Stockwinners Market Radar for December 16, 2020 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

19:15 EST Novavax announces agreement with New Zeland for 10.7M doses of COVID vaccine - Novavax announced an Advance Purchase Agreement with the government of New Zealand for the purchase of 10.7M doses of NVX-CoV2373, Novavax' candidate vaccine against COVID-19. Currently in Phase 3 clinical testing in the United Kingdom for the prevention of COVID-19, NVX-CoV2373 is a recombinant protein vaccine adjuvanted with Novavax' proprietary Matrix-M to enhance the immune response.

18:30 EST Amerco CEO buys 5K shares of common stock - In a regulatory filing, Amerco disclosed that its CEO Edward Shoen bought 5.0K shares of common stock on December 14th in a total transaction size of $2.14M.

17:51 EST j2 Global CFO sells 10.3K shares of common stock - In a regulatory filing, j2 Global disclosed that its CFO Scott Turicchi sold 10.3K shares of common stock on December 15th in a total transaction size of $1.04M, reducing his stake by 4%.

17:32 EST Bachoco to invest in RYC Alimentos in Mexico - Industrias Bachoco announced that an agreement has been reached to invest in the company RYC Alimentos, a multiprotein processor and distributor with productive operations in Puebla, Mexico. Founded in 1983, RYC is a meat processor and distributor mainly of beef, pork, and chicken with national coverage that participates in all the distribution channels with fresh and value-added products. This, along with the effort of more than 900 employees, has allowed RYC to be among the leading companies in its field.

17:27 EST R.R. Donnelley jumps 20% after reported interest in selling Asia Pacific assets - Shares of U.S based printing firm R.R. Donnelley (RRD) closed 20% higher in trading on Wednesday after Bloomberg's Manuel Baigorri reported the company had interest in exiting the Asia Pacific to raise cash, citing people familiar with the matter. R.R. Donnelley "has been selling assets to raise cash and reduce debt amid declining earnings. Last month, it sold its DLS Worldwide logistics business to TFI International for $225M," the Bloomberg story noted. R.R. Donnelley issued a statement in response to the Bloomberg article, saying, "While the company's practice is to not comment on speculation or market rumors, RRD clarified today that the company is not currently engaged in discussions to sell its printing and packaging business in Asia Pacific."

17:22 EST Lennar jumps 3.5% to $76.95 after Q4 results beat estimates

17:17 EST Dycom COO sells 150.1K shares of common stock - In a regulatory filing, Dycom disclosed that its COO Timothy Estes sold 150.1K shares of common stock on December 14th in a total transaction size of $11.4M, reducing his stake by 49%.

17:07 EST Lennar Chairman sees housing market as 'significant driver' in economic recovery - Stuart Miller said, "The housing market has proven to be very strong and we expect it to continue to be a significant driver in the recovery of the overall economy over the next several years. We thank all of our associates and trade partners for their continued focus and dedication to ensure that we deliver high quality and safe homes during this pandemic. With an excellent balance sheet, strong cash flow generation and continued execution of our core operating strategies, we are well positioned for an even stronger 2021 with projected deliveries of 62,000 to 64,000 homes with a gross margin of 23.75% to 24.0%."

17:04 EST Lennar sees 2021 deliveries of 62,000-64,000 homes - Sees 2021: Average sales price of $386,000 - $388,000; Gross margin % on home sales of 23.75% - 24.0%.

17:02 EST Lennar sees Q1 new orders 14,500-14,800 - Sees Q1: Deliveries 12,200 - 12,500; Average sales price $390,000; Gross margin % on home sales of 23.5% - 23.75%.

17:01 EST Anthem names Shantanu Agrawal as Chief Health Officer - Anthem announced Dr. Shantanu Agrawal has been named Chief Health Officer, effective January 25, 2020. Dr. Agrawal will oversee Anthem's enterprise health strategy, to include medical policy and clinical quality, as well as the company's industry-leading work to address the social drivers of health. He will report directly to Gail K. Boudreaux, President and CEO, Anthem.

16:45 EST Universal Display CFO sells 50.4K shares of common stock - In a regulatory filing, Universal Display disclosed that its CFO Sidney Rosenblatt sold 50.4K shares of common stock on December 14th in a total transaction size of $11.7M, reducing his stake by 16%.

16:41 EST Luckin Coffee to pay $180M penalty to resolve SEC accounting fraud charges - The Securities and Exchange Commission charged China-based company Luckin Coffee with defrauding investors by materially misstating the company's revenue, expenses, and net operating loss in an effort to falsely appear to achieve rapid growth and increased profitability and to meet the company's earnings estimates. Luckin, whose American Depositary Shares traded on Nasdaq until July 13, has agreed to pay a $180M penalty to resolve the charges. The SEC's complaint alleges that, from at least April 2019 through January 2020, Luckin intentionally fabricated more than $300 million in retail sales by using related parties to create false sales transactions through three separate purchasing schemes. According to the complaint, certain Luckin employees attempted to conceal the fraud by inflating the company's expenses by more than $190M, creating a fake operations database, and altering accounting and bank records to reflect the false sales. The complaint further alleges that the company intentionally and materially overstated its reported revenue and expenses and materially understated its net loss in its publicly disclosed financial statements in 2019. For example, Luckin allegedly materially overstated its reported revenue by approximately 28% for the period ending June 30, 2019, and by 45% for the period ending Sept. 30, 2019, in its publicly disclosed financial statements. The complaint alleges that during the period of the fraud, Luckin raised more than $864 million from debt and equity investors. After Luckin's misconduct was discovered in the course of the annual external audit of the company's financial statements, Luckin reported the matter to and cooperated with SEC staff, initiated an internal investigation, terminated certain personnel, and added internal accounting controls. Reference Link

16:39 EST City Holding raises quarterly dividend to 58c from 57c per share - The dividend is payable on January 29, 2021 for shareholders of record as of January 15, 2021.

16:35 EST Selecta Biosciences director buys 40K shares of common stock - In a regulatory filing, Selecta Biosciences disclosed that its Chief Medical Officer Peter Traber bought 40K shares of common stock on December 14th in a total transaction size of $129.4K.

16:33 EST FDA okays MacroGenics' Margenza in combo therapy with chemo in breast cancer - MacroGenics announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, FDA, has approved MARGENZA, in combination with chemotherapy, for the treatment of adult patients with metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer who have received two or more prior anti-HER2 regimens, at least one of which was for metastatic disease. MARGENZA is the first product approved from MacroGenics' promising pipeline. The approval was based on safety and efficacy results from the pivotal Phase 3 SOPHIA trial. "The approval of MARGENZA is an exciting milestone for MacroGenics and, more importantly, it brings a new treatment option to metastatic breast cancer patients. We are grateful for the patients who participated in this study, as well as their families, and everyone who played a role in helping MacroGenics reach this milestone," said Scott Koenig, M.D., Ph.D., President and CEO of MacroGenics. "As we prepare for our first commercial launch and look forward to being able to deliver MARGENZA to patients, we continue to focus on developing and commercializing innovative antibody-based therapeutics for the treatment of cancer with eight product candidates currently in clinical development." ..The final Overall Survival analysis is expected in the second half of 2021.

16:30 EST Amgen raises quarterly dividend 10% to $1.76 per share - The dividend will be paid on March 8, 2021, to all stockholders of record as of the close of business on February 15, 2021.

16:27 EST MDU Resources subsidiary Knife River buys assets of McMurry Ready-Mix Co - Knife River Corporation announced it has expanded its Intermountain Region footprint by acquiring the assets of McMurry Ready-Mix Co., an aggregates and concrete supplier based in Casper, Wyoming. Knife River is the construction materials subsidiary of MDU Resources and operates in 15 states. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed. This is Knife River's seventh acquisition in the last three years.

16:22 EST Femsa buys Southeastern Paper Group and Southwest Paper Company - Fomento Economico Mexicano announced it has reached agreements to acquire two independent specialized distribution businesses in the United States: Southeastern Paper Group, Inc., based in Spartanburg, South Carolina and Southwest Paper Company, Inc., based in Wichita, Kansas. Combined revenues of the acquired businesses for the last twelve months as of September 2020, were approximately $380M. The transactions are subject to customary closing conditions and approvals and are expected to close before year-end 2020.

16:17 EST Planet Fitness names Bill Bode as new COO - Planet Fitness announced that Bill Bode has been promoted to Chief Operations Officer. Bode previously served as Senior Vice President of Franchise Operations upon joining the company in 2016. He will continue to serve on Planet Fitness' leadership team reporting directly to CEO, Chris Rondeau.

16:14 EST Lexicon enters data collaboration with AC Bioscience - Lexicon Pharmaceuticals announced that it has entered a collaboration enabling the use by AC Bioscience of preclinical and clinical data for LX2931 without granting any right or license under any of Lexicon's patent rights for the compound. LX2931 is a small molecule sphingosine-1-phosphate lyase inhibitor that is currently not in active development at Lexicon. "In line with our realignment around the rapid development of the LX9211 program, we continue to evaluate our pipeline and determine the most effective way to advance our broad library of compounds and targets," said Praveen Tyle, Ph.D., executive vice president of research and development. "We are pleased to collaborate with AC Bioscience to accelerate their efforts around S1P and look forward to learning additional information about this potentially interesting pathway." Under the terms of the agreement, Lexicon will receive an upfront payment and is eligible to receive milestone payments

16:12 EST IBM names Arvind Krishna chairman of the board - IBM's board of directors has elected Arvind Krishna chairman of the board, effective January 1, 2021. Mr. Krishna, who is IBM's chief executive officer and a member of the board, succeeds IBM executive chairman Virginia M. Rometty, who is retiring on December 31, 2020, as the company previously announced in January of this year. Krishna was elected IBM's 10th CEO in January, and assumed the position on April 6, 2020 after holding numerous senior leadership positions in the company, most recently as IBM senior vice president for cloud and cognitive software, where he was a principal architect of the company's acquisition of Red Hat.

16:08 EST Herman Miller jumps 4% to $42.10 after Q2 results beat estimates

16:07 EST SS&C acquires Millennium Consulting Services, Millennium Seminar Services - SS&C Technologies announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Millennium Consulting Services and Millennium Seminar Services. Raleigh, North Carolina-based Millennium Consulting Services and Millennium Seminar Services provide a broad array of consulting and training services to insurance companies and insurance regulators. The purchase price for the two entities was not disclosed.

16:06 EST Smith & Wesson Brands authorizes $50M stock repurchase plan - Smith & Wesson Brands has authorized the repurchase of up to $50M of the company's common stock through December 14, 2021. Any shares of common stock repurchased under the program will be considered issued but not outstanding shares of the company's common stock.

16:06 EST Herman Miller reports Q2 backlog $403.4M, up 0.7% y/y

16:05 EST Herman Miller reports Q2 gross margin 39% vs. 37.9% a year ago

16:01 EST Amgen submits NDA to FDA for sotorasib - Amgen announced submission of a New Drug Application to the U.S. FDA for sotorasib, an investigational KRASG12C inhibitor for the treatment of patients with KRAS G12C-mutated locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer, as determined by an FDA-approved test, following at least one prior systemic therapy.

15:36 EST Acme United acquires assets of Med-Nap, terms not disclosed - Acme United announced that it has acquired the assets of Med-Nap LLC., a manufacturer of alcohol prep pads, alcohol wipes, benzalkonium chloride wipes, antiseptic wipes, castile soap, and lens cleaning products. Med-Nap has estimated revenues in 2020 of approximately $4.9M and EBITDA of approximately $1M. The purchase price was not disclosed. The acquisition is expected to be accretive commencing in the first quarter of 2021. The company, based in Brooksville, Florida, was founded in 2007 and employs 25 people.

15:02 EST Cuomo says NYS to receive 80K more Pfizer vaccine doses in the next days - New York Governor Andrew Cuomo tweeted, "Yesterday, NYS received 77,025 doses of the Pfizer (PFE) vaccine. The State has received 87,750 total doses to date. An additional 80,000 Pfizer vaccine doses will arrive in the next days to start the vaccination program for residents and staff at nursing homes." The COVID-19 vaccine in question was developed in partnership with BioNTech (BNTX), The Fly notes. Reference Link

14:18 EST Tyson announces completion of Waterloo investigation, termination of 7 employees - An independent investigation into wagering allegations at Tyson Foods' pork plant in Waterloo, Iowa, has led to the termination of seven plant management employees, the company announced. "We value our people and expect everyone on the team, especially our leaders, to operate with integrity and care in everything we do. The behaviors exhibited by these individuals do not represent the Tyson core values, which is why we took immediate and appropriate action to get to the truth. Now that the investigation has concluded, we are taking action based on the findings... We were very upset to learn of the behaviors found in the allegations, as we expect our leaders to treat all team members with the highest levels of respect and integrity. That's why we have asked former Attorney General Eric Holder and his team to partner with Tyson to help us as we continue to look for ways to enhance a trusting and respectful workplace," said Tyson Foods President and CEO Dean Banks.

