Stockwinners Market Radar for August 18, 2021 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

20:03 EDT Stamps.com announces expiration of go-shop period - Stamps.com announced the expiration of the 40-day "go-shop" period under the terms of the previously announced merger agreement, pursuant to which Thoma Bravo, a leading software investment firm, has agreed to acquire the Company in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $6.6 billion. The 40-day "go-shop" period expired at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time on August 17, 2021.

19:01 EDT GoHealth CEO, Chief Strategy Officer each buy 522K shares - In two separate regulatory filings, GoHealth disclosed that its CEO Clinton Jones and Chief Strategy Officer Brandon Cruz each bought 522.3K shares of common stock on August 16th in two separate transactions of $1.18M.

18:49 EDT C3.ai CEO sells $30.2M in common stock - In a regulatory filing, C3.ai disclosed that its CEO Thomas Siebel sold 654K shares of common stock on August 16th in a total transaction size of $30.2M, reducing his stake by about 7%.

18:47 EDT Global Indemnity says Harbert Discovery Fund letter contains 'misstatements' - Global Indemnity has issued the following letter to Harbert Discovery Fund in response to a recent letter from the Investor, stating: "We refer to your letter to the Chairman of our Board of Directors, dated August 12, 2021. While we thank you for your continued interest in Global Indemnity Group, LLC ("GBLI"), we must nevertheless inform you, and must caution holders of GBLI securities as well as others who may be interested in investing in GBLI securities, that your August 12, 2021 letter to the Chairman contains both material factual misstatements and significant misleading characterizations of GBLI. We entreat you to take more care in your research and analysis, particularly with respect to material you publicly disseminate."

18:42 EDT Hartford Financial director Allardice sells 9,000 common shares - In a regulatory filing, Hartford Financial director Robert Allardice disclosed the sale of 9,000 common shares of the company on August 16 at a price of $67.613 per share.

18:25 EDT Cummins CEO: We're a company with innovation at our core - In an interview on CNBC's Mad Money, Tom Linebarger said the next level of innovation is low-carbon technology. "We want to produce hydrogen with no carbon in it," he noted. "Hydrogen has a lot of uses in a green economy." Linebarger acknowledged that Europe is ahead of the U.S. in hydrogen technology, mostly through the help of the their government. Cummins is always looking for partners in the hydrogen space, he added.

18:23 EDT AppLovin CFO buys 25K shares of common stock - In a regulatory filing, AppLovin disclosed that its CFO Herald Chen bought 25K share of common stock on August 17th in a total transaction size of about $1.5M, doubling his stake to 50K. Shares ofAppLovin are up 3.1% in after-hours trading.

18:04 EDT TAL Education stops offering Academic AST classes over weekends - TAL Education Group announced that the Beijing Municipality Government and the Beijing Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China jointly issued the "Beijing Municipality's Measures to Further Reduce the Burden of Homework and After-School Tutoring on Students in Compulsory Education in Beijing" on August 14, 2021, and published the full text of the Beijing Measures on August 18, 2021. The Beijing Measures were adopted to implement the Opinions on Further Alleviating the Burden of Homework and After-School Tutoring for Students in Compulsory Education, published in July by the General Office of the CPC Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council, and aims to ensure that "the excessive burden upon students from school homework and after-school tutoring, the education expenditures from their families and the burden on their parents' energy will be effectively reduced by the end of 2021, with significant impact achieved within two years." The company's compliance with the new measures will have a material adverse impact on its existing AST business, results of operations and financial condition. Specifically, in compliance with the Beijing Measures, the Company has stopped offering Academic AST classes over weekends, national holidays and the current school break period in Beijing. Historically, the revenues from Academic AST classes over these time periods accounted for the majority of the Company's total revenues. The Company will continue to proactively seek guidance from and cooperate with government authorities in Beijing and other provinces and municipalities in connection with its efforts to comply with the policy directives of the PRC central government and any related implementation rules, regulations and measures.

17:43 EDT Gold Resource reduces activity at Don David Gold Mine - The company states: "Gold Resource considers the health and safety of its workers and host communities a fundamental priority of the Company's operations. Like many other countries, the highly contagious COVID-19 delta variant has had a devastating impact on Mexico. In the last three days, the number of individuals in isolation at the Don David Gold Mine has climbed to 102, stretching our camp and extra accommodations in the local communities to the limit. After discussions with our medical staff and an epidemiologist, we are reducing the movement of people coming to the mine site from the local communities and the region. Accordingly, we will ramp down operations starting today and will continue with significantly reduced activities at the mine for at least the next ten days. Our objectives include minimizing the further spread of infection amongst our workforce and the local communities, providing relief to our medical teams, and not further overstraining our accommodations. The operations will continue with those employees and contractors who have agreed to stay in the camp for periods longer than the usual rotation to create a bubble. Testing frequency will increase with stricter procedures governing operational activities. Exploration, construction of the filter press, transportation and certain other critical activities will continue following the implementation of the enhanced protocols."

17:35 EDT SAIC awarded maximum $99M Defense Logistics Agency contract - SAIC has been awarded a maximum $99M firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for facilities maintenance, repair and operations supplies. This was a sole-source acquisition using justification 10 U.S. Code 2304, as stated in Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. This is a 450-day bridge contract with no option periods. The contract has a November 11, 2022, ordering period end date. Using customers are Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard. Type of appropriation is FY21 through FY23 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support.

17:31 EDT AbbVie says all atogepant treatment arms met primary endpoint in phase 3 study - The company states: "AbbVie announced that the New England Journal of Medicine has published 12-week results from the Phase 3 ADVANCE trial evaluating atogepant for the preventive treatment of migraine in adults who meet criteria for episodic migraine. The study, which enrolled adult participants experiencing 4 to 14 migraine days per month, found that all active treatment arms of atogepant - 10 mg, 30 mg, and 60 mg once-daily doses - met their primary endpoint of a statistically significant reduction in mean monthly migraine days across the 12-week treatment period compared to placebo.2 The study also found that a greater proportion of atogepant-treated participants achieved at least a 50% reduction in mean monthly migraine days for all doses compared to placebo and met other key secondary endpoints. Atogepant, which is currently under review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, is an investigational orally administered calcitonin gene-related peptide receptor antagonist, which, if approved, will be the first and only oral gepant specifically developed for the preventive treatment of episodic migraine. The primary endpoint for the ADVANCE trial was change from baseline in mean monthly migraine days across the 12-week treatment period. All atogepant dose groups met the primary endpoint and demonstrated statistically significant reductions in mean monthly migraine days compared to placebo.1 Patients treated in the 10 mg, 30 mg, and 60 mg atogepant arms experienced a decrease of 3.7, 3.9, and 4.2 days respectively compared to patients in the placebo arm, who experienced a decrease of 2.5 days."

17:07 EDT Cisco sees supply chain issues continuing to impact company - Says continuing to manage through supply chain constraints seen industry-wide due to component shortages. Sees supply chain affecting company through the first half of the year. Sees supply chain impacts through most of the second half of the year as well with some clear up at the end at the high end of the company's guidance. Says shift to software and services and recurring revenue base leads to greater visibility. Comments taken from Q4 earnings conference call.

17:06 EDT Victoria's Secret drops 8% to $65.75 after Q3 guidance misses estimates

17:01 EDT SEC announces insider trading charges against three former Netflix engineers - The Securities and Exchange Commission announced insider trading charges against three former Netflix software engineers and two close associates who generated over $3 million in total profits by trading on confidential information about Netflix's subscriber growth. According to the SEC's complaint, Sung Mo "Jay" Jun was at the center of a long-running scheme to illegally trade on non-public information concerning the growth in Netflix's subscriber base, a key metric Netflix reported in its quarterly earnings announcements. The complaint alleges that Sung Mo Jun, while employed at Netflix in 2016 and 2017, repeatedly tipped this information to his brother, Joon Mo Jun, and his close friend, Junwoo Chon, who both used it to trade in advance of multiple Netflix earnings announcements. The SEC's complaint further alleges that after Sung Mo Jun left Netflix in 2017, he obtained confidential Netflix subscriber growth information from another Netflix insider, Ayden Lee. Sung Mo Jun allegedly traded himself and tipped Joon Jun and Chon in advance of Netflix earnings announcements from 2017 to 2019. The SEC alleges that Sung Mo Jun's former Netflix colleague Jae Hyeon Bae, another Netflix engineer, tipped Joon Jun based on Netflix's subscriber growth information in advance of Netflix's July 2019 earnings announcement. Sung Mo Jun, Joon Jun, and Chon allegedly used encrypted messaging applications to discuss their trading in an attempt to evade detection. According to the complaint, Sung Mo Jun, Joon Jun, and Chon made approximately $3 million in total profits from the illegal scheme. The SEC Market Abuse Unit's Analysis and Detection Center uncovered the trading ring by using data analysis tools to identify the traders' improbably successful trading over time. "We allege that a Netflix employee and his close associates engaged in a long-running, multimillion dollar scheme to profit from valuable, misappropriated company information," said Erin E. Schneider, Director of the SEC's San Francisco Regional Office. "The charges announced today hold each of the participants accountable for their roles in the scheme." Reference Link

