Stockwinners Market Radar for January 22, 2024 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

19:50 EST Datasea Inc trading halted, news pending

18:48 EST Crowdstrike CEO: Microsoft hack likely caused by Russia's SVR - In an interview on CNBC's Mad Money, George Kurtz said, "good enough security is simply not good enough." He expects a lot more to come out on the recent Microsoft hack. Security is a hard problem and one company is not going to solve it all, he noted.

17:46 EST West Fraser Timber to permanently close sawmill in Fraser Lake - West Fraser Timber announced that it will permanently close its sawmill in Fraser Lake, British Columbia, following an orderly wind-down. Today's decision is the result of West Fraser's inability to access economically viable fibre in the region. The closure of Fraser Lake Sawmill will impact approximately 175 employees. West Fraser expects to mitigate the impact on affected employees by providing work opportunities at other West Fraser operations. The mill closure will reduce West Fraser's Canadian lumber capacity by approximately 160M board feet. West Fraser anticipates recording restructuring and impairment charges of approximately $81M in the Q4 of 2023 related to facility closures and curtailments due to availability of economic fibre sources in British Columbia.

17:42 EST Arista Networks CEO sells $10.7M in common stock - In a regulatory filing, Arista Networks disclosed that its CEO Jayshree Ullal sold 41.6K shares of common stock on January 18th in a total transaction size of $10.7M.

17:19 EST Equity Lifestyle revises Q4 of 2022 FFO to 64c from 66c - In a regulatory filing, the company stated: "Equity LifeStyle Properties, Inc. (the "Company," "we," "us," and "our") received from the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") a comment letter ("Comment Letter") issued in the ordinary course of their review of our disclosures. In the Comment Letter the SEC inquired about adjustments made in respect to membership upgrade sales in certain of our non-GAAP financial measures. Since 2008, these measures have consistently included adjustments related to membership upgrade sales. As a result of our review following the question from the SEC, when reporting our non-GAAP financial measures we will no longer make adjustments in respect to membership upgrade sales. The following non-GAAP financial measures will be impacted by the exclusion of the accrual to cash adjustment: (i) Funds from Operations ("FFO"); (ii) Normalized Funds from Operations ("Normalized FFO"); (iii) EBITDAre; (iv) Adjusted EBITDAre; (v) Property operating revenues; (vi) Property operating expenses; and (vii) Income from property operations, excluding property management."

17:14 EST Teradyne increases dividend 9% to 12c - Teradyne announced a 9% increase in the quarterly cash dividend to 12c per share, payable on March 15, to shareholders of record as of the close of business on February 16.

17:01 EST Centerra Gold says Ryan Snyder to succeed Darren Millman as CFO - Centerra Gold announces that Ryan Snyder will be promoted to Executive Vice President and CFO, effective April 8. Snyder will succeed Darren Millman, who is leaving to pursue another opportunity in the mining industry in Australia. Snyder is currently Centerra's Vice President, Finance. He joined Centerra in May 2022 and brings over 15 years of experience in financial management in the mining industry. Prior to Centerra, Ryan was CFO of Electra Battery Materials Corporation from 2018 to 2022 and CFO of Primero Mining Corporation from 2017 to 2018.

16:59 EST Build-A-Bear CEO sells $1.97M in common stock - In a regulatory filing, Build-A-Bear disclosed that its CEO Sharon John sold 89.2K shares of common stock on January 18th as part of option expiry in a total transaction size of $1.97M.

16:48 EST PDS Biotechnology CMO Lauren Wood retires, Kirk Shepard succeeds - PDS Biotechnology (PDSB) announced the appointment of Kirk Shepard as CMO, effective immediately. Shepard succeeds Lauren Wood who is retiring from the Company after five years in the role. Dr. Wood will continue to be available to PDS Biotech during a handover period to facilitate the transition of the role to Dr. Shepard. Prior to joining PDS Biotech, Dr. Shepard was Chief Medical Officer, Senior Vice President and Head of the Global Medical Affairs Oncology Business Group at Eisai (ESAIY).

16:37 EST Orion Engineered down 2% to $23.13 after updating FY23 outlook

16:36 EST Orion Engineered sees FY23 adjusted EBITDA at lower end of $330M-$340M outlook - The company stated: "With a slower recovery in end markets and downtime as a result of Orion's final EPA project, the company expects 2023 results to land at the lower end of its Adjusted EBITDA guidance range of $330 million to $340 million. While demand is recovering, it is building slower than expected in many markets."

16:33 EST Alta Equipment Group appoints Jeff Hoover chief legal officer, general counsel - Alta Equipment Group appointed Jeff Hoover as chief legal officer and general counsel effective immediately. Hoover comes to Alta via Dinsmore & Shohl LLP, a national law firm. As chief legal officer, Hoover will report to Alta's CEO, Ryan Greenawalt, and take on the role of leading and coordinating Alta's legal affairs, corporate governance and Board relations, as well as being a business partner to our operational leaders from an administrative and compliance perspective day to day.

16:28 EST HCI modifies warrant deal with Centerbridge and redeems shares of TypTap - HCI Group announced the undertaking of several strategic steps designed to increase operational and capital flexibility and to better position the company for future growth opportunities. These steps include the modification of the company's relationship with Centerbridge Partners including extending the warrant held by Centerbridge and redeeming all outstanding preferred shares of TypTap Insurance Group held by Centerbridge." As part of the transaction, Centerbridge and HCI have agreed to extend the expiration date of the warrant currently held by Centerbridge to purchase up to 750,000 shares of HCI common stock. The amended and restated warrant extends the expiration as to 450,000 underlying warrant shares in 150,000-share increments during the period December 31, 2026 through December 31, 2028, and the expiration of the remaining 300,000 underlying warrant shares will remain the same as the originally scheduled expiration date of February 26, 2025. HCI will recognize a one-time non-cash deemed dividend related to the warrant extension in the first quarter of 2024. HCI and Centerbridge also entered into a registration rights agreement to grant resale registration rights to Centerbridge with respect to Centerbridge's warrant and the shares of HCI common stock issuable pursuant to the warrant. TypTap has also redeemed all of the TypTap Series A Preferred Stock held by Centerbridge -- more than one year before Centerbridge's optional February 26, 2025 redemption date. The redemption totaled approximately $100M plus accrued and unpaid dividends of approximately $2.9 million. The redemption results in the elimination of any future dividends that would have otherwise accrued on the preferred shares, including dividends at the increased dividend rate of 9.5% that would have commenced in February 2024. The redemption is being funded with cash on hand, as well as approximately $50 million from HCI's existing credit facility with Fifth Third Bank.

16:20 EST NBT Bancorp CEO John Watt, Jr. to step down, Scott Kingsley to succeed - NBT Bancorp announced that, effective May 21, John Watt, Jr. will step down as NBT's president and CEO. Watt will continue to serve on the board of directors and be named vice chairman in May. In that capacity, he will provide strategic support for NBT's Upstate New York Semiconductor Chip Corridor initiatives. In addition, he will continue as an advisor to the company through year end. After engaging in a 10-month process, NBT's board of directors unanimously approved a succession plan that provides for the promotion of Scott Kingsley to succeed Watt as president and CEO of NBT. Kingsley, who is currently NBT's CFO, will be appointed to the company's board of directors when he assumes his new role on May 21. In addition, Annette Burns, NBT's chief accounting officer, will be promoted and assume the role of CFO, reporting to Kingsley, effective on May 21.

16:17 EST PRA appoints Keith Warren as Chief Risk and Compliance Officer - PRA Group (PRAA) announced the appointment of Keith Warren as Chief Risk and Compliance Officer effective January 29. Warren, who will oversee enterprise-wide risk, compliance and risk governance at PRA Group, has more than 30 years of compliance, legal and operational risk leadership experience across multiple consumer banking and business products and control functions. He most recently served as senior vice president and Chief Risk and Compliance Officer for TransUnion (TRU), where he led global second line of defense risk and compliance, supporting businesses and products in more than 35 countries. Prior to his time at TransUnion, Warren served in numerous executive leadership roles at companies like Barclays Bank U.S., Wells Fargo, JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America.

