Stockwinners Market Radar for April 28, 2023 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

18:02 EDT Innoviva chairman Bickerstaff to retire - Innoviva and George Bickerstaff, III, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the company announced that Bickerstaff would not stand for reelection at the company's 2023 Annual Meeting. Following the Meeting, assuming that all other members of the Board are reelected, the Board will be comprised of six members. Bickerstaff indicated that he is stepping down from the Board to focus on other professional and philanthropic pursuits, which includes his role as chair of the Board of Trustees for the International Vaccine Institute. "Serving Innoviva as Board Chairman has been an honor," said Mr. Bickerstaff. "I am very proud of Innoviva's transformation during my tenure on the Board. I am excited for the future of the Company, as it is well-positioned to continue executing on its transformation under outstanding leadership."

17:37 EDT Merck provides update on FDA panel vote on LYNPARZA plus abi/pred - Merck announced that the U.S. FDA's Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee, by a vote of 11 to 1 with one abstention, supported FDA approval of LYNPARZA plus abiraterone and prednisone or prednisolone for the first-line treatment of adult patients with BRCA-mutated metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. The committee voted that FDA should restrict use of LYNPARZA plus abi/pred to these BRCAm mCRPC patients, recommending against approval beyond this patient population.

17:20 EDT Lockheed Martin awarded $615.96M Army contract modification - Lockheed Martin was awarded a $615.96M modification to a contract for production of High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems. Work has an estimated completion date of May 30, 2026. Fiscal operation and maintenance, Recovery Act funds in the amount of $207.92M were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command is the contracting activity.

17:14 EDT PulteGroup director Anderson sells 15,000 common shares - In a regulatory filing, PulteGroup director Brian Anderson disclosed the sale of 15,000 common shares of the company on April 28 at a price of $66.949 per share.

17:02 EDT Equity Bancshares COO Gregory Kossover resigns - Equity Bancshares announced that current COO Gregory Kossover has communicated his resignation from his Equity Bank role, and his retirement from banking. Kossover will continue serving on the board of directors of the company and will remain a member of the Risk Committee of the Company and Loan Committee of Equity Bank.

17:01 EDT Delek Logistics raises quarterly cash distribution to $1.025 per unit - Delek Logistics Partners declared its quarterly cash distribution for the first quarter 2023 of $1.025 per common limited partner unit, or $4.10 per common limited partner unit on an annualized basis. This distribution represents a 0.5% increase from the distribution for the fourth quarter 2022 of $1.02 per common limited partner unit. The first quarter 2023 cash distribution is payable on May 15 to unitholders of record on May 8.

16:46 EDT First Republic drops 46% after Reuters reports FDIC receivership 'imminent' - In after-hours trading, shares are down 46% to $1.89.

16:32 EDT NN, Inc. general counsel Matthew Heiter resigns - NN, Inc. announced that due to health reasons, Matthew Heiter is resigning as senior VP, general counsel and secretary of NN, Inc., effective immediately. Heiter joined NN in July 2015 as senior VP and general counsel.

16:16 EDT Artesian Water applies for increase in customer rates with Delaware PSC - Artesian Water Company announced its filing for a change in customer rates with the Delaware Public Service Commission. Currently, the average residential customer pays $1.64 per day, or approximately a penny per gallon, to meet all their household water needs. If the Company's proposed rates are approved as requested, the monthly water bill for the average residential customer using 4,000 gallons per month would increase from the current monthly charge of $49.90 to $56.73, or an additional 22 cents per day. Artesian negotiated successfully with parties associated with the contamination of Artesian's Llangollen wellfield for full reimbursement of the $10 million Artesian had to invest in treatment plant and expenses to treat the water. Full restitution of the $10 million investment significantly offsets the impact of the requested change in rates. Artesian customers received a $27 credit on their bill in October 2022, and active customers will receive a similar credit annually through 2025.

16:13 EDT Neuronetics announces expanded TMS access through United HealthCare - Neuronetics (STIM) announced that United HealthCare (UNH) has updated their Medicare Advantage policy in states covered by National Government Services Medicare. This policy expansion increases access for patients to the company's NeuroStar Advanced Therapy for Mental Health by adopting the recently announced NGS Medicare criteria allowing non-physician practitioners, like nurse practitioners, to order and administer TMS Therapy to their patients with major depressive disorder in states where they have scope of practice to do so. "It feels as though we're at a tipping point with both commercial and government payers in their support for mental health coverage, including access to TMS Therapy," stated Keith J. Sullivan, President, and CEO of Neuronetics Inc. "Our health policy team is unwavering in their efforts and commitment to collaborating with NeuroStar providers and payers, and it's exciting to see these continuing coverage trends."

16:05 EDT Arrival regains compliance with Nasdaq minimum bid price requirement - Arrival announced that it has received notice from The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC informing the company that it has regained compliance with the minimum bid price requirement under Nasdaq Listing Rule 5450(a)(1) for continued listing on the Nasdaq Global Select Market and that the matter is now closed. To regain compliance with the Rule, the company's ordinary shares were required to maintain a minimum closing bid price of $1.00 or more for at least 10 consecutive business days, which was achieved on April 27, 2023. Therefore, the Nasdaq Listing Qualifications Staff has closed the deficiency case for Arrival.

16:01 EDT Semler Scientific names Doug Murphy-Chutorian interim CEO - The board of directors of Semler Scientific announced that it has appointed Doug Murphy-Chutorian, M.D., former CEO and a current member of the board of directors as chief executive officer on an interim basis with immediate effect. The board intends to conduct a global search for a permanent CEO. "We are delighted that Doug has changed his near-term plans in order to return as interim CEO," said Eric Semler, the chairman of the board. "We greatly value Doug's long history with the company as both its CEO and one of its largest stockholders."