16:55 EDT Starwood boosts Monmouth bid to net consideration of $19.20 per share in cash - Starwood Real Estate Income Trust, an affiliate of Starwood Capital Group, a leading global private investment firm focused on real estate and energy investments, today submitted an enhanced all-cash, fully financed, fully actionable proposal to acquire Monmouth Real Estate Investment Corporation (MNR) for $19.93 per Monmouth share reduced by the termination fee owed to Equity Commonwealth (EQC) of $72M or 73c per share. Starwood's enhanced proposal would provide net consideration of $19.20 per share to Monmouth shareholders after payment of the EQC termination fee, which was increased by $10M by the Monmouth Board on August 16, 2021. Starwood's proposal offers Monmouth shareholders a premium to EQC's revised offer with 100% cash-certain value, and does not subject Monmouth shareholders to the uncertain and unsubstantiated future value creation from the EQC transaction, which is already worth less to shareholders given the decline in EQC shares since its revised proposal was announced. Ethan Bing, Managing Director of Starwood, said, "Our increased all-cash offer is superior to EQC's revised proposal given the higher certain value that is not exposed to market risk or dependent upon unproven execution. The EQC offer requires Monmouth shareholders to forego the certainty of our higher cash offer in exchange for speculative value creation from a merged entity with no synergies and no obvious competitive advantages in the highly competitive industrial sector where EQC has not actively participated." Bing added, "The Monmouth Board, whose initial process was led by a strategic alternatives committee that ISS rightly criticized as 'not fully independent,' appears committed to the interests of Monmouth insiders rather than its fiduciary duty to maximize value for all Monmouth shareholders. The Monmouth Board's decision to increase the termination fee for EQC, without having engaged in a single conversation with a committed all-cash bidder already at a significant premium to EQC, is yet another disappointing breach of faith to its shareholders - a clear effort to protect EQC from competing bidders willing to offer superior and more certain value to Monmouth shareholders. In contrast, Starwood has not raised its termination fee in connection with its revised offer."

16:52 EDT dLocal jumps over 20% to $59.40 per share after Q2 earnings beat

16:43 EDT Illumina acquires Grail for cash, stock and contingent value rights - Illumina announced that it has acquired Grail, a healthcare company focused on life-saving early detection of multiple cancers, but will hold Grail as a separate company during the European Commission's ongoing regulatory review. Regulators in the EU are reviewing the transaction, but a decision is projected after the deal expires. GRAIL has no business in the EU, and the company believes that the European Commission does not have jurisdiction to review the merger as the EU merger thresholds are not met, nor are they met in any EU member state. The General Court of the European Union will hear Illumina's jurisdictional challenge later this year. By holding GRAIL separate while proceedings are ongoing, Illumina is positioned to abide by whatever final decision is reached in these legal processes. There is no legal impediment to acquiring GRAIL in the US. Illumina is committed to working through the ongoing FTC administrative process, and as always, will abide by whatever outcome is ultimately reached in the US courts. As previously disclosed, the merger consideration for Illumina's acquisition of GRAIL included cash and shares of Illumina common stock, as well as contingent value rights or additional shares of Illumina common stock. GRAIL stockholders, including Illumina, are entitled to cash consideration of approximately $3.5 billion or, excluding Illumina, approximately $3.1 billion. We are also spending approximately $0.4 billion in cash to cover the tax withholding requirements from net settling shares of Illumina common stock issuable to GRAIL employees. The base stock consideration was subject to a collar, where the number of shares issued at closing varied in the event the 20-trading-day volume weighted average price of Illumina stock as of 10 trading days prior to closing is between $295 and $399 but was fixed at 11.3 million shares if such volume weighted average share price is above $399, which is where the stock has traded over the last couple months. In addition to the cash consideration and the base stock consideration, GRAIL stockholders were entitled, at their election, to receive CVRs or additional shares of Illumina common stock. The CVRs entitle holders to receive future payments representing a pro rata portion of certain GRAIL-related revenues each year for a 12-year period starting at close. This will reflect a 2.5% payment right to the first $1 billion of revenue each year for 12 years. Revenue above $1 billion each year will be subject to a 9% contingent payment right during this same period. Holders of approximately 47% of GRAIL equity interests and/or awards (on a fully diluted basis), or 54% excluding Illumina, elected to receive the CVR consideration. The alternative additional stock consideration (that GRAIL stockholders could elect to receive in lieu of CVRs) consisted of up to $850 million of shares of Illumina common stock, with the number of shares issued capped at a specified amount if the 20-trading-day volume weighted average price of Illumina stock as of 10 trading days prior to closing is less than $280, which did not occur. In total, we will be issuing approximately 9.8 million shares of Illumina common stock as part of this acquisition. The number of shares issued reflects approximately 11.3 million shares of base stock consideration and approximately 0.7 million shares of additional stock consideration (in lieu of CVRs), reduced by approximately 1.4 million shares to which Illumina is entitled in respect of its GRAIL stock and approximately 0.8 million shares in respect of GRAIL employee net share settlement.

16:33 EDT Wyndham Hotels & Resorts boosts quarterly dividend to 24c per share - Wyndham Hotels & Resorts announced its Board of Directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of 24c per share on its common stock, payable September 29 to shareholders of record as of September 15. The cash dividend represents a 50% increase from the16c per share quarterly dividend paid during the first and second quarters of.

16:33 EDT W.R. Grace licenses Unipol PP Process Technology to Gail India - W. R. Grace has licensed its Unipol PP Process Technology to Gail India. The Unipol PP process technology will be used for a 60 KTA polypropylene plant located at their existing petrochemical complex in Pata, India. Grace's all gas-phase Unipol PP Process provides a range of PP homopolymers, random copolymers, and impact copolymers.

16:31 EDT Winnebago raises quarterly dividend by 50% to 18c per share - The dividend is payable on September 29, 2021, to common stockholders of record at the close of business on September 15, 2021.

16:22 EDT Liquidia Technologies' Morrisville, NC facility receives FDA approval - Liquidia announced today that the FDA has completed an on-site Pre-Approval Inspection, or PAI, of its Morrisville, North Carolina facility in connection with the on-going review of the New Drug Application for LIQ861 inhalation powder. This was Liquidia's first inspection of the Morrisville site by the FDA. On June 2, the FDA accepted for review the NDA resubmission for LIQ861 inhalation powder and set a goal date of November 7. The resubmitted NDA included additional information and clarification on chemistry, manufacturing, and controls pertaining to the drug product as well as data on device biocompatibility. No additional data was required. The FDA has notified Liquidia that a PAI will also be required for the third-party provider of encapsulation and packaging services for LIQ861. At this time, the company has not been notified of when this additional PAI may be completed.

16:18 EDT Ajax I shareholders approved proposed Cazoo deal - AJAX I announced that, at the annual general meeting of AJAX shareholders, AJAX's shareholders voted to adopt the Business Combination Agreement for AJAX's proposed business combination with Cazoo Holdings Limited and approved all other shareholder proposals in connection with the Business Combination. Holders of approximately 61.99% of AJAX's issued and outstanding shares cast votes at its Annual General Meeting. Approximately 95.57% of the votes cast at the Annual General Meeting voted to approve the Business Combination.

16:16 EDT Horizon Technology leads $15M growth capital to Nogin - Horizon Technology Finance Corporation announced it led a $15M venture loan facility to Branded Online, doing business as Nogin, of which Horizon funded $5M of the initial $10M draw, and a private investment vehicle managed by Horizon Technology Finance Management LLC, Horizon's advisor, funded $5M. "Nogin's enterprise-class, commerce as a service platform represents a diverse range of global consumer brands. Its proven technology sheds significant operating expenses, enabling leadership to focus on the outcomes that matter most: products and profit. Nogin provides the experience, tools, and technology that help brands drive revenue and reduce costs, while staying ahead of the ever-changing retail landscape," said Gerald A. Michaud, President of Horizon. "We are excited to support Nogin's growth as it continues to add high-profile consumer brands powered by its intelligent eCommerce platform."

16:15 EDT Capital Senior Living regains compliance with NYSE listing - Capital Senior Living announced that on August 17, 2021, it received written notification from the New York Stock Exchange that it has regained compliance with the NYSE continued listing standards.

