Stockwinners Market Radar for October 14, 2021 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

18:40 EDT 23andMe jumps 11% afterhours following positive mention by EMJ's Johnson on CNBC

18:24 EDT Domino's Pizza CEO: Long-term drivers of the business are intact - In an interview on CNBC's Mad Money, Ritch Allison said retail sales growth really drives the business and it's intact. He believes the U.S. market can support 8,000 stores and there are only 6,500 now. He sees even greater growth potential internationally. Allison says the U.S. needs immigration to help fuel the growth of the restaurant industry.

18:06 EDT Google adds continuous scrolling to Search on mobile - Google said it is rolling out a new feature to make browsing search results "more seamless and intuitive" with the introduction of continuous scrolling on mobile devices. Now, when you reach the bottom of a search results page on your phone, the next set of results will automatically load with relevant information, the company said. "While you can often find what you're looking for in the first few results, sometimes you want to keep looking," said Search product manager Niru Anand. "In fact, most people who want additional information tend to browse up to four pages of search results. With this update, people can now seamlessly do this, browsing through many different results, before needing to click the "See more" button." Reference Link

17:59 EDT Sensient increases quarterly dividend 5.1% to 41c - Sensient declared a regular quarterly cash dividend on its common stock of 41c per share, an increase of 5.1% per share. On December 1, Sensient will pay the cash dividend to shareholders of record as of November 1.

17:34 EDT Rio Tinto lowers FY21 production targets for iron ore and copper - The company states: "We now expect Pilbara shipments to be 320-325 MT vs. previous view of "low end of 325-340 MT following modest delays to completion of the new greenfield mine at Gudai-Darri and the Robe Valley brownfield mine replacement project due to the tight labour market in Western Australia. Iron Ore Company of Canada pellets and concentrate full year guidance has been reduced to 9.5 to 10.5 million tonnes from 10.5 to 12.0 million tonnes. Refined copper guidance has been reduced to 190 to 210 thousand tonnes from 210 to 250 thousand tonnes due to an incident at the Kennecott smelter in September. We made small adjustments to bauxite and mined copper, and reintroduced guidance for titanium dioxide following resumption of operations at Richards Bay Minerals in South Africa."

17:32 EDT Rio Tinto reports Q3 mined copper 125.2 kt, down 3% y/y - Reports Q3 Pilbara iron ore production 83.3 Mt, down 4% y/y. Reports Q3 Bauxite output 14.0 Mt, down 4%. Reports Q3 aluminium 774 kt, down 3%. Rio Tinto Chief Executive Jakob Stausholm, said: "The third quarter has demonstrated the resilience of our people in dealing with ongoing COVID-19 challenges. It has been another difficult quarter operationally and despite improving versus the prior quarter, we recognise the opportunity to raise our performance. We have consequently modestly adjusted our guidance. We are progressing against our four pillars and striving to make Rio Tinto even stronger, notably to become the best operator. This will ensure we continue to deliver attractive returns to shareholders, invest in sustaining and growing our portfolio, and make a broader contribution to society, particularly in relation to the drive to net-zero carbon emissions."

17:17 EDT Turquoise Hill reports Q3 Oyu Tolgoi copper production of 41.9 tons up 16% - Turquoise Hill Resources announced third quarter 2021 production for Oyu Tolgoi and provided an update on the Oyu Tolgoi mine. In Q3 2021, both copper and gold production from the open pit were higher vs Q3 2020 due to higher copper and gold head grade ore from Phase 4B: Copper production of 41,935 tons, an increase of 16% vs Q3 2020 and an increase of 14% vs Q2 2021. Gold production of 130,799 ounces, an increase of 256% vs Q3 2020 and an increase of 16% vs Q2 2021. Copper and gold production guidance for 2021 remains within the ranges of 150,000 to 180,000 tons and 400,000 to 480,000 ounces respectively Mill throughput of 9.34M tons in Q3 2021 was in line with Q2 2021 and 7% lower than Q3 2020. Processing of harder ore as well as lower SAG mill availability, due to maintenance, impacted Q3 2021 mill throughput.

17:12 EDT Boeing awarded $131.66M Navy contract modification - Boeing was awarded a $131.66M modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price, time-and-materials, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract. This modification exercises an option to provide P-8A Poseidon CFM56-7B27A/3 and CFM56-7B27AE engine depot-level maintenance and repair in support of the Navy, the government of Australia, and Foreign Military Sales customers. Work is expected to be completed in October 2022. No funds will be obligated at the time of award; funds will be obligated on individual orders as they are issued. The Naval Air Systems Command is the contracting activity.

17:07 EDT Turquoise Hill reports Q3 copper production of 41.9 tons up 16% vs Q320 - Turquoise Hill Resources announced third quarter 2021 production for Oyu Tolgoi and provided an update on the Oyu Tolgoi mine. In Q3 2021, both copper and gold production from the open pit were higher vs Q3 2020 due to higher copper and gold head grade ore from Phase 4B: Copper production of 41,935 tonnes, an increase of 16% vs Q3 2020 and an increase of 14% vs Q2 2021. Gold production of 130,799 ounces, an increase of 256% vs Q3 2020 and an increase of 16% vs Q2 2021. Copper and gold production guidance for 2021 remains within the ranges of 150,000 to 180,000 tonnes and 400,000 to 480,000 ounces respectively Mill throughput of 9.34M tonnes in Q3 2021 was in line with Q2 2021 and 7% lower than Q3 2020. Processing of harder ore as well as lower SAG mill availability, due to maintenance, impacted Q3 2021 mill throughput.

17:03 EDT Genie Energy suspends plan to spin-off European retail energy supply business - Genie Energy announced that it has suspended the planned public offering and spin-off of its European retail energy supply business, Oriel Energy, in light of the impacts of the extreme volatility in the United Kingdom's energy markets on the retail energy supply industry. "The turbulence in the United Kingdom's wholesale energy markets in recent weeks combined with the UK's price cap system has significantly impacted the ability of independent energy suppliers, including our UK subsidiary, Orbit Energy, to operate," said Michael Stein, Genie Energy's CEO. "Accordingly, we are suspending the planned capital raise and spin-off of our European operations while we exit the UK market and work to ensure continuity of supply for our customers. While our Orbit Energy subsidiary has a comprehensive program to manage near-term exposure to commodity price volatility, our decision reflects our assessment of longer term challenges in the market. Since we will no longer be investing in new meter acquisition in the UK, we expect that our decision will positively impact our bottom line in the coming quarters. Elsewhere in our business, we are excited by the opportunities ahead across our markets. We continue to work to expand our Scandinavian and US retail customer bases and accelerate the rapid growth of our domestic renewables businesses," Stein added.

16:57 EDT Gold Resource reports Q3 gold output of 6.93K vs. 4.73K last year - Reports Q3 gold sales of 5.8K oz vs. 3.6K oz last year. Reports Q3 Silver production 265.8K oz vs. 324.6K oz last year and sales of 255.4K oz vs. 317.0K oz last year. Reports Q3 Copper production 284KT vs. 428KT last year and sales of 268KT vs. 447KT last year. CEO Allen Palmiere said "Despite a self-imposed temporary shutdown due to COVID-19, third quarter production results were favorable and are expected to continue in their upward trend in the fourth quarter. Addressing ground support issues allowed us to get back into the Soledad vein which has resulted in increased gold grades and recoveries, as expected. The temporary ramp down of operations in August was deemed necessary to keep employees and the surrounding communities safe as Mexico and our neighboring communities endured a spike in COVID-19 cases. We are very pleased with the response by our operations team to this challenge as the case rates have dropped dramatically allowing us to resume almost normal operations."

16:48 EDT Moderna confirms FDA panel votes to support EUA for vaccine booster - Moderna confirmed that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee recommended that the FDA grant an Emergency Use Authorization for a booster dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine at the 50 microgram dose level for people aged 65 and older; people aged 18 to 64 who are at high risk of severe COVID-19; and people aged 18 to 64 whose exposure to COVID-19 puts them at risk for COVID-19 complications or severe illness. The positive vote was unanimous with 19 VRBPAC members recommending EUA. The booster dose is to be administered at least six months after completion of the primary series. "We are grateful for the opportunity to present the clinical data package for our COVID-19 booster vaccine to the FDA's advisory committee today. We thank the committee for their review and for their positive recommendation in support of Emergency Use Authorization. This positive recommendation is supported by data on the 50 microgram booster dose of our COVID-19 vaccine, which shows robust antibody responses against the original virus, but also against the Delta variant," said Stephane Bancel, Chief Executive Officer of Moderna. "We remain committed to staying ahead of the virus and following the evolving epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2. We look forward to making our booster available to people in the U.S. to help protect themselves against this ongoing public health emergency." The VRBPAC based its recommendation on the totality of scientific evidence, including a data analysis from the Phase 2 clinical study of mRNA-1273, which was amended to offer a booster dose of mRNA-1273 at the 50 microgram dose level to interested participants 6-8 months following their second dose. Neutralizing antibody titers had waned prior to boosting, particularly against variants of concern, at approximately 6 months. Notably, a booster dose of mRNA-1273 at the 50 microgram dose level boosted neutralizing titers significantly above the Phase 3 benchmark. After a booster dose, a similar level of neutralizing titers was achieved across age groups, notably in older adults. The safety profile following the booster dose was similar to that observed previously for dose 2 of mRNA-1273. Moderna estimates that the positive vote in support of mRNA-1273 at the 50 microgram dose level and subsequent approval could result in up to 1 billion extra doses being available for distribution in 2022.

16:32 EDT Virgin Galactic begins planned vehicle enhancement, modification period - Virgin Glactic announced that it will now begin its planned enhancement program for VMS Eve and VSS Unity and will conduct the Unity 23 test flight after this work is complete. The enhancement program is designed to improve vehicle performance and flight-rate capability for VMS Eve and VSS Unity. In preparation for this work, Virgin Galactic has been performing routine tests and analyses to update its material properties database. This data predicts how materials are expected to perform under certain load and environmental conditions and is used to inform the design and manufacturing enhancements that will support increased flight frequency. One of these recent laboratory-based tests flagged a possible reduction in the strength margins of certain materials used to modify specific joints, and this requires further physical inspection. As is standard in aerospace test and evaluation practices, Virgin Galactic ships are designed to withstand forces that are substantially higher than those experienced in regular use, providing additional margin and layers of safety. The enhancement program is designed to further increase margins that will enable improved reliability, durability and reduced maintenance requirements when in commercial service. While this new lab test data has had no impact on the vehicles, our test flight protocols have clearly defined strength margins, and further analysis will assess whether any additional work is required to keep them at or above established levels. Given the time required for this effort, the Company has determined the most efficient and expedient path to commercial service is to complete this work now in parallel with the planned enhancement program. Following the enhancement period, the Company intends to complete the vehicle testing program for VMS Eve and VSS Unity, including the planned research test flight with the Italian Air Force, before starting commercial flights.

16:31 EDT Avient increases annual dividend 12% to 95c from 85c - The board of directors of Avient has declared a quarterly cash dividend of 23.75c per share on the common stock outstanding, representing the eleventh consecutive annual increase. The 23.75c per share will be paid on January 7, 2022, to stockholders of record on December 17, 2021. On an annualized basis, the dividend will increase 12% from 85c to 95c per share on the common stock outstanding. "Our track record of earnings growth over the years and ability to generate strong cash flow has allowed us to raise our dividend every year since it was first initiated in 2011," said Robert M. Patterson, Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer, Avient Corporation. "We are pleased to announce this latest increase of 12%, which reflects the record adjusted EPS we project for 2021 and the confidence we have in our portfolio of sustainable solutions and future growth projections."

16:20 EDT Angi appoints Ercan Kamber as first Chief Data Officer - Angi (ANGI) announced the appointment of Ercan Kamber as its first Chief Data Officer. Dr. Kamber most recently served as Data Leader of the discovery and connection organization at Twitter (TWTR). At Twitter, Dr. Kamber oversaw more than a dozen teams focused on Twitter's most crucial products, including the home timeline, new user experience, search, explore and topics. At Angi, Dr. Kamber will be responsible for building and executing a world-class central data strategy that delivers innovations, solutions and benefits to both homeowners and pros.