14:59 EDT Icahn says board nominees to help keep Illumina from 'sinking further' - Carl Icahn released an open letter to shareholders of Illumina: "Based on his recent press tour, which saw him attempting - desperately, hilariously and, most of all, unsuccessfully - to spin the company's recently released, and decidedly mediocre, quarterly results, Illumina CEO Francis deSouza seems to believe that he can fool all of the people all of the time. But the market steadfastly refuses to be fooled for long by charlatans. The more Mr. deSouza spoke, the lower Illumina's shares traded, clearly signaling dissatisfaction with the earnings report and dissatisfaction with Mr. deSouza's transparent attempt to put lipstick on a pig. To combat lower revenues and dwindling margins, Illumina announced a series of vague cost cutting plans, with the promise of attaining "Core Illumina" adjusted operating margins of 25% in 2024 and 27% in 2025 - as if achieving those less than modest goals would be a success! Describing this underwhelming "plan," Mr. deSouza stated: "We're looking at increasing our operating margins. Historically, we've operated in the range of 25-30% in terms of our operating margins. And this year we're at 22%...and so what we're committing to is bringing us back to 25% operating margins next year and then 27% the year after." Listening to Mr. deSouza talk about the very disappointing quarterly results and his extraordinarily unambitious plan to limp back to extremely middling margin targets (which will take years to realize, if they are achieved at all), those not skilled in deciphering doublespeak might actually get the impression that Illumina was doing well! "We're really excited about the way the year is starting," gushed Mr. deSouza, adding: "On the one hand, we're seeing very strong demand...and on the other hand, we've seen our manufacturing ramp really nicely...so really our operations have done really well"... Additionally, we read an interesting piece recently on Illumina, entitled "Malignant Governance," which asks the question that has been on the mind of virtually every long term shareholder with whom we have spoken: "How much money did Illumina insiders (past and present) make from splitting-off and subsequently re-acquiring Grail?" We have no idea if the allegations are true. However, based on what we do know of the past actions and lack of transparency exhibited by Illumina CEO Francis deSouza and the incumbent directors, we would not be surprised at all if some or all of the assertions turned out to be accurate. We therefore implore the board to bring in an outside - and demonstrably independent - law firm and forensic accounting team to investigate and address these questions publicly, with enough time prior to the upcoming annual meeting to allow shareholders to take the results into account when casting their votes for directors. We believe that an unbiased investigation into these murky issues is necessary and appropriate, given the fact that the director election will in effect be a referendum on the entire GRAIL fiasco. Unfortunately, we believe that we will see pigs fly before we see such an investigation conducted by this board.We feel strongly that our three highly qualified nominees are particularly suited because of their experience (and particularly because of their status as completely independent of CEO Francis deSouza) to help keep Illumina from sinking further into the quicksand. We look forward to meeting with you over the coming weeks. Thank you for your continued support."

13:14 EDT Intchains Group Ltd trading halted, volatility trading pause

13:02 EDT Baker Hughes reports U.S. rig count up 2 to 755 rigs

12:53 EDT Multi Ways Holdings Ltd trading resumes

12:20 EDT Zegna completes acquisition of TFI, enters license agreement with Estee Lauder - Ermenegildo Zegna (ZGN) announced the completion of its acquisition of Tom Ford International. The acquisition is part of a transaction in which sole ownership of the TOM FORD brand, its trademarks, and other intellectual property rights have been acquired by The Estee Lauder Companies (EL). Before the completion of the acquisition, Zegna Group already owned 15% of TFI, and in this transaction, it acquired the remaining 85%. In connection with the completion of the transaction, Zegna Group has become a long-term licensee of ELC for all TOM FORD men's and women's fashion as well as accessories and underwear, fine jewelry, childrenswear, textile, and home design products. Zegna Group will be in charge of the end-to-end TOM FORD FASHION business, from collection creation and development to merchandising, through to production, as well as retail and wholesale distribution. The CEO of TOM FORD FASHION has been appointed and is expected to be announced in July and assume the role in the third quarter of calendar 2023. The leader will be responsible for the end-to-end TOM FORD FASHION business. In the meantime, the operations will continue to be managed by the current management team under the supervision of a new board chaired by Zegna Group Chairman and CEO Gildo Zegna. Zegna Group has acquired the 85% equity interest of TFI that it did not already own. The transaction implies a value for the acquired 85% stake of TFI at $150M, on a cash-free and debt-free basis, assuming a normalized working capital. For the year ended December 31, 2022, TFI had revenues of EUR 312M. TOM FORD FASHION, under Zegna Group, will operate a network of approximately 50 directly operated TOM FORD stores globally. The Zegna Group has entered into a long-term licensing and collaboration agreement with ELC for 20 years with an automatic renewal for further 10 years subject to certain minimum performance conditions. Within the first full year post-closing the transaction is expected to be accretive on Adjusted EBIT for the Zegna Group, though dilutive on Adjusted EBIT Margin3 in consideration of the royalties payable to ELC and other factors.

12:16 EDT Nike signs Kevin Durant to lifetime contract - NBA star Kevin Durant announced that he has signed a lifetime contract with Nike. "A true honor to be in the game for life with @Nike," Durant tweeted. Reference Link

12:09 EDT Kellogg plans to raise quarterly dividend to 60c per share beginning with Q3 - Kellogg Company announced that its Board of Directors declared a dividend of 59c per share on the common stock of the company, payable on June 15, 2023, to shareowners of record at the close of business on June 1, 2023. The ex-dividend date is May 31, 2023. This is the 394th dividend that Kellogg Company has paid to owners of common stock since 1925. In addition, the company's Board of Directors announced plans to increase the quarterly dividend to 60c per share beginning with the third quarter of 2023.

12:00 EDT Alteryx falls -17.8% - Alteryx is down -17.8%, or -$9.11 to $41.91.

12:00 EDT First Republic falls -50.1% - First Republic is down -50.1%, or -$3.10 to $3.09.

12:00 EDT Coursera rises 17.5% - Coursera is up 17.5%, or $1.83 to $12.31.

12:00 EDT Microsoft, cloud gaming platform Nware sign 10-year agreement - Microsoft (MSFT) and European cloud gaming platform Nware have signed a 10-year agreement to stream PC games built by Xbox on its platform, as well as Activision Blizzard (ATVI) titles after the acquisition closes. "While it's still early for the emerging cloud segment in gaming, this new partnership combined with our recent commitments will make more popular games available on more cloud game streaming services than they are today," Microsoft president Brad Smith said in a statement posted to Twitter. Reference Link

11:06 EDT Barr says 'must strengthen' Fed supervision, regulation after Silicon Valley - The Federal Reserve Board on Friday announced the results from the review of the supervision and regulation of Silicon Valley Bank, led by Vice Chair for Supervision Michael Barr. The report discusses in detail the management of the bank and the supervisory and regulatory issues surrounding the failure of the bank. It goes through the recent supervisory history of Silicon Valley Bank and includes more than two dozen documents containing the bank's confidential supervisory information such as supervisory letters, examination results, and supervisory warnings. "Following Silicon Valley Bank's failure, we must strengthen the Federal Reserve's supervision and regulation based on what we have learned. This review represents a first step in that process-a self-assessment that takes an unflinching look at the conditions that led to the bank's failure, including the role of Federal Reserve supervision and regulation," said Vice Chair for Supervision Barr. "I welcome this thorough and self-critical report on Federal Reserve supervision from Vice Chair Barr. I agree with and support his recommendations to address our rules and supervisory practices, and I am confident they will lead to a stronger and more resilient banking system," added Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. Reference Link