16:13 EDT Paratek Pharmaceuticals receives orphan drug designation for Nuzyra from FDA - Paratek Pharmaceuticals announced that the FDA has granted the company orphan drug designation for Nuzyra for the treatment of infections caused by Nontuberculous Mycobacteria, or NTM. This orphan drug designation includes NTM pulmonary disease caused by Mycobacterium abscessus complex, or MABc, which is the focus of an ongoing Phase 2b study initiated by Paratek.

16:11 EDT Cisco sees Q1 adjusted gross margin 63.5%-64.5% - Sees Q1 adjusted operating margin 31.5%-32.5%.

16:09 EDT Robinhood expects seasonal headwinds, lower trading activity in Q3 - The company said, "Our business is affected by many factors, including seasonality, general market conditions and retail trading behavior as well as significant, unanticipated market events. Many of these factors worked in our favor during the three months ended June 30, 2021, resulting in a very strong quarter with record revenues. For the three months ended September 30, 2021, we expect seasonal headwinds and lower trading activity across the industry to result in lower revenues and considerably fewer new funded accounts than in the prior quarter. For operating expenses, we will continue to invest in key areas to enhance platform capabilities, drive product innovation and improve customer support, as well as building upon our regulatory and compliance functions. We will also record a one-time cumulative charge of $1.0 billion in stock-based compensation for restricted stock units related to our IPO in the third quarter. Total remaining unamortized stock-based compensation of $2.2 billion as of the IPO date will be recognized over a weighted average remaining service period of 2.6 years."

16:08 EDT NCR Corp. promotes Owen Sullivan to President - NCR Corp announced the promotion of Owen Sullivan to President of NCR Corporation, adding to his existing role as COO. As President and COO, Sullivan is responsible for the successful execution of NCR's growth strategy, customer satisfaction and service delivery, and its transformation to a software and services-led enterprise.

15:21 EDT SEC announces insider trading charges against three former Netflix engineers - The Securities and Exchange Commission announced insider trading charges against three former Netflix software engineers and two close associates who generated over $3M in total profits by trading on confidential information about Netflix's subscriber growth.Reference Link

14:33 EDT CME Group denies rumors of bid for Cboe Global Markets

13:40 EDT CBOE Holdings trading resumes

13:34 EDT Eli Lilly announces FDA approval of Jardiance for adults with heart failure - Jardiance has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration to reduce the risk of cardiovascular death plus hospitalization for heart failure in adults with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly announced. "Today's approval is significant for the millions of people diagnosed with this form of heart failure, offering additional hope for those who have seen limited new treatment options over the last decade," said Jeff Emmick, vice president, Product Development, Lilly.

13:13 EDT North American rail traffic rose 0.6% in week ended August 14 - The Association of American Railroads or AAR reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending August 14. For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 504,810 carloads and intermodal units, up 0.9% compared with the same week last year. Total carloads for the week ending August 14 were 235,011 carloads, up 5.7% compared with the same week in 2020, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 269,799 containers and trailers, down 3% compared to 2020. For some rail traffic categories, percentage changes for the current week compared with the same week in 2020 are inflated because of the widespread shutdowns - and subsequent large reduction in rail volumes - that impacted many economic sectors last year at this time. North American rail volume for the week ending August 14, on 12 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 327,070 carloads, up 2.9% compared with the same week last year, and 360,049 intermodal units, down 1.5 percent compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 687,119 carloads and intermodal units, up 0.6%. North American rail volume for the first 32 weeks of 2021 was 22,249,304 carloads and intermodal units, up 10.3% compared with 2020. Publicly traded companies in the space include CSX (CSX), Canadian National (CNI), Canadian Pacific (CP), Kansas City Southern (KSU), Norfolk Southern (NSC) and Union Pacific (UNP) Trinity Industries (TRN), Greenbrier, GBX) and FreightCar America (RAIL). https://www.aar.org/news/rail-traffic-for-the-week-ending-august-14-2021/

13:04 EDT Farmers Edge announces 200,000 share purchase by Fairfax Financial Holdings - Farmers Edge announced that an affiliate of Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited entered into an agreement to acquire an additional 200,000 common shares in the capital of Farmers Edge on August 16. Fairfax, through several of its subsidiaries, is the majority shareholder of Farmers Edge. "Fairfax feels the current market price of the Farmers Edge shares does not reflect the intrinsic value of the company and believes in its long-term strategy as a disruptor in the AgTech space," says Prem Watsa, Chairman and CEO of Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited.

12:04 EDT Park Aerospace appoints Amy Kornahrens as general counsel - Park Aerospace announced the appointment of Amy Kornahrens as General Counsel of the Company. Kornahrens will report to Mark Esquivel, Park's President and COO. Kornahrens has been a Consultant to Koch Industries in Wichita, KS since 2019. From 2008 to 2017, she was Chief Counsel-Pipelines at Koch Industries.

12:00 EDT OneConnect falls -6.9% - OneConnect is down -6.9%, or -31c to $4.18.

12:00 EDT Tuya falls -17.1% - Tuya is down -17.1%, or -$2.57 to $12.43.

12:00 EDT Alcon rises 12.1% - Alcon is up 12.1%, or $8.62 to $79.97.

11:56 EDT NRx Pharmaceuticals reports 'positive' safety report for ZYESAMI in COVID-19 - NRx Pharmaceuticals provided a safety update on ZYESAMI, which is being tested in the ACTIV-3 Critical Care Phase 3 study sponsored by the National Institutes of Health. "The study's Data Safety Monitoring Board found no new safety concerns in the trial and recommended continued enrollment," the company announced. NRx added: "Study investigators are randomizing patients to receive one of four treatment regimens in addition to standard of care: both ZYESAMI and remdesivir, ZYESAMI and a placebo, remdesivir and placebo, or only placebo. ZYESAMI is administered as a daily 12 hour intravenous infusion over three days. Those randomized to receive remdesivir will receive it for up to 10 days via intravenous infusion. ZYESAMI is a proprietary, synthetic version of Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide or VIP, which is made naturally in the human body and appears to have lung-protective, anti-viral and anti-inflammatory effects. ACTIV-3 represents one of three ongoing studies of ZYESAMI in Severe or Critical COVID-19."

11:37 EDT Roche announces FDA approval of VENTANA MMR RxDx Panel - Roche (RHHBY) announced U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval of the VENTANA MMR RxDx Panel, which it calls "the first companion diagnostic test to aid in identifying patients whose solid tumors are deficient in DNA mismatch repair, who may be eligible for JEMPERLI monotherapy, an anti-PD-1 immunotherapy from GSK." The test evaluates a panel of MMR proteins in tumors to provide important treatment information to clinicians, Roche said. Yesterday, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a new indication for Jemperli, a programmed cell death receptor-1 blocking antibody, for the treatment of adult patients with mismatch repair-deficient, or dMMR, recurrent or advanced solid tumors, as determined by an FDA-approved test, that have progressed on or following prior treatment and who have no satisfactory alternative treatment options.

11:17 EDT Cigna requires COVID-19 vaccinations, testing for employees on U.S. worksites - With confirmed cases of COVID-19 on the rise in the United States, Cigna has established new requirements to help protect its workforce. Employees who work remotely must be fully vaccinated before entering any U.S. worksite, beginning September 7. Employees whose roles can only be performed onsite, such as medical care providers, pharmacists, pharmacy home delivery specialists, and others, must be fully vaccinated or receive two negative COVID-19 tests per week, beginning October 18, before entering their worksite. Although the company intends to reopen offices throughout the fall, employees who can work from home will continue to have the option to do so. To encourage employee vaccinations, Cigna announced earlier this year that those who become fully vaccinated against COVID-19 are eligible to receive a $200 incentive award. In addition, the company has held vaccination clinics throughout the country to make it simpler for employees, their families and communities to get vaccinated.

11:11 EDT TJX now expects to repurchase $1.25B-$1.5B of TJX stock for FY

10:58 EDT Baidu announces mass production of second generation Kunlun AI chip - Baidu announced the launch of Baidu Brain 7.0, the start of mass production of its second generation Kunlun AI chip, Kunlun II, and the demonstration of industrial applications using Baidu AI Cloud at Baidu World 2021, Baidu's annual flagship technology conference. The announcements "represent the depth of Baidu's expertise in AI technology and industrial practice, and its efforts to make AI technology more accessible," the company stated.