16:19 EDT Elastic to acquire Optimyze, terms not disclosed - Elastic announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Optimyze, an "always on" continuous profiling platform for infrastructure, applications and services. "We are excited to join forces with Elastic," said Thomas Dullien, CEO and co-founder, Optimyze. "Continuous profiling across systems, applications, and services with zero instrumentation, no code changes, and little performance overhead is by itself a game changer. The value increases exponentially when this data can be easily combined and cross-referenced with metrics, traces, logs, and other operational data. We look forward to being part of the Elastic team and making this vision a reality." The acquisition is expected to close during Elastic's fiscal second quarter, subject to customary closing conditions. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

16:16 EDT Alcoa still sees 'strong' FY21 based on continued recovery - Alcoa continues to expect a strong 2021 based on the continued economic recovery and increased demand for aluminum in all end markets. The Company's Aluminum segment is forecasting double digit growth on year-over-year shipment volume of value-add products, and the Company expects annual global demand for primary aluminum to increase approximately 10 percent relative to 2020 and to surpass the pre-pandemic levels in 2019. The Company's 2021 shipment outlook for the Alumina and Aluminum segments remains unchanged with Alumina projected at 14.1 to 14.2 million metric tons and Aluminum expected to be 2.9 to 3.0 million metric tons. In Bauxite, the shipment outlook is reduced by 1 million dry metric tons to between 49.0 and 50.0 million dry metric tons due primarily to reduced demand from the Alumar refinery during the unloader outage in the third quarter. Alcoa anticipates continued positive financial results in the fourth quarter of 2021 and is well positioned to participate in strong market pricing. The San Ciprian refining and smelting operations are expected to face significantly higher energy and raw materials costs, as well as the loss of value-add premiums while strike conditions persist. The resulting fourth quarter impact on net income attributable to Alcoa could approximate $90 million. Included in that impact is the reduction of approximately 52,000 metric tons of aluminum shipments. Additionally, working capital increase in the fourth quarter related to San Ciprian could approximate $120 million. Beyond the San Ciprian impacts, the Company also anticipates continuing inflationary pressure on raw materials and energy. Based on current alumina and aluminum market conditions, the Company expects fourth quarter tax expense of approximately $230 million, which may vary with market conditions and jurisdictional profitability.

16:16 EDT Alcoa says it is continuing to make progress against asset review - Alcoa continues to make progress against its five-year review of production assets. When announced in October 2019, the review included 1.5 million metric tons of smelting capacity to evaluate options for significant improvement, curtailment, closure, or divestiture. Alcoa has now addressed more than 700,000 metric tons of global aluminum smelting capacity. Since announcing the review, Alcoa has completed the curtailment of the Intalco smelter in Washington State, repowered the Portland smelter in Australia, and announced the restart of 268,000 metric tons of capacity at the Alumar smelter in Brazil. Alcoa also continues to seek a solution regarding the San Ciprian aluminum smelter in Spain and its 228,000 metric tons of capacity. The price of power in Spain for the smelter far exceeds the averages for global smelters and those in the European Union. Alcoa remains committed to transfer the aluminum smelter to a third party as soon as the Spanish government can develop and implement a competitive energy framework that would make the smelter viable. On September 27, 2021, the workers' representatives at the facility initiated a strike that limits various activities and has blocked aluminum shipments.

16:13 EDT ICL to expand current commercial relationship with Haldor Topsoe - The company states: "ICL announced its intention to expand its current commercial relationship with Haldor Topsoe and is looking forward to entering into a long-term supply arrangement for potassium nitrate. Potassium nitrate, also known as NOP, is a soluble source of two major essential plant nutrients - nitrogen and potassium - and is commonly used as a fertilizer for high-value crops. ICL expects to expand its NOP sourcing from Haldor Topsoe and begin marketing product in the first quarter of 2022, as it further integrates Topsoe material into its global supply offerings. The company also expects to maintain its other existing potassium nitrate supplier relationships, as part of its global specialty fertilizers market strategy."

16:12 EDT Golub Capital reports FY21 new middle-market originations of $971.4M - Golub Capital originated $971.4M in new middle-market investment commitments during the three months ended September 30. Approximately 81% of the new middle-market investment commitments were one stop loans, 14% were senior secured loans and 5% were equity and other securities. Of the new middle-market investment commitments, $726.4M funded at close. Total investments at fair value are estimated to have increased by approximately 10.2%, or $454.7M, during the three months ended September 30 after factoring in debt repayments, sales of securities, net fundings on revolvers and net change in unrealized gains.

16:11 EDT Great Lakes Dredge announces receipt of $88.1M in awarded work - Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation announced the receipt of several major dredging awards totaling $88.1M. The Sea Bright to Manasquan, Section II Beach Project that was awarded in the third quarter is part of the Sandy Hook to Barnegat Inlet Beach Erosion Control Project. At this time the base contract was awarded that includes dredging from an offshore borrow area and pumping sand to Allenhurst and Deal beaches. Open options totaling $21.1M remain in low bids pending award bringing total contract to $47.7M million. This project will provide beach fill to towns of Elberon and Sea Girt. The client on this project is the US Army Corps of Engineers, New York District and majority is federally funded with additional funding from the state of New Jersey. Hopper dredging work is expected to commence in the fourth quarter of 2021 with estimated completion in the first quarter of 2022.

16:08 EDT Rhythm Pharmaceuticals submits Type II variation application to EMA for BBS - Rhythm Pharmaceuticals announced that it has submitted its Type II variation application to the European Medicines Agency, EMA, for IMCIVREE, setmelanotide, for the treatment of obesity and control of hunger in adult and pediatric patients six years of age and older with Bardet-Biedl syndrome , BBS, or Alstrom syndrome. "This marks an important milestone toward our goal of delivering IMCIVREE globally to patients with BBS and, ultimately, many other rare genetic diseases of obesity," said David Meeker, M.D., Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Rhythm. "IMCIVREE achieved clinically meaningful and statistically significant results in our Phase 3 trial in BBS and provided evidence of marked and sustained weight loss in patients with Alstrom syndrome treated in our Phase 2 and 3 trials. Based on these data, we believe IMCIVREE will be the first medicine to effectively address the severe, early-onset obesity and hyperphagia that characterize these diseases. We look forward to working closely with regulatory authorities in the European Union to deliver IMCIVREE to these additional populations."

16:07 EDT WhiteHorse Finance declares special distribution of 13.5c per share - WhiteHorse Finance has declared a special distribution of 13.5c per share, which will be payable on December 10 to stockholders of record as of October 29. Distributions are paid from taxable earnings and may include a return of capital and/or capital gains.

16:03 EDT Hologic to acquire Bolder Surgical for $160M - Hologic announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Bolder Surgical, a privately held, U.S.-based company that provides advanced energy vessel sealing surgical devices, for approximately $160M, subject to working capital and other customary closing adjustments. "This acquisition will broaden our growing Surgical portfolio by adding Bolder's differentiated advanced vessel sealing and dissection tools that are used in laparoscopic procedures," said Essex Mitchell, Hologic's Division President, Surgical. "We can accelerate growth and improve patient outcomes by leveraging our significant commercial resources and strong relationships with OB/GYNs." Bolder Surgical is expected to generate approximately $10M of product revenue this calendar year. The acquisition is expected to be slightly dilutive to Hologic's non-GAAP earnings per share in fiscal 2022, roughly break-even in fiscal 2023, and accretive thereafter. The acquisition is expected to close by the end of calendar 2021, subject to antitrust clearance and other customary closing conditions.

15:36 EDT Southwest Gas up 6% after Icahn Enterprises says will start $75 per share tender - Shares of Southwest Gas (SWX) are up $4.00, or 6%, to $68.92 after Icahn Enterprises L.P. (IEP) announced that it intends to initiate a tender offer through one or more affiliated entities for any and all of the outstanding shares of the common stock of Southwest Gas at $75.00 per share in cash.

15:22 EDT Icahn Enterprises to start tender offer for Southwest Gas at $75 per share

15:13 EDT FDA panel unanimously recommends support for Moderna booster shot - A panel of FDA advisers voted 19 Yes to zero No on whether available data on Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine booster supports a 50mcg booster at least 6 months from primary series in adults aged over 65 and those 18-64 with heightened risk because of health or their setting.

14:21 EDT Abbott recalls Alinity m SARS-CoV-2 AMP Kit for potential false positives - Abbott Molecular has recalled its Alinity m SARS-CoV-2 AMP Kit and Alinity m Resp-4-Plex AMP Kit for potential false positive SARS-CoV-2 test results, the FDA announced. "The FDA has identified this as a Class I recall, the most serious type of recall. Use of these devices may cause serious adverse health consequences or death," the agency stated. "The recall described in this notice is due to the same issue that was announced in the September 17, 2021 Letter to Health Care Providers: Potential for False Positive Results with Abbott Molecular Inc. Alinity m SARS-CoV-2 AMP and Alinity m Resp-4-Plex AMP Kits," the FDA noted. Reference Link

14:02 EDT UBS fined $500,000 by CFTC for failing to retain required audio recordings - The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission issued an order simultaneously filing and settling charges against UBS AG, a provisionally registered swap dealer, for failing to retain certain audio recordings for the time required under CFTC regulations. The order finds that as a result of failures in UBS's audio retention systems, the firm deleted over 1,000 hours of audio data after one day, including voice recording files that were required by CFTC regulations to be retained for one year. The order requires UBS to pay a $500,000 civil monetary penalty and to cease and desist from further violations of CFTC regulations, as charged.

13:33 EDT Eli Lilly: Treatment benefit of Verzenio plus ET was maintained over time - Eli Lilly and Company announced updated data from the positive Phase 3 monarchE trial evaluating the investigational use of Verzenio in combination with standard adjuvant endocrine therapy for the treatment of hormone receptor-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative, node-positive, high risk early breast cancer. These data were presented at today's ESMO Virtual Plenary and simultaneously published in the Annals of Oncology. As previously published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology,1 monarchE met its primary endpoint of a statistically significant improvement in invasive disease-free survival in the intent-to-treat population for patients treated with adjuvant Verzenio plus ET compared to those treated with ET alone. Data in today's presentation and publication include updated results reflecting median follow-up of 27 months. In the updated analysis, the benefit of Verzenio on IDFS and distant relapse-free survival was maintained, Eli Lilly said in a statement. At three years, the absolute improvement rates in IDFS and DRFS were 5.4% and 4.2%, respectively. Exploratory piecewise analyses of the IDFS and DRFS hazard ratio estimates within each year were also conducted, which demonstrated increasing magnitude of IDFS effect size over time: from the first year to the second year and persisted beyond the two-year study treatment period.

13:17 EDT Carnival's Princess announces ship restarts for February, March and April - Princess Cruises, part of Carnival Corporation & plc (CCL, CUK), is announcing plans for additional ships return to service in the United States for February, March and April 2022 sailing from Los Angeles, Seattle, Vancouver and Ft. Lauderdale. Starting between February 13 and April 22 cruises onboard three additional Princess MedallionClass ships will take guests to the Caribbean, Hawaii and the California Coast. "Crown Princess, Island Princess and Royal Princess join the eight Princess ships scheduled to restart in 2021, representing 79% of Princess' ship capacity," the company stated.

12:25 EDT Facebook unveils long-term AI project Ego4D - Facebook announced Ego4D, a long-term project by Facebook AI that aims to "solve research challenges around egocentric perception: the ability for AI to understand and interact with the world like we do, from a first-person perspective." For this project, the company brought together a consortium of 13 universities and labs across nine countries, who collected more than 2,200 hours of first-person video in the wild, featuring over 700 participants going about their daily lives. This greatly increases the amount of egocentric data publicly available to the research community, as this data set is 20X greater than any other in terms of hours of footage. Facebook also developed five benchmark challenges for developing better AI assistants, including episodic memory, forecasting, hand and object manipulation, audio-visual diarization, and social interaction. Reference Link

12:01 EDT Wells Fargo not seeing wage pressure everywhere across entire company

12:00 EDT Lufax falls -8.6% - Lufax is down -8.6%, or -64c to $6.76.

12:00 EDT Janus International Group rises 9.9% - Janus International Group is up 9.9%, or $1.15 to $12.80.

