsidiary Fougera Pharmaceuticals, both indirect subsidiaries of Sandoz Group, have entered into a settlement agreement with the class of end payer plaintiffs in the multi-district litigation entitled In re Generic Pharmaceuticals Pricing Antitrust Litigation in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. This agreement, which contains no admission of wrongdoing by Sandoz US, resolves all of the damages claims of the end payer class, which is comprised generally of certain consumers, insurers, health and welfare funds, employee benefit plans, and other entities that paid for and reimbursed the sales of drugs. Under the terms of the agreement, Sandoz US will pay $275M in exchange for a full release of all claims asserted against it in the end payer class action by the settlement class members. This settlement underscores Sandoz commitment towards integrity and sound governance, and it is an encouraging step toward resolving allegations of legacy conduct. Beyond the payment, settlement terms include: a broad release of claims that covers alleged conduct between 2009 and 2019 as well as all medicines at issue in the end purchaser class claims; class members have the right to opt out of the settlement, which could result in the settlement amount being reduced by up to $45M. The settlement is subject to court approval, as is required for class settlements under U.S. law. If the court preliminarily approves the settlement, class members will be notified of the settlement and given an opportunity to opt out of the class, object to the settlement, and file a claim to receive a settlement payment. The remaining claims are seeking damages for alleged anticompetitive conduct in the US market. These claims are brought by certain US States and Territories as well as the indirect reseller plaintiff class and individual plaintiffs in the multidistrict litigation. Sandoz US continues to defend itself vigorously in those cases, and has raised a number of defenses, including whether downstream purchasers were actually damaged due to the alleged conduct. Based on its current assessment of these remaining claims, Sandoz set up a provision of $265 million. As the litigation progresses, Sandoz will continue to assess the overall situation and may increase or decrease the provision as appropriate.

05:04 EST Nokia partners with Ishan on broadband services in Gujarat, Maharashtra - Nokia announced it has partnered with Ishan Technologies, an internet service provider in India, on broadband services in Gujarat and Maharashtra. The upgraded network will automate routine operations like service activation and provisioning, enabling faster rollout of new services, reducing operational costs, and enhancing customer experiences. Ishan Technologies is undertaking this network modernization to expand its retail broadband services across cities in Gujarat and Maharashtra.