11:01 EDT JX Luxventure Ltd trading resumes

10:48 EDT J.M. Smucker completes divestiture of several pet food brands to Post Holdings - J.M. Smucker Co. (SJM) announced the closing of the transaction to sell several pet food brands, including the Rachael Ray Nutrish, 9Lives, Kibbles 'n Bits, Nature's Recipe and Gravy Train brands as well as the company's private label pet food business to Post Holdings (POST). The transaction value is approximately $1.2B, consisting of $700M in cash, subject to a working capital adjustment, and approximately 5.39M shares of common stock of Post Holdings. "The divestiture is expected to be dilutive to adjusted earnings per share by approximately 45c on a full-year basis, reflecting the foregone profit related to the divested brands and before any benefits from the use of transaction proceeds and the impact of stranded overhead costs. The company anticipates replacing the divested earnings through share repurchases, paying down debt and mitigating the impact of stranded overhead costs through initiatives within its Transformation Office over time. The company will provide further details about the transaction's financial impact to its fiscal 2024 outlook when it reports its fourth quarter fiscal 2023 results in June," J.M. Smucker stated. The company previously announced the signing of a definitive agreement for the transaction on February 8. The transaction includes relevant trademarks and licenses and the company's manufacturing and distribution facilities in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, as well as its manufacturing facilities in Meadville, Pennsylvania and Lawrence, Kansas. In addition, a group of employees are transitioning to Post Holdings to support the business."With the close of this transaction, we are excited to continue advancing our pet strategy, which is focused on driving growth for our dog snacks and cat food brands, including Milk-Bone and Meow Mix. We are confident in the potential of these businesses and are well positioned to deliver continued growth," added Mark Smucker, Chair of the Board, President and CEO of J.M. Smucker.

10:36 EDT First Republic trading resumes

10:00 EDT Alteryx falls -16.1% - Alteryx is down -16.1%, or -$8.20 to $42.83.

10:00 EDT Cloudflare falls -26.5% - Cloudflare is down -26.5%, or -$15.77 to $43.81.

10:00 EDT Customers Bancorp rises 14.9% - Customers Bancorp is up 14.9%, or $2.77 to $21.42.

09:59 EDT U Power Ltd trading resumes

09:47 EDT Alteryx falls -17.4% - Alteryx is down -17.4%, or -$8.90 to $42.12.

09:47 EDT Cloudflare falls -24.9% - Cloudflare is down -24.9%, or -$14.83 to $44.75.

09:47 EDT AMTD Digital rises 16.4% - AMTD Digital is up 16.4%, or $1.11 to $7.89.

09:40 EDT TOP Financial Group Ltd trading resumes

09:31 EDT Harbor Custom Development to sell Bridge View Trail site for $11M - Harbor Custom Development entered into a contract to sell the land and site improvements for the future Bridge View Trail apartments in Port Orchard, WA to a leading, fully integrated global real estate company for $11,000,000. The anticipated closing of the property would occur on or before June 30, 2023, upon the buyer's satisfaction and waiver of their feasibility contingency.

09:26 EDT Fortune to purchase 78.8M Playtika shares from 8th Wonder and Hotlink - In a regulatory filing, it was disclosed that 8th Wonder and Hotlink entered into a share purchase agreement with Fortune Bliss Ventures Limited, pursuant to which Fortune has agreed to purchase 39,405,253 Playtika shares from 8th Wonder and 39,405,253 shares from Hotlink at a per share price of $7.93 per sale share. On Chau is the sole shareholder of Infinite Bandwidth Limited, which owns Hotlink Investment Limited, and the sole shareholder of Trustworthy Group Ltd, which owns 8th Wonder Corporation, the filing noted. Reference Link

09:08 EDT U.S. Steel sees Q2 adjusted EBITDA $750M-$800M - Comments taken from Q1 earnings conference call.

09:04 EDT BorgWarner parnets with School District of the City of Pontiac - BorgWarner is partnering with the School District of the City of Pontiac to provide proprietary sequential charging with its direct current fast chargers, or DCFC, for the district's fleet of 25 IC electric school buses. The infrastructure development is the first for BorgWarner that takes advantage of the Environmental Protection Agency's, or EPA, Clean School Bus Program electrification funding. The School District of the City of Pontiac met the EPA requirements as a prioritized community and received $20,000 per power dispenser, totaling $500,000 in funding for electric vehicle supply equipment hardware and installation costs, as well as $9,375,000 for the electric buses themselves. Additional funding for infrastructure is being provided by DTE Energy's eFleet Charger Rebate program. The deployment includes BorgWarner's 60kW and 125kW DCFCs and solidifies the School District of the City of Pontiac as the first school district to leverage BorgWarner's sequential charging technology, which allows up to five dispensers to charge from a single power conversion system, one at a time in sequence.

09:02 EDT Pitney Bowes comments on Glass Lewis recommendation - Pitney Bowes issued the following statement in response to proxy advisory firm Glass, Lewis & Co. recommendation in connection with the company's 2023 annual meeting of shareholders to be held on May 9, 2023: "The Board and management team are encouraged by Glass Lewis' support of our existing GEC strategy. Over the past decade we have built GEC into a leading, integrated ecommerce logistics player capable of leveraging USPS final mile delivery for nationwide coverage. The business is well positioned for continued growth and margin expansion as volumes increase, and we firmly believe that any deviation from our existing strategy will drive down revenue and reduce shareholder value. Glass Lewis commented1 "As it relates to the GEC business and strategy, all factors considered, we believe management and the board have articulated a clearer, more persuasive vision and a logical approach for this business segment." "...we believe the GEC business rounds out Pitney's synergistic portfolio in the shipping and mailing industry, giving it a higher-growth vector to complement its other two slower-growth segments facing secular decline." "...we believe the long-promised potential of management's strategy warrants further patience from investors, particularly now that the upfront build-out has been completed and so much capital has been expended." We are also pleased with many aspects of Glass Lewis' voting recommendation, which is supportive of a majority of Pitney Bowes' director nominees as well as our significant Board refreshment program. Glass Lewis stated: "To be sure, we view this year's board-recommended refresh, comprising three new directors with no apparent connections to any other board members, one of whom was nominated by a large shareholder, as a positive step forward." "We believe [Mr. Brill's] expertise in the nuances of the shipping industry, with a focus on global ecommerce and cross-border operations, will be particularly applicable to following through on Pitney's commitment of delivering profitable growth in the GEC segment." "Mr. Thomas also has nearly two decades working in banking where he held various capital markets roles, which we believe makes him well suited to help the Pitney board formulate and implement debt management strategies." However, we strongly disagree with certain aspects of Glass Lewis' voting recommendation and characterization of our Board as "interlocked". In fact, Mr. Lautenbach, Mr. Dutkowsky, and Ms. Sanford worked at IBM, an organization with around 450,000 employees at the time, decades ago, and neither did they work together, nor did they report to one another. Pitney Bowes has always sought a proper balance of directors with institutional and industry knowledge, as well as newer voices with fresh viewpoints of the Company. Our refreshment program began in 2018 - not 2023 - and the significant changes we have made since then reflect our commitment to have a balanced mix of experience, skills, leadership expertise, and new perspectives on our Board. We firmly believe that Hestia's campaign created false and misleading narratives regarding our Board while seriously exaggerating the relevant experience of its nominees. Furthermore, as we have stated in previous communications, we are not satisfied with our TSR, either. That said, Hestia's calculations of TSR create a misleading understanding of our peer group, which we are pleased Glass Lewis commented on saying3, "...the Dissident bases its relative performance analysis solely on other logistics companies, including industry behemoths FedEx and UPS, which we admit are not particularly comparable to Pitney given their differences in scale and business lines." While the COVID-19 pandemic, supply chain disruptions, and China lock-down have set us back, Pitney Bowes strategic transformation is nearly complete, and we firmly believe our shareholders will benefit from the necessary, long-term investments we have made over the past decade."