12:00 EDT Kore Group rises 11.4% - Kore Group is up 11.4%, or 72c to $7.04.

11:57 EDT Janssen's nipocalimab granted FDA orphan designation - Janssen Research & Development's nipocalimab was granted FDA orphan designation as a treatment of chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy, according to a post to the agency's website. Reference Link

11:52 EDT Wells Fargo sees $250M of operating losses in Q4

11:50 EDT Legato Merger Corp. receives approval for combination with Algoma Steel - Legato Merger Corp., a U.S. publicly-traded special purpose acquisition company, and Algoma Steel Group, a fully integrated producer of hot and cold rolled steel products, announced that Legato's stockholders have approved the previously announced business combination transaction between Legato and Algoma. The holders of approximately 74% of the shares of Legato common stock voted at the special stockholder meeting and approximately 92% of the shares voted were voted in favor the Merger. The holders of 716 shares of Legato common stock validly exercised their redemption rights in connection with the Merger. The closing of the Merger is expected to occur as soon as reasonably practicable after the satisfaction or waiver by Algoma and Legato of all of the remaining closing conditions set out in the definitive agreements related to the Merger. Currently the parties anticipate closing the Merger during the week of October 18th. Following the closing of the Merger, the common shares of Algoma are expected to trade on each of the Nasdaq Stock Market and the Toronto Stock Exchange under the new symbol "ASTL."

11:47 EDT Wells Fargo sees more reserve releases if current trends continue

11:42 EDT Wells Fargo on track to achieve sustainable 10% ROTCE 'at some point next year'

11:38 EDT Wells Fargo on track to roll out new mobile app in early 2022, says Scharf

11:37 EDT Wells Fargo CEO: Supply chain, labor shortages still tough for clients

11:33 EDT Helbiz to broadcast NFL content on Helbiz live platform throughout Italy - Helbiz announced an agreement between Helbiz Media, the company's media arm, and the National Football League to broadcast NFL content on the Helbiz Live platform throughout Italy. Based on the agreement, the Helbiz Live lineup will include content from the NFL and will add a flagship property to its offering while providing all Helbiz Live subscribers access to the popular sports league.

11:17 EDT Coinbase waitlist for upcoming NFT marketplace nears 1.5M sign-ups - On October 12, Sanchan Saxena, VP of Product, Ecosystem, at Coinbase announced in a blog post: "Today, we're announcing Coinbase NFT, a peer-to-peer marketplace that will make minting, purchasing, showcasing, and discovering NFTs easier than ever. Just as Coinbase helped millions of people access Bitcoin for the first time in an easy and trusted way - we want to do the same for the NFTs." As of October 14, the waitlist for the upcoming NFT marketplace appears to have nearly 1.5M sign-ups based on the ranks being assigned for joiners new to the list. The company states on its waitlist page: "Coinbase NFT will initially be available to US users with future expansion plans globally!" Reference Link

10:46 EDT Walgreens Boots Alliance: LT EPS growth algorithm in low teens - Long-term growth model beyond FY24 sees EPS growth in low teens. Sees FY22 tax rate 16%, FY23 tax rate 18.5%, FY24 20%, and +50bps per annum thereafter. Share repurchases are not a priority in the short-term, but capital return is an important part of long-term growth algorithm, the company said. Sees TCM program savings of $2.1B in FY19-FY21 and $1.2B in FY22-FY24. Comments taken from Investor Day presentation slides.

10:24 EDT Codexis down 8% after revealing Pfizer as recent customer - Craig-Hallum analyst Matt Hewitt previously said on October 1 that he was confident that "it is the Merck pill Codexis is involved with." Stifel analyst Daniel Arias has just said in a note published this morning that despite the fact that Pfizer's (PFE) PF-07321332 is "clearly a few months behind molnupiravir," the prospects for PF-07321332 are similar as long as the data read-out is favorable and this is still a "big opportunity" for Codexis (CDXS).

10:21 EDT Citi doesn't see credit deterioration in U.S. portfolio in 2021, says CFO

10:16 EDT Citi continuing to see momentum across payments business, says CFO

10:05 EDT Microsoft's LinkedIn shutting down in China amid greater compliance - Microsoft's LinkedIn said in a blog post: "While we've found success in helping Chinese members find jobs and economic opportunity, we have not found that same level of success in the more social aspects of sharing and staying informed. We're also facing a significantly more challenging operating environment and greater compliance requirements in China. Given this, we've made the decision to sunset the current localized version of LinkedIn, which is how people in China access LinkedIn's global social media platform, later this year. Our new strategy for China is to put our focus on helping China-based professionals find jobs in China and Chinese companies find quality candidates. Later this year, we will launch InJobs, a new, standalone jobs application for China. InJobs will not include a social feed or the ability to share posts or articles. We will also continue to work with Chinese businesses to help them create economic opportunity." Reference Link

10:00 EDT Codexis discloses Pfizer as customer making recent enzyme product purchases - In a regulatory filing, Codexis (CDXS) noted that on June 17 and August 25 the company had filed current reports on Form 8-K announcing that certain purchase orders for an aggregate of approximately $29M were received by the company from an undisclosed global pharmaceutical customer for use in the manufacture of an undisclosed active pharmaceutical intermediate in a therapeutic candidate. The company now discloses that the customer is Pfizer (PFE) and that the proprietary Codexis enzyme product is intended for use in the manufacture of Pfizer's clinical-stage COVID antiviral therapeutic candidate, PF-07321332. "Delivery dates for the quantities of enzyme ordered under the purchase orders are subject to a number of conditions," Codexis added in its filing.

10:00 EDT CTS Corporation falls -6.5% - CTS Corporation is down -6.5%, or -$2.04 to $29.26.

10:00 EDT Offerpad Solutions rises 10.9% - Offerpad Solutions is up 10.9%, or 88c to $8.97.

10:00 EDT Kore Group rises 40.0% - Kore Group is up 40.0%, or $2.53 to $8.85.

09:47 EDT Redwire falls -5.6% - Redwire is down -5.6%, or -67c to $11.46.

09:47 EDT ironSource rises 6.9% - ironSource is up 6.9%, or 76c to $11.85.

09:47 EDT Kore Group rises 22.6% - Kore Group is up 22.6%, or $1.43 to $7.75.

09:42 EDT KORE Group Holdings Inc trading resumes

09:38 EDT Bank of America sees Q4 tax rate 10%-12%

09:35 EDT Horizon Acquisition announces PIPE investment by DraftKings - Horizon Acquisition Corp. (HZAC) announced that Eldridge Industries, an affiliate of Horizon's sponsor, Horizon Sponsor, LLC, has entered into an agreement with DraftKings (DKNG) to make a private placement PIPE investment in connection with the closing of the previously announced merger between Horizon and Vivid Seats. The investment will be part of the previously announced PIPE financing for the transaction, with DraftKings assuming a portion of Eldridge's commitment. The closing of the investment is conditioned upon completion of the business combination between Horizon and Vivid Seats, which is subject to approval of Horizon's shareholders. As part of the investment, Eldridge has agreed to provide DraftKings the option to sell its Vivid Seats shares to Eldridge on the business day following the first anniversary of Horizon and Vivid Seats' business combination closing at price of $9.77 per share, conditioned upon DraftKings continuously holding the Vivid Seats shares until such date and certain other terms and conditions.

09:33 EDT Walgreens Boots Alliance makes $5.2B investment in VillageMD - Walgreens Boots Alliance and VillageMD announced that WBA has agreed to make an additional investment in VillageMD to advance its strategic position in the delivery of value-based primary care. The $5.2 billion investment will accelerate the opening of at least 600 Village Medical at Walgreens primary care practices in more than 30 U.S. markets by 2025 and 1,000 by 2027, with more than half of those practices in medically underserved communities. Walgreens' partnership with VillageMD will lead to a significant increase in access to primary care in underserved urban and rural communities - more than 75 percent of Americans live within five miles of a Walgreens. The investment increases WBA's ownership stake in VillageMD to 63 percent from 30 percent. VillageMD remains a standalone company, with its own board and management, and the company plans to conduct an IPO in 2022. Through its partnership with VillageMD, Walgreens is the first national pharmacy chain to offer full-service primary care practices with primary care physicians and pharmacists co-located at its stores all under one roof at a large scale. With this investment, VillageMD can accelerate its strategy of providing comprehensive, coordinated care through a primary care model, including expansion into broader service lines. Village Medical at Walgreens locations accept a wide range of health insurance options. Patients may access care and support through in-person, at-home and telehealth visits. WBA and VillageMD have 52 co-located primary care practice locations currently open, and will have more than 80 open by the end of this calendar year. The companies first announced a partnership in 2019 with the trial launch of five co-located practices in the Houston area The transaction is subject to the expiration or termination of the applicable waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, as amended, and other customary closing conditions and is expected to close by the end of calendar 2021. VillageMD's financials will be consolidated by WBA.

09:23 EDT Terreno Realty acquires Brooklyn, NY property for $4.5M - Terreno Realty acquired an industrial property located in Brooklyn, New York on October 12 for a purchase price of approximately $4.5M.

09:22 EDT Avalon GloboCare jointly filed US, International patent application for SLET - Avalon GloboCare announced it has successfully co-developed a novel platform of S-layer coated emulsome technology, or SLET, for next-generation drug delivery and cellular immunotherapy, together with Professor Uwe Sleytr and the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences in Vienna, Austria. Avalon and Professor Uwe Sleytr of BOKU have jointly filed USPTO and international PCT patent applications pertaining to the novel SLET platform. As a vesicular nano-carrier system, emulsomes are composed of an internal lipoidal core surrounded by phospholipid multilayers. This emulsome nano-carrier, when loaded with bio-active agents, may increase their solubility and bioavailability. This nano-formulation is also designed to be safe and nontoxic. The SLET platform exploits the S-layer fusion proteins as coating materials for the emulsome nano-carriers, in order to provide a "molecular GPS system" to guide the trafficking and delivery of the emulsomal payload to a targeted destination in the body. Avalon is actively exploring the practical uses of SLET, including targeted drug delivery, vaccine development, diagnostic devices, and cellular therapeutic applications. "We are very excited to announce this novel SLET platform, which we believe will help accelerate the development of our mRNA-based Flash-CAR program. The targeted delivery of mRNA to immune effector cells by SLET could open the door to a whole new generation of cancer immunotherapy. In addition, we see a number of other therapeutic and diagnostic applications for this broad and potentially transformative technology platform. Moreover, we believe these latest patent filings will provide us robust international IP protection for this technology and its many potential applications," said David Jin, President and Chief Executive Officer of Avalon.

09:22 EDT Bank of America sees FY22 NII 'well above' FY21

09:21 EDT Diebold's Nixdorf DN ATMs adopted by Fidelity Bank - Diebold Nixdorf announced that Fidelity Bank will replace its entire self-service network with DN Series ATMs. Fidelity Bank is implementing DN AllConnect Services across its entire self-service channel. The comprehensive service provides increased uptime and includes, monitoring and event management, maintenance services, and security and software deployment. Fidelity Bank has assets of $3.4B and operates 58 branches throughout North and South Carolina and Virginia.

09:19 EDT Plug Power to acquire Applied Cryo Technologies, terms not disclosed - Plug Power announced that it has executed a definitive agreement to acquire Applied Cryo Technologies. The transaction is expected to close during the fourth quarter of 2021 and is subject to customary closing conditions, including receipt of all approvals or the termination or expiration of all waiting periods required under applicable antitrust laws. The acquisition of ACT adds significant capabilities, expertise, and technologies to Plug Power, which will help the company expand the green hydrogen ecosystem. With over 20 years of history, and customers like Amazon, Walmart and Home Depot, Plug Power is the largest buyer of liquid hydrogen globally and has built a 'hydrogen highway' across the United States, which includes over 165 refueling stations that service fleets of hydrogen-powered trucks, forklifts and e-mobility vehicles from industries throughout the nation. Plug Power's hydrogen fuel cell technology also provides reliable, resilient on-site backup power for businesses and institutions, whether data centers, utilities, retailers or universities. In addition to Plug Power's new green hydrogen production facility in California, Plug Power maintains a network of plants in New York, Tennessee, and Georgia that will help the company realize its ambitious goal of producing over 1,000 tons per day of green hydrogen by 2028. Plug Power recently announced a new European headquarters in Germany and a joint venture with South Korea's SK E&S to accelerate the expansion of the hydrogen economy in Asia.The acquisition of ACT will provide Plug Power with a host of efficiencies and capabilities, including: Liquid hydrogen delivery network and fleet; Liquid hydrogen storage; and Hydrogen mobility fueling, which is particularly important for ports.