16:12 EST First Watch Restaurant announces acquisition of Tulsa-Area location, no terms - First Watch Restaurant Group announced that it has acquired, effective today, its previously franchise-owned restaurant in Broken Arrow, Okla."We're proud to welcome the Broken Arrow restaurant team into the First Watch company-owned system," said Chris Tomasso, First Watch CEO and President. "This acquisition is part of our long-term growth strategy. This particular restaurant opened less than two years ago and has already made its mark on the local community. We're thankful to the franchise partner for their support during this successful transition and look forward to continuing this restaurant's reputation for operational excellence."

16:10 EST Vroom announces wind-down of ecommerce used vehicle operations - Vroom announced that it is discontinuing its ecommerce operations and winding down its used vehicle dealership business in order to preserve liquidity and enable the company to maximize stakeholder value through its remaining businesses. Vroom owns and operates United Auto Credit Corporation, an automotive finance company, and CarStory, a leader in AI-powered analytics and digital services for automotive retail. UACC and CarStory will continue to serve their third-party customers and focus on growing those businesses. Under the Value Maximization Plan approved by Vroom's Board of Directors, the company is suspending transactions through vroom.com, planning to sell its current used vehicle inventory through wholesale channels, halting purchases of additional vehicles, and executing a reduction-in-force commensurate with its reduced operations. Thomas Shortt, the company's Chief Executive Officer, said "As we previously disclosed, we intended to raise additional capital to fund our operations and support the extension of our vehicle floorplan facility beyond its current expiration date of March 31, 2024. Despite significant efforts to do so, we ultimately were unable to raise the necessary capital in the current market. Obviously, we are very disappointed with this outcome. Two years ago, we set out to build a well-oiled machine, improve unit economics and dramatically improve our customer experience and I believe we achieved those goals. I want to thank our dedicated Vroommates, customers and business partners, as well as our Board of Directors and investors, all of whom have supported us over the years."

16:07 EST Atlassian president Bharadwaj sells 2,470 class A shares - In a regulatory filing, Atlassian president Anutthara Bharadwaj disclosed the sale of 2,470 class A common shares of the company on January 19 at a price of $240.55 per share.

16:05 EST United Airlines sees FY24 adjusted CapEx ~$9B

16:03 EST FTC issues opinion finding that Intuit engaged in deceptive practices - The Federal Trade Commission has issued an Opinion and Final Order that Intuit, the maker of the TurboTax tax filing software, engaged in deceptive advertising in violation of the FTC Act and deceived consumers when it ran ads for "free" tax products and services for which many consumers were ineligible. The Commission's Final Order prohibits Intuit from advertising or marketing that any good or service is free unless it is free for all consumers or it discloses clearly and conspicuously and in close proximity to the "free" claim the percentage of taxpayers or consumers that qualify for the free product or service. Reference Link

16:02 EST United Airlines reports Q4 capacity up 14.7% y/y - Reports Q4: TRASM down 4.2% compared to fourth-quarter 2022. CASM down 0.1%, and CASM-ex1,4 up 4.9%, compared to fourth-quarter 2022.

14:25 EST Sony announces continuation of Square Enix partnership for 'FF VII Rebirth' - Sony Electronics (SONY) announced continuation of its partnership with Square Enix (SQNXF) on the launch of the highly anticipated second game in the "Final Fantasy VII" remake project, "Final Fantasy VII Rebirth." Sony BRAVIA XR TV is the official gaming TV for this release, offering the ultimate gaming experience to guide users who take on the role of Cloud Strife and pursue Sephiroth, the legendary swordsman, the company said. As part of Sony's official partnership with "Final Fantasy VII Rebirth," the newly launched Sony truly wireless gaming earbuds, INZONE Buds, as well as Sony's INZONE M9 gaming monitors offer renowned technology designed to give gamers a more immersive experience. The INZONE Buds offer both PC and console gamers an immersive gaming experience with personalized sound, unrivalled up to 12 hours of battery life4 and low latency. While the INZONE M9 offers key features like 4K resolution and Full Array local dimming, with crystal clear details and light optimization to spot rivals and uncover objects with more clarity. Sony noted that 2020's "Final Fantasy VII Remake" became the highest-selling digital release on the PlayStation platform in Square Enix's history, exceeding over 7M shipments and digital sales worldwide since its release.

13:38 EST Southwest pilots approve new collective bargaining agreement - Southwest Airlines announced its Pilots, represented by the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association, overwhelmingly approved a new collective bargaining agreement. "Our Pilots are world-class aviators who uphold Southwest's commitments to Safety, Hospitality, and connecting People to what's important in their lives," said Adam Carlisle, Vice President Labor Relations at Southwest Airlines. "This agreement justly rewards our Pilots and supports our operational needs." The five-year agreement covers nearly 11,000 Southwest Pilots, and provides them with industry-leading compensation, modified scheduling practices, and quality-of-life enhancements, including paid maternity and parental leave, with an opportunity for an additional extended bonding leave. In addition, the contract maintains Southwest's operational advantages, including a new process for recovering our Pilot network, if needed.

13:09 EST Peoples Bancorp announces 16c per share special dividend - Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina announced the declaration of a special cash dividend in the amount of 16c per share. The special cash dividend will be paid on February 16, to shareholders of record on February 5.

12:06 EST Wyndham Hotels & Resorts comments on Choice Hotels' director nominations - Wyndham Hotels & Resorts (WH) confirmed receipt of a notice from Choice Hotels International (CHH)) of its intent to nominate directors to the Wyndham Board of Directors at the Company's 2024 annual meeting of shareholders. The Wyndham Board issued the following statement in response: "This action is yet another attempt by Choice to advance its inadequate and risk-laden hostile exchange offer, which the Wyndham Board unanimously determined is not in the best interests of shareholders. Wyndham's Board and management team are executing the Company's strategic plan, which is expected to deliver shareholder value well in excess of Choice's offer. Choice's proxy contest is a blatant scheme to mislead shareholders into packing the Wyndham Board with nominees hand-picked to push through their offer. As Stewart Bainum, controlling shareholder and Chairman of Choice, brazenly telegraphed in a press release this morning, Choice has assembled and paid a slate with a sole, dubious goal in mind: advance Choice's misguided and self-serving acquisition agenda. Protecting Wyndham shareholders from an unsolicited proposal that substantially undervalues the Company and exposes it to significant, asymmetrical anti-trust risk is the very definition of a Board doing its job. This is why the Board has met on at least 10 occasions to evaluate Choice's proposals and the Board and our advisors have engaged in good faith with Choice at least 25 times since Choice's first approach in April. The Board has consistently been explicit about what changes are necessary to make any proposal viable for Wyndham and its shareholders. Choice has consistently refused to address these key issues. The Wyndham Board is fully committed to acting in the best interests of Wyndham shareholders. We will continue to take all appropriate actions to advance and protect these interests. This includes maintaining a strong, independent Board with the right mix of perspectives and experience to drive sustainable, profitable growth and value creation. The Wyndham Board brings decades of international hospitality and travel industry experience as well as expertise in key areas critical to the execution of our strategy, including franchise businesses, M&A, law, operations, finance, accounting, marketing and media. We are confident we have the right Board composition to position Wyndham for continued long-term success and value creation." In accordance with its established processes, the Board will thoroughly evaluate the notice and Choice's nominees and make a formal recommendation to Wyndham shareholders in due course.