09:02 EDT Molekule, Aura expand in education market with multiple deployments, orders - Molekule and Aura Smart Air announced multiple new deployments and orders in the global education market. Molekule and Aura technologies include the largest range of proprietary and patented, FDA-cleared air purification devices, which have been proven to destroy SARS-CoV-2, RSV, H1N1 flu virus, VOCs, allergens, mold and many other pollutants. The devices are part of a state-of-the-art advanced solutions platform, which includes Indoor Air Quality monitoring and internet-of-things device control, allowing schools to monitor and control IAQ on a campus-wide basis and individual classroom level, from one single location. Jason DiBona, Chief Executive Officer of Molekule, noted, "Both Molekule and Aura provide an instantly deployable air quality and purification solution for the education sector, which includes software to enable users to assess and mitigate air quality across numerous devices. We have already seen significant synergies and momentum in these early days of our work with Aura across the education sector, and we're just getting started."

08:55 EDT Faraday Future receives extension to regain compliance with Nasdaq - Faraday Future announced that the company has received the approval from the Nasdaq Stock Market to list its common stock and warrants on the Nasdaq Capital Market starting from April 25. Based on guidance from Nasdaq , the company expects to receive a second 180-day extension to meet Nasdaq's $1 minimum bid price requirement for ten consecutive trading days if it continues to meet the continued listing requirement for market value of publicly held shares and all other initial listing standards for the Nasdaq Capital Market, with the exception of the minimum bid price requirement. Per Nasdaq's standard procedures, the company expects to receive official notification of such extension on May 2.

08:46 EDT Conduent introduces new digital payment solutions - Conduent Transportation announced new digital payment solutions, using real-time payments over the RTP network, for the transportation sector. The solutions will make billing and paying tolls faster, easier and more secure for transportation agencies and toll road users. The new digital solutions, the first-of-their-kind in the transportation industry, could later expand payment options for bus and rail transit operators, parking authorities and other public sector uses, such as traffic fines. The solutions are offered through Conduent's Digital Integrated Payments Hub, powered by a collaboration with financial services leader BNY Mellon. The hub allows businesses and government agencies and their customers to access faster and more secure cost-effective options to send, request or receive payments.

08:44 EDT Star Equity's KBS Builders wins $2.2M contract in Burlington, Vermont - Star Equity announced that its KBS Builders business has signed a $2.2M contract to manufacture 24 modules for the construction of classrooms for two schools in the South Burlington School District in Burlington, Vermont. This forward-thinking project will be critical in helping the City of Burlington meet its need for permanent learning spaces in a timely, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly manner. Rick Coleman, Chief Executive Officer of Star Equity, noted, "This high-impact project for the City of Burlington is an excellent showcase for the versatility of the KBS product as well as the general benefits of modular construction. With production beginning immediately, KBS's advanced construction methodology will minimize the impact to the schools' operations, allowing for work to commence when schools close for summer break and conclude prior to their fall reopening. I'm proud of the progress the KBS team continues to make on expanding its market presence and bolstering its reputation as New England's modular manufacturer of choice."

08:41 EDT Bright Health to explore alternatives for California Medicare Advantage business - Bright Health announced that it is exploring strategic alternatives for its California Medicare Advantage business, which consists of Brand New Day and Central Health Plan, with a focus on a potential sale. As it takes this action, the Company will continue to focus on its Consumer Care Delivery business, while working to wind-down and exit its ACA insurance business. Bright Health is also announcing that it has extended a waiver and amendment to its credit facility through June 30.

08:39 EDT 1847 Holdings engages Griffin Archer for marketing campaigns - 1847 Holdings has engaged Minneapolis-based creative and strategy agency, Griffin Archer, to develop and execute marketing campaigns on behalf of its operating subsidiaries. Griffin Archer will lead brand planning, creative development, media and public relations across all communication channels.

08:37 EDT Aclara Resources submits new EIA for Penco Module project - Aclara Resources announced the submission today of a new Environmental Impact Assessment for the Penco Module project to the Environmental Service Assessment in Concepcion, Chile. The New EIA includes significant improvements compared to the previously withdrawn Environmental Impact Assessment in respect of both the technical aspects and social impacts of the Project on the local community. This event represents a major milestone for the Company's overall strategy and objectives including targeting to put the Project into production in early 2026. Since the withdrawal of the Original EIA on March 24, 2022, the Company has been focused on resolving two technical aspects, which were in respect of the protection of local flora and fauna. To address these issues, the Company undertook new environmental baseline field studies across four seasons starting in April 2022, led by consultants specialized in flora identification using plots methodology, direct observation and trap cameras, resulting in over 850 thousand photographic datapoints. In terms of flora, and particularly with respect to the preservation of the Queule and Pitao native species and habitat, the University of Chile also conducted an in-situ study that confirmed that the Project will not generate any adverse impact on these trees. In parallel, the Company appointed a Public Affairs Manager and formed a social value management team tasked with the following mandates: to expand and strengthen relationships with stakeholders in the Biobio region, to educate the communities on the sustainability aspects of the Penco Module, and to manage social contribution initiatives developed for the community. Last October, the Company visited 7,750 households in the Penco community to share in-person information about the Project and to address potential concerns from the local community. More recently in 2023, the Company further expanded its efforts to foster local community engagement through open house and town hall information sessions, among others, in order to provide the community with opportunities to become more informed in respect of the Project, the Company and the rare earths industry in general. Building on the technical studies carried out and community feedback received by the Company, the New EIA includes the following highlights: New environmental baseline studies including evidence confirming the absence of an adverse impact on the preservation of the native Queule and Pitao species and their habitat; Details of a fulsome pre-feasibility engineering study of the Project developed for the New EIA; The use of recycled water for 100% of the estimated water requirements of the Project; The commitment to revegetate over 200 hectares of land with native species that will be donated to a local Chilean foundation for the benefit of the local communities; The commitment to build a Pudu reproduction center; The commitment to create a recreational park for the Penco community; Over two thousand direct and indirect jobs are expected to result from the construction and operation of the Project. The Company expects that the New EIA will be subject to an evaluation period of approximately 18 months and is committed to supporting the regulatory authorities throughout the course of their assessment and review. The Company notes that the application process is initially comprised of a preliminary 5 business day review period involving a checklist review by SEA to confirm the admissibility of the application. Following publication in the media of an extract of the application, the first round of observations will be carried out by evaluation services during an approximately 30 business day period. In the case additional relevant information is solicited for the evaluation, the application would need to be withdraw to address the additional information; otherwise, the SEA will proceed to conduct the citizenship participation and technical review phases of its assessment.