09:17 EDT Surna becomes authorized reseller of BVV Neocision LED grow lights - Surna announced it has become a value-added reseller of BVV Neocision LED grow lights. Surna will work closely with BVV to develop lighting layouts and to properly deploy and integrate the LED grow lights in controlled environment agriculture facilities. This collaboration represents a major addition to Surna's existing product offering to its customers.

09:16 EDT Cue Health to provide COVID-19 testing for 2021-22 NBA season - Cue Health and the National Basketball Association announced that Cue will serve as the league's Official Home and Point of Care Test for the 2021-22 season. The Cue COVID-19 Test for Home and Over The Counter Use is the first FDA-authorized molecular diagnostic test for at-home and over-the-counter use without physician supervision or a prescription. Expanding on a relationship that began during the 2020 NBA Restart in Orlando, Cue will provide all 30 NBA teams and the league's referees with the integrated Cue platform, which features both the portable Cue Health Monitoring System and easy-to-use Cue COVID-19 tests for use during the 2021-22 NBA season.

09:15 EDT Sintx Technologies sees Q3 revenue $240,000, two est. $200,000 - SINTX Technologies announced preliminary Q3 2021 revenue results and expectation of new Q4 2021 revenue from open orders of advanced ceramics prototypes. Estimated revenue in Q3 2021 was approximately $240k which is more than the revenue in each of Q1 and Q2 2021. Revenue came from three business areas, including monolithic silicon nitride for spinal implants and SN-PEEK for spinal implants, silicon nitride powder for an antipathogenic fabric application, and boron carbide torso plates for armor. SINTX anticipates new revenue sources in Q4 with several open prototype orders we expect to fill with advanced silicon nitride for separate aerospace engine and rocket components, FleX SN powder for antipathogenic fabric, and an industrial boron carbide application

09:13 EDT Notified introduces coverage books in PR platform - Intrado Corporation announced the addition of coverage books to its Notified PR Cloud. Coverage books help public relations professionals showcase earned media coverage in customizable, branded digital PR measurement reports. Because they are fully integrated within the Notified PR platform, coverage books eliminate the need for time-consuming design and manual steps in compiling coverage from disparate sources. The Notified PR platform provides communications professionals with a simpler and more efficient workflow for their daily activities. Content and data from traditional and social media flow seamlessly throughout the platform, powered by Notified's social listening and media monitoring engine. With direct platform integration of coverage books, customers can easily highlight earned media coverage and topline metrics. Presentation-ready reports provide executive teams, agency clients, and other stakeholders with a comprehensive view of media coverage and brand reputation.

09:11 EDT EnWave announces normal course issuer bid - EnWave Corporation announced that the TSX Venture Exchange has provided conditional acceptance of the Company's normal course issuer bid, subject to the Company meeting all of the requirements of the TSXV. Under the terms of the normal course issuer bid, EnWave may acquire up to 10,778,194 common shares, representing 10% of the public float of EnWave as of October 14, 2021. In the opinion of the Company's Board of Directors, its common shares have been trading at prices that do not reflect the underlying value of the Company including its royalty portfolio, its strong financial position and the growth opportunities. Accordingly, EnWave believes that purchasing and returning its common shares to treasury represents an opportunity to enhance value for its ongoing shareholders. EnWave's cash position allows for the implementation of the bid without adversely affecting the Company's other opportunities. As of October 14, 2021, the Company had 110,205,055 common shares outstanding. Under TSXV policies, EnWave is entitled to purchase up to 2,204,101 shares in any 30 day period up to the maximum of 10,778,194 shares. The purchases may commence on October 29, 2021 and will end on October 28, 2022, or on such earlier date as EnWave may complete its purchases pursuant to the notice of intention to make a normal course issuer bid filed with the TSXV. The actual number of common shares which will be purchased and the timing of any such purchases will be determined by the Company. All shares purchased by the Company will be on the open market through the facilities of TSXV by Cormark Securities Inc. acting on behalf of EnWave in accordance with the policies of the TSXV and will be surrendered by the Company to its transfer agent for cancellation. The prices that EnWave will pay for any of the common shares purchased will be the market price of the shares at the time of acquisition.

09:11 EDT Bank of America CEO: Loans up 1% and can 'grow out from here'

09:10 EDT Tetra Tech awarded $22.4M task order to U.S Dept of Labor, BLS - Tetra Tech announced that it has been awarded a $22.4M task order under its $169M, multiple-award contract to provide information engineering, enterprise architecture, and agile software development services to the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. BLS is responsible for measuring labor market activity, working conditions, and price changes in the economy.

09:09 EDT First Wave BioPharma doses first patient in Phase 2b trial of niclosamide - First Wave BioPharma announced that it has dosed the first patient in a Phase 2b clinical trial investigating a topical formulation of niclosamide as a potential treatment for patients with ulcerative proctitis and ulcerative proctosigmoiditis. The trial formally launches the expansion of the company's clinical development program for niclosamide into indications for inflammatory bowel diseases. UP and UPS are two types of ulcerative colitis, a chronic inflammatory bowel disease consisting of fine ulcerations in the inner mucosal lining of the large intestine that do not penetrate the bowel muscle wall. UPS causes inflammation in the colon and rectum, while UP is confined only to the rectum. The Phase 2b trial is a placebo-controlled study that will enroll up to 28 patients to compare FW-UP, administered as an enema twice daily at a dose of 450 mg, to placebo enemas twice daily. Patient screening is underway at clinical trial sites in Italy and will start soon in Austria and Germany. First Wave BioPharma is also planning a separate clinical trial to investigate an oral formulation of niclosamide as a potential treatment for pancolitis. The Phase 2b trial builds on preliminary data from a previous Phase 1b trial evaluating a low-dose and a Phase 2a high-dose of FW-UP in patients with UP and UPS. Data from the first 17 patients treated in the low-dose cohort demonstrated niclosamide to be well tolerated, with a durable therapeutic effect and a clinical remission rate of 59%. Although these initial trial results are based upon early stage data, this rate of remission compares favorably to the rates of 38% to 44% reported for the commonly used steroid, budesonide. In data collected from the first four patients in the high-dose cohort, niclosamide was also shown to be well tolerated.

09:07 EDT NASA selects L3Harris for 2nd study to 'significantly' help weather forecasting - NASA has selected L3Harris Technologies to conduct a second advanced study to significantly improve the accuracy and timeliness of U.S. weather forecasting. The weather prediction modeling study, slated to begin this month, will allow L3Harris to test and evaluate an advanced concept for satellite weather sensors - called 'sounders' - that measure temperature and water vapor for the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA. The L3Harris concept includes a sensor that offers hyperspectral and infrared readings, giving severe weather trackers an advantage as they predict dangerous storms. "To produce accurate forecasts, weather prediction models require detailed observations of the Earth's surface to the top of the atmosphere," said Ed Zoiss, President, Space and Airborne Systems, L3Harris. "Our technology has and will continue to play a critical role in improving severe storm tracking and warnings by feeding continuous information into advance weather prediction models."

09:07 EDT Sarcos Technology appoints James Geurts as executive vice chairman - Sarcos Technology and Robotics Corporation announced that it has appointed the Honorable James "Hondo" Geurts as the company's Executive Vice Chairman, effective immediately. Geurts retired from his role performing the duties of the Under Secretary of the Navy for the Biden administration in August after serving more than 34 years in various military and government positions. In his role as Sarcos Executive Vice Chairman, Geurts will be responsible for working with the Sarcos executive team to foster leadership development, identify and evaluate acquisition opportunities, scale its operations as it prepares to commercially launch its award-winning Guardian XO full-body, battery-powered industrial exoskeleton and the Guardian XT teleoperated dexterous mobile robotic avatar system, and to refine its efforts to meet the needs of the defense industry.

09:05 EDT BofA CEO: Pre-pandemic organic growth machine has 'kicked back in' - Comments taken from Q3 earnings conference call.

09:04 EDT Sage Group joins Associated Builders and Contractors Tech Alliance - Sage announced its selection to the second annual Associated Builders and Contractors Tech Alliance, a consortium of firms that creates construction technology and innovative solutions for Associated Builders and Contractors members. Consisting of 15 companies, the Tech Alliance will leverage technology solutions to help ABC members develop people, win work, and deliver that work safely, ethically and profitably for the betterment of the communities in which ABC and its members serve. The additional members joining Sage on the 2021-2022 Tech Alliance are Autodesk, Bespoke Metrics, BuildOps, Flashtract, KPA, myComply, Points North, Procore, ProEst, Safesite, SmartBuild, StructionSite, SubHQ and Tenna.

08:53 EDT Compass Diversified announces sale of Advanced Circuits - Compass Diversified (CODI) announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to sell its majority owned subsidiary, Compass AC Holdings, to Tempo Automation. In connection with the Agreement, Tempo Automation has announced its entry into a definitive merger agreement for a business combination with ACE Convergence Acquisition (ACEV). Upon closing of the transaction, the combined operating entity will be renamed "Tempo Automation Holdings, and shares of its common stock are expected to trade on Nasdaq under the ticker symbol "TMPO." Under the terms of the Agreement, CODI and the other selling shareholders will receive consideration in the amount of $310M, composed of $240M in cash and $70M in Tempo common stock upon the closing of the transaction, excluding certain working capital and other adjustments. In addition, CODI and the other selling shareholders may receive $30M in additional Tempo common stock within five years, subject to Tempo stock price performance. CODI anticipates the proceeds will be used to repay all or a portion of outstanding revolver borrowings and for general corporate purposes. The closing of the Advanced Circuits transaction is subject to customary terms and conditions, including regulatory approval, and is expected to occur in the first quarter of 2022.

08:48 EDT Omniq receives $1.8M purchase order for data collection solution - omniQ Corp. announced that it has received a purchase order with a total value of approximately $1.8 million from a Fortune 500 leading IT supply chain provider with more than 100,000 customers in over 100 countries, generating more than $20 billion in annual revenue. The seven-figure order comes from a long-term customer for the implementation of Zebra data collection hardware. Implementation of these devices will complete their move from WM to Android.

08:48 EDT Morgan Stanley 'firing on all cylinders,' executive says

08:45 EDT City of Long Beach, Calif. selects eprocurement platform from mdf Commerce - mdf commerce announces that its recent acquisition, Periscope Holdings, will be implementing its eprocurement solution for supplier management, strategic sourcing, and contracts for the City of Long Beach, California. This partnership includes integration between Periscope Holdings and Tyler-MUNIS, the City's financial management platform. This collaborative initiative will allow the City of Long Beach to streamline, simplify, and fully leverage the data and analytics benefits of eprocurement technology.

08:44 EDT Everest Re sees Q3 catastrophe losses $635M - Everest Re Group, announced preliminary third quarter 2021 catastrophe losses in advance of its full quarterly earnings to be released on October 27. Everest is estimating total pre-tax net catastrophe losses of $635M for the third quarter 2021.

08:42 EDT Milestone Scientific announces international expansion for CompuFlo Instrument - Milestone Scientific reported that it has added three new international distributors for the CompuFlo Epidural Instrument, including Andau Medical in Canada, Sanolabor DD in Slovenia and New Al Farwaniya Surgicals and Medical Equipment LLC in the United Arab Emirates. Arjan Haverhals, CEO of Milestone Scientific, stated, "We are pleased to have expanded our international network with these distributors in key global markets. Each brings extensive relationships and a proven track record of introducing medical devices to their respective markets. The global network we are developing demonstrates the strong interest and growing demand for the CompuFlo Epidural Instrument. Andau Medical, Sanolabor and New Al Farwaniya are important additions, and assist in further adoption of our epidural instrument." The CompuFlo Epidural Instrument offers objective detection of pressure changes to verify true loss of resistance and confirm epidural space within minutes. The clinical and safety benefits of the CompuFlo Epidural and CathCheck Verification Systems are backed by published clinical data demonstrating significant reductions in epidural punctures, as well as complication rates, and contribute to a significant savings of time on the part of anesthesiologists.