13:20 EST Lemonade wins French ruling over Deutsche Telekom to use color pink - Lemonade (LMND) announced it has won a ruling against Deutsche Telekom (DTEGY) over the use of the color pink in France. "Deutsche Telekom has owned the French trademark on the color pink, or magenta, in the field of financial services since it registered this color-mark 25 years ago. No longer. In a ruling issued on December 15, 2020, French authorities found that 'there is no evidence of genuine use of this mark for the contested services' by Deutsche Telekom, confirming that 'the owner of the contested mark should therefore be deprived of his rights,' Lemonade said in a statement.

13:11 EST Remark Holdings adjourns special shareholder meeting until January 13, 2021 - Remark Holdings announced the adjournment of its special shareholder meeting until January 13, 2021 at 1:00 p.m. ET, to provide additional time to solicit votes to reach a quorum and conduct business.

13:06 EST Nikola plans deal with Pinnacle West unit for energy in Arizona, Bloomberg says - Nikola (NKLA) plans to enter into an agreement with Arizona Public Service, unit of Pinnacle West Capital (PNW), to supply the electricity it needs to produce hydrogen for a fueling network, Bloomberg reports. The proposed contract between Nikola and Arizona Public Service was disclosed in a December 11 filing requesting approval from Arizona utility regulators, Bloomberg points out. "This rate schedule enables Nikola's planned deployment of fueling facilities in Arizona in support of zero-emission hydrogen fuel-cell electric trucks," Nikola told Bloomberg in a statement.

12:56 EST Abbott says FDA issues EUA for at-home use of BinaxNOW COVID-19 rapid test - Abbott announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued Emergency Use Authorization for virtually guided at-home use of its BinaxNOW COVID-19 Ag Card rapid test for detection of COVID-19 infection. Abbott is bringing BinaxNOW, the most affordable and widely distributed rapid test into the home, where the result is delivered in minutes without the need to send it out for processing. The $25 cost for the test and service is the lowest currently available for at-home testing. To facilitate the delivery of the BinaxNOW test to the home and the guided collection and testing process, Abbott has partnered with digital health solutions provider eMed. This agreement furthers Abbott's vision of making as many tests as possible available in a variety of different settings to improve accessibility, support consumer confidence in testing at home, and help people start returning to living their daily lives with more normalcy. Abbott and eMed expect to deliver and administer 30M BinaxNOW at-home tests in the first quarter of 2021, with an additional 90M in the second quarter. Scale is critical to provide broad access to people who need testing and Abbott has scale for all its eight COVID-19 lab and rapid tests. In fact, since launching BinaxNOW in August, Abbott has ramped up capacity to 50M tests a month in its U.S. facilities that are currently being distributed through the federal government and is expanding further so even more people have access to the tests.

12:23 EST Performance Food pays $5.075M to resolve Equal Employment Opportunity suit - Performance Food Group will pay $5.075M in monetary relief and furnish significant equitable relief to settle a federal nationwide sex discrimination lawsuit, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission announced. According to the EEOC's lawsuit, since at least 2004, Performance has engaged "in an ongoing pattern or practice of failing to hire a class of female applicants for operative positions at its Broadline facilities. The EEOC also charged that PFG failed to promote a qualified female employee into the position of nighttime warehouse training supervisor at its Carroll County Foods facility in Maryland based on her sex."

12:01 EST Atlas Corp. falls -12.0% - Atlas Corp. is down -12.0%, or -$1.38 to $10.13.

12:00 EST Virgin Galactic rises 9.5% - Virgin Galactic is up 9.5%, or $2.33 to $26.84.

12:00 EST C3.ai rises 12.1% - C3.ai is up 12.1%, or $12.35 to $114.35.

11:07 EST Southwest sees Q4 average daily core cash burn approx. $12M - In a regulatory filing, the company said, "Based on the Company's existing fuel derivative contracts and market prices as of December 14, 2020, the Company continues to estimate its fourth quarter 2020 economic fuel costs to be in the range of $1.20 to $1.30 per gallon, including $24M, or9c per gallon, in premium expense and no cash settlements from fuel derivative contracts. The Company continues to expect fourth quarter 2020 operating expenses, excluding fuel and oil expense, special items, and profitsharing expense, to decrease in the range of 20 to 25 percent, year-over-year. The Company's average daily core cash burn in November 2020 was approximately $13M. The Company now estimates its average daily core cash burn to be approximately $12M in fourth quarter 2020, which compares unfavorably with its previous estimate in the range of $10M to $11M, driven by weakening leisure demand and booking trends, as well as increased trip cancellations...Since the beginning of 2020, the Company has raised a total of approximately $18.9B, net, including $13.4B in debt issuances and sale-leaseback transactions, $2.2B through a common stock offering, and $3.4B of Payroll Support Program proceeds. As of December 15, 2020, the Company had cash and short-term investments of approximately $13.2B, well in excess of debt outstanding. The Company continues to have unencumbered assets worth approximately $12B, including approximately $10B in aircraft and approximately $2B in non-aircraft assets such as spare engines, ground equipment, and real estate. In addition to the value from aircraft and other physical assets, the Company has significant value from its Rapid Reward loyalty program. The Company's adjusted debt to invested capital is currently 56 percent, and it remains the only U.S. airline with an investment-grade rating by all three rating agencies. The Company continues to estimate its annual 2020 effective tax rate to be in the range of 24 to 26 percent."

11:05 EST Facebook says Apple policy will hurt its diversified ads business - Facebook said in a blog post on Apple's new iOS 14 policy: "And yes, there will be an impact to Facebook's diversified ads business, but it will be much less than what will befall small businesses, and we've already been factoring this into our expectations for the business.2 Many small businesses won't grow, continue hiring or even survive as a result of an impact of this magnitude...We believe that personalized ads and user privacy can coexist, without the collateral damage iOS 14 will bring. We, and others in the industry, are investing deeply in solutions that increase privacy while still enabling businesses to thrive online. Unfortunately, Apple is making far-reaching changes without input from the industry and the businesses most impacted. Why? As far as we can see, Apple has another strong motive. If these changes go through, established businesses with large marketing budgets will have the advantage - once again - taking us back to the age of TV advertising. But the big business that benefits the most is Apple."

11:03 EST Facebook says new Apple policy will hurt small businesses - Facebook (FB) said in a blog post: "Apple's new iOS 14 policy will have a harmful impact on many small businesses that are struggling to stay afloat and on the free internet that we all rely on more than ever. Here is an overview of what Apple is doing and where we stand: They're creating a policy - enforced via iOS 14's AppTrackingTransparency - that's about profit, not privacy...They're hurting small businesses and publishers who are already struggling in a pandemic...They're not playing by their own rules... We disagree with Apple's approach, yet we have no choice but to issue their prompt." Reference Link

11:01 EST Canadian National announces plans for new logistics park in Alabama - CN announces that, in collaboration with Alabama Export Railroad, and Ray-Mont Logistics, it is launching the first phase of a new, "innovative, high-tech" logistics park in Mobile, AL. expected to open in late 2021. The first phase of the project will be a facility for bagging and containerizing plastic pellets. This terminal will include two bagging lines with an annual capacity of 25,000 Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units. "Strategically located in Mobile, the facility will provide customers with extensive export capacity to access Asian, Latin American, and European markets without warehousing costs or requiring double handling. This collaboration between CN, Alabama Export Railroad, a wholly owned subsidiary of Mississippi Export Railroad, and Ray-Mont Logistics will offer shippers an alternative solution to maintain a steady supply chain and to get their products to global markets from the Port of Mobile," the company said.

11:00 EST Southwest sees January operating revenue down 65%-75% y-o-y - Sees load factor 45%-55%. Sees ASMs down 40%-45% y-o-y, previous view down 35%-40%.

10:59 EST Starbucks: FY21 EPS view remains intact as margin strength offets sales softness

10:58 EST Starbucks saw slight sequential improvement in comp entering Q1 - Starbucks said that while there was a slight sequential improvement in comp entering Q1, comps slightly decelerated to (4%) in November and the company is seeing further softening in December. The company said its business is being impacted by the current Covid surge, but "not nearly to the extent that we were in the spring." Comments taken from Wolfe Research Consumer Access Day.

10:54 EST Southwest continues to experience softness in leisure passenger demand, bookings - In a regulatory filing, the company said, "The Company continues to experience significant year-over-year negative impacts to passenger demand and bookings due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Following several months of modest improvements in close-in leisure passenger demand, the Company experienced a deceleration in improving revenue trends in November 2020 due to a spike in COVID-19 cases, as well as renewed quarantine requirements, travel restrictions, and related government orders. The Company also experienced an increase in trip cancellations in the weeks prior to the Thanksgiving holiday travel period; although, leisure passenger demand was more resilient for the Thanksgiving holiday travel period compared with non-holiday weeks in November 2020. Given the continued surge in COVID-19 cases and depressed revenue environment, the Company continues to experience softness in leisure passenger demand and bookings for December 2020, as well as elevated levels of trip cancellations for December travel. The Company currently estimates the softness in leisure passenger demand and bookings to continue into January 2021. Thus far, leisure bookings for holiday travel in late December 2020 and early January 2021 are outpacing leisure passenger demand and bookings in non-holiday time periods for both months. The Company remains cautious given the uncertainty of near-term revenue trends."

10:36 EST Fox News Media signs Laura Ingraham to new multiyear deal - FOX News Media has signed Laura Ingraham to a new multiyear deal where she will continue as the host of The Ingraham Angle on FOX News Channel, announced Suzanne Scott, CEO of FOX News Media. In making the announcement, Scott said, "Laura's one-of-a-kind expertise and powerful commentary has provided an important voice to millions of Americans as a staple of our primetime lineup and we are thrilled to feature her insightful perspective across our platforms for many years to come."

10:19 EST ACM Research says SSEC completes review of verification for STAR Market IPO - Last night, ACM Research provided updates on the status of the proposed initial public offering and listing of shares of ACM's operating subsidiary ACM Research Shanghai on the STAR Market of the Shanghai Stock Exchange. ACM announced that the Shanghai Securities and Exchange Commission, or "SSEC," has completed its review of the verification report of ACM's self-inspection as prepared by the lead underwriter of the STAR Market IPO. The verification report is a response to the allegations regarding ACM's business and operations contained in a report issued on October 8, 2020 by J Capital Research USA LLC. ACM has furnished an English translation of the verification report as an exhibit to a current report on Form 8-K filed with the U.S. SEC on December 15 and posted the same on ACM's investor relations website, the company said. ACM's President and CEO Dr. David Wang commented, "As noted in our third quarter earnings conference call, ACM Shanghai's STAR Market IPO team, including its investment bank, legal team, and auditing team, contributed to the Verification Report, which sets forth a point-by-point review of all the allegations. We are encouraged by the completion of the SSEC's review of the Verification Report, which refutes the assertions and conclusions of what we consider to be an erroneous and biased report." ACM is continuing forward with the registration process with the China Securities Regulatory Commission. "Due to the additional review time required for the report issued by J Capital Research USA LLC and other factors, the company currently targets completion of the STAR Market IPO and listing of shares of ACM Shanghai in the first quarter of 2021. The target is dependent upon a timely review and registration by the China Securities Regulatory Commission, and is subject to market conditions and other factors," ACM said.

10:02 EST Court denies Molson Coors' motion to dismiss Future Proof claim - Future Proof Brands LLC, creators of BeatBox Beverages, previously filed litigation in an Austin federal court in February of 2020, charging that Molson Coors infringed on Brizzy's federally registered trademark, creating market confusion through the industry giant's launch of a competing product, Vizzy. Following the most recent announcement regarding the Fifth Circuit confirmation of the validity of Future Proof's Brizzy trademark, which is something that the United States Patent and Trademark had already done in issuing their registration last year, the District Court for the Western District of Texas has since come back denying Molson Coors' motion to dismiss. Future Proof said that the latest ruling helps to even further pave the way for the lawsuit against Molson Coors to now proceed through the discovery phase, where Future Proof intends to fully explore the actual confusion that has been occurring in the market following the release of Vizzy, and finally to a full trial on the merits.