08:34 EDT Mullen Automotive provides update on EMM installation for D.C. government - Mullen Automotive issues an update on testing and installation of Energy Management Modules on 40 Chevrolet Bolts within the Washington, D.C., city government's vehicle fleet. The testing is being conducted in collaboration with Mullen Advanced Energy Operations, which is a 51%-owned subsidiary of Mullen Automotive, with EV Technologies, LLC and Global EV Technology, Inc. as partners. The $680,000 contract was previously awarded by the District of Columbia, Washington, D.C., to EV Technologies, LLC for the purchase and installation of EMM units on Chevrolet Bolts with the D.C. city government's vehicle fleet. The initial phase of contract execution requires vehicle calibration testing on a dynamometer. Mullen and EV Technologies' team of engineers were onsite in D.C. this week to perform the required tests, including the dyno testing, with the first wave of vehicles completed as planned. The phase two planned for next week includes the installation of the EMM units and a second dyno test before the vehicles are placed back into rotation for the D.C. city government to use with the EMM installed. Previous testing has indicated that Energy Management Module technology substantially increases the driving range and efficiency of any electric vehicle. In March 2021, Element Materials Technology conducted specific vehicle testing on 2020 Chevy Bolts installed with EMM units, with test results indicating a calculated increase in range from 269 to 431 miles, which is a 60% increase in efficiency.

08:24 EDT Avinger presents data on treatment of in-stent restenosis with Pantheris - Avinger announced the presentation of clinical data from the INSIGHT study during the Charing Cross International Symposium in London, England. The CX Symposium is a leading vascular and endovascular education conference focused on education, innovation, and evidence. The INSIGHT trial was designed to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of Avinger's Pantheris image-guided atherectomy system for treating in-stent restenosis in lower extremity arteries. Dr. Arne Schwindt, a vascular surgeon and endovascular interventionist in one of Germany's leading endovascular centers at St. Franziskus Hospital in Munster, presented 6 and 12-month follow-up results in his presentation entitled "Treatment of In-stent Restenosis with an Atherectomy Catheter: Results from the INSIGHT Study." Data from the study supported the subsequent 510(k) clearance by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for an expanded in-stent restenosis indication for Pantheris. Key outcomes presented from the trial include: 82% luminal gain following the procedure; 93% freedom from target lesion restenosis at 6 months post-procedure; 89% freedom from target lesion restenosis at 12 months post-procedure; No amputations for the 6 or 12-month cohorts of patients; 0.96 mean ankle-brachial index at 6 months from a baseline of 0.69 pre procedure; 71% improvement in Rutherford Class at 6 months. INSIGHT is a prospective, global, single-arm, multi-center trial conducted at 17 sites. The primary safety endpoint was freedom from major adverse events through 30-day follow-up and the primary and secondary effectiveness endpoints were the proportion of target lesions with a residual diameter stenosis less than 50% post-atherectomy, and freedom from TLR at 6 months, respectively. An independent core lab adjudicated all images and a clinical events committee assessed adverse events. While 30-day and 6-month endpoints support the expanded clinical indication, patients were followed out to 12-months to track longer term outcomes. EXCITE-ISR was a randomized controlled study comparing laser atherectomy plus percutaneous transluminal angioplasty versus angioplasty alone for treatment of femoropopliteal in-stent restenosis.

08:22 EDT Kala Pharmaceuticals' Combangio awarded $15M from CIRM - Kala Pharmaceuticals announced that the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, CIRM, has awarded Combangio, a wholly owned subsidiary of Kala, a $15 million grant to support its ongoing KPI-012 program for the treatment of persistent corneal epithelial defect, PCED. The grant includes funding for the CHASE, Corneal Healing After SEcretome therapy, Phase 2b clinical trial as well as product and process characterization and analytical development for the program. "We are honored that CIRM has recognized KPI-012's potential to correct impaired corneal healing," said Mark Iwicki, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Kala Pharmaceuticals. "We believe this grant not only serves as further validation for KPI-012 and our MSC-S platform, but will provide us with important funding to advance our ongoing Phase 2b trial, which could serve as the first of two pivotal trials needed to support the submission of a BLA to the FDA."

08:18 EDT Mullen Automotive retains ShareIntel to analyze potential market manipulation - Mullen Automotive is taking certain affirmative steps in light of the extraordinary trading volume and evidence of unusually high levels of failure to deliver on short sales as reported to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. These steps include retaining outside counsel, which is working with Shareholder Intelligence Services to undertake a comprehensive analysis of data derived from broker-dealers, clearing firms and other sources to provide actionable intelligence on potential market manipulation and illegal short selling. ShareIntel offers unique access and insight into shareholder position movements and the ability to proactively track equity flows and identify suspicious, aberrant and/or unusual trading activity. As a fiduciary to its shareholders, the Company will do everything in its power to address any evidence of improper trading in Mullen securities.

08:17 EDT Vislink announce 1-for-20 reverse stock split as part of Nasdaq compliance plan - Vislink Technologies announced that it will effect a 1-for-20 reverse stock split of its common stock, $0.00001 par value per share, that will become effective on May 1, 2023 at 12:01 a.m. EST. The shares of the Company's common stock are expected to begin trading on the NASDAQ Capital Market on a post-split basis on May 1, 2023. No change was made to the trading symbol for the Company's shares of common stock, "VISL" in connection with the Reverse Split. The Company expects that the Reverse Split will allow the Company to regain compliance with the $1.00 minimum bid price requirement of the Nasdaq Capital Market. The new CUSIP number for the Common Stock following the Reverse Split will be 92836Y409.