08:42 EDT ironSource to acquire Tapjoy in accretive transaction for $400M - ironSource announced that it entered into an agreement to acquire the mobile advertising and app monetization company Tapjoy. The acquisition is expected to strengthen the ironSource platform offering for mobile app and game developers through several areas of synergy: ironSource customers will be able to generate more revenue with greater access to diversified advertiser demand, including through the Tapjoy marketplace. In addition, customers will benefit from complementary technology allowing app developers to enrich their in-game economies; and the acquisition is also intended to increase ironSource's SDK footprint among both apps and games, growing the company's scale in the market. "We are delighted to be joining ironSource, a leading business platform for app developers," said Jeff Drobick, CEO of Tapjoy. "Tapjoy's technology powers monetization, user acquisition, and customer research for some of the world's largest brands and app developers, with our SDK integrated on approximately 66,000 apps reaching over 1.6 billion monthly active users. As the App Economy continues to grow, we believe that ironSource is the ideal partner to further leverage our products and expertise for continued growth." ironSource will acquire Tapjoy for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $400M, financed with cash from the balance sheet. "Tapjoy experienced substantial revenue growth and is expected to generate approximately $81M in net revenues in calendar year 2021. Tapjoy is highly profitable and the transaction is accretive to ironSource in CY2022," said the company in a statement. The transaction is expected to close in Q421/Q122, subject to customary conditions including regulatory approvals.

08:40 EDT ExlService launches omni-channel patient engagement platform - EXL announced the launch of a new omni-channel Patient Engagement Platform, which uses real-world patient data and analytics to drive personalized care management programs for health plans and self-insured employers. Leveraging AI to analyze patient behaviors and inform a series of patient engagement escalations designed to encourage adherence with value-based guidelines, the new platform is designed to optimize the care management process. EXL Health's Patient Engagement Platform combines the following functions in a single solution set, giving health plans and self-insured employers the flexibility to tailor their care management strategies: Real-World Patient Data Analytics: Through advanced analytics of electronic medical records, lab and biometric data, prescription claims, medical claims, sociodemographic data and other sources, the Patient Engagement Platform is able to identify instances of low value care, track patterns of patient adherence and non-adherence and assign detailed patient-level risk stratifications. Care Management Plan Optimization: By pairing these analytics with value-based best practices, the Patient Engagement Platform is able to deliver a care management program that will optimize resource use and guide patients to the best possible care. Active Omni-Channel Engagement: Through a combination of automated, digital interventions leveraging conversational AI and touchless outbound calling, and face-to-face engagement with nurse care managers, the Patient Engagement Platform tailors the right message to the right patient via the right communication channel to drive continued, active engagement in the care management process. This combination of advanced analytics, AI-powered automation and human intervention creates multi-channel patient touchpoints to improve engagement.

08:39 EDT Reservoir Media announces investment in Audio Up - Reservoir Media announces an investment in audio entertainment company and podcast content production studio Audio Up. As one of the key contributions in Audio Up's $12M Series B close, Reservoir's investment will help Audio Up further build their ecosystem of premium entertainment content within the music and audio space. In addition, Reservoir and Audio Up are working together on collaborative audio entertainment projects using Reservoir's catalog of copyrights. Reservoir joins a list of investors across the entertainment and advertising industries. Reservoir Founder and CEO Golnar Khosrowshahi said, "This transformative collaboration marks another key moment in Reservoir's evolution, as we further redefine our business as the business of listenership. Jared and Audio Up are creating innovative storytelling experiences through music and we are looking forward to all of the opportunities this creates for listeners and rights holders alike."

08:37 EDT Natus Medical establishes ESG Committee - Natus Medical announced that the Company's Board of Directors established an Environmental, Social, and Governance committee and transitioned the role of the Quality & Compliance Committee to the Innovation & Quality committee on September 30th, 2021. The Innovation & Quality committee will provide oversight of the Company's focus on accelerating growth through product and process innovation and quality. Natus' success with investments in research and development to advance patient care, coupled with compliance with quality systems and regulatory requirements related to product safety and efficacy are critical to the achievement of the Company's strategic growth objectives. Dr. Bryant Moore will chair the Innovation & Quality committee. The ESG committee will enable the Board to ensure ESG risks and opportunities are integrated into the Company's strategy; provide oversight of the Company's on-going commitment to sustainability, human capital development, health & safety, data security, diversity & inclusion, and other ESG pillars; and champion transparency in ESG reporting for shareholders. Alice Schroeder will chair the ESG committee.

08:36 EDT TFF Pharmaceuticals, Augmenta publish in vivo data on AUG-3387 - TFF Pharmaceuticals and Augmenta Bioworks announced the publication of a research paper highlighting positive preclinical study results of AUG-3387, a monoclonal antibody therapy being developed in collaboration between the two companies for the treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection. The findings have been published online through the bioRxiv preprint server, under the title "AUG-3387, a Human-Derived Monoclonal Antibody Neutralizes SARS-CoV-2 Variants and Reduces Viral Load from Therapeutic Treatment of Hamsters In Vivo." The AUG-3387 mAb was formulated as a dry powder using TFF Pharmaceuticals' proprietary Thin Film Freezing process to enable direct delivery to the lungs and remove the need for intravenous infusion that is required for delivery of current COVID-19 antibody therapies. AUG-3387 was isolated using the SingleCyte platform developed at Augmenta Bioworks. SingleCyte rapidly profiles human immunity to discover antigen-specific antibodies using AI driven single cell imaging and retrieval technology. Delivery of the dry powder formulation of AUG-3387 to infected hamsters resulted in a dose-dependent reduction of viral load when administration of the mAb was initiated 24 hours after infection with SARS-CoV-2. Previous mAbs that have received Emergency Use Authorization from the FDA for treatment of COVID-19 have only reported efficacy in the hamster model when the mAbs were delivered prophylactically 24 hours before infection with SARS-CoV-2. This study also represents the first report of successful reduction of viral load using inhaled delivery of a dry powder monoclonal antibody therapeutic for COVID-19 disease. The results suggest that AUG-3387 represents a viable opportunity to improve on current approved COVID-19 antibody treatments through convenient at-home administration, direct delivery to the lungs and distribution worldwide without requiring cold-chain storage. In addition to the in vivo efficacy, AUG-3387 also showed binding activity against the Alpha, Beta, Delta, Gamma, Kappa, Lambda and Mu variants of SARS-CoV-2. Robust binding to all tested strains of SARS-CoV-2 suggests AUG-3387 targets a highly conserved region of the virus, making AUG-3387 likely to remain effective despite the frequent emergence of new variant strains. Augmenta and TFF Pharmaceuticals plan to develop AUG-3387 as an inhaled therapy for the treatment of COVID-19 disease in two types of individuals: those already infected with SARS-CoV-2 who are at a high risk for severe disease but who have not yet been hospitalized, and for the prevention of SARS-CoV-2 infection for individuals who are at a high risk for severe disease. With the completion of in vivo preclinical efficacy studies, Augmenta and TFF now plan to enter toxicology studies in early 2022 and human clinical trials shortly thereafter. Ongoing formulation development studies are expected to demonstrate that a sufficient dose of AUG-3387 to achieve a neutralizing concentration in the lungs can be delivered via already approved commercial dry powder inhaler devices. TFF and Augmenta are working with Catalent Biologics to conduct cell line development, drug substance manufacturing and scale-up efforts for AUG-3387 as the program advances through clinical development. In prior in vitro preclinical testing, AUG-3387 effectively neutralized SARS-CoV-2 and demonstrated activity against other major COVID variants of concern, including the previously identified Delta variant Alpha variant, Beta variant, Gamma variant and Kappa variant. The additional positive data demonstrating activity against Lambda and Mu variants validates Augmenta's discovery approach and reflects TFF and Augmenta's ongoing commitment to develop a therapy that is effective against emerging variant strains of SARS-CoV-2.

08:35 EDT Rush Street Interactive enters Canadian market - Rush Street Interactive announced that it is entering the Canadian market with the launch of its social gaming platform, CASINO4FUN, in the province of Ontario. The free-to-play online casino and sportsbook is available now on all mobile devices, tablets, desktop and laptop computers for Ontarians aged 19 and older at BetRivers.net. CASINO4FUN is powered by the same proprietary technology behind RSI's real-money platform.

08:35 EDT Origin Agritech applies for protection rights for thirteen hybrid corn seeds - Origin Agritech has applied for plant variety protection rights for thirteen new hybrid corn varieties in addition to the four varieties it has recently received approval for. Origin expects to have the new varieties to be commercially available for pre-orders in the spring of next year.

08:33 EDT U.S. Bancorp sees FY22 tax rate 22% - Expects PPPs to decline $60M-$70M in Q4. Expects payments revenue to strengthen in Q4. Says expects net charge off ratio to remain lower than normal. Sees FY22 tax rate 22%. Says level of investment probably doesn't go up from here. Says deposit growth has been reasonably strong. Comments and guidance taken from Q3 earnings conference call.

08:31 EDT Exelixis, STORM Therapeutics enter license agreement - Exelixis and STORM Therapeutics announced that they have entered into an exclusive collaboration and license agreement under which the parties will discover and advance novel drug leads intended for the treatment of cancer. The collaboration will focus initially on ADAR1, advancing early work by STORM applying its proprietary RNA epigenetic platform, as well as explore an additional undisclosed target. Under the terms of the agreement, Exelixis will pay STORM an upfront fee of $17M in exchange for licensing two of STORM's discovery programs targeting RNA modifying enzymes, including ADAR1, as well as provide funding for discovery research activities conducted or managed by STORM. Exelixis will be solely responsible for global development, manufacturing and commercialization activities of any resulting molecules. STORM will be eligible for development, regulatory and commercialization milestones, as well as tiered royalties on the annual net sales of any compounds that are successfully commercialized under the collaboration.

08:22 EDT United Airlines announces largest transatlantic expansion in company's history - United announced the largest transatlantic expansion in its history, including 10 new flights and five new, vogue destinations - Amman, Jordan; Bergen, Norway; Azores, Portugal; Palma de Mallorca, Spain and Tenerife in the Spanish Canary Islands. All of the new routes - which are set to begin in Spring 2022 - are not served by any other North American carrier. Additionally, next year, United will add new flights to five popular European destinations: Berlin, Dublin, Milan, Munich and Rome. Lastly, United will launch seven routes that were interrupted due to the pandemic to Bangalore, Frankfurt, Tokyo's Haneda Airport, Nice and Zurich. Flights are subject to government approval. "Given our big expectations for a rebound in travel to Europe for summer, this is the right time to leverage our leading global network in new, exciting ways," said Patrick Quayle, senior vice president of international network and alliances at United. "Our expansion offers the widest range of destinations to discover - introducing new, trendy locales that our customers will love, as well as adding more flights to iconic, popular cities."

08:19 EDT Avid Bioservices announces expansion into viral vector development - Avid Bioservices announced that the company is expanding its CDMO service offering into the rapidly growing cell and gene therapy market. As part of this effort, the company is constructing a purpose-built 53,000 sq. ft. viral vector development and CGMP manufacturing facility in Costa Mesa, CA, approximately five miles from Avid's existing operations in Tustin, CA. Additionally, Avid has appointed Drew Brennan, an experienced CDMO business development executive as general manager of viral vector technologies to lead its expansion into the cell and gene therapy market. Avid's decision to expand its service offering into viral vector development and manufacturing is driven by continued strong growth in the cell and gene therapy market combined with the CDMO industry's overall lack of proven, high-quality CGMP manufacturing expertise and capacity for viral vectors. This investment into viral vector services follows Avid's recent investments into growing its existing biologics manufacturing capacity through ongoing expansions at its Myford manufacturing facility. As newly appointed general manager of viral vector technologies, Brennan will be responsible for overseeing all business activities related to Avid's expansion into the cell and gene therapy market. "With our extremely strong track record of quality in manufacturing, our stellar regulatory inspection history, and our customer-centric business approach, we feel that Avid is in a strong position to add significant value to innovator companies in gene and cell therapy that are struggling to find reliable and collaborative outsourcing partners," said Nicholas Green, president and chief executive officer of Avid Bioservices. "We believe that the addition of viral vector services is a natural extension of our existing traditional biologics offering and provides another avenue for growth by supporting the development and manufacturing of these innovative therapies. We are also thrilled to add Drew to our team to lead our business efforts in the cell and gene therapy market. His impressive track record in this area, combined with the deep relationships that he has developed throughout the industry, will strongly position this new service offering for success."