10:45 EDT Analog Devices says working to close Maxim deal 'within initial time frame' - On Analog Devices' (ADI) Q3 earnings call held earlier, CFO Prashanth Mahendra-Rajah gave an update on the company's deal with Maxim Integrated (MXIM), stating according to a transcript: "Our discussion with the Chinese regulatory authorities have been productive, and we're working towards closing within the initial time frame. We plan on closing no later than the third business day after China approval has been granted. As we shared before, shortly after the close, we will hold a conference call to provide an update on our capital return plans. Once combined, we anticipate having nearly $4 billion of cash on our balance sheet, a leverage ratio well below one and more than $3 billion of annual free cash flow." In morning trading, Maxim Integrated shares are up 1% to $100.68.

10:38 EDT FG Financial says 'could not be more pleased' with Aldel agreement with Hagerty - FG Financial Group (FGF), a reinsurance and investment management holding company focused on opportunistic collateralized and loss capped reinsurance while allocating capital to SPAC and SPAC sponsor-related businesses, announced that its SPAC Platform partner, Aldel Financial (ADF), has entered into a definitive business combination agreement with Hagerty, an automotive enthusiast brand offering a specialty automotive insurance platform built upon a membership organization for car lovers. Upon the closing of the transaction, Aldel will be renamed Hagerty, Inc., and become publicly traded, with its common stock expected to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker "HGTY." FG Financial's investments in Aldel Financial represent beneficial interests in approximately 533,000 Aldel shares and approximately 321,000 warrants to purchase Aldel common stock at a price of $15.00 per share. FG Financial Group's CEO Larry Swets, Jr. commented, "We could not be more pleased with this merger announcement for Aldel, our second SPAC and the first partner SPAC on the SPAC Platform. Hagerty is a differentiated, fast-growing business in an attractive market and we look forward to being shareholders and sharing in the company's success."

10:14 EDT FDA tells healthcare providers to stop use of Eco-Med ultrasound gels, lotions - In a letter to healthcare providers dated August 18, the FDA announced that it is informing health care providers, health care facility risk managers, and procurement staff to immediately stop using and discard all ultrasound gels and lotions manufactured by Eco-Med Pharmaceutical, Inc., due to risk of bacterial contamination with Burkholderia cepacia complex, or "Bcc." Products manufactured by Eco-Med are distributed by a number of distributors under various product names, including MediChoice Ultrasound Gel distributed by both Owens & Minor and Mac Medical Supply Co., the FDA stated in its notice. Reference Link

10:10 EDT Correct: Tenaris says CEO Rocca acquitted by judge in Notebooks Case - Tenaris on Tuesday said it was informed that the first-instance judge in charge of the Notebooks Case acquitted Tenaris's Chairman and CEO Paolo Rocca of all charges brought against him in the case. The company said: "In its decision, the first-instance judge stated that Mr. Rocca's involvement in the Notebooks Case's judicial proceedings does not affect his good name and honor in any way. The first-instance judge's decision concerning Mr. Rocca was not appealed by either the prosecutor or the government unit prosecuting economic crimes."

10:00 EDT Vipshop falls -6.7% - Vipshop is down -6.7%, or -98c to $13.68.

10:00 EDT Tuya falls -12.8% - Tuya is down -12.8%, or -$1.92 to $13.08.

10:00 EDT ZIM Integrated rises 7.6% - ZIM Integrated is up 7.6%, or $3.48 to $48.99.

09:52 EDT Tecogen announces sale of 200 ton Tecochill chiller to assisted living facility - Tecogen announced the sale of a 200-ton Tecochill chiller to an assisted living facility in southwestern Connecticut. The system will provide seasonal cooling to the facility with the free waste heat utilized for domestic hot water use. The system also reduces the amount of backup standby generation needed to maintain habitable conditions for residents in the event of a grid outage. Tecogen will provide maintenance services for the system from its service center in Connecticut under a maintenance agreement.

09:47 EDT NexPoint Real Estate Finance falls -9.3% - NexPoint Real Estate Finance is down -9.3%, or -$2.15 to $21.00.

09:47 EDT Instructure rises 8.3% - Instructure is up 8.3%, or $1.71 to $22.41.

09:47 EDT Alcon rises 12.2% - Alcon is up 12.2%, or $8.68 to $80.04.

09:31 EDT Harbor Custom Development to purchase 177 unit condominium site for $4.425M - Harbor Custom Development announced it has purchased an 8.44 acre property entitled for the construction of 177 condominium units in Lacey, Washington for $4,425,000. Located less than ten minutes to the Washington State Capitol of Olympia and Joint Base Lewis-McChord, the 177 condominiums will cater to first-time home buyers searching for affordable options in a very tight Thurston County market. Joint Base Lewis-McChord supports more than 40,000 service members, including active duty, National Guard, and reserve members and approximately 14,000 full-time civilian employees. Harbor anticipates the one- and two-bedroom units will be priced starting at under $300,000 and fill a significant need in the local marketplace. The median selling price of a home in Thurston County according to Redfin as of June 2021 was $476,341, which was up 28.7% year over year with an average time on the market of five days.

09:29 EDT Lowe's: May comp sales up 32.5% on 2-year basis, June up 32%, July up 31.5%

09:21 EDT EHang cancels Investor Day, releases video of Yunfu production facility - EHang Holdings announces the cancellation of the EHang Yunfu Investor Day due to the latest tightening COVID-19-related travel and group gathering restrictions by the local governmental authorities following the recent Delta variant outbreak in China. The event was originally scheduled to take place in person at the Company's new Yunfu production facility today. As an alternative, the Company has posted a video of the Yunfu production facility in operation for investors' reference. The EHang Yunfu production facility is approximately 24,000 square meters in gross floor area to house the major AAV production processes from manufacturing of key components and carbon fiber composite airframes to AAV assembling and flight testing in designated function areas.

09:20 EDT Blink Charging announces deployment of five fast IQ 200 chargers - Blink Charging announced the deployment of five fast IQ 200 Level 2 AC EV charging stations at the Holiday Manufacturing Inc. facility in Framingham, Massachusetts.

09:18 EDT The Jordre Well commences shipment of CBD-infused coffee pod pre-orders - The Jordre Well, a company that is 49% owned by Coffee Holding, has commenced shipment of pre-orders and sales of The Jordre Well's Cafe Caribe CBD Infused Colombian Coffee Single Serve Pods and Harmony Bay CBD Infused Donut Shop Blend Coffee Single Serve Pods.The Cafe Caribe CBD Coffee Pods and the Harmony Bay CBD Coffee Pods each contain 12 coffee pods per box - each single serving cup containing 25 mg of hemp-derived CBD isolate per serving, and are compatible for use with most K-Cups Brewers. A total package contains 300 mg of hemp-derived CBD isolate from hemp grown in the USA.

09:15 EDT Lowe's CEO notes more housing demand than supply currently - The company's CEO says that any near-term pressure on housing turnover is not related to an economic downturn as typical, and says home prices continuing to rise.

09:12 EDT Lowe's reaches market-based delivery model milestone in Florida, CEO says - Lowe's plans to roll out market-based delivery model across rest of U.S. over next 18+ months.

09:11 EDT Better Choice Company increases term-loan credit facility capacity to $7.5M - Better Choice Company announced it has increased its term-loan credit facility capacity from $6M to $7.5M with its current lender, Wintrust, a leading commercial bank headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The terms of the agreement remain unchanged, carrying an interest rate of Libor plus 250 basis points and scheduled to mature on January 6, 2024.

09:09 EDT Target says seeing cost pressures, but managing through them - Says using scale to offset increase in costs. Says will continue to invest in remodeling stores. Says seeing "tremendous resilience" among consumers.

09:08 EDT SAFR from RealNetworks signs agreement with NTT Docomo - SAFR from RealNetworks has signed a reseller agreement with NTT Docomo. Both companies have previously worked together to implement access control and security solutions for a large facility, a hospital, and a robot. With the power of NTT Docomo's 5G infrastructure and SAFR facial recognition, the companies plan to accelerate further enterprise security and access control deployments based on the new agreement. SAFR's design yields high speed results enabling more simultaneous face detections over low latency 5G networks. SAFR's small footprint also enables it to be installed on less costly edge compute platforms used for a variety of solutions including access control, watch-list based surveillance, business intelligence and demographic analysis.

09:07 EDT Comtech awarded $4.7M contract with channel partner - Comtech Telecommunications announced , that during its fourth quarter of fiscal 2021, it was awarded a contract valued at up to $4.7M with a channel partner to supply new releases to messaging application software for a U.S. tier-one mobile network operator.

09:05 EDT CynergisTek, FIU announce expanded relationship - CynergisTek announced an expanded relationship with Florida International University, or FIU, located in Miami, Florida. FIU has renewed its three-year managed services contract to build out its existing program adding validation, exercise and medical device security support.