08:15 EDT Genetic Technologies announces publication on geneType Melanoma risk assessment - Genetic Technologies announces the publication of a research paper in the peer-reviewed journal Melanoma Research validating the geneType for Melanoma risk assessment test in one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers in the Western world, 3rd in Australia and 5th in the United States. Highlights: The study used participant samples from the UK Biobank to develop a new Polygenic Risk Score for melanoma that comprises 68 single-nucleotide polymorphisms. Identified the top 20% of people who were at 2.3 times increased risk of melanoma compared to the population average by combining the PRS and a clinical risk score to predict 10-year risk of melanoma. Being able to identify people at high risk of melanoma has two important benefits: encourage prevention of melanoma in the form of protection from sun exposure; and target early detection efforts, such as screening, to improve prognosis. Early detection of melanoma will also reduce the substantial treatment costs associated with late-stage disease. The publication - the 6th publication in the last 5 months - highlights GTG's commitment to ongoing scientific development of the geneType suite of risk assessment tests.

08:13 EDT Procept BioRobotics announces 5-year results from WATER II Study - PROCEPT BioRobotics Corporation announced that 5-year results from the WATER II Study demonstrate that Aquablation therapy, a minimally invasive, robotic, surgical treatment for benign prostatic hyperplasia, safely and effectively provides durable symptom relief and preserves sexual function out to five years for men with large prostates. The study, published in this month's Journal of Urology, demonstrated that patients continued to experience significant and long-term improvement in their symptoms and quality of life. The WATER II Study is the first FDA, prospective multicenter study successfully completed for larger prostates. The 5-year results maintained excellent clinical outcomes including a significant reduction in IPSS, increase in peak urinary flow rate and improvement in quality of life. "Aquablation therapy now has 5-year results from two pivotal studies that demonstrate the reproducibility of Aquablation therapy to deliver significant symptom relief while preserving sexual function no matter the size of the patient's prostate,"said Sham Shiblaq, EVP and Chief Commercial Officer of PROCEPT BioRobotics. "These results are further validated by the large and growing number of hospitals and surgeons that have adopted Aquablation as their new standard of care for the treatment of BPH."

08:10 EDT Gray Television announces partnership with Phoenix Suns, Phoenix Mercury - Gray Television, in partnership with the Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury, announced a transformative media rights deal to bring every locally broadcast game to viewers for free in a statewide distribution model utilizing Gray's Phoenix television stations KTVK (Arizona's Family 3TV) and the newly launched KPHE. Upon the expansion of KPHE into the Tucson and Yuma markets in the next several weeks, the new media rights deal will make the Suns and Mercury games available to nearly 2.8 million households across all three of Arizona's three media markets, tripling the teams' reach to fans who have been unable to access the games through its previous distribution arrangement with a non-broadcast regional sports network. "We're thrilled this partnership will connect our loyal family of viewers with the Phoenix Suns and Mercury," said Pat LaPlatney, President & Co-CEO of Gray Television. "In a very short window, Mat Ishbia has begun to build a world-class organization both on and off the court. And with today's announcement, Mat has made good on his promise to focus on the community and put their fans first. We are very pleased to play a part in that effort with our stations in Phoenix, Tucson, and ultimately Yuma."

08:10 EDT Buxton Helmsley issues letter to Mallinckrodt board regarding value depreciation - The Buxton Helmsley Group, the New York City-based investment advisor to clients with financial interests in Mallinckrodt (MNK), issued an open letter to the company's board of directors. BHG said, "Given their failure to provide any response to BHG's March 17, 2023, open letter, which extensively outlaid - after extensive investigation - an evidential multibillion-dollar scheme of concealing asset value depreciation expenses from the Company's pre- and post-reorganization financial reporting with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the apparent post-reorganization portion of the accounting and securities fraud scheme, uniquely evidenced by the Company's very own prior-professed standards of determining the fair value of assets securing capital structure interests). BHG also, in its March 17, 2023, open letter to the Company, publicly noticed the apparently false representations of credentials/licensing being made with relation to the Company's Chief Financial Officer, Bryan Reasons, who has stood as the Company's CFO both pre- and post-reorganization. Despite significant declines in the trading values of the Company's issued equity and debt securities after BHG's investigation findings being made public on March 17, 2023, the Company and its Board of Directors have remained silent, with no public comment, and have provided no indication of an internal investigation being conducted, even after such extensively detailed evidence-supported allegations of a multibillion-dollar accounting and securities fraud scheme occurring at the Company (in violation of GAAP ASC 350, 360 and Regulation S-X), in addition to false licensing/credential representations occurring at the executive level. Despite no apparent plausible defense to this evidenced accounting and securities fraud scheme, these apparent violations of accounting standards and securities laws remain uncured, after BHG having made clear (within its March 17, 2023, open letter delivered to the Company, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, and U.S. Senate Finance Committee) the necessity of restatements of historical financials and required write-downs of post-reorganization asset values, in light of the Company's prior-professed standards of determining the fair value of assets securing the Company's capital structure. The Company and its Board of Directors have, even a month after being publicly noticed of the falsity of the representations, failed to cure the apparent false representation of credentials/licensing related to CFO Bryan Reasons."

08:03 EDT Nisun International affiliate enters into agreement with Tancheng Yuxin - Nisun International Enterprise Development Group announced that the Company's controlled affiliate, Fintech Supply Chain Management, has entered into a procurement agreement with Tancheng County Yuxin Grains Trading, a company primarily engaged in the purchase and sales of grains and other agricultural products. The Agreement represents a key initiative of the Company's supply chain business strategy to respond to the national policy of rural revitalization and explore growth opportunities in the corn market. Corn is a widely used crop with diverse applications, including the production of corn starch, animal feed, ethanol, sweeteners, papers, and more. The Agreement was executed as a part of Nisun's supply chain trading operations. Under the Agreement, Fintech Henan will purchase corn from Tancheng Yuxin based on orders from Xinyi Muyuan Grains Trading. The products will be delivered to Muyuan's warehouse in batches. Muyuan will make full payment to Fintech Henan within seven days of receiving the invoice from Tancheng Yuxin.