12:01 EST Inseego announces reverse stock split - Inseego Corp. announced that it intends to effect a 1-for-10 reverse stock split of its issued and outstanding shares of common stock that will become effective after the close of the market at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on January 23, 2024. The company's common stock is therefore expected to begin trading on a split-adjusted basis the following morning when the market opens on January 24, 2024. The company's common stock will continue to trade on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol "INSG" but will have a new CUSIP number following the Reverse Stock Split that is 45782B302. As previously disclosed, at the company's annual meeting of stockholders held on September 5, 2023, the company's stockholders voted to approve an amendment to the company's Charter to effect a Reverse Stock Split of the company's common stock at a ratio of between 1-for-5 and 1-for-10, with such ratio and the implementation and timing of such Reverse Stock Split to be determined by the company's board of directors. The board of directors subsequently approved the implementation of a 1-for-10 Reverse Stock Split. As a result of the Reverse Stock Split, each share of common stock issued and outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time will be automatically reclassified as and converted into one-tenth of a share of common stock. The Reverse Stock Split will affect all stockholders uniformly and will not alter any stockholder's percentage interest in the company's equity, except to the extent that the Reverse Stock Split would result in a stockholder owning a fractional share. No fractional shares will be issued in connection with the Reverse Stock Split. Stockholders who otherwise would be entitled to receive a fractional share will instead be entitled to receive cash in lieu of such fractional share from the company's transfer agent, Computershare.

12:00 EST Spirit Airlines rises 9.7% - Spirit Airlines is up 9.7%, or 65c to $7.33.

12:00 EST NuStar Energy rises 15.1% - NuStar Energy is up 15.1%, or $2.71 to $20.75.

12:00 EST Digital Equipment Corporation falls -6.9% - Digital Equipment Corporation is down -6.9%, or -93c to $12.45.

11:58 EST Biogen treatment of Spinal Muscular Atrophy granted FDA orphan status - Biogen's antisense oligonucleotide binding SMN2 pre-mRNA was granted FDA orphan designation as a treatment of Spinal Muscular Atrophy, according to a post to the agency's website. Reference Link

11:51 EST Evaxion Biotech trading halted, volatility trading pause

11:09 EST Fox Corp. names Jeff Collins president of advertising sales - Fox Corporation announced that Jeff Collins has been appointed President of Advertising Sales, Marketing and Brand Partnerships for Fox Corporation. He will succeed Marianne Gambelli, who retires after more than forty years as a leading ad sales executive in the media and entertainment space. Collins, who most recently served as Executive Vice President, Advertising Sales for FOX News Media, will now report to Murdoch. In this role, Collins will oversee the company's Ad Sales efforts across the company's portfolio of brands and platforms, including FOX Entertainment, Tubi, FOX Sports, FS1, FS2, FOX Deportes, and FOX News Media, which includes FOX News Channel and FOX Business Network.

11:05 EST DoubleVerify appoints Alex Valle as CPO, Jack Smith as CIO - DoubleVerify announced two strategic appointments within its executive team. Alex Valle joins DV as the new Chief Product Officer, succeeding Jack Smith, who will assume the newly created role of Chief Innovation Officer. In his role as CPO, Valle will be responsible for overseeing DoubleVerify's product suite, focusing on building and delivering solutions to optimize media investments, manage brand equity risk, and enhance campaign and creative performance. Valle brings a wealth of experience to DoubleVerify, having recently served as CPO of Onfido. Jack Smith, who has been instrumental in shaping DoubleVerify's product direction, will spearhead the role of CIO. Smith will continue to report to CEO Mark Zagorski and manage senior level relationships with key customers, identifying new product opportunities and driving thought leadership. He will serve as an important conduit between DV's commercial and product organizations - ensuring alignment between the company's products, and customer needs and goals, as DV's products and services continue to expand to drive client outcomes.

10:59 EST Forward Air amends agreement to acquire Omni Logistics, ends litigation - Forward Air announced an agreement with Omni Logistics, a private company that is majority owned by Ridgemont Equity Partners and EVE Partners, to amend the terms of the existing merger agreement relating to their previously announced acquisition. This agreement ends the litigation between the parties, which will now be dismissed. Under the terms of the amended merger agreement, Omni shareholders will receive $20M in cash, instead of the $150M initially agreed, and 35% of Forward's pro forma common equity on a fully-diluted, as-converted basis, as compared to the 37.7% of Forward's pro forma common equity on a fully-diluted, as-converted basis contemplated by the original agreement. Forward and Omni's agreement resolves previously announced transaction litigation between them. The parties are targeting a transaction closing by the end of the week. "We have always believed in the power of this acquisition and are pleased to have found a way forward," said Tom Schmitt, Chairman, President and CEO of Forward. "In recent days, we have engaged constructively with Omni to set a path forward that ends our legal dispute. The revised agreement enables Forward to accelerate its long-term Grow Forward strategy and positions the combined company as the premier provider of choice in high-quality freight transportation. We believe this highly compelling acquisition will deliver significant long-term shareholder value and we look forward to swiftly closing the transaction so we can begin to capitalize on the many exciting opportunities ahead."

10:54 EST Newcourt Acquisition Corp trading resumes

10:42 EST Bitcoin Depot places order for 500 BTM kiosks from Genmea - Bitcoin Depot announced the purchase order of 500 new Bitcoin ATM kiosks from Genmega. The Company plans to strategically deploy these units as part of its ongoing expansion efforts throughout 2024 and beyond.

10:09 EST Paragon Technologies urges Ocean Power shareholders to vote blue proxy card - Paragon Technologies, owning approximately 4.8% of the outstanding shares of Ocean Power Technologies, asks shareholders to disregard "misleading statements" from OPT about your vote not counting on the BLUE proxy card. The firm said, "Your vote does count. The Delaware court, not OPT, will determine the voting...If you didn't receive a BLUE PROXY CARD and want to vote to send OPT's Board and CEO a message to stop the destruction of shareholder value, please provide us with your contact information, and we will arrange to have the BLUE PROXY CARD sent to you...By voting on Paragon's BLUE universal proxy card, you can send a message to OPT that you do not support their actions in relation to the Annual Meeting and attempting to block the recognition of Paragon's nominees. OPT has said that it will disregard proxy votes in favor of Paragon's director nominees. Whether OPT may lawfully disregard Paragon's director nominees is an issue that Paragon expects will be resolved by the Delaware courts."

10:01 EST ProShares UltraShort Bloomberg Natural Gas rises 9.7% - ProShares UltraShort Bloomberg Natural Gas is up 9.7%, or $9.55 to $107.91.

10:00 EST NuStar Energy rises 12.8% - NuStar Energy is up 12.8%, or $2.30 to $20.33.

10:00 EST Sunoco LP falls -9.6% - Sunoco LP is down -9.6%, or -$5.68 to $53.78.

09:49 EST Sagimet Biosciences Inc trading resumes

09:47 EST Huya falls -7.4% - Huya is down -7.4%, or -25c to $3.15.

09:47 EST ProShares UltraShort Bloomberg Natural Gas rises 10.9% - ProShares UltraShort Bloomberg Natural Gas is up 10.9%, or $10.73 to $109.09.

09:47 EST NuStar Energy rises 15.8% - NuStar Energy is up 15.8%, or $2.85 to $20.88.

09:45 EST Mountain Crest Acquisition Corp IV trading resumes

09:30 EST Diana Shipping announces expansion of JV for offshore wind service vessels - Diana Shipping announced that its previously announced joint venture with Blue Star Group GmbH & Cie. KG, SeaRenergy Offshore Holding GmbH and SeraVerse GmbH to purchase offshore wind service vessels has excercised its option to acquire two additional newbuilding CSOVs from VARD. Following the completion of the acquisition of the two additional CSOVs, the Windward Offshore will have contracts to acquire four CSOVs, with deliveries scheduled to occur between the third quarter of 2025 and the third quarter of 2026.

09:26 EST Comtech announces $45M investment from White Hat - Comtech announced a $45M investment by current shareholders White Hat, an investment firm, and funds affiliated with Magnetar. In connection with the investment, the company exchanged all outstanding shares of Comtech's existing convertible preferred stock for a new series of convertible preferred stock. Comtech expects to apply the proceeds of this investment across a range of initiatives which not only support near-term working capital needs and general corporate purposes, including the repayment of certain outstanding indebtedness, but also its growth prospects. White Hat and Magnetar purchased $45M of a new series of convertible preferred stock and exchanged all outstanding shares of Comtech's existing convertible preferred stock for shares of the new series of convertible preferred stock. The preferred stock will be convertible into shares of Comtech common stock at a conversion price of $7.99 per share; carries a 9% dividend, payable in kind, or a 7.75% dividend, payable in cash, at Comtech's election; and contains an optional redemption date of October 31, 2028.