08:16 EDT Bionano Genomics announces study on OGM, NGS being used together - Bionano Genomics announced the publication of a study in which OGM and next-generation sequencing, NGS, with linked-reads were used together to resolve genetic diseases that were previously unclassified after evaluation by whole-exome sequencing alone. This study, from the University of California, San Francisco and Children's Hospital Oakland and appearing in the September 23, 2021 peer-reviewed issue of Nature Publishing Journal of Genomic Medicine, shows the benefit of combining OGM with short-read sequencing for improved detection of clinically relevant variants in genetic disease research. The study's authors describe their Full-Genome Analysis, FGA, approach with automated analysis using NGS linked-read sequencing and OGM to evaluate a full spectrum of genetic variants found in inherited genetic diseases. FGA identified structural variants and small variants with an increase in detection capability of 40%. The number of resolved cases attributable to SVs was notable in the study, as 50% of exome-negative cases were solved by identifying an SV or rearrangement. The authors also identified candidate variants in another 60% for future follow-up. The findings reinforce that the combination of OGM and NGS used in the FGA method detects and localizes SVs such as duplications missed by WGS, and can quickly identify translocations and phase variants across long distances. For individuals with undiagnosed conditions, these two technologies encompass what is currently provided by the combination of chromosome analysis - karyotyping, microarray testing and short-read WGS. Erik Holmlin, PhD, CEO of Bionano Genomics, commented, "This study's results go beyond just reinforcing the power of OGM - it shows us how we can significantly impact people's lives by combining NGS and OGM in genome analysis to find answers. Fifty percent of the participants in this study had clinically relevant variants hidden in their genomes that WES alone had not uncovered. OGM, together with a linked-read assay using NGS, revealed key answers for these participants. We believe there is tremendous potential in using OGM together with NGS to understand disease from the very beginning of any study. Congratulations to Dr. Shieh and his team on this tremendous progress."

08:14 EDT DLH Holdings wins FEMA contract for COVID-19 services throughout Alaska - DLH Holdings announced that it has been awarded a contract to provide experienced medical personnel to support COVID-19 community testing and collection, vaccination, and monoclonal antibody therapy throughout the state of Alaska. The award complements a separate contract to provide medical countermeasures and emergency medical support to Alaska as the state responds to an increase in COVID-19 cases, which DLH announced in mid-September. This competitive award, procured under a Federal Emergency Management Agency contract to provide support for states seeking medical support during the COVID-19 pandemic, has a ceiling value of $20 million for the 90-day base period. It provides for three one-month optional extensions after the initial period of performance. As the prime contractor, DLH will provide the emergency medical logistics coordination for the healthcare team fielded by its subcontractor, which will be responsible for a significant percentage of the services rendered.

08:12 EDT Rhythm presents data on living with rare genetic diseases of obesity - Rhythm Pharmaceuticals presented the first-ever data on the health related quality of life and experience of patients with obesity due to POMC or LEPR deficiency and updated results from the Uncovering Rare Obesity genetic testing program at the Obesity Medicine Association's Overcoming Obesity 2021 Conference and its Digital Experience Oct. 14-23. The Company and its collaborators delivered four poster presentations, including: New HRQOL data from post-hoc analyses of Phase 3 trials evaluating setmelanotide in patients with POMC or LEPR deficiency obesity that showed setmelanotide treatment led to sustained, clinically meaningful HRQOL improvements in a majority of patients; New results from a study based on in-depth patient interviews conducted in patients with POMC and LEPR deficiency obesity enrolled in Rhythm's pivotal Phase 3 trials, which highlighted that the reduced hunger and improved satiety resulting from setmelanotide treatment substantially and meaningfully changed patients' lives; and Two presentations detailing updated results from Rhythm's URO genetic testing of approximately 8,500 people in the United States with early-onset, severe obesity project that: 64.5% of individuals who had genetic sequencing performed may carry variants associated with rare genetic diseases of obesity, including 54.6% with variants in the melanocortin-4 receptor pathway that may qualify them for enrollment in Rhythm's EMANATE or DAYBREAK trials or for treatment with IMCIVREE; and 1.96% of individuals who had genetic sequencing performed may carry biallelic variants in one of 22 Bardet-Biedl Syndrome-associated genes or the ALMS1 gene, of which up to 0.34% carried variants considered pathogenic or likely pathogenic. Investigators presented two posters with data generated from post-hoc analyses of the Company's Phase 3 trials in POMC and LEPR deficiency obesities. In a presentation entitled, "Quality of Life in POMC or LEPR Deficiency: Setmelanotide Phase 3 Trials," Peter Kuhnen, M.D., Charite - Universitatsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universitat Berlin und Humboldt-Universitat zu Berlin, Institute for Experimental Pediatric Endocrinology presented data on the HRQOL burden improvements before and after treatment with setmelanotide.1 Highlights include: Setmelanotide resulted in clinically meaningful improvement in HRQOL in eight of 13 of patients after 52 weeks of treatment, with improvements in HRQOL that were 2 to 3 times larger than the relevant meaningful threshold; and Meaningful HRQOL improvements were observed as early as Week 5 on therapy, and these improvements were maintained throughout the study as they mirrored clinically meaningful hunger reductions and weight loss in these patients. Martin Wabitsch, M.D. Division of Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes, Center for Rare Endocrine Diseases, Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany, presented qualitative data from a series of patient interviews in a poster entitled, "Patient Experience of Hunger in POMC or LEPR Deficiency." Patients reported that hyperphagia and the constant inability to feel satiety negatively affects their HRQOL, while reduced hunger and improved satiety achieved on setmelanotide therapy substantially and meaningfully changed their lives, profoundly improving their ability to function at school or work. Additionally, these patients reported that discontinuing treatment with setmelanotide would be devastating. Ida Moeller, ScD, ScM, MMSc, Director of Biomedical Informatics at Rhythm, presented, "Variants in Obesity-related Genes in a Population with Early-onset Obesity." Rhythm's URO testing program is designed to expand access to genetic testing for patients with suspected rare genetic diseases of obesity in the U.S. As of July 12, 2021, Rhythm had collected genetic sequences from approximately 8,500 individuals with early-onset, severe obesity, including 788 individuals who had genetic sequencing performed on the Company's updated genetic panel with 79 genes and the full chromosomal region 16p11.2. Based on an integrated yield weighted by the number of individuals sequenced for each gene, utilizing the data from the two panel, Rhythm projects that 64.5% of individuals sequenced may carry actionable variants linked to rare genetic diseases of obesity.2 Rhythm also estimates that 54.6% of individuals sequenced carry variants in the MC4R pathway that may qualify them for enrollment in Rhythm's EMANATE or DAYBREAK trials or commercial treatment with IMCIVREE. Additionally, Dr. Robert Haws, M.D., Marshfield Clinical Research Institute, presented, "Frequency of BBS and ALMS1 Variants in a Cohort With Early-onset Obesity." Based on updated URO results, the Company projects that 0.34% of individuals with early-onset, severe obesity may carry pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants in genes known to be associated with BBS or Alstrom syndrome. Including patients with variants of unknown significance Rhythm estimates that 1.96% of individuals with early-onset, severe obesity may carry biallelic variants in one of 22 known BBS-associated genes or ALMS1.3

08:10 EDT Jiuzi Holdings sets up Southern China operation center - Jiuzi Holdings announced that Jiuzi Southern China Operation Center, also known as Nanning Jiuzi New Energy Operation Management Center, has officially commenced its operation on September 29, in an effort to expand the company's market share in Southern China. Jiuzi SC will start in Nanning, the capital city of Guangxi Province, and gradually increase coverage within the region. JZXN also entered into a strategic cooperation agreement with Nanning Huangyang Automobile Sales, a new energy vehicle distributor in Guangxi Province and authorized by the company so sell JZXN's new energy vehicles within Southern China.

08:09 EDT Exelixis in-licenses 2nd anti-cancer compound from Aurigene - Exelixis announced that Exelixis has exercised its exclusive option under the companies' July 2019 agreement to in-license XL114 a novel anti-cancer compound that inhibits the CARD11-BCL10-MALT1 signaling pathway, which promotes lymphocyte survival and proliferation. Exelixis has now assumed responsibility for the future clinical development, commercialization and global manufacturing of XL114. Following the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's recent acceptance of its Investigational New Drug application, Exelixis will soon initiate a phase 1 clinical trial evaluating XL114 monotherapy in patients with Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. At the American Association of Cancer Research Annual Meeting in April of this year, Aurigene presented preclinical data demonstrating that XL114 exhibited potent anti-proliferative activity in a large panel of cancer cell lines ranging from hematological cancers to solid tumors with excellent selectivity over normal cells. In addition, oral dosing of XL114 resulted in significant dose-dependent tumor growth inhibition in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and colon carcinoma models. "We are pleased that our agreement with Aurigene has generated a second promising compound that warrants advancement into clinical development and believe the collaboration will continue to play an important role in expanding our pipeline," said Peter Lamb, Ph.D., Executive Vice President, Scientific Strategy and Chief Scientific Officer, Exelixis. "XL114 has shown potent anti-proliferative activity in lymphoma cell lines that have aberrant activation of the CBM signaling pathway and may have a differentiated profile and potential as a best-in-class molecule that could improve outcomes for patients with Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and other hematologic cancers."

08:07 EDT Viridian Therapeutics submits IND application for VRDN-001 - Viridian Therapeutics announced the submission of an investigational new drug application to the United States Food and Drug Administration. The Company is seeking authorization to initiate a Phase 1/2 clinical trial of VRDN-001, an anti-insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor monoclonal antibody in development for the treatment of thyroid eye disease, a debilitating disease that can cause proptosis (bulging eyes), double vision, and potential blindness. The Company believes this clinical trial could provide key proof of concept clinical data in TED patients, with the potential to show clinically meaningful improvements in signs and symptoms of TED, including proptosis. The Company expects to announce top line clinical data from the proof of concept portion of the proposed trial in the second quarter of 2022.

08:06 EDT Citi reports Q3 ROE 9.5%, RoTCE 11% - Reports Q3 payout ratio 92%.

08:05 EDT Citi: Progress underway for remaining markets on consumer exits - Comments taken from Q3 earnings conference call presentation slides.

08:05 EDT electroCore announces regulatory approval in Canada for adolescent migraine - electroCore announced that the company received an amended Medical Device License from Health Canada to expand the label of gammaCore nVNS to include the acute and preventive treatment of migraine in adolescents between 12 and 17 years of age. gammaCore is now cleared for most forms of primary headache including the acute and preventive treatment of migraine in adolescents and adults, as well as the acute and preventive treatment of cluster headache in adults. The label expansion was based on previously reported randomized controlled trials of gammaCore for the acute and preventive treatment of migraine and was supported by a small study in adolescents where 46.8% of all treated attacks were successfully resolved without the use of any acute rescue medication.

08:04 EDT Synchrony announces expanded partnership with Fiserv - Synchrony (SYF) announced an expanded strategic partnership with Fiserv (FISV). Small businesses will now be able to access Synchrony products and services and accept private label credit card payments via the Clover point-of-sale and business management platform from Fiserv, accelerating growth for small businesses and offering more flexibility and choice in how consumers make purchases. The availability of Synchrony's capabilities and products via the Clover App Market will help Synchrony's merchants attract more customers and drive more revenue through a broad suite of financing products.