10:00 EST Atlas Corp. falls -11.2% - Atlas Corp. is down -11.2%, or -$1.29 to $10.22.

10:00 EST Yalla rises 8.3% - Yalla is up 8.3%, or $1.35 to $17.50.

10:00 EST Desktop Metal rises 9.0% - Desktop Metal is up 9.0%, or $1.47 to $17.75.

09:47 EST Penumbra falls -10.6% - Penumbra is down -10.6%, or -$20.04 to $168.78.

09:47 EST Accenture announces joint venture with Generali Group - Generali Group and Accenture have created a joint venture - Group Operations Service Platform, or GOSP - that will "leverage cloud technologies and shared technology platforms to accelerate the insurance group's innovation and digital strategy," the companies announced. In addition to holding a 5% ownership stake in the venture, Accenture will provide GOSP with a team of 40 professionals with expertise in cloud, artificial intelligence and big data to drive rapid transformation, innovation and change management at speed and scale. Jean-Marc Ollagnier CEO of Accenture for Europe, said, "By adopting a cloud-first approach, Generali will be able to innovate at speed and scale. Working hand-in-hand, we can help enable Generali to quickly and cost-efficiently create innovative insurance products and services, which are aimed to fit the specific needs of customers in Italy and other markets. Through this partnership, we are not only helping Generali transform its business, but we are also supporting its employees throughout the transformation with a re-skilling and up-skilling program."

09:47 EST Hyliion Holdings rises 5.2% - Hyliion Holdings is up 5.2%, or 82c to $16.57.

09:35 EST Biosyent launches Combogesic acetaminophen, ibuprofen tablet in Canada - BioSyent announced that its subsidiary, BioSyent Pharma, has commenced the first shipments of Combogesic to Canadian wholesalers. Combogesic is a fixed-dose combination of acetaminophen and ibuprofen in a single tablet and is indicated for the short-term management of mild to moderate acute pain and the reduction of fever in adults.

09:30 EST U.S. Gold reports gold equivalent grade of 1.126 g/t over 177.5 m at CK Gold, WY - U.S. Gold announced the first results of the recent twenty-nine hole drilling program for its CK Gold Project, an advanced stage gold and copper exploration and development project located just outside of Cheyenne, Wyoming. The results of the program, which are 177.5 meters of continuous gold, copper and silver mineralization with an average gold equivalent grade of 1.126 g/t, demonstrate continuity of gold and copper grades. The hole shows continuous gold and copper grades for the length of the hole with an additional silver component previously not included in exploration results; the hole terminated at its planned depth in mineralized material exceeding 2 g/t Au; overall average gold grade of 0.81 g/t, or 1.126 g/t AuEq; better than the average grades outlined in the PEA for the resource, last updated in 2009. Results from this first metallurgical core hole demonstrate the continuity of attractive gold and copper grades within the CK Gold Project deposit. The twenty-nine hole drill program is designed to advance the CK Gold Project to the Pre-Feasibility Study level. Pursuing additional mineralization at depth will be the subject of follow-up exploration drilling post Pre-Feasibility Study.

09:26 EST II-VI, Coherent enter supply agreement for automotive laser welding solutions - II-VI Incorporated (IIVI) and Coherent (COHR) announced that they have entered into a supply agreement creating a collaboration to enable faster process development and streamlined production services for automotive laser welding applications. These include high-strength alloy welding for automotive body-in-white applications and mass production copper welding for electrification applications. Specifically, the combination of II-VI's advanced laser processing heads and Coherent's Adjustable Ring Mode fiber laser technology delivers power adjustment and beam positioning on the fly to produce optimal welds with the highest quality at a very high speed and over large working areas, increasing the efficiency and decreasing the cost of ownership. As part of this collaboration, Coherent will provide customers with the convenience of a single point of contact throughout the development and deployment of welding sub-systems combining the Coherent ARM fiber lasers and the II-VI RLSK and HIGHmotion 2D remote laser processing heads. By offering this Industry 4.0 ready solution, Coherent will deliver an optimized, integrated solution with superior service that ensures maximum productivity on customers' manufacturing lines.

09:23 EST Alabama State University selects Draganfly's Varigard spraying program - Draganfly is pleased to announce that Alabama State University will be implementing Draganfly's Varigard pathogen and surface sanitizer at its on-campus stadium and Acadome arena. Using its patented drone technologies, Draganfly is the exclusive flight services provider of Varigard's pathogen and virus sanitizer. ASU recently installed Draganfly's Smart Vital technology and social distancing units across its campus as part of its COVID-19 protocol to keep faculty, students and staff safe.

09:20 EST Oxford Immunotec announces formation of Global T cell expert consortium - Oxford Immunotec Global announce the formation and initial meeting of the Global T cell expert consortium. The GTEC is a community of experts in T cell research, epidemiology, vaccine research and global public health. It aims to be the leading voice for T cell expertise during and beyond the current COVID-19 pandemic. The GTEC is an independent forum, with its agenda, research and associated education driven by the consortium experts, with support from Oxford Immunotec. The goal of the GTEC is to advance the frontiers of T cell research and education and to raise the profile of T cells to the level of antibodies in the mind of doctors, governments and the public. This is in recognition of the key role T cells play in immunity, and the specific role they play in COVID-19. To achieve this goal the GTEC will: Drive further research into the role of T cell measurement for COVID-19; Drive education on the role of T cells in immunity; Stimulate creation of new, innovative research studies by facilitating enhanced networking amongst T cell researchers. Danny Altman, Professor of Immunology at Imperial College London, is the first chair of the GTEC. In addition, 10 other leading T cell experts have joined the consortium from the USA, Europe and Asia.

09:16 EST Wyndham Destinations reopening two resorts in St. Thomas - Wyndham Destinations is re-opening Limetree Beach Resort by Club Wyndham and Club Wyndham Elysian Beach Resort, both located in St. Thomas. Following a three-year hiatus, Limetree Beach Resort by Club Wyndham - formerly known as Bluebeard's Beach Club - recently welcomed back owners and guests. The resort now features seven buildings, as well as 74 remodeled vacation club suites. At Club Wyndham Elysian Beach Resort, located on the eastern end of St. Thomas, all 69 suites have been refurbished.

09:12 EST Taronis Fuels releases sustainability impact study - Taronis Fuels released the findings in a new sustainability white paper completed by Arizona State University's School of Sustainability. The white paper is titled: Acetylene & MagneGas Sustainability Assessment -A comparative environmental impact analysis of several acetylene production processes and the Taronis MagneGas production process. The Company commissioned a team of four engineers at ASU to conduct an independent environmental assessment of the carbon footprint of all major forms of acetylene production, along with a direct comparison of the environmental footprint for the production of MagneGas, the Company's patented, renewable metal cutting fuel product. The results of the independent study indicated that MagneGas production has a significantly lower carbon footprint relative to all acetylene production methods. The calcium carbide acetylene production process produces an 85% larger carbon footprint than MagneGas production. Alternatively, all other acetylene production methods using the petrochemical refining processes demonstrate a 65% larger carbon footprint when compared to MagneGas production. Based on these findings, MagneGas has the potential to meaningfully contribute to the global effort to reduce the industry's carbon footprint. The Company estimates the acetylene industry generates approximately 2.65 million tons of carbon dioxide every year. Global adoption of MagneGas could eliminate 2.25 million tons of this output annually.

09:11 EST Sage announces Sage Partner Cloud Program in the U.S., Canada - Sage announces the Sage Partner Cloud Program in the U.S. and Canada. The program enables partners to deploy and customize their customers' Sage 100 and Sage 300 products online, which supports them on their journey to the cloud, at a pace that suits them and their business. Sage Partner Cloud will optimize Sage customers' ability to work remotely while controlling costs, on both a short- and long-term basis. It is especially useful as a digital solution for businesses that are re-evaluating the ways in which they manage in the COVID-19 economy. Sage Partner Cloud allows partners to deploy Sage 100 and Sage 300 more quickly on the Microsoft Azure cloud, enabling them to fully tailor the deployment and manage ISV add-ons to meet the customer's unique needs.

09:10 EST Comstock Holding, Town of Herndon complete transfer of land - Comstock Holding Companies is pleased to announce that Comstock Herndon Venture and the Town of Herndon, have closed on the transfer of land in historic downtown Herndon that is the subject of a public-private partnership between the parties. Comstock's planned redevelopment of the 4.7 acre parcel is the centerpiece of Herndon's revitalization plan for its historic downtown. Comstock and its design team worked closely with Town officials to develop a plan that is exciting, while honoring the historic character of Herndon's downtown. The plan earned the unanimous approval of the Herndon Historic District Review Board in 2019. Located approximately 1.5 miles from the new Silver Line's Herndon Station at the intersection of Elden and Center streets, the planned development will be adjacent to Herndon's Old Town Hall, the W&OD trail, established restaurants and retail stores, and the Town Green, site of events and concerts throughout the year. Comstock's development will include approximately 273 residential apartments, 17,300 square feet of boutique restaurant and cafe space, a 16,265 square feet arts center, three public plazas with outdoor seating and dedicated art, and a seven-level parking garage with 726 spaces.

09:09 EST Digital Ally to equip all Goodcents restaurants with Shield, ThermoVu devices - Digital Ally announced it will equip all 63 Goodcents restaurants with Shield Disinfectant/Sanitizer, ThermoVu non-contact temperature screening devices and electrostatic sprayers by late January 2021. In early 2020 Digital Ally launched multiple product lines in direct response to the increased safety precautions organizations and individuals are taking due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Goodcents, a Kansas-based sub shop, marks the first major US restaurant franchise to fully implement Digital Ally's complete line of safety products. The products will be supplied and serviced by Trust Think Products, the preferred distributor of Shield and Digital Ally.

09:07 EST NiSource's NIPSCO, Capital Dynamics sign long-term PPA - Northern Indiana Public Service Company, a subsidiary of NiSource, and the Clean Energy Infrastructure business of Capital Dynamics, signed a long-term Power Purchase Agreement. Under the terms of the PPA, NIPSCO will purchase 280MW of the power generated by a CEI-owned greenfield solar project called Gibson Solar, one of two projects being developed by CEI in Gibson County, Indiana. Arevon Energy Management and Tenaska are co-developing this project and were instrumental in the signing of the PPA.

09:06 EST Intel announces next generation of memory and storage products - At Intel's (INTC) Memory and Storage 2020 event today, the company highlighted six new memory and storage products intended "to help customers meet the challenges of digital transformation." Intel announced two new additions to its Optane Solid State Drive Series: the Intel Optane SSD P5800X, which it calls "the world's fastest data center SSD," and the Intel Optane Memory H20 for client, which it said "features performance and mainstream productivity for gaming and content creation." The company also revealed its intent to deliver its 3rd generation of Intel Optane persistent memory, code-named "Crow Pass," for cloud and enterprise customers. Other producers of memory and storage products include Micron (MU), Seagate (STX) and Western Digital (WDC). Reference Link

09:06 EST PlayAGS receives provisional Michigan iGaming supplier license - AGS announced that it was awarded a provisional iGaming supplier license by the Michigan Gaming Control Board. This license will allow AGS to provide its proprietary game content for the State of Michigan's licensed online casino operators when iGaming is approved to go live by the Michigan Gaming Control Board, which is expected to happen in late 2020 or early 2021.

09:04 EST TRIUMF collaborates with Fusion to boost production of Actinium-225 - TRIUMF announced it has entered into a collaboration agreement with Fusion Pharmaceuticals. Under the agreement, Fusion will provide a financial investment enabling TRIUMF to upgrade its actinium-225 production infrastructure, and in return will receive preferred access to actinium-225, a rare medical isotope that shows great promise in new, cutting-edge cancer therapies. An alpha-emitting isotope with a short half-life, actinium-225 can be combined with a molecular agent that specifically targets cancer cells, seeking out and destroying the cancer while leaving the surrounding tissue unharmed. The new collaboration will enable TRIUMF to significantly increase its production and delivery of actinium-225.