09:23 EST AMD announces Hahn joined company as SVP, general counsel, corporate secretary - AMD (AMD) announced that Ava Hahn has joined the company as senior vice president, SVP, general counsel and corporate secretary, replacing Harry Wolin who is retiring from AMD after 24 years. Hahn joins from Lam Research (LRCX), where she was chief legal officer with responsibility for global legal and governmental affairs.

09:18 EST NextNav appoints John Muleta to board of directors - NextNav announced the appointment of John Muleta to the company's Board of Directors, effective January 18, 2024. Mr. Muleta has been appointed as a member of the Audit Committee of the Board. Following the appointment of Mr. Muleta, the Board is now comprised of seven directors. Currently serving as the CEO of ATELUM and as the Managing Member of SNR Wireless, Mr. Muleta's career spans the public and private sectors.

09:17 EST CarParts.com extends $30M repurchase plan to July 26, 2026 - CarParts.com has approved the extension of the company's current $30M stock repurchase plan to July 26, 2026. The Repurchase Plan was originally set to expire on July 26, 2024. The company currently has approximately $25.2M available for repurchase under the Repurchase Plan. The Repurchase Plan may be suspended, discontinued, or modified at any time for any reason. The company had 57,498,607 shares of common stock outstanding as of October 23, 2023.

09:14 EST CareCloud Central chosen by siParadigm - CareCloud announced siParadigm has chosen CareCloud Central, a robust practice management platform, to optimize operations and elevate the quality of patient care. "CareCloud Central's comprehensive capabilities perfectly align with our commitment to efficiency and patient-centric care," said Alejandro Giraldo, chief process officer at siParadigm. "This platform will empower us to streamline administrative tasks, improve billing and collections, and enhance data management, ultimately allowing us to dedicate more resources to delivering the highest quality care to our patients."

09:13 EST Micron appoints Ray as Chief Legal Officer, Corporate Secretary - Micron Technology announced it is appointing Michael Ray as the company's senior vice president, chief legal officer and corporate secretary effective immediately. In this role, Ray will report directly to Sanjay Mehrotra, President and CEO of Micron. He will be responsible for Micron's global legal, compliance and intellectual property functions, comprising a team of lawyers, paralegals and other professionals.

09:07 EST Virios Therapeutics plans to advance development of IMC-2 - Virios Therapeutics announced plans for advancing IMC-2 as a treatment for the fatigue, orthostatic intolerance and other symptoms associated with LC, also known as post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection. The Company is targeting the initiation of a Phase 2 program in the second half of 2024, with data expected in 2025. "We believe the profound unmet medical need associated with LC symptoms provides a unique and timely opportunity for Virios to advance our combination therapy, IMC-2," said Greg Duncan, Chairman and CEO of Virios Therapeutics. "There are currently no FDA-approved LC treatments, thus IMC-2 has potential to be one of the first therapies for addressing LC symptoms. With FDA agreement that fatigue reduction can serve as the primary endpoint in this program, success on the LC indication may allow extension to other fatigue related illnesses such as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, thereby expanding our potential market opportunity. Virios has provided the Bateman Horne Center with an unrestricted investigational grant to fund their ongoing placebo-controlled 12-week study of the valacyclovir/celecoxib combination in up to 60 LC patients, with data expected by mid-year 2024. In addition, we have received input from the FDA on development requirements and key endpoints associated with advancing IMC-2 into Phase 2 development as a treatment for LC symptoms. We are now taking the organizational steps necessary to prepare for the initiation of a Phase 2 clinical program in the second half of this year. We further expect to provide an update on potential partnership developments later this quarter," Duncan concluded.

09:05 EST Kartoon Studios announces increase in content production planned for 2024 - Kartoon Studios announces a significant increase in content production and development planned for 2024 for the Company's Kartoon Channel!, Frederator Networks, Mainframe Studios, as well as major broadcasters and streamers, including Netflix, Disney Channel, and others. The Company has also appointed Gregg Goldin, former creative executive at DreamWorks Animation, Cartoon Network and MTV, to the newly created position of Senior Vice President, Development & Production. Kartoon Studios kicks off 2024 with a roster of properties in production and/or development, including Stan Lee's Cosmic Crusaders and three series for Frederator Networks: Land of Boggs; Chikn' Nuggit, in partnership with BuzzFeed Animation Lab; and an adult animated comedy series in partnership with Wheelhouse DNA, starring internet sensation Adam W, who was named one of "The 20 Most Influential Creators" by Rolling Stone Magazine with over 50 million followers across his channels. Goldin will be responsible for heading up development and production for both new and original IP to deliver to the marketplace. Goldin will report jointly to Kartoon Studios' Chairman & CEO Andy Heyward and COO Michael Jaffa.

09:03 EST Diana Shipping announces time charter contract for m/v Maera with ST Shipping - Diana Shipping announced that, through a separate wholly-owned subsidiary, it has entered into a time charter contract with ST Shipping and Transport Pte. Ltd., for one of its Panamax dry bulk vessels, the m/v Maera. The gross charter rate is US$13,750, minus a 5% commission paid to third parties, for a period until minimum November 20, 2024 up to maximum January 20, 2025. The charter is expected to commence on January 28, 2024. The m/v Maera is currently chartered, as previously announced, to Cargill International S.A., Geneva, at a gross charter rate of US$12,000 per day, minus a 4.75% commission paid to third parties.

08:59 EST AIM ImmunoTech enrolls first subject in Phase 1b/2 study of Ampligen - AIM ImmunoTech announced that the first subject has been enrolled at Erasmus Medical Center in a Phase 1b/2 clinical trial combining AIM's Ampligen with AstraZeneca's anti-PD-L1 immune checkpoint inhibitor Imfinzi for the treatment of late-stage pancreatic cancer. Data strongly suggests Ampligen has therapeutic synergy when combined with checkpoint inhibitors - potentially increasing cancer treatment efficacy and subject survival rates. A successful DURIPANC Study could make AIM an especially attractive partnership or buyout target for Big Pharma. Data already strongly suggests that Ampligen synergistically enhances anti-PD-1 therapy. Strong positive clinical data from the DURIPANC study would also support our belief that Ampligen could synergistically enhance anti-PD-L1 therapies. Such broad-spectrum success could create value. AIM recently took an important step to secure potential stockholder value when it received a U.S. patent for the use of Ampligen as part of a combination therapy with an anti-PD-L1 antibody, which is an immune checkpoint inhibitor that helps the body attack tumor cells. The DURIPANC Study is an investigator-initiated, exploratory, open-label, single-center study with the full name "Combining anti-PD-L1 immune checkpoint inhibitor durvalumab with TLR-3 agonist rintatolimod in patients with metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma for therapy effect." The primary objective of the Phase 1b portion is to determine the safety of combination therapy with Imfinzi and Ampligen. The primary objective of the Phase 2 portion is to determine the clinical benefit rate of the combination therapy.