08:03 EDT Wireless Telecom's CommAgility joins O-RAN alliance - Wireless Telecom Group announced that its CommAgility brand has joined the O-RAN ALLIANCE, a global community that aims to develop and promote Open Radio Access Network products and solutions for mobile networks. With more than 300 members, the O-RAN ALLIANCE is enabling the industry to take advantage of new open virtualized architectures, software and hardware. "We wholeheartedly support the objectives of the O-RAN ALLIANCE, to promote open architectures for the radio access network, and we intend to develop products based around the O-RAN specifications," said Edward Young, Senior Vice President and Managing Director at CommAgility. "By joining the alliance, we can take advantage of early access to these specifications, as well as promoting our capabilities to the industry," said Young. "We also plan to provide products to help other alliance members with interoperability testing." The membership gives CommAgility access to all O-RAN specifications, including those that are not yet approved or released to the public. The Company will be able to perform interoperability testing and integration of its implementations at plugfests with other alliance members and contributors.

08:00 EDT Medigus says Gix completes acquisition of Cortex Group - Medigus announced that its affiliate Gix Internet announced that Gix Internet's subsidiary, Gix Media completed the acquisition of 70% of Cortex Group, an innovative media-tech company that has developed expertise in turning original content into a profit center through user traffic acquisition. The acquisition was based on a Cortex pre-money valuation of approximately $15.6 million , out of which Gix Media's 70% stake constituting approximately $ 11 million. Cortex was established in 2017 and has since been operating with remarkable success in the field of online advertising. Cortex is an innovative media-tech company that has developed capabilities that enable the conversion of original content into a profit center by acquiring user traffic. Cortex's business model is based on purchasing advertising space from publishers such as YAHOO, Outbrain, Verizon-Oath, Google and more. Cortex employs about 19 people in its offices in Tel Aviv. Gix reported that according to Cortex's financial statements for the first half of 2021, its revenues amounted to approximately $13.5, an increase of 53% compared to its revenues in the first half of 2020, and Cortex's operating profit for the first half of 2021 amounted to approximately $1.3, an increase of 121% compared to the first half of 2020. During the third quarter of 2021, Cortex continued to present an impressive growth, with revenues amounting to approximately $12.5 million, an increase of 92% compared with revenues in the corresponding quarter last year. Operating profit in the third quarter of 2021 amounted to approximately $1.4 million, an increase of 44% compared to the operating profit of the third quarter of 2020. Cortex's financial results will be consolidated with Gix's financial statements, as of the acquisition date and are expected to contribute significantly to Gix's consolidated results for 2021.

07:47 EDT Draganfly, The Drone Racing League enter multi-year partnership - The Drone Racing League and Draganfly announced a multi-year partnership. The companies will launch DRL Labs, an innovation hub, to research and develop next generation drone technology that will advance the sport of drone racing and other industries undergoing significant transformations through drones, including humanitarian aid and mobility.

07:42 EDT Domino's Pizza drops 6% to $448 after reporting mixed Q3 results

07:34 EDT Thryv Holdings adds multiple emerging franchises to client roster - Thryv has announced a "successful first three quarters of 2021, growing its number of multi-location brands including several emerging franchise concepts," the company said. Class 101, Play Crew On The Go, and Veteran's Pool Company are among the list of franchise businesses implementing Thryv to organize day-to-day operations, increase franchisee engagement, drive unit profitability and more. Thryv's Enterprise Channel Sales Director Matthew Gourgeot, said, "Our goal is to help startup and emerging franchisors optimize their organizations so they can scale faster... We're eager to see our growth and success continue throughout the year and beyond." Last year, Thryv also launched Hub by Thryv, a new management console that enables multi-location businesses to roll out the Thryv software to all locations. "This tool has been essential to helping clients like Class 101 optimize their business and streamline processes across the system, ensuring franchisees have access to the tools necessary to succeed," the company said.

07:33 EDT Domino's Pizza CEO says 'pleased with our results this quarter' - "We are pleased with our results this quarter, with robust store and sales increases internationally, while rolling over our highest quarter of 2020 in the U.S. On a two-year basis, our U.S. same store sales were up 15.6% over the 2019 baseline, with our international same store sales up 15.0% during that time, marking significant growth in our brand," said Ritch Allison, Domino's CEO. "We are proud of our franchisees who continue to focus on providing great products at a great value to our customers around the world."

07:32 EDT Domino's Pizza reports Q3 U.S. same store sales decline of 1.9% - Reports Q3 International same store sales growth of 8.8%; Global net store growth of 323; Global retail sales growth (excluding foreign currency impact) of 8.5%.

07:24 EDT NRx Pharmaceuticals publishes results from aviptadil trial in Critical COVID-19 - NRx Pharmaceuticals announced the publication of peer-reviewed results from a prospective, open-label, administratively controlled trial of aviptadil for the treatment of respiratory failure in patients with Critical COVID-19. The study reported 60-day survival in 81% of those treated with aviptadil, compared to 21% survival among those who received standard of care treatment at the Houston Methodist Hospital. A similar nine-fold advantage was seen in the cumulative probability of recovery from respiratory failure. Patients enrolled in this study were at the highest possible risk for death based on serious comorbidities that rendered them ineligible for participation in the phase 2b/3 pivotal study of aviptadil for the treatment of COVID-19 with respiratory failure. In addition, patients in the study failed to respond to all treatments approved for COVID-19 during the first surge of the pandemic in the summer of 2020. In addition to the substantial differences seen for both survival and recovery, the study demonstrated statistically significant advantages in the aviptadil-treated group on two important intermediate endpoints: Respiratory Distress Ratio and Cytokine IL-6. Statistically significant differences on these endpoints have previously been noted in reports from the phase 2b/3 randomized controlled trial of aviptadil vs. placebo conducted at 10 sites across the United States. Aviptadil-treated participants in this open-label study demonstrated a rapid 2-fold improvement in the Respiratory Distress Ratio, whereas no short-term improvement was seen in patients who were treated with standard of care. A 100% reduction in cytokine IL-6 was also seen in aviptadil-treated patients . It was not possible to compare the cytokine reduction to standard of care-treated participants because of the low survival in this control group. The primary endpoint was survival as measured by Kaplan Meier life table, with Recovery from Respiratory Failure, World Health Organization 10-point ordinal scale, and PaO2: FiO2 ratio while on a ventilator as secondary endpoints. As required in the CONSORT description, no additional resources were added or removed from the usual care setting other than treatment or non-treatment with aviptadil. The study team enrolled Standard of Care patients between May 23 and August 15, 2020, in intensive care units of the Houston Methodist Hospital System, in Houston, Texas. All patients enrolled in the trial had Critical COVID-19 with respiratory failure. All patients in the study were treated by the same ICU team and received maximally available therapy, which included steroids, anti-coagulants, remdesivir, and, in some cases, convalescent plasma, with the test group receiving aviptadil. No unexpected drug-related Serious Adverse Events were recorded. Hypotension was seen in two patients that were successfully managed, and treatment with aviptadil was continued. Diarrhea was observed in four aviptadil-treated patients, compared to three control patients. These adverse events are congruent with those seen in the Phase 2b/3 randomized clinical trial of aviptadil in Critical COVID-19 patients.

07:23 EDT NFI announces BYD, ADL electric buses will be official COP26 shuttle service - NFI Group (NFYEF) announced that the BYD (BYDDY) and Alexander Dennis, or ADL, a subsidiary of NFI, electric vehicle partnership's customer First Bus will operate the delegate shuttle service at the upcoming COP26 UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow with a fleet of 22 BYD ADL Enviro200EV zero emission buses. The selection of First Bus as official transport provider follows a tender process run by Strathclyde Partnership for Transport, SPT, on behalf of the UK and Scottish Governments. The shuttle service will provide link for all delegates attending the event between the city centre and the Blue and Green zones on the event campus based at the SSE Hydro and Scottish Exhibition & Conference Centre site. The shuttle service will be fully operated by First Glasgow's brand new fleet of 22 fully electric BYD ADL Enviro200EV single deck buses built in Scotland by the BYD ADL partnership. The new buses, which were part funded through Transport Scotland's Scottish Ultra Low Emission Bus Scheme, SULEBS, can operate a range of up to 160 miles on a full charge with zero emissions and will provide delegates with a state-of-the-art fleet to take them to and from the event.

07:18 EDT Barrick Gold remains 'on track' to achieve 2021 production guidance

07:17 EDT Versus Systems to power fan engagement for multiple NHL teams - Versus Systems announced that the company is partnering with 11 teams from the National Hockey League, or NHL, to power these teams' engagement with their millions of fans around the globe as the new 2021-2022 NHL season kicks off this week. Versus will manage fan engagement for each NHL team as the company expands its value proposition for partners. Versus will also be adding additional teams over the course of the season. The company has now expanded its offerings in two ways: software licensing/subscriptions and advertising revenue sharing. Software licensing and subscriptions, the fastest growing part of the company, enables teams, leagues, and other live event partners to use the Versus interactive and rewards platform to engage with and reward their audiences, in venue or at home. The advertising revenue share allows brands, agencies, and sponsors to place their products, offers, and rewards inside Versus-enabled interactive content. Versus shares the revenues from these sponsorships and rewards with its content partners, teams, leagues, and others. "We are excited by the updates to the Versus Systems business model and our product offerings. We look forward to bringing new value to our growing list of partners, including multiple teams in the NHL. Versus excels in delivering an exceptional fan engagement experience through its professional services team. Through software licensing and advertising revenue sharing, we can empower our partners to further enhance their relationships with their fans," said Matthew Pierce, Founder and CEO of Versus Systems.

07:15 EDT Xos visits Los Angeles Technical Trade College - Xos shared details of a visit to the Los Angeles Technical Trade College to meet with students of the Advanced Transportation and Manufacturing department. The visit celebrates the kickoff of a larger outreach program to local trade schools. Twenty students from the ATM department and their professor, Mr. Albert Semadeni, participated in the visit. Rene Bugarin, Shop Vehicle Technician Supervisor at Xos, provided an open forum for questions about Xos vehicles and how they work, and Leslie Granados, Technical Recruiter at Xos, presented the career paths available to students.

07:14 EDT Freshii to acquire majority control of Natura Market for $5.7M - Freshii announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire a majority stake in the rapidly growing online health and wellness product retailer, Natura Market ECommerce, and upon closing will have rights to acquire 100% of the business through Q1 2025. Natura Market, launched in late 2016 by Shakhzod Khabibov, has enjoyed rapid growth without external investment, gained customer confidence and loyalty and become a market leader in identifying cutting edge health and wellness products and making them available to Canadian consumers. While the Freshii and Natura Market businesses will be run separately, each company looks forward to taking advantage of the synergies that exist between them. For example, Freshii plans to use the insight that Natura's sales data will provide to help the company identify early-stage food and beverage trends that can be used to inform Freshii's restaurant and consumer-packaged goods product innovation. Natura will also benefit from access to Freshii's shared-service infrastructure. General oversight of the Natura business will be provided by a board comprised of the senior management of Freshii and Natura. Matthew Corrin will Chair this board. Freshii has agreed to acquire 60% of Natura Market's outstanding shares at closing with rights to purchase the remaining 40% of Natura's shares through Q1 2025. Freshii will pay $5.7M in return for this initial 60% tranche of shares, with the price for the remaining 40% of Natura's shares to be determined based on the company's EBITDA performance through the relevant period. The $5.7M in initial consideration is based on an enterprise valuation of $9.6M, reflecting approximately 0.5x of Natura Market's trailing twelve months revenue of $19M as at September 30, 2021. The transaction is expected to be financed entirely through Freshii's available cash on hand.

07:11 EDT Krystal Biotech announces presentation of pre-clinical data on KB408 - Krystal Biotec announced that it will present pre-clinical pharmacology data on its second genetic pulmonary disease candidate KB408, for the treatment of alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, at the upcoming European Society of Gene & Cell Therapy Virtual Congress held October 19 - 22, 2021. AATD is a rare genetic disorder that predisposes affected individuals to develop several complications, including severe and progressive lung disease in adults, and in a minority of patients severe liver disease. Abstract Information: e-Poster Title: Preclinical Pharmacology of KB408, an HSV-1-based Gene Therapy Vector, for the Treatment of Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency

07:09 EDT Greenlane, Jupiter support Smoore Technology in ITC request - Greenlane Holdings (GNLN) and Jupiter Research, a subsidiary of TILT Holdings Inc. (TLLTF), are supporting Shenzhen Smoore Technology Limited in a complaint filed with the United States International Trade Commission to defend against certain intellectual property infringements of CCELL branded vape products. Smoore Technology is a global innovator and pioneer in vaporizing technology with more than 10 years of expertise in designing, manufacturing and distributing vape hardware. Its CCELL vape cartridges, produced in GMP and ISO-certified facilities, have contributed to the growth of the market. Both Greenlane and Jupiter are authorized distributors of CCELL branded vape hardware and associated products in the United States. In recent years, several vape brands, importers and retailers have distributed products that infringe upon CCELL's patent and trademark rights. Through the complaint filed with the ITC, Smoore Technology, Greenlane and Jupiter have requested that the ITC institutes an investigation into those intellectual property infringements. The complaint requests that the ITC issues an exclusion order to block the import of infringing products into the U.S. The requested remedy will help protect the market and customers from lower quality infringing products that do not meet the CCELL brand's exacting standards.