09:04 EDT U.S. Special Operations Command awards L3Harris Technologies $96M contract - The U.S. Special Operations Command has awarded L3Harris Technologies a 5-year, $96M IDIQ contract to procure WESCAM MX-electro-optical, infrared and laser designator sensor suites and services. L3Harris' WESCAM MX-10D and WESCAM MX-15D sensor systems will provide multi-spectral imaging and designation capabilities for various aircraft within the U.S. Army Special Operations Aviation Command inventory. "We're honored that the U.S. Army has selected our next-generation electro-optics and infrared sensors to support their sensor modernization strategy and we look forward to providing the warfighter this capability that's ideally suited to their rotary-wing operations," said Sean Stackley, President, Integrated Mission Systems, L3Harris. "This is an important step in our long-term investment strategy to improve sensor technologies in support of our Army Aviation customers' mission success." L3Harris WESCAM MX-Series products have successfully supported U.S. Army aviation programs for more than 20 years. This contract marks the second airborne sensor program win with the U.S. Army in three years. The first was a $454M, multi-year IDIQ contract that included WESCAM MX-10D EO/IR sensor suites to support the Army's Tactical Unmanned Air Systems Shadow UAV program.

09:03 EDT The Ringer, WWE launch exclusive audio network and content partnership - The Ringer, a Spotify Studio (SPOT), and WWE (WWE) will launch an exclusive audio network as part of a multi-year audio content partnership, the companies announced. As part of the deal, The Ringer and WWE will also collaborate to develop new, original audio content exclusively for the Spotify platform and Ringer website. In addition, existing WWE audio programming, which offers a look at the world of WWE both in the ring and beyond, will become available exclusively on Spotify. The Ringer will be expanding its existing wrestling coverage. The current feed for The Masked Man Show hosted by David Shoemaker and Kaz, will rebrand to The Ringer Wrestling Show and will continue on that feed, alongside new programming from WWE personalities. Together, The Ringer and WWE will collaborate on new original podcast series, including a series from WWE personality Evan Mack, MackMania, and a narrative series produced by Bill Simmons. Utilizing Spotify Greenroom, hosts will be going live after every major WWE pay-per-view event with the final rooms becoming podcasts for The Ringer Wrestling Show.

09:02 EDT RCI Hospitality acquiring The Mansion Gentlemen's Club in Newburgh, NY - RCI Hospitality signed definitive agreements to acquire The Mansion Gentlemen's Club and Steakhouse of Newburgh, NY, and its real estate. The Mansion was completely renovated in 2018, has been in business for nine years, and is the only gentlemen's club with a liquor license in Orange County, NY. Consideration is $500K in cash and $1.0M in 4.00%, 7-year seller financing for the club and $2.0M for the real estate. Closing is currently anticipated to occur within approximately 90 days.

08:58 EDT Soligenix reports 'positive' preclinical data with filovirus vaccine candidates - Soligenix announced "positive" data demonstrating the efficacy of multiple filovirus vaccine candidates in NHPs, including thermostabilized multivalent vaccines in a single vial platform presentation. Collaborators at the at the University of Hawaii describe the potent efficacy of vaccine candidates protecting against three life-threatening filoviruses, Zaire ebolavirus, Sudan ebolavirus and Marburg Marburgvirus in an article published in Frontiers in Immunology, the company reported. "These vaccine candidates contain highly purified protein antigens combined with the novel CoVaccine HT adjuvant. Most recently, efforts to formulate all three antigens and adjuvant into a thermostable single-vial vaccine platform has also been shown to protect 75% of vaccinated NHPs against subsequent Sudan ebolavirus challenge, with further development to test efficacy against other filovirus infections ongoing. The thermostabilized filovirus vaccine program is continuing to advance with the support of a National Institute of Health grant and a Small Business Innovation Research grant," the company said.

08:46 EDT Red Violet partners with Northwest Arkansas Board of REALTORS - FOREWARN announced that the Northwest Arkansas Board of REALTORS has contracted to make FOREWARN services available for the 3,200+ REALTOR members it serves throughout Bella Vista, Bentonville, Fayetteville, Rogers, Springdale, and the surrounding Northwest Arkansas region to promote proactive real estate agent safety.

08:43 EDT Lululemon announces collaboration with sustainable materials firm Genomatica - Lululemon athletica announced a multi-year collaboration with "sustainable materials leader" Genomatica to bring renewably-sourced, bio-based materials into lululemon's products. "This represents lululemon's first-ever equity investment in a sustainable materials company and Genomatica's largest partnership within the retail industry. Together, the two companies will create a lower-impact, plant-based nylon to replace conventional nylon, which is the largest volume of synthetic material currently used to make lululemon products. Genomatica uses biotechnology and fermentation to convert plant-based ingredients into widely used chemical building blocks, like those used to make nylon. These building blocks are converted to pellets and yarns, and the companies will be working closely with lululemon's fabric supply chain to incorporate this material into future products. Through this collaboration, the companies seek to create positive change within the $22B global nylon market by building more sustainable supply chains," the company said. Calvin McDonald, CEO, lululemon added, "Our partnership with and investment in Genomatica demonstrates our commitment to be a leader in creating products that help build a healthier future for ourselves, for our communities and for our planet. Genomatica's bio-based innovations, along with their distinctive track record of successful commercial applications, will help us deliver on our Impact Agenda goals to make 100% of our products with sustainable materials and end-of-use solutions by 2030, as we move toward a circular ecosystem."

08:40 EDT Lululemon multi-year collaboration with sustainable materials firm Genomatica - lululemon athletica announced a multi-year collaboration with sustainable materials leader Genomatica to bring renewably-sourced, bio-based materials into lululemon's products. This represents lululemon's first-ever equity investment in a sustainable materials company and Genomatica's largest partnership within the retail industry. Together, the two companies will create a lower-impact, plant-based nylon to replace conventional nylon, which is the largest volume of synthetic material currently used to make lululemon products. Genomatica uses biotechnology and fermentation to convert plant-based ingredients into widely used chemical building blocks, like those used to make nylon. These building blocks are converted to pellets and yarns, and the companies will be working closely with lululemon's fabric supply chain to incorporate this material into future products. Through this collaboration, the companies seek to create positive change within the $22B global nylon market by building more sustainable supply chains. Calvin McDonald, CEO, lululemon said, "Our partnership with and investment in Genomatica demonstrates our commitment to be a leader in creating products that help build a healthier future for ourselves, for our communities and for our planet. Genomatica's bio-based innovations, along with their distinctive track record of successful commercial applications, will help us deliver on our Impact Agenda goals to make 100% of our products with sustainable materials and end-of-use solutions by 2030, as we move toward a circular ecosystem."

08:37 EDT Natus Medical appoints Bryant Moore, Eric Guerin to board of directors - Natus Medical announced the appointments of Bryant Moore, Ph.D. and Eric Guerin to the Company's Board of Directors. With these appointments, the Natus Board will be expanded to eight members. Moore has served as the Director of Strategic partnerships at the University of North Carolina's Office of Technology Commercialization since 2015. Guerin serves as Chief Financial Officer of CDK Global.

08:34 EDT Anixa Biosciences issued U.S. patent for ovarian cancer vaccine technology - Anixa Biosciences has been issued the first U.S. patent for its novel ovarian cancer vaccine technology by the USPTO. This technology was invented and developed at Cleveland Clinic and Anixa is the worldwide licensee. A European patent covering this technology was issued earlier this year.

08:33 EDT Codiak appoints Lini Pandite to board of directors - Codiak BioSciences (CDAK) announced it has appointed Lini Pandite, MBChB, MBA to its board of directors. As a board-certified oncologist and current Chief Medical Officer at Shattuck Labs (STTK), Dr. Pandite brings extensive expertise in oncology drug development and clinical application, diversifying the breadth of expertise represented on the board.

08:32 EDT Hamilton Thorne CEO says continuing to experience shortages, longer lead-times - CEO David Wolf added, "Our outlook for the balance of the year continues to be impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. During the first half of the year, we were clearly seeing normalized sales activity in the US and in many of our other major markets. However, the resurgence of Covid-19 cases in certain parts of the world based on new variants has added substantial uncertainty to the short- and mid-term outlook. We continue to experience shortages and longer lead-times and, in some cases, higher prices, for some finished goods that we resell, as well as some components incorporated into the products that we manufacture. We have been managing through these disruptions but are concerned that we may see an impact on sales and profitability in the second half, which could continue for a period of time that is difficult to predict and which may possibly affect our ability to meet our growth plans and acquisition objectives."

08:30 EDT Arlo Technologies expands distribution through partnership with Calix - Arlo Technologies (ARLO) announced the rollout of expanded availability of its products and services through its strategic partnership with Calix (CALX). Now, subscribers across the U.S. will have access to Arlo's security products and services as part of their overall managed WiFi experience through more than 1,600 Broadband Service Providers. BSPs in the U.S. can now offer Arlo's connected camera solutions and Arlo Secure security subscription services as a fully managed service delivered directly within its EDGE Suites, the cloud-enabled ecosystem of applications available as part of the full Revenue EDGE solution.