08:41 EST Airship AI sees 2024 getting back to trajectory of triple-digit revenue growth - Airship AI Holdings (AISP) issued a letter to stockholders from Paul Allen, Airship AI President, which read in part, "2023 was a transformative year in many ways for Airship AI and for our technology and business, highlighted by our Nasdaq listing in December through a business combination with BYTE Acquisition Corp. (BYTS), a special purpose acquisition company. Our entry into the public markets serves multiple purposes, including the ability to raise capital for expansion and growth and, more importantly, financial transparency, a frequent discussion point with many larger government agencies with whom Airship is engaged. Throughout calendar year 2023 we saw robust demand across our entire product set, including our newly announced AI driven edge appliance. Significant progress was made across many customer fronts in the law enforcement space, both at the federal and state / local levels, as was our expansion into new solution areas within existing commercial accounts. 2023 also highlighted significant investments in our internal capabilities to handle future growth responsibly, including the tools and processes needed to forecast and report on a timely basis...We believe 2024 will be a milestone year for Airship AI, getting back to a trajectory of triple-digit revenue growth and positive EBITDA. Our momentum is supported in part by the $10.9 million award of the combined orders from the Department of Homeland Security, which include our edge Outpost AI appliance. These, combined with other orders received late in the second half of 2023, represent an approximate $11.8 million backlog that will be delivered and invoiced across Q1 and Q2 of 2024. In addition to this strong backlog of orders, we are carrying a validated pipeline of approximately $140 million into 2024, including opportunities that rolled over from 2023. This pipeline consists of single and multi-year opportunities for our AI-driven edge, video, and sensor and data management platform across all our customer verticals. We additionally believe the intense focus on the crisis along the U.S. borders will continue to heighten demand for AI driven border surveillance solutions, an area of significant focus for Airship both tactically and strategically going into the new year. In addition to our visible and robust pipeline, we intend to further leverage our new position as a public company to make additional tactical and strategic investments across our sales, marketing and development organizations. These investments should allow us to further capitalize on the explosive growth that we see across the $7.0 billion edge AI hardware and software addressable markets1 today, leveraging our existing Outpost AI hardware and software platform offering as well as expanding our core software offerings in support of existing customers and opportunities. We also see significant expansionary opportunities in the commercial and retail markets, especially around those companies involved in fighting Organized Retail Crime, a space we view as the perfect nexus opportunity between public and private sector organizations tackling a common challenge. We believe by leveraging our existing relationships and technical solutions with both public and private sector organizations, we are uniquely positioned to help solve some of the challenges associated with ORC. Finally, many of the back-office investments made in 2023 will help drive the continued expansion of margins through improved sourcing, supply chain management and production-based process efficiencies. These efforts along with a continued focus on improving development cycles and time to market for new solutions complement the aggressive growth forecasted."

08:38 EST Pressure BioSciences announces closing of Uncle Bud's acquisition - Pressure BioSciences announced the closing of its acquisition of natural health and wellness leader Uncle Bud's in an all-stock transaction. Incorporating UB's 70+ already popular products, 865K member on-line community, existing sales channels online and with leading large retailers, enviable celebrity spokesperson relationships, and invaluable experience building successful consumer products businesses, PBIO will leverage and integrate the Company's revolutionary UltraShear technology platform for further improved nanoemulsified products that deliver industry-leading speed of action, effective dosing payload delivery, and long-term stability. Transaction Terms: Under the terms of the transaction, PBIO acquired all assets and assumed selected liabilities of UB. In addition, the parties agreed to an earnout for additional shares of PBIO Common Stock based on the achievement of revenue and pre-tax income results in 2024. Upon closing, all employees of UB became employees of PBIO and UB became the Consumer Products Business Unit of PBIO. More definitive transaction terms will be included in the Company's upcoming SEC filings.

08:37 EST Intelligent Bio Solutions announces DGP selected portable FDSS - Intelligent Bio Solutions announced that DGP Plc has selected the portable Intelligent Fingerprinting Drug Screening System, FDSS, to enable in-house drug testing. "An increasing number of construction and logistics firms are turning to our fingerprint sweat-based system for various testing needs, from recruitment and onboarding requirements to random workplace screening or for cause testing," added Harry Simeonidis, President and Chief Executive Officer at Intelligent Bio Solutions. "Our system's flexibility and ease of use makes it much simpler for organizations like DGP to manage workplace drug testing internally, resulting in overall cost savings and improved productivity due to minimal disruption."

08:35 EST Oatly Group announces new national partnership with Carvel - Oatly Group announced a new national partnership with Carvel, the cult classic ice cream shoppe best known for its soft serve and character cakes. Oatly's non-dairy frozen desserts are now available at nearly 300 Carvel shoppes across 18 states in the U.S., giving guests a delicious, dairy-free way to experience the time-honored ice cream shoppe's signature menu items. "Carvel's iconic presence and longstanding success in the industry serve as a testament to its commitment to quality," said Drew Martin, EVP Commercial Sales, Oatly North America. "With ice cream traditionally being reliant on cow's dairy, we're honored to collaborate with Carvel and present the first oatmilk-based, non-dairy frozen desserts available in Carvel shoppes. We're excited that with the inclusion of our new menu items, all guests, including those with dairy allergies* or who have certain dietary preferences, can enjoy an Oatly twist on Carvel's classic frozen favorites."

08:34 EST Biodexa Pharmaceuticals CEO issues letter to shareholders - Biodexa Pharmaceutical announced that Stephen Stamp, CEO and CFO of Biodexa, has issued a Shareholder Letter highlighting the Company's progress in 2023 and expected milestones in 2024. The full text of the letter follows: "I thought now would be a good time to review our Company's progress in 2023 and our plans and expected milestones for 2024, the latter being set out in the following graphic: Last year proved to be a year of transition for our Company. We started the year as dual-listed drug delivery company called Midatech Pharma with a single clinical asset and we finished the year as a NASDAQ-listed, multi-asset therapeutics company re-named Biodexa Pharmaceuticals.... Looking at our programs one by one ....TOLIMIDONE. We were delighted to finish the year with the in-licensing of tolimidone, a Phase II ready asset which we plan to develop for Type 1 diabetes, a genetically-driven disease where an autoimmune reaction destroys the pancreatic beta-cells which produce the insulin that regulates plasma glucose levels... We have already commissioned experiments at a CRO and expect to announce data from an in vitro study of beta-cell survival and proliferation in a validated model in the first quarter of 2024. We are also in the process of setting up a Phase IIa study of tolimidone in approximately 16 patients with Type 1 diabetes... We expect to be able to announce preliminary data before the end of 2024. MTX110. Recurrent Glioblastoma Multiforme. Our unique formulation of panobinostat in combination with Convection Enhanced Delivery direct to the tumor continued to advance in the clinic... We expect to announce Progression Free Survival data on the first cohort of patients in mid-2024. Diffuse Midline Glioma... recruitment of a second Phase I study at Columbia University was completed in mid-2023. We expect publication of results at a major conference around the end of the first quarter of 2024. Based on the combined results of the two Phase I studies, we will evaluate the potential for an IND for what could prove a pivotal Phase II study towards the end of the year. MTD217... In 2023 we initiated a preclinical program to explore the simultaneous inhibition of both aerobic and OXPHOS pathways and we have already been able to demonstrate up to a six-fold synergistic effect of co-administering MTX110 with an OXPHOS inhibitor in three patient-derived cells lines. We have also established new patent positions to protect these combinations. Our initial target for MTD217 is leptomeningeal disease, or LMD, a lethal complication in which metastatic cancer cells, most commonly from breast and lung tumors, invade the cerebrospinal fluid and central nervous system.... We expect to report data from the in vivo LMD efficacy model by the end of the first quarter of 2024. If positive, we aim to open an IND before year end 2024 and start a first clinical study by the end of the first quarter of 2025. OUTLOOK: Including the $6.0 million we raised in December 2023, we have the resources to deliver two sets of preclinical data and three sets of clinical data in 2024. Our development pipeline now includes five programs, of which four are at clinical stage. With the pipeline stronger than it has ever been, we are enthusiastic about the potential for our Company in 2024 and beyond."

08:33 EST CorpAcq says on track for combination with Churchill Capital Corp VII - CorpAcq Holdings provided the following business update including: Reaffirming guidance for the full year ending December 31, 2023; Confirming on track timing of its Business Combination with Churchill Capital Corp VII; A successful refinancing of its group debt; and upcoming Analyst Day.

08:32 EST Cansortium opens FLUENT cannabis dispensary in Cocoa, Florida - Cansortium announced the opening of its 34th medical cannabis dispensary in Florida and 37th retail location nationwide. FLUENT Cocoa is located at 941 N Cocoa Blvd, Cocoa, FL 32922. The new 2,600 square foot dispensary is the first dispensary in Cocoa with a cannabis drive-thru which will increase accessibility, improve service speed and provide the utmost discretion for patients. The dispensary was built out with local contractors and will provide over $400 thousand in annual wages for local employees, and an estimated $3.5 million total benefit to the local economy. The dispensary will offer promotional specials during the grand opening event which will feature music, food trucks, community vendors and t-shirt and swag bag giveaways.