07:08 EDT The Very Good Food Company launching pilot program in China - The Very Good Food Company announced its plans for a pilot program in China for the beginning of 2022. VERY GOOD will offer its carefully crafted plant-based meats under its flagship brand: The Very Good Butchers. "We've seen an increase in consumer demand for plant-based foods in China and we're thrilled to be introducing our plant-based meat alternatives on a different continent," said Mitchell Scott, co-founder and CEO of The Very Good Food Company. "We're guided by making plant-based eating accessible and approachable for all, and this is a significant milestone for us as we look to increase distribution to a brand-new geographic region and reach a new consumer base. This move is the perfect next step for us as we're continuing to grow and become a global brand, accessing new markets and raising the plant-based meats bar all around the world - from North America, to Europe, and now Asia." VERY GOOD is working with partners in China to assess the importation of its products and supply chain logistics to execute a successful plan. The Company is executing on its larger growth strategy and the new pilot launch in China is only the beginning.

07:08 EDT Elevation Oncology's seribantumab included featured in case series presentation - Elevation Oncology announced an investigator-presented case series from the Cancer Molecular Screening and Therapeutics study at the Australasian Gastro-Intestinal Trials Group 2021 Annual Scientific Meeting, October 12-15. A patient with treatment-refractory metastatic pancreatic cancer had their tumor genomically profiled through the MoST program, was found to harbor an NRG1 fusion, and subsequently received treatment with seribantumab through a compassionate use program provided by Elevation Oncology. Treatment with seribantumab resulted in durable clinical benefit for over 9 months, an approximately 90% reduction in the cancer biomarker CA19-9, and an ongoing 3 month confirmed partial response per RECIST criteria with a maximum tumor reduction of over 50%.

07:07 EDT CytoDyn says court agrees activist group's nominations invalid - CytoDyn announced that the Delaware Court of Chancery found that CytoDyn's Board of Directors properly rejected a nomination notice presented by an activist group led by Paul Rosenbaum and Bruce Patterson . All of the Activist Group's claims were denied and judgment was entered for CytoDyn and its Board. Specifically, the Court found that the Activist Group's nomination notice failed to comply with the Company's by-laws, finding that they "ultimately went wrong" by "playing fast and loose in their responses to key inquiries embedded in the advance notice bylaw..." The Court also noted that, among other things, the Activist Group's nomination notice "fell short of what was required," omitted required information about supporters, and "failed to provide information regarding an obvious conflict involving a nominator and a nominee."

07:07 EDT Clene Nanomedicine presents blinding interim update from VISIONARY-MS - Clene Nanomedicine presented positive results from the Phase 2 REPAIR-MS target engagement clinical trial and blinded interim data from the Phase 2 VISIONARY-MS clinical trial with CNM-Au8, a catalytically active nanotherapeutic, at the 37th Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis, taking place October 13-15, 2021. VISIONARY-MS is a double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 2 clinical trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of CNM-Au8 as a remyelinating and neuro-reparative treatment in stable relapsing MS patients. Blinded analyses presented compared changes in the overall study population's modified Multiple Sclerosis Functional Composite values over the 48-week treatment period to the baseline values of study participants with mild disease, as defined by pre-treatment Expanded Disability Status Scale scores of 1.5 or less. This mild disease population of patients demonstrated milder neurological impairment at baseline than the overall study population, providing a valid comparator group with which to evaluate changes in neurological function in the overall study population over the 48-week treatment period. Changes in the four mod-MSFC sub-scales , 9-hole peg test, and timed 25-foot walk test were compared to baseline scores of the mild disease comparator group at each 12-week study time-point. At each visit, the overall study population showed increasing improvements in mean standardized change for LCLA average MSFC scores, and other MSFC sub-scales. These data support CNM-Au8's potential to drive meaningful neurological improvements in stable RMS patients. Unblinded topline data are anticipated in the first half of 2023. The objective of the REPAIR clinical trial program was to demonstrate the effects of treatment with CNM-Au8 on brain energy metabolism across two sister clinical trials. Patients with Parkinson's disease and multiple sclerosis were imaged utilizing 31phosphorous magnetic resonance spectroscopy, an innovative non-invasive brain imaging technique, before and after 12 weeks of daily oral dosing with CNM-Au8. All patients were administered active CNM-Au8 in a dose-blinded fashion. The results for the primary endpoint, the mean change in brain NAD+/NADH ratio, demonstrated a statistically significant increase of 10.4% following 12-weeks of treatment with CNM-Au8, in the pre-specified integrated analysis across the two clinical trials. The individual results for the REPAIR-MS clinical trial demonstrated a 14.3% improvement. The REPAIR-MS clinical trial incorporated a third 31P-MRS scan following a 6-week treatment washout, which demonstrated that the mean levels of the NAD+/NADH ratio returned to baseline following the 6-week withdrawal of CNM-Au8. Exploratory endpoints showed that taking CNM-Au8 resulted in normalization of several critical markers of brain energy production capacity including beta-ATP levels and phosphorylation potential. Modified Multiple Sclerosis Functional Composite data showed directional, exposure-related improvements in the mod-MSFC subscale values from baseline through Week 12. There were no serious adverse events and treatment-emergent adverse events were predominantly mild, transient, and assessed as unrelated to treatment.

07:05 EDT Canopy Growth plans to acquire Wana Brands - Canopy Growth and Mountain High Products, Wana Wellness, and The Cima Group, have entered into definitive agreements providing Canopy Growth with the right, upon federal permissibility of THC in the U.S., to acquire 100% of the outstanding membership interests of Wana, a cannabis edibles brand in North America. Wana manufactures and sells gummies in the U.S. state of Colorado and licenses its intellectual property to partners, who manufacture, distribute, and sell Wana-branded gummies across the U.S. in 12 U.S. states currently and across Canada. Wana expects to have license agreements in place in more than 20 U.S. states, including in future adult-use markets in New York and New Jersey, prior to the end of calendar 2022. The agreements are structured as three separate option agreements whereby Canopy Growth has a call option to acquire 100% of the membership interests in each Wana Entity. As consideration for entering into the agreements, Canopy Growth will make an upfront cash payment in the aggregate amount of $297.5M. Until such time as Canopy Growth exercises its right to acquire each Wana Entity, Canopy Growth will have no economic or voting interest in Wana, Canopy Growth will not control Wana, and the company and Wana will continue to operate independently.

07:03 EDT Omega Therapeutics announces research pact with Stanford School of Medicine - Omega Therapeutics announced a strategic research collaboration with researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine to explore the therapeutic potential of Omega Epigenomic Controllers to control ocular disease genes associated with inflammation or regeneration of ocular tissues. Under the terms of the collaboration, Omega and members of the Ophthalmology Department of Stanford University School of Medicine will use the OMEGA Epigenomic Programming platform to discover and research novel ocular targets for potential future OEC development candidates. Albert Wu, M.D., Ph.D., FACS, Associate Professor of Ophthalmology, will serve as principal investigator. Other contributors will include Jeffrey Goldberg, M.D., Ph.D., Professor and Chair of Ophthalmology, and Michael Kapiloff, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor of Ophthalmology. Detailed financial terms of the collaboration were not disclosed.

07:02 EDT Mesa Air reports 29,524 block hours in September - Mesa Air Group reported Mesa Airlines' operating performance for September 2021. Mesa Airlines reported 29,524 block hours in September 2021, a 35.6 percent increase from September 2020 as a result of continued increased flying and the relaxation of certain COVID restrictions. The Company also reported a controllable completion factor of 99.92 percent and 99.86 percent for its American and United operations, respectively.

06:57 EDT ACE Convergence Acquisition Corp trading halted, news pending

06:47 EDT U.S. Bancorp reports Q3 net interest margin 2.53% vs. 2.67% a year ago

06:44 EDT U.S. Bancorp CEO says 'continued momentum across our fee businesses' in Q3 - Andy Cecere, Chairman, President and CEO, U.S. Bancorp said, "In the third quarter we generated net revenue of $5.9 billion, net income of $2.0 billion, and a return on tangible common equity of over 20%. Our results were supported by continued momentum across our fee businesses, a pick-up in loan growth, and improvement in our efficiency ratio. Credit quality was once again better than expected and for the third straight quarter our net charge-off ratio hit a record low level. We continue to supplement our organic growth by utilizing excess capital for strategically sound, financially attractive acquisitions. During the quarter we acquired Bento Technologies, which expands the capabilities of our payments ecosystem, and entered into a definitive agreement to acquire MUFG Union Bank's core regional banking franchise. These acquisitions provide strategic and secular growth opportunities that will allow U.S. Bank to continue to deliver industry leading results for years to come. I want to thank all our employees for their continued hard work and dedication to serving all of our stakeholders."

06:34 EDT DarioHealth enters agreement with national health plan - DarioHealth announced it has entered into an agreement with one of the largest U.S. national health plans to offer its self-insured employer customers the Dario digital behavioral health solution as part of its behavioral health offering. Initial members are expected on the platform in Q4, with additional rollout anticipated over the course of 2022. Dario will be paid a monthly fee for members that have access to the platform.

06:20 EDT Teligent to pursue asset sale though Chapter 11 proceedings - Teligent announced that the company has, together with certain of its affiliates, filed for voluntary protection under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware to pursue a sale process that is intended to maximize the value of the company. The company began a marketing process ahead of the Chapter 11 filing to determine the level of market interest and is in ongoing discussions with several interested parties. The company expects to consummate a sale of the entire business or its core assets by early 2022. Meanwhile, Teligent's Canadian affiliate, Teligent Canada, will be pursuing an out-of-court sale process. In connection with the filing, Teligent has appointed Vladimir Kasparov, managing director at Portage Point Partners, as chief restructuring officer. Kasparov will oversee the business and its restructuring process, working closely with the Teligent leadership team, including previously appointed interim CFO Alyssa Lozynski, and board of directors to execute the company's business strategy and conduct a value-maximizing sale process. The company also announced that CEO Tim Sawyer and chief legal officer and executive VP Philip Yachmetz resigned effective October 8. In order to fund and preserve its operations during the Chapter 11 process, the company is arranging $12M in debtor-in-possession financing from its senior secured lenders. Upon approval by the Bankruptcy Court, the DIP financing will provide the company with the necessary liquidity to operate in the normal course and cover administrative expenses throughout the Chapter 11 process as it pursues a value-maximizing sale process.

05:26 EDT NXP Semiconductors selects AWS as preferred cloud provider - Amazon Web Services, or AWS, an Amazon.(AMZN) company, announced that NXP Semiconductors (NXPI) has selected AWS as its preferred cloud provider and is migrating the vast majority of its electronic design automation, or EDA, workloads from NXP data centers to AWS.

05:17 EDT UAW calls strike against Deere, affecting over 10,000 workers at 14 facilities - The International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America, or UAW, has called a strike against Deere, affecting more than 10,000 workers at 14 facilities across the United States. Deere does not currently have an estimate of when employees affected by the strike will resume activities or the timing for completion of negotiations with the UAW. "John Deere is committed to a favorable outcome for our employees, our communities, and everyone involved," said Brad Morris, vice president of labor relations for Deere. "We are determined to reach an agreement with the UAW that would put every employee in a better economic position and continue to make them the highest paid employees in the agriculture and construction industries. We will keep working day and night to understand our employees' priorities and resolve this strike, while also keeping our operations running for the benefit of all those we serve."