07:35 EDT NFI Group receives third zero-emission contract from RTC - NFI Group announced that the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada, RTC, has awarded its subsidiary New Flyer of America a new contract for zero-emission vehicles. This is RTC's third zero-emission contract with NFI. RTC has awarded New Flyer a five-year contract with an initial firm order for seven zero-emission, hydrogen fuel cell-electric Xcelsior CHARGE FC 60-foot heavy-duty transit buses, as well as the option to purchase up to 100 buses over the duration of the contract. In total, NFI added up to 107 buses to its first-quarter 2023 backlog from firm and option orders."Spanning over 30 years of partnership, we have delivered more than 820 buses to RTC. This contract marks RTC's third EV order awarded to NFI, which once again proves NFI's undeniable leadership in mass mobility electrification," said President, North American Bus and Coach, NFI, Chris Stoddart. "The Xcelsior CHARGE FC is the most advanced hydrogen fuel cell-electric bus in North America, which can efficiently operate across a wide range of weather conditions while eliminating greenhouse gas from tailpipe emissions. Our advanced fuel cell-electric buses will provide the Las Vegas Valley community with a fully zero-emission mobility solution for a more sustainable future."

07:32 EDT Apyx Medical receives FDA clearance for Renuvion APR Handpiece - Apyx Medical announced it has received 510(k) clearance from the FDA for the use of the Renuvion APR Handpiece "for coagulation of subcutaneous soft tissues following liposuction for aesthetic body contouring."

07:20 EDT First Foundation announces litigation settlement with Driver Management - First Foundation announced that the company has reached an agreement with Driver Opportunity Partners I LP, an affiliate of Driver Management Company that will allow Driver's nominee, Allison Ball, to stand for election to the board of directors at the company's 2023 annual meeting of stockholders. Additionally, the settlement contemplates mutually agreed upon governance practices related to the nomination of future nominees. Further, it ends the parties' costly and disruptive litigation in Delaware Chancery Court. Earlier this week, as part of the board's focus on continued refreshment that brings new perspectives, diverse views, and broad experience to benefit our stockholders, the company announced that Gabriel Vazquez was appointed as an independent director to the company's board of directors. Vazquez brings legal, financial and operating acumen to the board. Vazquez was concurrently appointed to the board of directors of First Foundation Bank. With Vazquez, the board is now comprised of ten directors, seven of whom are independent with 30 percent identifying as diverse based on gender or ethnicity. Vazquez will stand for election at the company's 2023 annual meeting of stockholders.

07:08 EDT Adagene announces updates to board of directors - Adagene (ADAG) announced updates to its board of directors, including the following: Mervyn Turner, Ph.D., is appointed as a director. Dr. Turner accumulated over 25 years of experience at Merck Research Laboratories (MRK) in pharmaceuticals drug discovery, research and development, licensing and business development, emerging markets analysis, and strategy development and implementation. Fangyong Du, Ph.D., is appointed as a director. Dr. Du joined Adagene as Vice President of Technology Development in January 2012 and has served as Chief Technology Officer since May 2019. Yumeng Wang, replaces Lefei Sun as a director immediately prior to filing of the annual report of the Company for the year of 2022, as designated by General Atlantic Singapore AI Pte. pursuant to Adagene's current effective memorandum and articles of association. Wang is a vice president at General Atlantic, primarily responsible for investments in healthcare and life sciences sectors. As a result of Yumeng Wang's replacement of Lefei Sun, he has resigned from the Board. Additionally, Yuwen Liu has resigned from the Board and audit committee of the Board effective upon filing of the Annual Report, due to expiration of her initial appointment as a director and an audit committee member. Each of Lefei Sun and Yuwen Liu has confirmed that there is no disagreement with the Board and there is no matter relating to his or her resignation that needs to be brought to the attention of the shareholders of the Company.

07:08 EDT IM Cannabis agrees to securities for debt settlement transaction with L5 Capital - IM Cannabis has agreed to a securities for debt settlement transaction with L5 Capital, a company wholly-owned and controlled by Marc Lustig, the executive chairman and a director of the Company. Pursuant to the Debt Settlement, the Company will settle outstanding indebtedness of approximately $615,615, through the issuance of 492,492 units at a price of $1.25 per Unit. Each Unit consists of one common share of the Company and one Common Share purchase warrant. Each Warrant entitles L5 Capital to purchase one additional Common Share at an exercise price of $1.50 for a period of 36 months from the date of issue. Closing of the Debt Settlement is expected to occur on or about May 5.

07:07 EDT Delta 9 Cannabis awarded Grow Pod contract for Alabama cultivation facility - DELTA 9 CANNABIS secured a purchase order from a United States based customer for up to 8 of its modular Grow Pods for an integrated pre-licensed cultivation and processing facility in Alabama. The Customer has also entered into a Strategic Cooperation Agreement with the Company whereby Delta 9 will provide services relating to the development of the Customer's cannabis production facility, training, and other services supporting the acquisition of a state integrated facility license. The Company anticipates the value of the purchase order and Strategic Cooperation Agreement will be approximately $600,000.

07:03 EDT Charter reports Q1 net cash flows from operating activities $3.3B - Compared to $3.6B in the prior year. The year-over-year decline was primarily due to a more unfavorable change in working capital. First quarter free cash flow of $664M decreased from $1.8B in the prior year, primarily due to higher capital expenditures mostly driven by Charter's network expansion and evolution initiatives and a seasonality-driven change in working capital, excluding the impact of mobile devices.

07:02 EDT Charter says Q1 residential, SMB Internet customers up 76,000 - First quarter total residential and small and medium business Internet customers increased by 76,000. As of March 31, 2023, Charter served a total of 30.5 million residential and SMB Internet customers. First quarter total residential and SMB mobile lines increased by 686,000. As of March 31, 2023, Charter served a total of 6.0 million mobile lines. As of March 31, 2023, Charter had a total of 32.2 million residential and SMB customer relationships, which excludes mobile-only relationships.

06:51 EDT Centogene receives non-compliance letter from NASDAQ - Centogene announced that it received a notification letter dated April 24 from the Nasdaq Stock Market Listing Qualifications Department, indicating that the Company was not in compliance with the minimum bid price requirement set forth in Rule 5450 of the Nasdaq Listing Rules since the closing bid price for the Company's common shares listed on Nasdaq was below $1.00 for 30 consecutive business days. The Nasdaq notification letter does not impact the Company's listing on the Nasdaq Global Market at this time. In accordance with Listing Rule 5810(c)(3)(A) of the Nasdaq Listing Rules, the Company has a period of 180 calendar days from the date of notification, or until October 23, to regain compliance with the minimum bid price requirement.