09:03 EST Y-mAbs Therapeutics to present data for DANYELZA, omburtamab, nivatrotamab - Y-mAbs Therapeutics announced that data for DANYELZA, omburtamab and nivatrotamab will be presented at the Company's R&D event, which takes place virtually today at 12 p.m. Eastern Time. Key opinion leaders, including Shakeel Modak, M.D., MRCP, Memorial Sloan Kettering, Jaume Mora, M.D., Ph.D., SJD Barcelona Children's Hospital, and Brian H. Santich, Ph.D., MSK, will discuss the current treatment landscape and unmet medical needs for high-risk neuroblastoma, osteosarcoma and other solid tumors.

09:01 EST Cerner to acquire Kantar Health for $375M in cash - Cerner announced an agreement to acquire Kantar Health, a division of Kantar Group, for $375M in cash, subject to adjustment. Kantar Health is a leading data, analytics and real-world evidence and commercial research consultancy serving the life science industry. With this acquisition, Cerner plans to harness data to improve the safety, efficiency and efficacy of clinical research across life sciences, pharmaceuticals and health care at large. This acquisition is expected to allow Cerner's Learning Health Network SM client consortium to more directly engage with life sciences for funded research studies. With a mission of revolutionizing clinical research, the Cerner Learning Health Network offers health systems complimentary access to a network of bi-directional, de-identified data resources. This access helps advance research efforts and provides opportunities to generate revenue with funded research studies from life science companies. Kantar Health's proprietary syndicated data products including CancerMPact, Claritis, National Health & Wellness Survey and its broader oncology, rare disease and multi-therapeutic expertise are used today by all of the top 20 life science companies to further their real-world evidence, commercial and clinical research efforts. The combination of Cerner and Kantar Health is expected to enable a two-sided collaboration between providers and the pharmaceutical industry, where researchers can generate insights and use differentiated real-world data assets and expertise to address the most complex clinical research questions. The acquisition is anticipated to close in the first half of 2021, subject to regulatory approval, employee consultations and other conditions, and is not expected to have a material impact on Cerner's earnings in 2021.

08:57 EST Wrap Technologies closes asset purchase agreement with NSENA - WRAP Technologies announced that it has entered into and closed an Asset Purchase Agreement with NSENA, a developer and provider of a law enforcement training platform employing immersive computer graphics virtual reality with proprietary software, hardware and content. NSENA's content library is one of the largest targeting law enforcement and currently consists of 47 training modules. NSENA's modules are developed by and for police officers and cover a wide array of skills and scenarios including de-escalation, conflict resolution and all levels of use-of-force. NSENA has built a robust pipeline of prospective customers, contractors and licensees resulting from the growth in VR training and recognition of the modern features of NSENA's solution. The NSENA flexible platform takes advantage of the most advanced virtual reality hardware available. NSENA proprietary software features 360-degree situational awareness and artificial intelligence allowing an instructor to control the training environment to improve decision making. Under the terms of the Asset Purchase Agreement the parties will rebrand the VR business as WRAP Reality.

08:54 EST Sapiens partners with TruthMD for advanced data analytics - Sapiens and TruthMD, which provides insurers and patients with data analytics on healthcare providers, announced a partnership that will deliver insurers real-time, accurate provider data. The partnership will enhance medical practice liability and workers' compensation insurers' ability to identify desirable insureds, assess risk, competitively price, underwrite and manage claims. The Sapiens-TruthMD partnership will combine MedFax along with Sapiens CoreSuite for Property & Casualty and CoreSuite for Workers' Compensation platforms.

08:50 EST Iridium announces launch of Global Maritime Distress and Safety System service - Iridium Communications announced what the company called "a historic achievement" with the launch of the Iridium Global Maritime Distress and Safety System, or GMDSS, service. "The system commenced operation on Friday, December 11th and with it, for the first time in history, Iridium has given seafarers a real-time emergency response and rescue service that works everywhere in the world. No other maritime emergency response system matches the coverage and real-time communications capability of the Iridium GMDSS service... With over 1.4 million subscribers around the world, including communications systems on tens of thousands of ships and aircraft today, Iridium's GMDSS service launch epitomizes the company's commitment and tradition of creating a safer environment for the approximately 85% of the world that lacks any or reliable cell phone coverage," the company said.

08:46 EST Revance to relocate headquarters from Silicon Valley to Nashville - Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bob Rolfe and Revance Therapeutics officials announced that the company will relocate its headquarters from Silicon Valley's Newark, California, to Nashville, Tennessee.

08:43 EST AAR Corp., ViaSat extend relationship for logistics, repair, aftermarket support - AAR (AIR) has extended its agreement with Viasat (VSAT) to provide logistics, repair and aftermarket management services for Viasat's in-flight connectivity products. AAR's OEM Solutions team will continue to manage the aftermarket inventory pool of Viasat components including modems, antennas, radomes, wireless access points and power supply units as well as third party logistics and aircraft on ground support.

08:38 EST OSI Systems receives $12M order for X-ray cargo, vehicle inspection systems - OSI Systems announced that its security division received an order for approximately $12M from an international customer to provide multiple units of its X-ray cargo and vehicle inspection systems, including the Z Portal, a high-throughput, drive-through inspection system to inspect trucks and cargo, and the ZBV mobile inspection system, which can be rapidly deployed to provide flexibility in relocating security checkpoints. The company will also provide follow-on maintenance service and support for these products.

08:37 EST Spero Therapeutics added to the Nasdaq Biotechnology Index - Spero Therapeutics (SPRO) announced that it has been selected for addition to the NASDAQ Biotechnology Index (NBI), effective prior to market open on Monday, December 21, 2020.

08:36 EST BioHiTech Global receives new food waste digester orders from three cruise lines - BioHiTech has received a new purchase order for its Revolution Series food digesters from Holland America Line valued at approximately $700K and an additional order from Princess Cruises valued at approximately $650K, which will include three new ships from that line. In addition, the company received an order valued at $90K from Australia-based P&O Cruises - the first order for this brand, which is also under the Carnival umbrella. BioHiTech expects to fulfil the orders through 1Q21. The Revolution Series digesters, equipped with BioHiTech's proprietary data analytics platform, is part of the Carnival umbrella's comprehensive plan to limit food waste, achieve safe onboard disposal, and improve associated environmental outcomes.

08:35 EST Cypress Development completes first step in chloride leaching study - Cypress Development is pleased to report the first stage in the scoping level study into the extraction of lithium using chloride-based leaching is completed. This work consisted of preparation and acid leaching of a large sample from the Company's Clayton Valley Lithium Project and was accomplished at Continental Metallurgical Services in Butte, Montana. Samples of the leach solution and the initial and final solids were shipped for assay. The remaining steps of testing will focus on the treatment of the leach solutions and are expected to be completed by month end. For the testing, sample material was obtained from Cypress drill hole GCH-08. As reported in April 3, 2019 news release, GCH-08 encountered lithium mineralization from 3 m to 112 m depth averaging 1127 ppm Li. The drill hole is in the area of proposed initial mining as described in the Company's May 19, 2020 Prefeasibility Study where overburden is negligible. Samples were transported from storage at ALS in Reno to Butte Montana. A bulk sample was prepared from 1 kg splits taken from 3 m intervals for total 33 kg sample. At CMS, the 33 kg bulk sample was prepared and mixed into a slurry with heated sodium chloride brine solution. Additional salt was added to simulate levels expected in a chloride system. Once the slurry was mixed and at temperature, hydrochloric acid was added to achieve target conditions and the slurry was leached for four hours. Samples of the slurry were taken at regular intervals throughout the leaching. Upon addition of acid, vigorous frothing was observed. The filtered leachate was yellow versus the lime green seen with the sulfuric acid leach. Notable in test was the slurry separated into solid and liquids portion in the span of several hours, to the extent leach solution was decanted from the mixing tank with no filtration which could be an advantage over sulfuric acid leach. Purification of the leach solution will be examined by pH adjustments. This work has been conducted on bench scale test with 200 g and 400 g samples. Of interest in the results will be the deportment of impurities including rare earth elements, which in bench testing appeared to have higher extraction rates than observed in sulfuric acid leaching. Leach slurry samples were shipped to Pocock in Salt Lake for testing on solid-liquid separation. These results will be important in determining if changes in the filtration and tailings handling portions of the plant design will be warranted. Further bench scale tests on feed material will be conducted to determine if lithium grades in solution can be increased by the subsequent leaching of fresh feed material. All test work for the scoping study is expected to be completed by month end and the study is on track for completion in January 2021. All major elements of the leaching and filtration portions of the pilot plant are expected to remain unchanged. If the chloride leaching is successful and is indicated to be economically justified, steps within the lithium concentration and recovery process will require additional equipment in the pilot program to evaluate.

08:34 EST Luby's signs franchise agreement for 13 company owned Fuddruckers stores - Luby's has entered into an agreement to franchise 13 of its currently company owned Fuddruckers stores to Black Titan Holdings, an affiliate of food service entrepreneur Nicholas M. Perkins. Specific terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Black Titan Holdings will purchase the assets of the company at 13 locations in Arizona, Kansas, Missouri, Texas and Virginia, and become one of the largest Fuddruckers franchisees in the U.S. It is currently anticipated that, following the closing of the transaction, almost all employees will be offered positions to remain at those store locations. It is not expected that there will be any disruption of business at these locations as a result of the transaction. The closing of the transaction is expected to occur within the next 90 days and is subject to customary industry conditions to closing. The transaction is not subject to a financing contingency. This transaction is part of the execution of the previously announced Plan of Liquidation and Dissolution of Luby's, where ultimately, the net proceeds from sales of all company assets, after expenses and liabilities, will be distributed to Luby's stockholders.

08:33 EST Fiserv acquires Ondot Systems, terms undisclosed - Fiserv announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Ondot Systems The transaction will further expand Fiserv digital capabilities, enhancing its suite of integrated solutions to enable clients of all sizes to deliver frictionless, digital-first and personalized experiences to their consumers. Founded in 2011, Ondot processes more than 1 billion transactions per month and provides digital capabilities for over 30 million cards. Fiserv plans to further develop the Ondot platform's unique interplay between real-time authorization, user context, and artificial intelligence to engage users in-the-moment - before, during and after transactions. The transaction is subject to customary approvals and closing conditions and is expected to close in the first quarter of 2021. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

08:33 EST Fiserv acquires Ondot Systems, terms undisclosed - Fiserv announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Ondot Systems The transaction will further expand Fiserv digital capabilities, enhancing its suite of integrated solutions to enable clients of all sizes to deliver frictionless, digital-first and personalized experiences to their consumers. Founded in 2011, Ondot processes more than 1 billion transactions per month and provides digital capabilities for over 30 million cards. Fiserv plans to further develop the Ondot platform's unique interplay between real-time authorization, user context, and artificial intelligence to engage users in-the-moment - before, during and after transactions. The transaction is subject to customary approvals and closing conditions and is expected to close in the first quarter of 2021. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

08:30 EST Motus GI Holdings announces compendium of Pure-Vu patient case studies - Motus GI Holdings,announced that it has collected a series of case studies from several leading U.S. hospitals which highlight the advantages of utilizing its Pure-Vu System to successfully complete emergent or challenging colonoscopies for patients with inadequately prepared colons. Case Studies Include: 56-year-old female with scleroderma and chronic constipation; 52-year-old male in ICU with hemorrhagic shock from post polypectomy bleeding; 79-year-old female with atrial fibrillation on coumadin, morbid obesity and tubular adenoma; 76-year-old woman with post-polio syndrome and positive Fecal Immunohistochemical Test; 64-year-old man in ICU with lower GI bleeding; 72-year-old man with family history of colon cancer; 64-year-old woman with history of multiple, large polyps. The procedures included in the clinical compendium were compiled by Dr. Alireza Sedarat, Gastroenterologist at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, Dr. Brian Jacobson, Director of Program Development for Gastroenterology at Massachusetts General Hospital, Dr. Elisabeth Kramer, Gastroenterologist at Geisinger Health, and Dr. Sri Komanduri, Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University.

08:28 EST Immutep upscales efti manufacturing - Immutep Limited has prioritised the recommencement of the process of scaling up the manufacturing of its lead product candidate eftilagimod alpha. This follows the very encouraging interim results Immutep announced from its efti clinical trials at SITC and SABS and will be funded by the recent conversion of warrants on Immutep. Immutep is planning to increase the efti manufacturing process from 200L to 2,000L capacity bioreactors at the WuXi Biologics manufacturing plant, with the major scale up steps taking place throughout 2021.