08:24 EDT Target says leadership position 'stronger than it has ever been' - Says majority of Q2 growth driven by store channel. Says Q2 results strongest in apparel. Sees "volatile" 2H21 due to resurgence of Covid-19. Says back to school season "off to a great start." Comments taken from Q2 earnings conference call.

08:18 EDT Genpact opening new delivery center in Fukuoka, Japan - Genpact's Japanese subsidiary Genpact Japan will open a new delivery center in Fukuoka. The Fukuoka site will operate as a hybrid environment with 120 employees working from home and the office in Hakata-ku in Fukuoka city.

08:15 EDT Grom Social Enterprises appoints Pete Jacobs as consultant to Santa.com debut - Grom Social Enterprises announced Pete Jacobs has been enlisted to bring his e-commerce and digital marketing expertise as a consultant to the company's planned November debut of Santa.com, Grom's new digital holiday entertainment and shopping hub. Jacobs currently lends his expertise at MELT Method, where he's leading the digital transformation for the self-care content brand. In his role as consultant to Santa.com, Jacobs will help craft the overall user experience for the site, a virtual North Pole featuring immersive content and specialty holiday gifts.

08:13 EDT Bowlero completes acquisition of Bowl America - Bowlero Corp announced that it has completed its acquisition of Bowl America (BWL.A) and its 17 bowling centers in Florida, Virginia and Maryland. Total consideration for the transaction is approximately $44 million. The Bowl America acquisition is Bowlero Corp's latest strategic growth initiative following last month's announcement of plans to list on the NYSE through a merger with Isos Acquisition Corporation (ISOS). Upon the closing of the transaction with Isos - expected in October 2021 - Bowlero's common stock and warrants are expected to trade on NYS under the new ticker symbols "BOWL" and "BOWL WS" These newly acquired centers join three recently purchased properties in Pennsylvania plus two in California as the newest members of the Bowlero portfolio - which has more than 300 locations nationwide. New centers currently being built from the ground up are slated to open this fall in the highly coveted Tyson's Corner neighborhood of Virginia and the booming town of Oxnard, California. Bowlero is also making advances in the digital gaming and media spaces. The company recently announced it will operate the world's largest virtual international bowling tournament, "The PBA Global Showdown", in a partnership with Lanetalk, thus providing a connected gaming experience to thousands of bowlers at hundreds of centers in dozens of countries around the world. Running from September 20 to November 14, the company anticipates that over 100,000 games of bowling will be played during the tournament, with a total prize fund of $50,000 available.

08:11 EDT FDA grants breakthrough device designation to Impella ECP - The United States Food and Drug Administration, FDA, has granted breakthrough device designation to Abiomed's mpella ECP expandable percutaneous heart pump. The designation means the FDA will prioritize Impella ECP's regulatory review processes including design iterations, clinical study protocols and pre-market approval application. Impella ECP, the world's smallest heart pump, is placed percutaneously into the heart's left ventricle, expands, and supports the heart's pumping function, providing flow greater than 3.5 L/min. Impella ECP is the smallest heart pump in the world and the first to be compatible with small bore access and closure techniques. It measures 9 French in diameter upon insertion and removal from the body. While in the heart, it expands to support the heart's pumping function, providing flow greater than 3.5 L/min. "This is yet another validation from the FDA of the clinical benefits of Impella technology and an affirmation of the innovative nature of Impella ECP which, due to its smaller vascular access size, has the potential to provide even safer procedures and be available to more patients who need hemodynamic support for coronary revascularization," said Chuck Simonton, MD, Abiomed's chief medical officer.

08:08 EDT Galecto announces first patient treated in Phase 2a trial of GB2064 - Galecto announced the treatment of the first patient in a Phase 2a trial of its oral LOXL2 inhibitor GB2064 in myelofibrosis. Myelofibrosis, a form of chronic leukemia, is a rare type of blood cancer in which the normal bone marrow is destroyed by fibrous scar tissue that does not produce blood cells. The open label MYLOX-1 trial is designed to evaluate the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of orally administered GB2064 in 16 patients over 9 months. The trial will also assess impact on fibrosis and quantification of the tissue targeting of GB2064, as well as other aspects of clinical response in myelofibrosis. "We are very pleased to start this Phase 2a trial with GB2064 in myelofibrosis, which marks a further important milestone in the development of Galecto's exciting clinical pipeline. There is a significant unmet need in myelofibrosis, with very few therapeutic alternatives. Fibrosis in the tumor micro-environment remains unaddressed and LOXL2 inhibition could be disease modifying," said Dr. Hans Schambye, CEO of Galecto.

08:07 EDT Magna announces Mezzo Panel technology - The company said, "Magna is reimagining the face and functionality of electric vehicle front ends with its new Mezzo Panel technology. The fully integrated Mezzo Panel offers a fresh canvas for designers and an opportunity for engineers to seamlessly integrate advanced driver assistance system capabilities like radar, cameras and lighting. The Magna Mezzo Panel features hidden-until-lit lighting, meaning the surface looks clean and smooth until lighting is activated, enabling creative and innovative lighting options. There is also space for animated lighting that communicates vehicle intent and status alerts. Active aerodynamic technology can also be added to improve vehicle range while also providing a futuristic look. Future iterations of the technology may feature sustainable materials, such as environmentally friendly plastics, coatings and films, that would further automakers' sustainability efforts. Those materials also allow for signal transmission, enabling seamless integration of ADAS sensors."

08:06 EDT Assembly Biosciences selects fourth HBV core inhibitor candidate ABI-4334 - Assembly Biosciences announced it has selected a fourth core inhibitor candidate, ABI-4334, that has been optimized for potency, to advance into clinical development. The company is conducting preclinical work, with the aim of completing regulatory filings and initiating clinical studies as soon as possible in 2022. "In our mission to deliver finite and curative therapies to individuals with HBV, we have always been committed to developing the most promising candidates, specifically those with the profile to achieve greater, and potentially complete, viral suppression in patients," said William Delaney, PhD, chief scientific officer of Assembly Bio. "We believe ABI-4334 has a best-in-class preclinical profile with single-digit nanomolar potency against the production of new virus and also the formation of cccDNA. We're excited to further evaluate this compound and its potential, as we plan for the start of clinical studies next year."

08:06 EDT Fair Isaac approves new $500M stock repurchase program - Fair Isaac's Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase program to acquire up to $500M of the company's outstanding common stock. This new program was approved following completion of FICO's previous stock repurchase program, which was in effect from March 2021 through August 2021. The new stock repurchase program, which is open-ended, allows the company to repurchase its shares from time to time in the open market and in negotiated transactions.

08:05 EDT ViacomCBS, Comcast announce SkyShowtime SVOD JV - Comcast Corporation (CMCSA) and ViacomCBS (VIACA) announced a partnership to launch a new subscription video on demand, or SVOD, service in more than 20 European territories encompassing 90M homes. SkyShowtime will bring together decades of direct-to-consumer experience and entertainment, movies, and original series from the NBCUniversal, Sky and ViacomCBS portfolio of brands, including titles from Showtime, Nickelodeon, Paramount Pictures, Paramount+ Originals, Sky Studios, Universal Pictures, and Peacock. The service's slate will span all genres and audience categories. The new SVOD service is expected to launch in 2022, subject to regulatory approval. It will ultimately be available to consumers in Albania, Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Hungary, Kosovo, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden. SkyShowtime will be home to 10,000+ hours of entertainment. The partnership will be structured as a joint venture, or JV, with equal investment and joint control by ViacomCBS and Comcast. Further detail on the SkyShowtime service offering, including subscription price, will be announced at a later date.

08:04 EDT Kansas City Southern teams with Savage to build multi-commodity railport - Savage is partnering with Kansas City Southern to construct a multi-commodity railport with transload and railcar storage capabilities in Mossville, La. Savage will own and operate the railport, being built on property leased from KCS at its Mossville Rail Yard. Savage's Mossville facility is expected to be operational by January 2022 and will optimize and provide a critical link in the supply chains of Lake Charles area refineries, chemical plants and other businesses. "Savage has a longstanding relationship with KCS and we're excited to open this new Louisiana railport and provide a sizable transload and storage facility at their Mossville yard in the coming months," said Savage President and CEO Kirk Aubry. "We've provided rail and loading services for Customers in the Lake Charles area for many years, and look forward to making a difference for even more businesses in Southwest Louisiana."