06:42 EDT GrafTech provides Q2, 2023 outlook - The company said, "The suspension of our operations in Monterrey, Mexico in late 2022 will have a significant impact on our sales volume through the end of the second quarter of 2023. In addition, we anticipate continued soft demand for graphite electrodes due to ongoing economic uncertainty and geopolitical conflict. Reflecting these factors, we estimate our sales volume for the second quarter of 2023 will be in the range of 24 thousand MT to 27 thousand MT. In the second half of the year, we anticipate sales volume levels will further recover, as we move past Monterrey suspension-driven uncertainty, however we expect demand for graphite electrodes will continue to be impacted by softness in the commercial environment. Among other factors, this reflects graphite electrode inventory levels at our customers that currently exceed typical norms. As a result, we estimate our sales volume for the full year of 2023 will be in the range of 100 thousand MT to 115 thousand MT. For the full year of 2023, we continue to expect a significant year-over-year increase in our cash cost of goods sold per MT as fixed costs are being recognized over a smaller volume base and reflecting the full-year impact of higher raw material costs that increased throughout 2022. In response to higher input costs, we are closely managing our operating costs and capital expenditures, as well as our working capital levels. Looking ahead, we remain confident in our ability to overcome near-term challenges and are optimistic about the longer-term outlook for our business. We anticipate the steel industry's accelerating efforts to decarbonize will lead to increased adoption of the electric arc furnace method of steelmaking, driving long-term demand growth for graphite electrodes. We also anticipate the demand for petroleum needle coke, the key raw material we use to produce our graphite electrodes, to accelerate driven by its use to produce synthetic graphite for use in lithium-ion batteries for the growing electric vehicle market. We believe that the actions we are taking, supported by a distinct set of capabilities, including our vertical integration into petroleum needle coke production via our Seadrift facility, will optimally position GrafTech to benefit from these sustainable industry tailwinds."

06:39 EDT Boeing announces Azerbaijan Airlines orders eight 787-8 Dreamliners - Boeing and Azerbaijan Airlines announced the national flag carrier has ordered eight 787-8 Dreamliners to support the growth of its long-haul fleet. The super-efficient jets will enable the Central Asian carrier to profitably open up new routes from Azerbaijan and boost capacity for inbound tourism.

06:35 EDT ImmunoGen raises FY23 revenue excluding ELAHERE view to $45M-$50M - Previous FY23 revenue excluding ELAHERE was $30M-$35M. Sees FY23 operating expenses $320M-$335M. ImmunoGen expects to provide ELAHERE product revenue guidance later this year. The increase in revenue guidance is a result of recognizing a $15M upfront fee from Vertex in the first quarter as no deferral was required. Additionally, the Company increased its operating expense guidance to reflect greater spend in support of ELAHERE's launch and expected growth trajectory. ImmunoGen expects that its current cash, inclusive of the $75M received pursuant to the term loan facility with Pharmakon, and combined with anticipated product and collaboration revenues, will fund operations into 2025.

06:32 EDT Exxon Mobil reports Q1 cash flow from operations $16.3B; free cash flow $11.4B - The company's debt-to-capital ratio remained at 17% and the net-debt-to-capital ratio declined to about 4%, reflecting a period-end cash balance of $32.7B.

06:19 EDT Chevron returned $6.6B to shareholders in Q1 - "We're delivering strong financial results and increasing cash returned to shareholders," said Mike Wirth, Chevron's chairman and CEO. The company's return on capital employed has been greater than 12% for seven consecutive quarters, and the company returned $6.6B to shareholders in the first quarter, an increase of 65% from last year. "At the same time, we're investing more to help grow future energy supplies," Wirth continued. "We intend to leverage our capital discipline, advantaged assets and financial strength to deliver lower carbon energy to our customers and superior cash distributions to our shareholders," Wirth concluded. The company increased its dividend per share by approximately 6% in the first quarter and recently increased its targeted annual share repurchase rate to $17.5B.

06:11 EDT Carter's sees FY23 CapEx about $75M; operating cash flow over $300M

06:02 EDT NatWest Group reiterates previously provided guidance - In February, NatWest forecast: RoTE 14%-16% for FY23. It also said: "Income excluding notable items for the Group is expected to be around GBP 14.8 billion and full year NIM around 3.20%, based on a Bank of England base rate of 4.00% through the remainder of 2023. It expects to deliver a Group cost:income ratio below 52% or around GBP 7.6 billion of Group operating costs, excluding litigation and conduct costs. Impairment losses in 2023 are expected to be in line with through the cycle guidance of 20-30 basis points."

05:18 EDT Stellantis, Alliance Nickel sign offtake pact for nickel, cobalt sulphate supply - Stellantis and Alliance Nickel announced the signing of a binding offtake agreement for the supply of 170,000 tons of nickel sulphate and 12,000 tons of cobalt sulphate in total over an initial five-year period. This represents approximately 40% of forecast annual production of the NiWest Nickel-Cobalt Project in Western Australia. Pricing for the nickel and cobalt sulphate is linked to index prices. In addition, Stellantis agreed to purchase EUR 9.2M in new equity in Alliance Nickel, giving it an 11.5% shareholding on completion and rights to nominate one director to the Alliance board. The binding offtake and share purchase agreements solidify the partnership between Stellantis and Alliance Nickel inaugurated in October 2022 with a non-binding memorandum of understanding for the supply of electric vehicle battery materials. Funds from the equity purchase will be applied to the completion of the NiWest Project Definitive Feasibility Study and engineering design works, expected in the last quarter of 2023.

05:12 EDT Fortuna Silver Mines to purchase up to 5% of outstanding shares in NCIB - Fortuna Silver Mines announced that the Toronto Stock Exchange has approved the renewal of Fortuna's normal course issuer bid, or NCIB, to purchase up to 5% of its outstanding common shares. Under the NCIB, purchases of common shares may be made through the Toronto Stock Exchange, the New York Stock Exchange and/or alternative Canadian trading systems. The share repurchase program starts on May 2 and will expire on the earlier of: May 1, 2024; one calendar year after the initiation of the share repurchase program;The date Fortuna acquires the maximum number of common shares allowable under the NCIB; or The date Fortuna otherwise decides not to make any further repurchases under the NCIB.

05:09 EDT Portland General Electric announces CFO Jim Ajello to retire - Portland General Electric announced that Jim Ajello, senior vice president of finance, CFO, treasurer and corporate compliance officer, has informed the company of his intent to retire. Ajello will transition from his current roles, effective June 30 and serve as a senior advisor to the company through August 31. The company has initiated a search to identify its next CFO and will consider both internal and external candidates.

05:03 EDT LyondellBasell buys 100% ownership of QCP joint venture - LyondellBasell and Veolia Belgium have signed an agreement to restructure the ownership of Quality Circular Polymers, or QCP, BV recycling facilities, with locations in Belgium and the Netherlands. Veolia will sell its 50% share to LyondellBasell which will become 100% owner of QCP.