08:25 EST Upstart Power announces investment for residential fuel cell technology - Upstart Power announced the participation of Enphase Energy, (ENPH), Sunnova Energy International (NOVA) and Rodgers Capital in an investment that will enable Upstart to continue the development of its groundbreaking fuel cell technology. This highly reliable, low emission technology will work in conjunction with solar and battery storage systems in residential applications, forming a highly resilient microgrid. As part of the investment, T.J. Rodgers, CEO of Rodgers Capital, LLC, Jeff McNeil, COO of Enphase Energy, and John Santo Salvo, EVP of Channel Operations and CPO of Sunnova, will join Upstart's board of directors. Raghu Belur, Co-founder and CPO of Enphase Energy and Kris Hillstrand, EVP of Technology and Service Operations of Sunnova, will be appointed as board observers.

08:23 EST Passage Bio announces gene therapy manufacturing R&D site - Passage Bio announced that it has entered into a long-term lease to support Chemistry, Manufacturing and Controls laboratory operations for the company's gene therapy programs. The new laboratory, slated to open in the second quarter of 2021 at the Princeton West Innovation Campus in Hopewell, New Jersey, will initially focus on state-of-the-art analytical capabilities, clinical assay development and validation, biomarker assay validation and clinical product testing to support both viral vector manufacturing and clinical development. The opening of the CMC laboratory is a key component of Passage Bio's strategy to expand its internal manufacturing capabilities to support its lead gene therapy programs as they move into the clinic and advance toward commercialization. The CMC laboratory complements the recent opening of Passage Bio's dedicated CGMP manufacturing suite at Catalent. These investments provide the company with the foundation for an integrated manufacturing supply chain with robust capabilities to advance multiple gene therapy programs to support clinical trials worldwide. Passage Bio has leased approximately 62,000 square feet of lab space at the Princeton West Innovation Campus which is intended to support analytics, process development, quality control and pilot manufacturing. The 1.2 million-square-foot, multi-purpose research and development and biologic/pharmaceutical manufacturing campus also provides Passage Bio with readily available expansion opportunities for additional lab space and CGMP manufacturing operations to support long-term growth in the company's gene therapy pipeline programs. Passage Bio plans to expand its headcount with more than 20 new positions in 2021 at the new CMC lab.

08:22 EST PAE awarded task order by Southeastern Conference for COVID-19 testing - PAE was awarded a task order to provide COVID-19 testing services for winter and spring sports for all 14 universities of the Southeastern Conference. PAE, supported by Premier Medical Group, deployed teams to SEC campuses for COVID-19 testing and related logistics for the safety of its fall sports programs beginning September 2020. The task order builds on the PAE team's support of SEC safety objectives.

08:21 EST Novo Nordisk to enter phase 3 development in Alzheimer's with oral semaglutide - Novo Nordisk announced the decision to enter phase 3 development in Alzheimer's disease with 14 mg oral semaglutide, a once-daily oral formulation of the long-acting GLP-1 analogue semaglutide. The decision follows evaluation of GLP-1 data from preclinical models, real-world evidence studies, post-hoc analysis of data from large cardiovascular outcomes trials, as well as discussions with regulatory authorities, the company said. Novo Nordisk intends to initiate a pivotal phase 3a program with approximately 3,700 people with early Alzheimer's disease. The program is planned for initiation in the first half of 2021 and will investigate the efficacy and safety of once-daily oral semaglutide, compared to placebo. The expected main treatment period in the trials is around two years. Mads Krogsgaard Thomsen, executive vice president and chief scientific officer at Novo Nordisk, said, "Alzheimer's disease has been an area of extensive research in the past decades, unfortunately without any major medical breakthroughs. Due to the growing unmet medical need and the increasing evidence of a potential therapeutic role for GLP-1, we will investigate the benefits of oral semaglutide in early Alzheimer's disease."

08:19 EST Usio closes acquisition of assets of Information Management Solutions - Usio announced that the acquisition of the assets of Information Management Solutions was closed on December 15, 2020 through Usio's wholly owned subsidiary PDS Acquisition Corp. IMS is an established provider of electronic bill presentment, document composition, document decomposition and printing and mailing services serving hundreds of customers representing a wide range of industry verticals, including utilities and financial institutions. The company said, "We expect the acquisition to add over $13M in annual revenue and, after integration, approximately $1M of annual Adjusted EBITDA to Usio. IMS will also be accretive to earnings." Usio has already launched an initiative to develop a new service: Electronic Bill Presentment and Payment as a Service. Through this new service, IMS customers will have the ability to effectively add secure payments to their existing website, effectively enabling the clients' customers to pay paper or electronic invoices they currently receive through IMS. Customers can have their bill delivered in any manner and will have a wealth of payment options from which to choose, including ACH Debit/Credit Card and Text2Pay. Usio makes the process very simple and does the heavy lifting, providing branded and secure hosted payment pages to clients in short order. Usio plans to rebrand the IMS offering to Usio Output Solutions, Inc. The Usio wholly owned subsidiary will create a new revenue segment for the company. All of the IMS employees will be joining the Usio team except for the two primary shareholders, who are retiring but have entered into transition agreements with Usio. Usio is pleased to announce that Mr. Silas "Sy" Green will have P&L responsibility for the business unit and will hold the title of Senior Vice President, Usio Output Solutions. Sy has a breadth of talent, has been with IMS for over 20 years and has been instrumental in the success of the company throughout his tenure. Usio acquired IMS with a combination of cash and warrants. The total cash consideration was $5.9M. The Company issued warrants to the shareholders of IMS with a strike price of $4.23 and a term of five years after vesting. The warrants will vest in three annual instalments of 315,200 each on the first, second, and third anniversary of the issue date.

08:18 EST Allied Esports launches 24-hour cross-channel content strategy on Twitch - Allied Esports has announced the launch of a 24-hour cross-channel content strategy on Twitch. Hundreds of hours of Allied Esports' tournament productions and exclusive original content will be programmed around the clock across the Company's Twitch channels, including the newly branded "Allied24Seven" channel, formerly known as "HyperXESALV." The new 24-hour programming schedule, which has generated more than 2 million Live Views on Allied Esports' Twitch channels since a pilot rollout was started in November, will include a wide selection of recent and classic Allied Esports event broadcasts from North America and Europe, including: Original Productions: High-profile events, including Ninja Vegas '18 and PlayTime with KittyPlays, featuring gaming superstars such as Ninja, KittyPlays, Myth and Pokimane, plus Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield and New York Mets pitcher Trevor May. "With viewership across streaming platforms continuing to increase, we have the ability to tap into our extensive library and deliver a variety of exciting programming to both the stalwart and new, pandemic-era audiences clamoring for gaming content," said Frank Ng, CEO of Allied Esports Entertainment. "From professional teams in top-tier tournaments to original events and weekly community competitions, fans now have the opportunity to experience the full array of our unique brand of esports entertainment."

08:15 EST Iqvia in pact with Servier to 'reinvent' its R&D clinical development processes - IQVIA announced a collaboration with Servier to "reinvent their R&D clinical development processes and support their long-term R&D success. Servier has ambitious plans for growth and is committed to therapeutic progress to serve patient needs. To achieve this, Servier is embarking on a major R&D transformation program called "Servier Clinical Operations REinvent that will optimize clinical trial applications, business processes, organization and governance. IQVIA will support Servier on process and organization streams and on change and program management. "The SCORE program is an R&D initiative that drives digital and business transformation, accelerates clinical development, enhances drug candidate value and better addresses unmet medical needs while improving patient outcomes. SCORE also increases collaboration, insights and patient centricity by its lean end-to-end processes, streamlined organization, use of data-driven insights, standardization and efficient technology," said Patricia Belissa-Mathiot, director of Clinical Development and R&D CMO at Servier. Over almost two years, IQVIA will deliver to Servier a robust program led by a strong team spanning R&D consulting, Digital Transformation, Technology and R&D solutions. This global initiative utilizes IQVIA's differentiated approach bringing together expertise across a portfolio of capabilities and provides an innovative solution created through close collaboration with Servier to address their unique requirements.

08:14 EST Pacific Biosciences reports initial findings from Labcorp research collaboration - Pacific Biosciences of California announced initial findings from the company's research collaboration with Labcorp that is focused on SARS-CoV-2 and the related immune response to COVID-19. Announced in April 2020, PacBio and Labcorp are collaborating to develop a production-scale assay for sequencing the complete genome of thousands of SARS-CoV-2 viruses from de-identified positive patient samples using the PacBio Sequel II System. Labcorp is currently using this information to shed light on viral evolution during the early pandemic, mutations arising in different geographic regions, and the implications for disease severity and outcomes. Utilizing PacBio's Single Molecule, Real-Time Sequencing platform, Labcorp has generated more than 6,500 high-resolution complete genomes from people infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus who were sampled in the United States during the early phase of the pandemic. The viral sequencing assay developed by Labcorp makes use of 1.2 kb overlapping amplicons multiplexed at a cost-effective level of 600-1,000 patient samples per SMRT Cell. The highly accurate long-read sequencing data generated by the Sequel II System has been integrated with additional phenotypic information collected by Labcorp to highlight the role of geography, demographics, and temporal details. As vaccines are widely implemented and immune pressure is increased, data may be useful in the surveillance of new viral mutations as they appear in the population. Future research initiatives planned include the sequencing of some 20,000 archived samples from before March 15, 2020 which could be used to identify when and where specific genotypes entered the United States and establish a baseline for tracking viral evolution over time. Labcorp also hopes to perform follow-on sequencing of full-length HLA genes from the same samples to further examine immune response to COVID-19. SMRT Sequencing technology is uniquely able to generate HiFi reads, which are both highly accurate and long. These qualities are well-suited for applications like viral sequencing, which requires the ability to distinguish variants within complex populations of closely related virions that may differ by very few single nucleotide variants across an entire viral genome or viral gene. For example, with the release of new therapeutics and the imminent release of several vaccines, scientists will want to monitor how SARS-CoV-2 continues to evolve within hosts, over time in a community, and across geographic regions.

08:11 EST Jounce Therapeutics added to Nasdaq Biotechnology Index - Jounce Therapeutics (JNCE) announced that it has been selected for addition to the NASDAQ Biotechnology Index (NBI), effective prior to market open on Monday, December 21, 2020.

08:10 EST Rubicon board authorizes $3M stock repurchase plan - Rubicon Technology had previously implemented a stock repurchase plan to repurchase up to $3M of its common stock in November 2018. In July 2020, RTI used up all of the remaining amount of such initial $3N authorization. RTI announced that its Board of Directors has authorized another stock repurchase plan to purchase up to an additional $3M of its common stock from time to time through open market and private transactions. The timing, price and volume of repurchases will be based upon market conditions, relevant securities laws and other factors. The stock repurchase plan expires on December 18, 2022 and may be terminated, suspended or modified at any time. There can be no assurance as to the number of shares of common stock repurchased by RTI.

08:09 EST FCA selects Cerence to provide conversational, interactive AI - Cerence (CRNC) announced that FCA (FCAU) has selected Cerence to provide conversational AI in the all-new electric Fiat 500, FCA's first fully electric vehicle. The new Cerence-powered automotive assistant is central to the New 500 as the automaker puts the driver experience front and center.

08:08 EST Five Star Senior Living residents to receive COVID-19 vaccinations - Five Star Senior Living (FVE) announced its plan to begin administering the COVID-19 vaccine to Five Star residents and team members this month. As the Pfizer (PFE) COVID-19 vaccine has received Emergency Use Authorization, EUA, by the Food and Drug Administration .Five Star intends to take advantage of the federal plan prioritizing long-term care residents and workers. Five Star will prioritize the vaccination of residents and staff in its skilled nursing, memory care and assisted living units at no cost to them. Independent living residents at Five Star communities will subsequently be prioritized according to state guidelines. "The Five Star COVID-19 task force has closely monitored the vaccine development process for the last several months," said Five Star Chief Medical Officer Dr. Priti Jindal. "We have a well-defined distribution plan to safeguard the health and well-being of Five Star residents and staff, and we are making every effort to rapidly administer the COVID-19 vaccine as soon as doses are available for our communities."

08:08 EST Southwest to offer service to Fresno, Santa Barbara in 2Q21 - Southwest Airlines shared its intention to bring service to Santa Barbara Airport and Fresno Yosemite International Airport in the second quarter of 2021. Along with Palm Springs, which received its first Southwest flight on Nov. 19, 2020, the addition of Fresno and Santa Barbara will position Southwest Airlines as an option in 13 California airports before summer 2021, further deepening the carrier's commitment to the Golden State.