08:21 EST Planet 13 Holdings to sell medical marijuana treatment center license in Florida - Planet 13 Holdings has entered into a stock purchase agreement dated January 22, 2024 to sell all of the issued and outstanding shares of common stock of Planet 13 Florida, which owns a medical marijuana treatment center license issued by the Florida Department of Health, to SGW FL Enterprises. The sale of the MMTC License is a closing condition to the Company's previously announced proposed acquisition of VidaCann. Pursuant to the Purchase Agreement, the Company will sell the Shares for a cash payment of $9,000,000 due on closing. The proposed transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2024, subject to customary closing conditions, including the receipt of regulatory approvals and the simultaneous closing of the acquisition of VidaCann.

08:19 EST Optex Systems acquires Speedtracker, terms not disclosed - Optex Systems has acquired Speedtracker from RUB Aluminum and has also established a Contract Manufacturing Agreement for the continued production of the Speedtracker Mach 4+ product line. The Company acquired Speedtracker using cash on hand, with potential additional future cash payments based on successful completion of defined milestones. Initially launched in August of 2022, and with several thousand units in field, the Company intends to enhance the distribution and growth of the Speedtracker line.

08:17 EST Nukkleus enters new pact with Tantel Group to expand footprint in Africa - Nukkleus and its subsidiary, Digital RFQ, are excited to announce a new collaboration with Tantel Group to expand their footprint in the African B2B payments market, which the World Bank estimates to be valued at over $1.5T.

08:16 EST Sacks Parente Golf's Newton Golf Shafts announces signing of Ken Duke - Newton Golf Shafts, the newly established business division of Sacks Parente Golf, announces the signing of PGA TOUR Champions player Ken Duke as its first player to represent the Newton brand. Duke has chosen to use the new Newton Motion Shaft in his driver during the upcoming 2024 season. Following his victory at last year's Shaw Charity Classic on the PGA TOUR Champions, Duke made the switch to the Newton Motion shaft at the TOUR'S Constellation FURYK & FRIENDS event in October. "We are ecstatic that Ken put the shaft in his bag so quickly," said Greg Campbell, Executive Chairman, Sacks Parente Golf, Inc. "It underscores the performance of our proprietary technology aimed at helping players achieve longer and straighter drives."

08:14 EST Abpro announces filing of registration statement on Form S-4 with U.S. SEC - Abpro Corporation (ABP) and Atlantic Coastal Acquisition Corp. II (ACAB), a special purpose acquisition company, announced the filing of a registration statement on Form S-4 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC, on January 19, 2024, which includes a preliminary proxy statement and prospectus in connection with its proposed business combination. Upon the closing of the proposed business combination, the combined company is expected to be named "Abpro Corporation" and to list its common stock on Nasdaq under the new ticker symbol "ABP". The proposed business combination sets Abpro's implied pre-money equity valuation at $500 million. Consistent with the recent signing of the Business Combination Agreement, the Atlantic Coastal and Abpro boards of directors have approved the proposed business combination, which is expected to be completed in the first half of 2024 subject to, among other things, the approval by Atlantic Coastal and Abpro stockholders, and other customary closing conditions. "We are excited to be partnering with Abpro and recognize the potential of the company's robust drug discovery platform, novel candidates and significant strategic partnerships," said Shahraab Ahmad, CEO of Atlantic Coastal. "Abpro is supported by an experienced leadership team and board that we believe will lead the company to create significant value for shareholders."

08:12 EST Madrigal Pharmaceuticals reports inducement grants under Nasdaq listing rule - Madrigal Pharmaceuticals announced that the company granted equity awards to 109 new employees, in each case with a grant date of January 16, 2024, as equity inducement awards under the terms of the company's 2023 Inducement Plan. The equity awards were approved in accordance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(c)(4). The equity awards were granted as inducement material to the employees' acceptance of employment with the company. The new employees received, in the aggregate, options to purchase 14,206 shares of Madrigal's common stock, and in the aggregate 32,788 time-based restricted stock units. All options granted have an exercise price of $243.92 per share, and vest as follows 25% of the option shares will vest on the first anniversary of the date of grant and 6.25% of the option shares shall vest on each quarterly anniversary following the first anniversary of the date of grant.

08:11 EST Sun Communities provides update on recent activities - Sun Communities provided an update on the following recent activities: The Company recently completed its North American MH and RV insurance renewal for 2024, resulting in an expected increase in insurance-related expense of approximately 15% to 20%, as compared to 2023. In the UK, Park Holidays completed the sale of over 2,800 homes during 2023, in line with guidance, of which 74% were pre-owned and 26% were new homes. NOI margin for the second half of 2023 was approximately $22,000, also in-line with management's previously communicated range. Sun recently completed an administration process related to three real estate assets that collateralized a note receivable extended to Royale Holdings Group in the UK. Sun acquired these assets through a credit bid, a potential outcome that was previously disclosed. Ownership of the assets will be reflected on the Company's December 31, 2023 consolidated balance sheets, and Sun continues to work through the process relating to the remaining collateral under the note receivable. On January 11, 2024, Sun completed a public offering of $500 million aggregate principal amount of 5.50% senior notes due 2029. The majority of the net proceeds were used to repay borrowings outstanding under its senior credit facility, thereby reducing Sun's floating-rate debt to total debt to approximately 10%. The Company will provide more detailed information and further updates in its upcoming earnings release and conference call.

08:09 EST Franklin Electric increases quarterly dividend 11% to 25c per share - Franklin Electric Co. announced that its Board of Directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.25 per share payable February 15, 2024, to shareholders of record on February 1, 2024. This represents an 11 percent increase from the prior quarterly dividend. "This dividend increase will mark the 32nd consecutive year that Franklin Electric has increased its dividend, demonstrating its commitment to rewarding shareholders and confidence in the outlook of the business," commented Gregg Sengstack, Franklin Electric's Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer.

08:08 EST Movano announces Evie Rings begin shipping - Movano Health announced that its female first wearable, the Evie Ring, will begin shipping on January 22. Rings will ship in the order they were received, and all orders placed before January 19 are expected to ship out by February 20. Going forward, the company expects to shorten order fulfilment times as it continues to ramp commercial production.

08:07 EST WiMi Hologram Cloud develops LSTM-based data analysis system - WiMi Hologram Cloud announced an LSTM-based data analysis system to provide clients with cutting-edge tools to trade in the complex cryptocurrency environment. As a decentralized digital currency, the price of Bitcoin is affected by a variety of factors, such as market demands, policy regulations, and technological innovations. Therefore, the prediction of price trends needs to comprehensively consider these factors and find patterns from a large amount of data. Traditional data analysis methods make it difficult to handle such complex data, but the LSTM algorithm can solve this problem. WiMi uses the LSTM algorithm to predict cryptocurrency prices, which allows it to more accurately predict the price of Bitcoin. The LSTM algorithm is a recurrent neural network. The system uses a variety of data sources, including historical prices, transaction volumes, social media data, and more. The system uses the LSTM algorithm to analyze these data and generate predictions of bitcoin price trends. LSTM is a special type of RNN architecture that can efficiently handle time-series-dependent data. It avoids the problem of gradient vanishing or gradient explosion when dealing with long-term dependencies by introducing a "gate" structure to control the flow of information. This makes LSTM widely used in the fields of speech recognition, natural language processing, and time series analysis.

08:05 EST Enviri's Clean Earth joins DoD study for PFAS remediation - Clean Earth, a division of Enviri Corporation and a leading provider of environmental and regulated waste management services, has been tapped by the U.S. Department of Defense, DoD, as part of a prototype project to demonstrate remediation technologies for PFAS, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. In its press release, the DoD calls the project "a major step forward in the effort to provide with commercial PFAS treatment options for a variety of scenarios." Clean Earth's engagement in this project positions it to help the U.S. Government better understand its capabilities and dovetails with the company's network of facilities, logistics capabilities, and ever-expanding toolbox of PFAS management technologies. "This proof of concept will demonstrate our team's capability to successfully remediate this critical environmental issue," said Jeff Beswick, President of Clean Earth. "This is a high-priority project, and we stand prepared to support and demonstrate how these processes can remediate PFAS, helping the DoD achieve its mission while being friendly to the environment. In this project, Clean Earth is the hub in the DoD's hub and spoke strategic remediation approach." Clean Earth and five other companies, Aquagga, Arcadis, 374Water, Battelle, and General Atomics, will participate in the remediation of PFAS-impacted waste collected from two Department of Defense bases in Pennsylvania with the waste being treated at Clean Earth's offsite locations.