08:03 EDT Stryker President, COO Timothy Scannell to retire - Stryker announced that Timothy Scannell, President and Chief Operating Officer, or COO, has notified the company of his intent to retire on March 31, 2023. Effective October 1, 2021 until his retirement, Scannell will serve as Advisor to the CEO and provide counsel on a range of strategic issues and ensure a smooth transition of his duties, which will be spread between Group Presidents J. Andrew Pierce and Spencer Stiles. These responsibilities include oversight of regional businesses, corporate strategy, and business development. Pierce and Stiles will continue to serve on the Stryker Leadership Team and will report directly to Kevin Lobo, Chair & Chief Executive Officer.

08:01 EDT International Money Express announces $40M share repurchase program - International Money Express announced that its Board of Directors has authorized the company to repurchase up to $40M of the Company's common stock. "Based on our continued strong performance and the confidence we have in the future of our omnichannel strategy, the Board of Directors and management team believes that repurchasing the Company's common stock is an attractive investment opportunity and prudent use of our capital at this time," commented Bob Lisy, Chairman of the Board, CEO, and President. "Our strong liquidity position will enable us to return value to shareholders through the stock repurchases while continuing to explore acquisitions, grow our core, and develop new products and services," Lisy added.

07:51 EDT Aspiration to become public company via merger with SPAC InterPrivate II - Aspiration Partners (ASP) and InterPrivate III Financial Partners (IPVF), or InterPrivate II, a publicly-traded special purpose acquisition company, announced a definitive merger agreement that will result in Aspiration becoming a publicly listed company. Upon closing of the transaction, the company will be named Aspiration , and is expected to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the new ticker symbol "ASP." Aspiration offers an ecosystem of sustainable banking services, credit cards, and investment products that help customers keep their deposits out of fossil fuels, automatically plant trees with every card purchase, and track business and personal Planet & People impact scores so they can shop with a conscience. Aspiration's technology and tools also provide bundled solutions that help businesses meet the demand for sustainability from their customers and employees by offsetting their carbon footprints and developing co-branded products and services that mitigate climate change. The Company's corporate partners range from software publisher Intuit to NEU Community, which is launching a community of sustainable homes outside of Austin TX in partnership with Aspiration. Over five million Americans have signed up as members, joining one of the largest communities of Conscious Consumers in the world. The company has a revenue run rate in excess of $100M as of June 2021 and has driven over 7x growth in the past year. "Through its merger with InterPrivate, Aspiration will become the first ESG-driven fintech, a unique platform enabling individuals and enterprises to integrate and automate impact into their every-day financial and commercial transactions. The millions of passionate Aspiration members are an asset unto themselves, and have helped create a brand synonymous with sustainability that we expect to see extend in many exciting directions," said Ahmed Fattouh, Chairman and CEO of InterPrivate III. "With strong secular tailwinds, Aspiration is growing rapidly, and we look forward to helping Andrei, Joe and the team execute on their strategic plans," added Nicholaos Krenteras, President of InterPrivate III. Mr. Cherny will remain the CEO of the combined company while Mr. Sanberg will continue to serve on the Board.

07:43 EDT Andersons sees FY23 EBITDA $350M-$375M, FY25 EBITDA at $375M-$400M - Guidance coming from the company's investor presentation slides accompanying yesterday's announcement to sell its rail leasing business to American Industrial Transport for $550M. Reference Link

07:37 EDT Eve & Co enters medical cannabis supply, purchase agreement with TCann - Eve & Co is pleased to announce that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Natural MedCo has successfully entered into a Medical Cannabis Supply and Purchase Agreement with TCann Pty Ltd., Australia, an import/export and distribution company of para-pharmaceutical, medicinal and narcotic products located in Thornleigh, New South Wales. Pursuant to the Agreement, NMC will supply medical grade dried cannabis flower to TCann and TCann will distribute NMC medical grade dried cannabis products in Australia. TCann is a licensed cultivator and manufacturer of medicinal cannabis products. TCann focuses on producing high quality pharmaceutical-grade cannabis products for patients in Australia from their Good Manufacturing Practice certified facility.

07:36 EDT MDJM Ltd establishes new joint venture in the U.K. - MDJM is establishing a new joint venture company in the U.K. under the name of Mansions Estate. Mansions Estate is jointly established by MDJM's subsidiary MD Local Global, Ocean Tide Wealth, a specialist mortgage broker in the U.K., and Mingzhe Zhang. Mansions Estate will be engaged in asset management business and expects to provide comprehensive UK real estate-related services, including property leasing, property sales, furnishings, and routine property maintenance, to global investors.

07:36 EDT DraftKings to become Official Sports Betting Partner of Baltimore Ravens - The Baltimore Ravens and DraftKings announced a new deal designating DraftKings as the Official Daily Fantasy Sports Partner and an Official Sports Betting and Free-to-Play Partner of the team. As DraftKings' first partner in the state of Maryland, the new deal marks DraftKings' fifth active strategic agreement with an NFL team, further advancing DraftKings' relationship with the league as an Official Sports Betting Partner and the Exclusive Official Daily Fantasy Partner of the NFL. The new deal will feature DraftKings branding and custom content as part of the Baltimore Ravens' weekly podcast, "The Lounge." Expanding further into multi-media platforms, DraftKings will also be named the title sponsor of Baltimore WBAL-1090 News Radio's Gameday Insider pregame show and a presenting sponsor of the Ravens Wired video online content series, in addition to homepage takeovers on BaltimoreRavens.com, ahead of select games and events.

07:33 EDT TJX says sales at start of Q3 are very strong - The company said, "For the start of the third quarter of Fiscal 2022, sales are very strong, with overall open-only comp store sales up mid-teens over the third quarter of Fiscal 2020. Currently, all of the Company's stores in the U.S., Canada, and Europe are open, and approximately 40 of its Australian stores are closed. While the Company is currently not expecting any significant store closures during the third quarter, it could experience temporary closures again if new COVID-related regulations are put in place. Due to the continued uncertainty of the current environment, the Company is not providing financial guidance at this time."

07:32 EDT Aldel Financial, Hagerty announce business combination agreement - Hagerty and Aldel Financial announced that they have entered into a definitive business combination agreement. Upon the closing of the transaction, Aldel will be renamed Hagerty, Inc., and become publicly traded, with its common stock expected to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker HGTY. Hagerty is a leading specialty insurance provider for classic and enthusiast vehicles. The transaction is expected to deliver up to $820M of gross proceeds to the combined company, including the contribution of up to $116M of cash held in Aldel's trust account from its initial public offering in April 2021, assuming no redemptions. The combination is supported by a $704M PIPE at $10.00 per share plus 18% warrant coverage led by strategic investors State Farm and Markel Corporation and commitments from a group of leading institutional and private investors. Existing Aldel stockholders who don't exercise their redemption rights will roll 100% of their equity into the combined company. All references to available cash from the trust account and retained transaction proceeds are subject to any redemptions by the public stockholders of Aldel and payment of transaction expenses. The transaction, which has been unanimously approved by Aldel's board of directors and the independent members of Hagerty's board, is expected to close in the fourth quarter, and is subject to approval by Aldel's stockholders and Hagerty's owners and other customary closing conditions, including any applicable regulatory approvals. Over 40% of Aldel's stockholders have signed voting agreements in favor of the Transaction. The minimum cash condition will be satisfied via the committed PIPE.

07:14 EDT Ameresco to enter joint venture with HSGS - Ameresco announced that it is entering into a joint venture with Hannah Solar Government Services, or HSGS, a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business, or SDVOSB, renewable energy company. Together, the pair will work collaboratively to bring cleantech solutions to the Department of Veterans Affairs and other Federal agencies. The companies decided to enter a mentor-protege relationship following HSGS delivering as a subcontractor to Ameresco over the past five years on projects supporting the VA, the U.S. Army, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

07:10 EDT Akoustis appoints Kamran Cheema as Vice President of Engineering - Akoustis Technologies (AKTS) announced that it has appointed Kamran Cheema as Vice President of Engineering. Cheema brings experience in product design, manufacturing, technology development, program management and quality management with over 25 years of experience in micro-acoustic technology. Before joining Akoustis, Cheema was the Vice President of Engineering at Qualcomm (QCOM) RF360, where he was responsible for all aspects of micro-acoustic hardware solutions for the mobile phone market.

07:07 EDT Sutro Biopharma's STRO-002 granted Fast Track designation by FDA - Sutro Biopharma's STRO-002, a folate receptor alpha-targeting antibody-drug conjugate, has been granted Fast Track designation by the FDA for the treatment of patients with platinum-resistant epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal cancer who have received one to three prior lines of systemic therapy. STRO-001-GM1 is a Phase 1 trial for STRO-002 for patients with advanced ovarian cancer that have progressed or relapsed after standard of care treatments, to assess efficacy, safety, and tolerability. The dose-escalation cohort has been completed and the dose-expansion cohort has enrolled patients from sites in the U.S. and in Spain, with enrollment ongoing.