08:06 EST Aquestive Therapeutics CFO John Maxwell to resign - Aquestive Therapeutics announced that John Maxwell, Senior Vice President, CFO of the Company, has provided his intent to resign his positions with the Company to pursue other interests. Current plans call for Mr. Maxwell to continue to serve as CFO of the Company until his departure, which currently is anticipated at year end. Mr. Ernie Toth, most recently with EHE Health as CFO, will assume the role of CFO on an interim basis upon Mr. Maxwell's departure. The Company also reported that Mr. Maxwell's departure is not related to the Company's operations, financial reporting or controls.

08:05 EST Box says DCMA issued $6.2M contract for Box's cloud content management - Box announced that the Defense Contract Management Agency, DCMA, the contract administration services for the U.S. Department of Defense, issued a five year, $6.2M contract for Box's enterprise cloud content management platform in September 2020, during Box's third quarter of fiscal year 2021. DCMA ensures the DoD and other federal organizations and international partners get the equipment they need to "fight, survive and win." DCMA is also an essential part of the acquisition process from pre-award to sustainment. The Agency manages 300,000 contracts, valued at more than $7 trillion, at 15,000 contractor locations worldwide.

08:04 EST CBIZ acquires BeyondPay, terms not disclosed - CBIZ announced the acquisition of substantially all the assets of BeyondPay of Clinton, NJ, effective December 1. Founded in 1995, BeyondPay is a full-service human capital management and payroll service provider offering exceptional customer service, extensive technical product knowledge and implementation services to small and mid-sized clients throughout the Mid-Atlantic. BeyondPay has 40 employees with approximately $4.6M in annual revenue.

08:03 EST Synnex awarded commercial aggregator agreement with Broadcom - Synnex (SNX) has partnered with Broadcom (AVGO) to deliver an enhanced level of service to the Commercial Business for the Symantec Enterprise division of Broadcom. The agreement makes Synnex one of two fully authorized distributors in North America with the ability to support the entire Symantec product portfolio, including Broadcom's newly launched Cyber Security Aggregator Program. Service and support offerings for Broadcom through Synnex include white glove onboarding, incentives and support; access to Symantec-certified Knights for technical support and vulnerability assessments; and financing offerings. Synnex also offers a rewards-based enablement portal with educational resources and post-sales support.

08:01 EST Avadel Pharmaceuticals announces NDA submission for FT218 - Avadel Pharmaceuticals announced the submission of its New Drug Application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for FT218, an investigational, once-nightly formulation of sodium oxybate designed to treat excessive daytime sleepiness and cataplexy in adults with narcolepsy.

07:57 EST Wex completes purchase of eNett and Optal for $577.5M, ends litigation - Wex yesterday morning announced the completion of its previously announced agreement to acquire eNett and Optal. Wex paid total consideration of approximately $577.5M, funded from cash on hand. "Though visibility remains limited due to COVID-19, WEX expects the impact of the acquisition on adjusted net income will be immaterial through calendar year 2021," the company said in a statement. In conjunction with this acquisition, WEX said it is expanding the leadership team within the business-to-business payments-focused Travel and Corporate Solutions segment. Anthony Hynes, former Managing Director and CEO of eNett International, will be President of the Travel division. Jay Dearborn will remain President of Corporate Payments. Additionally, contemporaneously with the completion of the acquisition, Wex and the former shareholders of eNett and Optal have agreed to a full and final settlement of the litigation pending in the English courts relating to the previously announced purchase agreement.

07:41 EST Coeur Mining announces details of its Rochester silver-gold mine expansion - Coeur Mining announced details of the expansion of its Rochester silver-gold mine in Nevada, reflecting significant reserve growth and the benefits of a larger-scale expansion project. An updated National Instrument 43-101 Technical Report will be filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com before the close of business today. Summary highlights include: After-tax NAV 5% of $634M and an expected internal rate of return of 31% based solely on proven and probable mineral reserves ;18-year, reserve-based mine life through 2038 with opportunities for extension with continued drilling ;Expected average annual free cash flow of $104M for initial ten years post-expansion; 58% and 65% year-over-year increase in silver and gold reserves, respectively. "The expansion of Rochester represents the Company's single largest organic growth opportunity," said Mitchell J. Krebs, Coeur's President and Chief Executive Officer. "The combination of significant reserve growth, the scope of the expansion project to leverage economies of scale and the benefit of higher and faster silver recoveries from HPGR technology is expected to generate an internal rate of return of over 30%. Importantly, the project is supported by a technically sound foundation with robust economics that helps drive an anticipated step-change in Coeur's cash flow profile, which we believe will fundamentally reposition the Company and unlock meaningful long-term value for our stockholders. We are all excited about the future of Rochester and look forward to showcasing this pivotal expansion project with you during our virtual investor day tomorrow." Coeur commenced early-stage earthworks and began establishing infrastructure for POA 11 in early August 2020. Major construction is expected to begin in 2021 and be largely completed by late 2022.

07:34 EST Biohaven's rimegepant shows efficacy and safety for migraine in Phase 3 trial - Biohaven Pharmaceutical announced that The Lancet published the company's positive results from a Phase 3 clinical trial of rimegepant for the preventive treatment of migraine in adults. These data show rimegepant was superior to placebo in the reduction of monthly migraine days. Rimegepant was approved by the FDA for the acute treatment of migraine in February. In the Phase 3 trial, 747 people with migraine were randomized. Rimegepant was superior to placebo on the primary endpoint of change in mean number of migraine days per month during Weeks 9-12. Rimegepant showed a -4.3 day reduction in monthly migraine days during the prespecified treatment period. The positive response to rimegepant was seen during the first four weeks of treatment and suggests an early onset of preventive effects. Rimegepant was also superior to placebo on multiple secondary endpoints. 49% of the rimegepant group had at least a 50% reduction from baseline in mean number of moderate to severe migraine days per month compared to 41% in the placebo group in weeks 9 through 12. Additionally, the incidence of adverse events was similar with rimegepant and placebo. Nurtec ODT - rimegepant - is currently approved by the FDA for the acute treatment of migraine in adults. The FDA accepted Biohaven's supplemental New Drug Application for Nurtec for the preventive treatment of migraine in October and the Prescription Drug User Fee Act goal date is in 2Q2021.

07:32 EST Eagle Bulk Shipping acquires Ultramax bulkcarrier for $16M - Eagle Bulk Shipping announced that it has purchased a high-specification 2015-built SDARI-64 scrubber-fitted Ultramax bulkcarrier for a purchase price of $16 million. The ship, which will be renamed the M/V Oslo Eagle, was constructed at Chengxi Shipyard Co. Ltd and is expected to be delivered into the fleet during the first quarter of 2021. Proforma for this acquisition, the Company's fleet totals 48 ships, including 21 Ultramaxes acquired over the past few years.

07:31 EST DraftKings, InComm Payments partner for retail gift card - DraftKings announced an agreement with InComm Payment, to launch an retail gift card. The launch will expand DraftKings' presence in convenience stores like 7-Eleven, Speedway, Dollar General, and Sheetz, and also enable consumers to gift the DraftKings experience to others in $25 and $50 denominations. By leveraging InComm Payments' retail network, DraftKings is expanding its reach with physical distribution and brand presence to the most frequently visited retail chains across the country, spanning convenience, pharmacy and general merchandise partners.

07:25 EST Black Diamond Group, LodgeLink announce C$3M of funding from OCIF - LodgeLink, a wholly owned subsidiary of Black Diamond Group Limited, is pleased to announce up to C$3M of funding through the Opportunity Calgary Investment Fund. LodgeLink's digital B2B workplace travel platform links hotels, remote camps and lodges, ground transportation and airlines, duty of care, and other service providers with businesses seeking crew travel solutions. The platform facilitates workforce logistics management, provides better visibility and cost control, and creates digital efficiencies for accounts payable technologies and consolidating payments for an organization's crew travel. The platform is undergoing continued development to include mobile apps, GPS mapping, automated reporting and predictive analytics, integration of key supplier software, and direct links to air and ground transportation. LodgeLink recognized an opportunity in the market for providing a platform to efficiently connect the supply and demand of room and accommodation bookings for companies employing field crews. There was strong early traction on the platform with remote workforce camps in Canada with a number of industrial customers. LodgeLink has since scaled rapidly and now lists more than 2,000 hotels and lodge properties on its platform, representing over 200,000 rooms, and serves more than 500 companies in Canada and the United States. The OCIF funding will support the expected creation of approximately 300 tech jobs along with an anticipated equal amount of commercial and administrative positions over the next five years in Calgary - including software developers and systems and data analysts. LodgeLink will base its technical operations to support its expanded digital platform in Calgary to service companies with widely dispersed workforces in locations in Canada, the United States and Australia. Despite significantly weaker North American travel volumes due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, LodgeLink continues to gain traction with its growing base of over 500 corporate customers. Since July of 2020, LodgeLink has seen significant year-over-year increases in monthly booking volumes, with total bookings running approximately two times higher than the comparative period in 2019. Given the current pace of demand and booking growth, Black Diamond believes LodgeLink is on track to see continued momentum and accelerated expansion into 2021 and beyond.

07:22 EST Kirkland Lake Gold raises quarterly dividend 50% to 18.75c per share - Kirkland Lake Gold announced that a quarterly dividend payment for the fourth quarter of 2020 of 18.75c per common share will be paid on January 14, 2021 to shareholders of record as of the close of business on December 31, 2020. The 18.75c per share payment represents a 50% increase in the quarterly dividend from the previous payment of 12.5c per share, paid on October 14, 2020 to shareholders of record on September 30, 2020. The Q4 2020 payment represents the 15th quarterly dividend payment made to shareholders following the Company's adoption of a dividend policy in March 2017. The Company's quarterly dividend qualifies as an "eligible dividend" for Canadian income tax purposes. For Canadian shareholders, the US dollar dividend payment will be converted to Canadian dollars using the spot price exchange rate on January 13, 2021, the day prior to the payment date.

07:19 EST Akoustis receives first 5G mobile orders for XBAW filters - Akoustis Technologies announced that it has received two orders from a tier-1 5G RF solutions provider for the development of two new XBAW filters for the 5G mobile device market. The new XBAW filter developments are targeting 5G/WiFi coexistence in the mid and ultra-high bands. Akoustis targets delivery of initial samples in the second half of calendar 2021 for consideration in filter modules for 5G smartphones, tablets, and other mobile devices. This is the third 5G mobile customer announced by Akoustis. The Company Is currently working with two other RF front-end customers to develop 5G, WiFi and ultra-high frequency 5G/WiFi coexistence filters.

07:17 EST Points International announces collaboration with Ethiopian Airlines, Amadeus - Points announced that the company has begun a new joint collaboration with Ethiopian Airlines and Amadeus. A further extension of Points' ongoing strategic partnership with Amadeus, the new agreement also marks Points' first services deployment to an African partner. This launch will give members of Ethiopian Airlines' ShebaMiles loyalty program access to benefits such as the ability to purchase miles online - which was previously only available offline - and the new option to gift or transfer miles to friends and family. These program enhancements will give members more control over their currency and serve to advance Ethiopian's digital strategy. The new partnership will enable Ethiopian Airlines to drive more engagement within its ShebaMiles program at a time when many customers are travelling less due to the pandemic. In addition, it will offer the carrier a significant uplift in revenue generated from the rewards program.

07:14 EST Velodyne Lidar selected by May Mobility for Alpha Prime sensors - Velodyne Lidar announced a sales agreement for Alpha Prime sensors with May Mobility. May Mobility selected Velodyne as a provider of long-range, surround view lidar sensors for its entire growing fleet of self-driving shuttles. Velodyne's Alpha Prime is a next generation lidar sensor that utilizes Velodyne's patented 360-degree surround view perception technology to support safe, high-performance autonomous mobility. A result of more than ten years of lidar innovation and testing, the Alpha Prime supports precise, reliable navigation in real-time autonomous operation in urban and highway environments. The sensor detects and tracks vehicles, pedestrians and other obstructions to help autonomous vehicles safely navigate at various speeds, traveling night and day in a range of road conditions such as rain, sleet and snow

07:13 EST Ceridian partners with RedZone Group Purchasing for Dayforce platform - Ceridian HCM Holding announced a partnership with RedZone Group Purchasing. As its exclusive HCM partner, Ceridian will provide RedZone's members with access to the Dayforce platform to deliver value to their organizations and workforces.