08:05 EST SaverOne 2014's driver safety system selected by Israel's Strauss Group - SaverOne 2014's SaverOne system will be installed across Strauss Group's entire fleet in Israel. Strauss Group is one of the largest food manufacturers in Israel with a fleet of over 80 food delivery trucks. The new order, covering the entire Strauss delivery fleet, follows a successful trial on 17 Strauss trucks, in which Strauss' management noted a statistically significant and notable reduction in accident rates in the trucks that had the SaverOne system installed.

08:03 EST Seelos receives FDA feedback on endpoints of Phase 2 SLS-002 trial in MDD - Seelos Therapeutics received minutes from its End of Phase II Meeting with the FDA. In the meeting minutes, the FDA agreed that the primary endpoint in a Phase III trial could be the change from baseline in the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale total score at Day 16, rather than the 24-hour timepoint that was selected in the Phase II SLS-002-201 study. The key secondary endpoint could be the change from baseline at 24 hours on the suicidality scale. This agreement with the FDA gives Seelos further confidence for its Phase III development of SLS-002 as data in the Phase II study showed clinically significant treatment differences from placebo on both the Day 16 MADRS and the 24-hour Sheehan- Suicidality Tracking Scale.

08:02 EST 60 Degrees plans babesiosis study with tafenoquine after FDA meeting - 60 Degrees Pharmaceuticals announced today that, following a Type C meeting held on January 17, 2024 with the US Food and Drug Administration, FDA, the Company will move forward with a pivotal clinical study of tafenoquine in hospitalized babesiosis patients in the U.S. In advance of the meeting, 60P provided to the FDA an information package that included a presentation of the unmet medical need for a new therapeutic for hospitalized babesiosis patients. It also included a detailed outline of the proposed study protocol. The FDA indicated in remarks during the meeting that the proposed study could be sufficient for regulatory approval, provided the Company uses a clinical endpoint rather than a surrogate marker. 60P is now revising the study protocol in light of that feedback, with the goal of initiating patient enrollment in the summer of 2024. "Our recent Type C meeting with the FDA led to mutual alignment with respect to the design of a development plan to evaluate the ARAKODA regimen of tafenoquine for treating people who are hospitalized with babesiosis," said Geoff Dow, Chief Executive Officer of 60 Degrees Pharmaceuticals. "We are excited to advance this important study, as tick-borne illnesses such as babesiosis are emerging rapidly in the U.S. and can be life-threatening. Our aim is to bring a new treatment option to healthcare providers seeking a safe, effective solution to address the needs of their hospitalized patients diagnosed with this very serious condition."

08:02 EST Algoma Steel reports incident at coke-making plant - On Friday evening, the company stated: "Algoma Steel announced that in the early hours of Saturday, January 20, 2024 there was a collapse of a structure supporting utilities piping at our coke-making plant.There have been no injuries and the Algoma team is managing the occurrence with the safety of our employees and the community as our highest priority. The incident resulted in a coke oven gas main failure generating abnormal coke oven gas flaring and air emissions.Additionally, a quantity of effluent left our site early this morning and entered the adjacent waterway.The source of the discharge has been identified and containment efforts are underway. Algoma has notified community and regulatory stakeholders and is working to mitigate and monitor any possible impacts to the environment, our community and ongoing operations. While coke production is currently interrupted, all other departments are operating normally. Algoma advises that it has adequate coke supply on hand, and it does not anticipate an impact on customer shipments at this time." Shares of Algoma Steel are down 5% in pre-market trading at $8.60.

07:51 EST LoanDepot provides update on cyber incident disclosed on January 8 - LoanDepot provided an update on the cyber incident it disclosed on January 8. The company said, "The Company has been working diligently with outside forensics and security experts to investigate the incident and restore normal operations as quickly as possible. The Company has made significant progress in restoring our loan origination and loan servicing systems, including our MyloanDepot and Servicing customer portals. Although its investigation is ongoing, the Company has determined that an unauthorized third party gained access to sensitive personal information of approximately 16.6 million individuals in its systems. The Company will notify these individuals and offer credit monitoring and identity protection services at no cost to them."

07:50 EST Sunoco LP to acquire NuStar Energy in all-equity transaction valued at $7.3B - Sunoco LP (SUN) ("Sunoco" or the "Partnership") and NuStar Energy (NS) announced that the parties have entered into a definitive agreement whereby Sunoco will acquire NuStar in an all-equity transaction valued at approximately $7.3B, including assumed debt. Under the terms of the agreement, NuStar common unitholders will receive 0.400 Sunoco common units for each NuStar common unit, implying a 24% premium based on the 30-day VWAP's of both NuStar and Sunoco as of January 19. Sunoco has secured a $1.6B 364-day bridge term loan to refinance NuStar's Series A, B and C Preferred Units, Subordinated notes, revolving credit facility, and receivables financing agreement. The transaction has been unanimously approved by the board of directors of both companies and is expected to close in the second quarter of 2024 upon the satisfaction of closing conditions, including approval by NuStar's unitholders and customary regulatory approvals. The company expects the transaction to be immediately accretive with 10%+ accretion to distributable cash flow per LP unit by the third year following close. At least $150M of run-rate synergies by the third year following close is expected. Prior to closing, NuStar will make a cash distribution of $0.212 per common unit to its common unitholders.

07:47 EST Sunoco LP to acquire NuStar Energy for $7.3B

07:46 EST Sunoco LP to acquire NuStar Energy in $7.3B all-equity transaction

07:42 EST Apyx Medical announces review of Renuvion 'safety' after liposuction - Apyx Medical Corporation announced the publication of a peer-reviewed article in the Aesthetic Surgery Journal Open Forum, which evaluated the use of Renuvion for contracting subcutaneous soft tissue following liposuction in multiple areas of the body. "We are excited to see the publication of this real-world 483-patient analysis, demonstrating Renuvion's impressive safety when used after liposuction, which is now the most commonly performed cosmetic procedure in the world.," said Charlie Goodwin, President and Chief Executive Officer of Apyx Medical. "In 2023, data from this analysis was used to secure FDA 510(k) clearance for the use of our Renuvion APR Handpiece with an indication 'for coagulation of subcutaneous soft tissues following liposuction for aesthetic body contouring.' We are pleased the results of this analysis are now available to the public, further strengthening the large portfolio of published clinical evidence supporting the use of our Renuvion technology." ...Based on this analysis, the authors found that the use of Renuvion following liposuction for any particular area of the body demonstrated no new or increased risks, compared to published data for patients having liposuction performed alone. Additionally, they concluded that the risks associated with the use of Renuvion for subcutaneous soft tissue contraction following liposuction do not differ significantly by body area. The authors noted that there are currently no alternative therapies to Renuvion cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration which can claim use following liposuction for the purpose of contracting the subcutaneous soft tissue.

07:38 EST Mattr completes voluntary symbol change for U.S. OTC listing - Mattr has changed its ticker symbol on its US over-the-counter listing to 'MTTRF'. The Company's common shares will continue to trade on the TSX under the ticker symbol 'MATR'. This symbol change follows the Company's legal name change from Shawcor Ltd. to Mattr Corp., which was completed on January 8, 2024, and serves to align its trading symbol with its new name. No action is required to be taken by shareholders with respect to the symbol change, and no change has been made to the Company's share capital nor the rights of shareholders of the Company. The Company encourages any shareholder with questions to contact their broker or agent.