07:06 EDT Harrow Health acquires U.S., Canadian commercial rights for MAQ-100 - Harrow Health announced that it has entered into an agreement with Wakamoto Pharmaceutical to acquire the U.S. and Canadian commercial rights for drug candidate MAQ-100, a preservative-free triamcinolone acetonide ophthalmic injection. MAQ-100 is marketed and sold by Wakamoto in Japan as MaQaid. Following Japan's Ministry of Health Labor and Welfare, or MHLW, approval, MaQaid was launched in Japan in 2010, indicated as an intravitreal injection for visualization for vitrectomy. Since its initial MHLW approval, the indication for MaQaid was expanded to include treatments for alleviation of diabetic macular edema, macular edema associated with retinal vein occlusion and non-infectious uveitis. Harrow intends to leverage the clinical data used for Japanese market approval of MaQaid, initially to support a clinical program and U.S. market NDA submission of MAQ-100 for visualization during vitrectomy.

07:05 EDT Cathie Wood's ARK Investment bought about 476K shares of Palantir on Tuesday

07:04 EDT Fury Gold Mines CEO Michael Timmins resigns, Tim Clark succeeds - Fury Gold Mines announced that Michael Timmins has resigned as president, CEO and as a director of the company, to focus on professional and family commitments, effective immediately. The company also announced that it has appointed Tim Clark, a current director of the company who also serves on the audit committee, to the position of CEO and director replacing Timmins. Clark brings 23 years of global capital markets experience with numerous U.S., European and Canadian banks.

07:02 EDT Atlas Technical awarded $8M construction, inspection contract from TxDOT - Atlas Technical Consultants announced the award of an $8M contract from the Texas Department of Transportation, or TxDOT, for Construction Engineering and Inspection services. This five-year contract will support the TxDOT's Odessa District, which includes Andrews, Crane, Ector, Loving, Martin, Midland, Pecos, Reeves, Terrell, Upton, Ward and Winkler. Under TxDOT's oversight, Atlas will assist in managing construction of specific operations and provide Engineer Led Inspection Teams to perform various CEI services. It is expected at the time of the solicitation that work will be primarily in the Odessa district, but work may be required in other districts. Specific work may include day-to-day management of construction inspection, material testing, record keeping and documentation and overall project management for construction activities on strategically selected projects. Odessa District plans, designs, builds, operates and maintains the state transportation system. The Odessa District oversees approximately 8,226 lane miles of roadway, employs 286 employees and has nearly $500M in construction letting and maintenance expenditures.

06:50 EDT Brinker sees FY22 capital expenditures $155M-$165M - Sees FY22 tax rate 14%-15%. The company said, "Due to the uncertainties created by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the increasing impact of the Delta variant, forecasting business performance is not currently reliable and as a result, we are providing a limited financial outlook for fiscal 2022. These uncertainties, as well as other risks and uncertainties, could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected."

06:47 EDT Canada Goose launches share repurchase program - Canada Goose announced that the Toronto Stock Exchange has approved a normal course issuer bid providing for the purchase for cancellation of up to 5,943,239 subordinate voting shares of Canada Goose over the twelve-month period commencing on August 20, 2021 and ending no later than August 19, 2022. This represents approximately 10% of the 59,432,395 subordinate voting shares comprising the public float determined in accordance with TSX requirements as at August 6, 2021. Canada Goose has not repurchased any of its outstanding subordinate voting shares under a normal course issuer bid in the past 12 months.

06:38 EDT Regal Beloit, Rexnord announce receipt of private letter ruling from IRS - Regal Beloit (RBC) and Rexnord (RXN) announced that Rexnord received the private letter ruling from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, or IRS, in connection with the combination of Rexnord's process and motion control business with Regal through a Reverse Morris Trust transaction. Commenting on receipt of the PLR, Regal CEO, Louis Pinkham said "We are excited about receipt of the IRS private letter ruling, which is a crucial milestone in the process of bringing together Regal and Rexnord PMC - two highly complementary businesses that together create a premier global provider of differentiated, highly value-added Industrial Powertrain solutions. In addition, it was good to see that terms of the ruling related to how we may treat the shareholder overlap that exists between Regal and Rexnord are broadly in line with our initial assumptions. At this point, we are awaiting each company's shareholder vote scheduled for September 1st."

06:34 EDT Hexo's acquisition of Redecan recommended by ISS, Glass Lewis - Hexo announced that independent proxy advisors Institutional Shareholder Services - ISS- and Glass Lewis have recommended that shareholders of Hexo vote for the Transaction Resolution and for the Financing Resolution, in advance of the upcoming Meeting of Shareholders to be held on August 25 being held in connection with Hexo's definitive share purchase agreement to acquire all of the outstanding shares of the entities that carry on the business of Redecan, Canada's largest privately-owned licensed producer, for a purchase price of $925M. ISS noted that: "The transaction makes strategic sense," and that "The combined entity will possess market leading share in a number of adult use cannabis categories... allowing for HEXO to interact with and make its value proposition to a larger number of consumers across a greater spectrum of price points." In supporting the Financing Resolution, ISS further highlighted that the "approval of the resolution will provide Hexo flexibility" with regard to how the Senior Secured Convertible Note due 2023 may be settled, "allowing for preservation of cash if necessary." The $925M purchase price will be paid to the Redecan shareholders as follows: $400M of consideration due on closing paid in cash; and $525M of consideration due on closing paid through the issuance of HEXO common shares at an implied price per share of $7.53. The transaction is expected to create the Canadian market leader in recreational cannabis.

06:01 EDT Maxar Technologies appoints Colleen Campbell as Chief Marketing Officer - Maxar Technologies has appointed Colleen Campbell as its Chief Marketing Officer. Campbell most recently served as Vice President of Marketing and Communications at Alion Science and Technology, a defense contractor specializing in AI, C5ISR, electronic warfare, cyber and military training solutions. Prior to that, Campbell was Director of Digital Strategy and Integrated Communications at Northrop Grumman Corporation, .

05:24 EDT JinkoSolar subsidiary signs long-term polysilicon supply agreement with Wacker - JinkoSolar announced that its principal operating subsidiary, Jinko Solar Co. has signed a long-term polysilicon supply agreement with Wacker Chemie. According to the agreement, Wacker will supply over 70,000 tons of polysilicon to Jinko Solar from September to December 2026. The purchase price will be decided based on the market price. Wacker will reserve the agreed capacity to Jinko Solar and supply polysilicon from its production sites in Germany and the United States.

05:20 EDT T-Mobile provides additional details regarding cyberattack - T-Mobile has been investigating the cyberattack against T-Mobile systems, and has provided the latest information and some additional details. Late last week the company was informed of claims made in an online forum that a bad actor had compromised T-Mobile systems. The company began an investigation into these claims. T-Mobile then located and immediately closed the access point that it believes was used to illegally gain entry to its servers. Yesterday, the company was able to verify that a subset of T-Mobile data had been accessed by unauthorized individuals. The company also began coordination with law enforcement as the forensic investigation continued. T-Mobile has now been able to confirm that the data stolen from its systems did include some personal information. The company has no indication that the data contained in the stolen files included any customer financial information, credit card information, debit or other payment information. Some of the data accessed did include customers' first and last names, date of birth, SSN, and driver's license/ID information for a subset of current and former postpay customers and prospective T-Mobile customers. The preliminary analysis is that approximately 7.8M current T-Mobile postpaid customer accounts' information appears to be contained in the stolen files, as well as just over 40M records of former or prospective customers who had previously applied for credit with T-Mobile. Importantly, no phone numbers, account numbers, PINs, passwords, or financial information were compromised in any of these files of customers or prospective customers. Communications will be issued shortly to customers outlining that T-Mobile is immediately offering two years of free identity protection services with McAfee's ID Theft Protection Service. The company is recommending all T-Mobile postpaid customers proactively change their PIN by going online into their T-Mobile account or calling our Customer Care team by dialing 611 on your phone. This precaution is despite the fact that the company has no knowledge that any postpaid account PINs were compromised. At this time, the company has also been able to confirm approximately 850,000 active T-Mobile prepaid customer names, phone numbers and account PINs were also exposed. T-Mobile has already proactively reset all of the PINs on these accounts to help protect these customers. No Metro by T-Mobile, former Sprint prepaid, or Boost customers had their names or PINs exposed. The company has also confirmed that there was some additional information from inactive prepaid accounts accessed through prepaid billing files. No customer financial information, credit card information, debit or other payment information or SSN was in this inactive file.