07:11 EST Aphria, Tilray confirm merger agreement with implied equity value of C$5B - Aphria (APHA) and Tilray (TLRY) confirmed that they have entered into a definitive agreement to combine their businesses and create the world's largest global cannabis company based on pro forma revenue. The deal is pursuant to a plan of arrangement under the Business Corporations Act, and the implied pro forma equity value of the Combined Company is approximately C$5B, based on the share price of Aphria and Tilray at the close of market on December 15, 2020. Following the completion of the Arrangement, the Combined Company will have principal offices in the United States, Canada, Portugal and Germany, and it will operate under the Tilray corporate name with shares trading on NASDAQ under ticker symbol "TLRY". Under the terms of the Arrangement, the shareholders of Aphria will receive 0.8381 shares of Tilray for each Aphria common share, while holders of Tilray shares will continue to hold their Tilray shares with no adjustment to their holdings. Upon the completion of the Arrangement, Aphria Shareholders will own approximately 62% of the outstanding Tilray Shares on a fully diluted basis, resulting in a reverse acquisition of Tilray, representing a premium of 23% based on the share price at market close on December 15, 2020 to Tilray shareholders. On a pro forma basis for the last twelve months reported by each company, the Combined Company would have had revenue of C$874M. Upon completion of the Arrangement, Aphria's current Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Irwin D. Simon, will lead the Combined Company as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. The board of directors will consist of nine members, seven of which, including Mr. Simon, are current Aphria directors and two of which will be from Tilray, including Brendan Kennedy, and one of which is to be designated. Aphria and Tilray are confident that the leadership team and proposed board of directors of the Combined Company provides a strong foundation for the Combined Company to accelerate growth. Additional senior leadership positions at the Combined Company will be named at a later date.

07:11 EST New Providence Acquisition Corp., AST & Science to combine - AST & Science announced it has entered into a business combination agreement with New Providence Acquisition Corp., a publicly traded special purpose acquisition company. Upon closing of the transaction, AST SpaceMobile will become a publicly traded company, and it is expected that its common stock will be listed on the NASDAQ exchange under the symbol "ASTS" upon closing the transaction. Abel Avellan, Chairman and CEO of AST SpaceMobile, will continue to lead the business post-transaction. The combined company will have an implied pro forma enterprise value of approximately $1.4B and is expected to have an equity value of approximately $1.8B at closing. AST SpaceMobile and New Providence have secured a commitment for a $230M private placement investment to be consummated at the closing of the transaction. The PIPE is being led by AST SpaceMobile's strategic partners, including Vodafone, Rakuten, and American Tower, as well as UBS O'Connor and a broad base of financial institutions.

07:09 EST Axon to equip Green Bay police with body and in-car cameras and Taser devices - Axon announced that the Green Bay Police Department will equip its officers with 190 Axon Body 3 cameras, 45 Axon Fleet 2 in-car cameras, and 150 Taser 7 devices as part of a five-year subscription to the Officer Safety Plan 7+. The Green Bay Packers have made a financial contribution to the local police department to help fund the program as part of the team's ongoing pledge to support social justice and racial equity in Wisconsin. In addition, Officer Safety Plan 7+ includes access to a range of additional software products on the Axon Network.

07:07 EST Goodrich Petroleum names Kristen McWatters as CFO, succeeding Robert Barker - Goodrich Petroleum (GDP) announced that the company has promoted Kristen McWatters, the company's Controller, to Senior Vice President, CFO and Chief Accounting Officer effective December 17. McWatters replaces Robert Barker who has served as the company's Senior Vice President and CFO since January 2017 and is retiring effective December 16. The company previously announced Barker's notice of retirement on September 25. His decision to retire was based on personal reasons and not the result of any disagreement relating to our operations, policies or practices. Prior to joining the company, McWatters served as Controller for Spark Energy (SPKE) from 2015 to 2016 and their Senior Manager, Financial Reporting from 2014 to 2015.

07:05 EST Eyenovia says 1st patients enrolled in Phase 3 study of microLine for presbyopia - Eyenovia announced that the first set of patients has been enrolled in the Company's Phase 3 VISION-1 study of MicroLine, its proprietary pilocarpine formulation delivered via its Optejet dispenser, for the improvement in near vision in patients with presbyopia. Presbyopia, the age-related hardening of the lens causing blurred near vision, affects approximately 113 million Americans. Vision impairment typically begins after age 40 and is often corrected with eyeglasses or "readers," contact lenses or surgery. "Eyenovia's VISION studies are designed to demonstrate improvement in near visual acuity in patients with presbyopia. Along with mydriasis and myopia, this is our third Phase 3 program using our smart Optejet system, which is the first technology of which we are aware to demonstrate the benefits in Phase 3 trials of topical ophthalmic therapies using high precision, targeted microdosing," said Dr. Sean Ianchulev, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Medical Officer of Eyenovia. "With our first set of patients now enrolled in the Phase 3 VISION-1 study, we expect to complete enrollment relatively quickly and have topline data in the first half of 2021, subject to any impacts of COVID-19." The VISION trials are Phase 3, double-masked, placebo-controlled, cross-over superiority trials that will each enroll approximately 100 participants between the ages of 40 and 60 who suffer with visual impairment from presbyopia. The primary endpoint is same-day improvement of binocular distance corrected near visual acuity. MicroLine is designed for use "on demand" for symptomatic improvement of near vision impairment secondary to presbyopia.

07:04 EST Recro Pharma appoints David Enloe as president, CEO - Recro (REPH) announced that David Enloe has been named President, CEO and a member of the Company's Board of Directors, replacing Gerri Henwood, effective today. Most recently, he served as President and CEO of Ajinomoto Bio-Pharma Services (AJINY), a global, fully integrated CDMO.

07:03 EST Casi Pharmaceuticals names Weihao Xu as CFO - CASI Pharmaceuticals announces the appointment of Weihao Xu to the position of CFO. Xu will report to Dr. Wei-Wu He, Chairman and CEO of CASI. Most recently, in January 2020, Xu founded and served as Chief Investment Officer for Permanence Capital LLC, a healthcare-dedicated investment firm.

07:00 EST Bristol-Myers sets new environmental sustainability goals - Bristol Myers announced it is strengthening its commitment to environmental sustainability on a global basis by setting new 2030 and 2040 goals. By 2030, the company will purchase 100% of the electricity it uses from renewable sources, and by 2040, it will be carbon neutral in its Scope 1 (direct) and Scope 2 (indirect) emissions and reach the targets of equitable water use, zero waste to landfill and 100% electric vehicles in its fleet. These new environmental goals are in line with Bristol Myers Squibb's strategy to leverage sustainability to drive innovation, build resiliency and manage non-financial risks across its operations and portfolio. Today's announcement builds upon this year's $300 million combined investment by Bristol Myers Squibb and the Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation in a series of commitments to Diversity & Inclusion and Health Equity, further enhancing the company's efforts on environmental, social and governance issues. In addition to setting new 2030 and 2040 goals, Bristol Myers Squibb commits to set approved science-based emissions reductions targets in alignment with the Science Based Targets Initiative as a key step in the roadmap to delivering these environmental commitments.

06:55 EST Commercial Metals Arizona micro mill to receive renewable energy from SRP plant - Commercial Metals announced that their micro mill in Mesa, Arizona, CMC Steel Arizona, has begun receiving renewable energy from Salt River Project's, or SRP, new "Saint Solar" electricity generation plant. CMC Steel Arizona was one of the original customers to join the first phase of SRP's Sustainable Energy program that was announced in 2018. The Saint Solar plant, located in Coolidge, Arizona, is a 100-megawatt utility-based solar array that will provide renewable energy to CMC Steel Arizona and others in the SRP community. On August 13, CMC announced plans to build its third micro mill, AZ2, adjacent to CMC Steel Arizona. This technology reduces electricity transmission losses as compared to traditional methods and associated operating costs.

06:48 EST Brown & Brown to Acquire O'Leary Insurances - Brown & Brown has entered into an agreement to acquire the general insurance operating companies of OLI. The transaction is expected to close in January 2021, subject to certain closing conditions. OLI was founded in 1961 by Archie O'Leary and it has remained a family run business for the past 59 years. OLI has grown to become Ireland's largest independently owned brokerage with over 200 employees operating from eight locations, including Cork, Dublin, Galway and Waterford. The OLI team specializes in providing a high level of customer service for commercial and personal insurance needs throughout Ireland and abroad. The OLI team will continue to operate from their current locations.

06:39 EST Stanley Black & Decker raises Q4 organic growth assumption to 10% from 3%-5% - Stanley Black & Decker upgraded certain scenario planning assumptions that were shared on October 27. Q4 organic growth now approaching 10% versus the prior assumption of 3%-5%. Full year operating margin dollar growth of 7%-9% versus 2019 compared to a prior assumption of mid-single digit growth. Full year free cash flow is assumed to be greater than $1B versus the prior assumption of $800M-$900M. These revised assumptions are a result of stronger demand across North America, Europe and emerging markets in tools and storage as well as a stronger performance in engineered fastening and attachment tools within Industrial. Tools and storage United States retail POS is tracking above the high end of the company's planning assumption, with the quarter to date growth up 22% through December 5. In Q4, the stronger demand is expected to generate improved operating leverage and result in a second consecutive quarter of strong operating margin rate performance for the company.

06:35 EST Brinker announces business update regarding impact from COVID-19 - Brinker announced selected business results and a withdrawal of financial guidance for Q2 as Chili's Grill & Bar and Maggiano's Little Italy restaurants are impacted by dining room closures and capacity limitations per state and local guidelines. As of October 28, approximately 92% of Chili's and 90% of Maggiano's restaurants were operating with open dining rooms. As a result of government mandates to close dining rooms, as of December 9, approximately 77% of Chili's and 69% of Maggiano's restaurants were operating with dining rooms open. Chili's continues to outpace the casual dining industry and grow market share. According to the most recent third-party data from Knapp-Track, Chili's comparable restaurant sales have been on average more than 12 percentage points better than comparable restaurant sales for the casual dining industry during Q2 and Chili's comparable restaurant traffic has been on average approximately 16 percentage points better than comparable restaurant traffic for the casual dining industry for the same period. Brinker continues to maintain adequate operating liquidity with total available liquidity of approximately $646M as of December 11, including revolver availability of approximately $593M and cash of approximately of $53M.

06:32 EST BP acquires majority stake in Finite Carbon - BP has acquired a majority stake in carbon offset developer Finite Carbon, building on its existing interest in the company. Finite Carbon is the largest developer of forest carbon offsets in the US, BP says. bp will bring the firm into its in-house business accelerator, bp Launchpad. Together with bp's additional investment, this is expected to bolster Finite Carbon's expansion, including into new geographical markets. Finite Carbon now has 50 carbon projects on three million acres in the US which have registered more than 70 million independently-verified offsets and generated more than $500M in revenue for landowners. The increased investment will aid the delivery of a further $1B to landowners by 2030 from its existing business lines and its new CORE Carbon platform. David Eyton, bp's executive vice president of innovation and engineering, added: "Finite Carbon has the potential to build a global platform for managing and financing natural climate solutions. Deepening our partnership will allow them to accelerate their development and expansion. Finite Carbon's progression through bp - from venturing investment to majority ownership and introduction to Launchpad - is a great example of how we are applying our unique innovation ecosystem to foster innovation and build material energy businesses in support of our net zero ambition."

06:21 EST Equinox Gold to acquire Premier Gold Mines, to spin out i-80 Gold - Equinox Gold (EQX) and Premier Gold Mines (PIRGF) announced that the companies have entered into a definitive agreement whereby Equinox Gold will acquire all of the outstanding shares of Premier. Concurrently, Premier will spin-out to its shareholders shares of a newly created U.S.-focused gold production and development company to be called i-80 Gold Corp. that will own the South-Arturo and McCoy-Cove properties and will complete Premier's previously announced acquisition of the Getchell Project, all in Nevada. Equinox Gold will retain Premier's interest in the Hardrock Project in Ontario, the Mercedes Mine in Mexico, and the Hasaga and Rahill-Bonanza properties in Red Lake, Ontario. On closing of the transaction, existing Equinox Gold and Premier shareholders will own approximately 84% and 16% of Equinox Gold, and Equinox Gold and existing shareholders of Premier will own 30% and 70% of i-80 Gold, respectively, on an issued share basis. Equinox Gold to acquire a 50% interest in the permitted, development-ready, multi-million-ounce Hardrock Project through a joint venture between Equinox Gold and Orion Mine Finance. Approximately 5.54M ounces of Proven and Probable Mineral Reserves grading 1.27 grams per ton gold, or g/t. The transaction also includes 414,000 ounces average annual gold production with average head grade of 1.45 g/t gold for the first five years; 358,000 ounces average annual gold production over the initial 14-year mine life. Hardrock will add approximately 200,000 attributable ounces of long-term, low-cost annual gold production, when in operations, in Ontario, Canada. Mercedes adds approximately 50,000 ounces of gold per year to the estimated 700,000 ounces of gold production expected in 2021 from Equinox Gold, based on consensus estimates. Pursuant to the transaction, Premier shareholders will receive: 0.1967 of an Equinox Gold share for each Premier share held, representing an at-market acquisition based on the 10-day volume-weighted average closing prices for both Equinox Gold and Premier shares on the Toronto Stock Exchange; and 0.4 of a share of i-80 Gold for each Premier share held, providing a meaningful opportunity to participate in a new U.S.-focused gold company. I-80 Gold will be a gold company with a portfolio of production and development properties in Nevada, including the producing South Arturo joint venture with the Nevada Gold Mines, the McCoy Cove Property and the Getchell Project. I-80 Gold will be led by Ewan Downie and will work to grow and develop its asset base with the objective of becoming a leading mid-tier, US-focused gold miner. In connection with a planned public listing prior to or concurrent with closing of the transaction, i-80 Gold intends to conduct a financing of up to $75M. Equinox Gold has committed to subscribe for 30% of the aggregate amount of the financing up to a maximum subscription amount of $22.5M. Pursuant to the Transaction, it is expected that i-80 Gold's initial working capital will include approximately $15M in cash, pre-financing. In connection with the transaction, Equinox Gold plans to complete a C$75M equity financing, fully underwritten by Ross Beaty, at a price per share to be set in the context of the transaction and the market after at least five clear trading days. The financing is subject to completion of definitive documentation, customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals, including the approval of the Toronto Stock Exchange for the pricing and other terms of the financing. Officers, directors and certain shareholders of Premier, who collectively hold approximately 17% of Premier's outstanding common shares, have entered into voting support agreements in favour of the transaction. The directors of Equinox Gold and the directors of Premier have unanimously approved the transaction, and the board of Premier recommend that Premier shareholders and optionholders vote in favor of the transaction. The transaction is subject to court approval and approval of Premier shareholders and optionholders. A special meeting of Premier shareholders and optionholders to consider the Transaction is expected to be held in February 2021. The agreement provides for, among other things, customary representations, warranties and covenants including non-solicitation and rights to match superior proposals in favor of Equinox Gold, as well as a C$35M termination fee payable to Equinox Gold under certain circumstances. The transaction is further subject to certain regulatory approvals, including the approvals of the Mexican Comision Federal de Competencia Economica, the Toronto Stock Exchange and the NYSE American Stock Exchange, and other customary closing conditions. The transaction is expected to close in Q1 of 2021.

06:09 EST BioLineRx announces results from arm of COMBAT/KEYNOTE-202 clinical study - BioLineRx announced results from the triple combination arm of the company's COMBAT/KEYNOTE-202 clinical study evaluating motixafortide in combination with Keytruda and chemotherapy in patients with second-line stage IV pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, or PDAC. A total of 43 patients initially diagnosed with unresectable stage IV metastatic PDAC, who had progressed following first-line gemcitabine-based therapy, were enrolled in the triple combination arm. Patients received motixafortide monotherapy priming treatment for five days, followed by combination cycles of motixafortide, Keytruda and chemotherapy until progression. The primary endpoint of the study is the objective response rate, or ORR; secondary endpoints include confirmed objective response rate, or cORR, overall survival, or OS, progression free survival, or PFS and disease control rate, or DCR. The results of the study showed improvement as compared to historical results across all study endpoints. The combination was generally well tolerated, with a safety profile consistent with the individual safety profile of each component alone; adverse event and severe adverse event profiles were as expected with chemotherapy-based treatment regimens. Of note, certain safety advantages were demonstrated by the triple combination of motixafortide, Keytruda and chemotherapy, when compared to historical data relating to the specific chemotherapy used in the study. These safety advantages include incidence of grade 3 neutropenia and incidence of grade 3 infections.

06:05 EST KBR awarded $49M recompete for improvements, support on CH-47 Chinook - KBR won a $49M recompete to provide system acquisition support and reliability improvements on the CH-47 Chinook Helicopter and other select aircraft for the Cargo Helicopter Project Management Office, or PMO, within the U.S. Army's Program Executive Office, or PEO, Aviation. KBR received this cost-plus-fixed-fee task order via the Department of Defense Information Analysis Center's, or DoD IAC, multiple-award contract vehicle. This DoD IAC MAC task order was awarded by the U.S. Air Force's 774th 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 communities. KBR has supported the mission of the DoD research and development community through various predecessor DoD IAC contracts since 2005. KBR will provide research, development, testing, studies, analysis and recommendations to the Army project offices and their international partners. This work will increase availability, improve reliability and reduce life cycle support costs for the service's CH-47. The CH-47 is the service's only heavy-lift cargo helicopter supporting combat and other critical operations. KBR will execute this contract over the next five years primarily in Huntsville, Alabama. Under this task order, KBR works with the Army to collect intelligence as well as plan, coordinate and execute missions. KBR also helps optimize the use of special electronic mission aircraft, transport aircraft, and Future Vertical Lift systems-a family of vertical lift systems that will deliver next generation capabilities.

06:04 EST Disney announces collaboration with Keith Haring Studio - In celebration of two True Originals, Mickey Mouse and Keith Haring, Disney has collaborated with the Keith Haring Studio to feature the artist's iconic artwork featuring Mickey Mouse on an exciting range of apparel and accessories setting at retail globally through 2021. This collaboration is a continuation of Disney's celebration of Keith Haring's inspired artistic interpretations of Mickey Mouse which was commemorated in 2018 as part of the Mickey: The True Original Exhibition celebrating the 90th anniversary of Mickey Mouse. Haring's artwork featuring Mickey Mouse will be featured on an assortment of products across multiple brands, with Coach unveiling a new collection highlighting two artworks that will be exclusively launched with their collection.

05:52 EST Zoom Video to expand presence in Singapore with new R&D center - Zoom Video announced that it will expand its presence in Singapore by opening a new research and development center, where it will hire hundreds of engineering headcount. Zoom will also expand its co-located data center in the country. This commitment represents a growing strategic investment in the country, where Zoom has already had a presence for two years. This expansion into Singapore will supplement Zoom's existing R&D centers in the U.S., India, and China, and support Zoom's engineering, which is based at its San Jose, California headquarters. Zoom selected Singapore for its engineering talent. The company has already begun recruiting engineers in the area and looks forward to selecting office space as pandemic-related remote work subsides. Zoom continues to expand its global data center locations by doubling its data center capacity in Singapore.

05:44 EST Five9 enters strategic partnership with Conn3ct - Five9 announced that the company is expanding its global presence by partnering with Conn3ct, a customer experience, unified communications, and network services communications provider for international businesses. Conn3ct is a communications solutions provider that draws on over 30 years of experience in assisting multinational organizations around the world with their communications challenges. Conn3ct's global network provides SIP and public switched telephone network, or PSTN, services to many countries across the globe. The companie said that this new strategic partnership between Five9 and Conn3ct will help stabilize, enhance and transform global cloud contact centers.

05:38 EST Rio Tinto announces capital, timeline for project at Oyu Tolgoi in Mongolia - Rio Tinto (RIO) unveiled a pathway for the ongoing development of the underground project at Oyu Tolgoi in Mongolia, one of the largest known copper and gold deposits in the world. The definitive estimate details how Oyu Tolgoi underground will achieve sustainable production for Panel 0 by October 2022 for development capital of $6.75B. Rio Tinto and its partners, the Government of Mongolia and Turquoise Hill (TRQ), need to continue to work together to finalize the outstanding government approvals, funding and a power solution in order to ensure that the project can commence caving operations in 2021. At peak production, Oyu Tolgoi is expected to operate in the first quartile of the copper cash cost curve and by 2030 is expected to be the fourth largest copper mine in the world. Oyu Tolgoi is expected to produce 480,000 tonnes of copper per year on average from 2028 to 2036 from the open pit and underground, compared with 146,300 tonnes in 2019 from the open pit. The underground Ore Reserve has an average copper grade of 1.52%, which is more than three times higher than the open pit Ore Reserve, and contains 0.31 grams per ton of gold. The size and quality of this Tier 1 asset provides additional expansion options, which could see production sustained for many decades.

05:32 EST Patrick Drahi's Next Private raises Altice Europe offer to EUR 5.35 - Next Private, which is owned and controlled by Patrick Drahi, the founder of Altice Europe, increased its offer price to EUR 5.35 in cash for Altice Europe. Boussard & Gavaudan, Diameter, Elliott, LB Partners, Lucerne, Sessa, Sheffield and Winterbrook commit to tender their listed shares under the offer, Altice Europe said in a joint statement. Reference Link

05:27 EST BioNTech, Shanghai Fosun enter agreement to supply China with 100M BNT162 doses - BioNTech and Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical announced an agreement to supply Mainland China with an initial 100M doses of their BNT162 mRNA-based vaccine candidate against COVID-19 in 2021, subject to regulatory approval. Initial supply will be delivered from BioNTech's production facilities in Germany. In March, BioNTech and Fosun Pharma announced their strategic collaboration to work jointly on the development and commercialization of a potential COVID-19 vaccine based on BioNTech's mRNA technology platform. On November 24, the companies initiated a Phase 2 clinical trial of vaccine candidate BNT162b2 in Jiangsu Province, China. The trial commenced with the recruitment of 960 healthy participants, between 18 to 85 years old, to assess the safety and immunogenicity of the vaccine candidate and to support future biologic license application , or BLA, in China.

05:19 EST Elbit Systems awarded $15M initial contract from Dutch MOD for XACT systems - Elbit Systems announced that it was awarded an approximately $15M initial contract from the Dutch Ministry of Defense to supply XACT nv32 micro night vision monocular systems for the Armed Forces of the Netherlands. The initial contract will be performed over a period of two-years, with the potential for additional follow-on orders over a period of seven-years. This contract award joins previous contracts in the Netherlands in the fields of digital soldier systems and network-combat warfare systems, most notably for the VOSS program. XACT nv32 provides high resolution images under adverse conditions while minimizing line-of-sight deviation and is suitable for mounted and dismounted soldiers, Special Forces and law-enforcement teams. Elbit Systems' XACT product family is already operational with a number of NATO countries, including Germany, as well as with the Israeli and the Australian Armed Forces.

05:09 EST Hexindai announces RMB 5M disposition of Kuaishangche - Hexindai announced that Hexin Yongheng, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the company, Kuaishangche Automobile Leasing, a company not directly associated with the company, Hexin E-Commerce and individual shareholders of Hexin E-Commerce have entered into an assignment and assumption agreement. Pursuant to the agreement, Hexin Yongheng has agreed to assign and transfer to Kuaishangche the control over Hexin E-Commerce, in exchange for cash consideration of RMB 5M. Upon the closing of the disposition, Kuaishangche will become the primary beneficiary of and have control of Hexin E-Commerce, and as a result, assume all assets and liabilities of Hexin E-Commerce and subsidiaries owned or controlled by Hexin E-Commerce, excluding any rights, titles, interests or claims that Hexin E-Commerce may have in Wusu Company, which shall remain as a consolidated variable interest entity of the company. The company conducted its peer-to-peer, or P2P, business through its consolidated variable interest entity, Hexin E-Commerce and had ceased to offer new loans since November 2019. As a result of the Disposition, the company will cease to conduct its P2P business and focus on developing and investing resources into its social e-commerce platform, Xaobai Maimai. The closing of the Disposition is subject to the satisfaction or waiver of certain closing conditions, including the receipt of a fairness opinion issued by independent appraisal firm Asia-Pacific Consulting and Appraisal, confirming that the consideration to be received by Hexin Yongheng in the disposition is fair, from a financial point of view, to shareholders of Hexindai.