07:36 EST Siga Technologies announces appointment of Nguyen as new CEO - SIGA Technologies announced that Diem Nguyen, Ph.D., will join the Company as chief executive officer, CEO, effective January 27, 2024, and will also be appointed to the Company's Board of Directors. SIGA's current CEO, Dr. Phil Gomez, will retire from SIGA on January 26, 2024. As CEO, Dr. Nguyen will lead SIGA's ongoing efforts in the development, manufacture and global distribution of antiviral therapies for the treatment of infectious diseases including smallpox, mpox, and other diseases associated with orthopox viruses. Dr. Nguyen joins SIGA from Xalud Therapeutics, a clinical stage biotechnology company developing treatments for inflammatory diseases, including pain associated with osteoarthritis, and neurodegenerative diseases, where she served as CEO.

07:35 EST Marker receives approval from the USAN council, INN committee for neldaleucel - Marker Therapeutics announced today that the United States Adopted Names, USAN, Council, and the World Health Organization, WHO, International Nonproprietary Names, INN, expert committee has approved "neldaleucel" as the nonproprietary name for MT-601, a multi-tumor associated antigen-specific T cell product candidate for the treatment of patients with lymphoma. "The assignment of the nonproprietary name to MT-601 represents a significant milestone as we advance this potential treatment for patients with lymphoma," said Juan Vera, M.D., President and CEO of Marker Therapeutics. "The INN and USAN naming process meticulously evaluates proposed drug names for adherence to nomenclature guidelines and potential conflicts, followed by expert consensus and public review. The USAN and WHO INN approval of neldaleucel allows us to establish a universally recognized and conflict-free nonproprietary drug name for MT-601 and represents an important step in our path to ultimately market the drug."

07:33 EST Baijiayun CEO Gangjiang Li resigns, Yi Ma to succeed - Baijiayun Group announced changes in its management and board of directors. Gangjiang Li has resigned as a member and chairman of the Board, a member and chairman of the compensation committee of the Board and the CEO of the company for personal reasons, effective from January 22. Ching Chiu has resigned as a director of the company for personal reasons, effective from the same date. Their resignation did not result from any disagreement with the company on any matter relating to the company's operations, policies or practice. Yi Ma, who currently serves as the president of the company and a director of the Board, has been appointed as the company's CEO and chairman of the Board to succeed Gangjiang Li, effective from January 22. Qiong Ni, the spouse of Gangjiang Li, and Xin Zhang, who currently serves as the secretary of the Board, have been appointed as new directors to serve on the Board, effective from January 22. Following the foregoing changes, the Board currently consists of five directors, including Yi Ma, Qiong Ni, Xin Zhang, and two independent directors, including Erlu Lin and Chun Liu. In addition, the compensation committee of the Board currently consists of Qiong Ni and Yi Ma, with Qiong Ni as the chairman; and the nominating and corporate governance committee of the Board currently consists of Yi Ma and Xin Zhang, with Yi Ma as the chairman. The composition of the audit committee of the Board remains unchanged, i.e., with Erlu Lin and Chun Liu as members and Erlu Lin as the chairman

07:29 EST Alterity Therapeutics expects preliminary data from ATH434-202 study in 1H24 - Alterity Therapeutics issued a letter to shareholders, which read in part, "As we begin a new year, I wanted to take a moment to thank you for your support of Alterity, reflect on our accomplishments in 2023, and lay out our key milestones for 2024. We remain steadfastly committed to developing new treatments for individuals living with neurodegenerative diseases. 2023 was a critical year for us and I am pleased to report that we hit all of our intended milestones. We have an extremely robust program evaluating neurodegenerative diseases with a current focus on Multiple System Atrophy, or MSA, a disease related to Parkinson's. As a reminder, MSA is a rare and aggressive Parkinsonian disorder that rapidly progresses and causes profound disability. Although similar to Parkinson's disease, affected individuals cannot adequately maintain their blood pressure or control bowel and bladder function - areas that drastically impair quality of life. The pathological hallmark of MSA is accumulation of the protein alpha-synuclein and neuron loss in multiple brain regions within the central nervous system. While some of the symptoms of MSA can be treated with available medications, currently there are no drugs that can slow disease progression and there is no cure. We are looking to change the paradigm of treating MSA with our lead clinical development candidate ATH434, an orally administered agent discovered in house to target neurodegeneration. ATH434 acts by redistributing excess iron in the brain, reducing the protein alpha-synuclein, and rescuing neuronal function. Based on accumulated pre-clinical data and an understanding of how MSA develops and progresses, we believe ATH434 has excellent potential to treat MSA as well as Parkinson's disease. Importantly, ATH434 has been granted Orphan Drug Designation for the treatment of MSA by the U.S. FDA and the European Commission. ODD comes with many benefits including 7-10 years of market exclusivity, tax credits and fee reductions, as well as protocol assistance from each agency. Our primary Phase 2 clinical trial is a randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled study evaluating ATH434 in individuals with early-stage MSA. I am very proud of our 201 study team for fulfilling our goals in 2023 by opening numerous clinical trial sites around the world and completing enrollment of all study participants in November 2023. The ATH434-201 study is treating these participants for 12 months and, therefore, the study will complete in November 2024. Once this portion of the trial is completed, we will then analyze the data and report topline results in January 2025. In addition, during 2023 we also initiated a second, Phase 2 clinical trial in individuals with more advanced MSA than in the 201 trial. A key aim of the 202 study is to assess the efficacy of ATH434 on objective biomarkers that measure target engagement and are relevant to the underlying pathology of MSA. While the 202 trial is also treating participants for 12-months, it has an open label design that will allow us to perform interim analyses of biomarker data while the study is ongoing, giving us a potential early indication of efficacy. We expect to report preliminary six-month data from the initial patients enrolled in the ATH434-202 trial in the first half of this year. Our bioMUSE Natural History study also continues to generate invaluable data related to the understanding of MSA and its early presentation. The insights gained from this study enabled us to refine the design of our ongoing Phase 2 studies, optimizing patient selection and analysis of key endpoints. Along with our academic partners at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in the U.S., we have delivered several data presentations at important neurology conferences during 2023. Important elements of the data included an enhanced understanding of MSA, new methods to diagnose and potentially treat the disease, and potential novel biomarkers for evaluating disease modifying treatments such as ATH434. We expect to report additional data from bioMUSE this year as well. In December 2023, we presented promising new data on the effect of ATH434 in a Parkinson's disease primate model. Personally, I am very excited about these findings because we have shown for the first time that ATH434 can reduce Parkinson's symptoms in a higher order animal - the monkey. Importantly, the improvements in motor skills and general functioning that parallel human parkinsonism were associated with reductions in iron in affected brain regions, validating the approach we are using in our ongoing clinical trials. As I have laid out above, 2024 will be a pivotal year for us. The primate data in Parkinson's disease has improved our ability to predict clinical outcomes and increases our overall confidence level in our ongoing Phase 2 clinical trials in MSA. We are currently running two trials allowing us to study MSA populations of differing severity. Our ATH434-201 clinical trial will complete in November with topline data reported shortly thereafter. We will also be able to report preliminary data from our ATH434-202 trial in the first half of this year. And, we expect to make additional progress with bioMUSE and the advancement of ATH434 in Parkinson's disease."

07:13 EST Hilton opens record number of rooms in Q4 - Hilton opened more new rooms in Q4 than during any other quarter. The company opened 132 hotels and approximately 24,000 rooms between October and December 2023, contributing to full-year openings of 395 hotels and approximately 63,000 rooms to achieve net unit growth of 4.9%. Hilton also reported record 2023 signings of nearly 1,000 hotels representing 130,000 rooms, up 45% from the prior year and meaningfully ahead of pre-pandemic levels. The company's pipeline is now the largest in its history with nearly 3,300 hotels, totaling more than 462,000 rooms. Hilton delivered another year of construction starts, up 15% over 2022 and approaching pre-pandemic levels. Hilton now has more new rooms under construction than any other hotel company with approximately one in every five hotel rooms under construction globally slated to join the company's portfolio.

07:12 EST Dorman Products announces 325 new motor vehicle parts - Dorman Products is announcing 325 new motor vehicle parts to start the new year. These January 2024 releases represent millions of new sales opportunities for automotive parts distributors, retailers, and repair shops and reinforce Dorman's position as a leading aftermarket provider of comprehensive powertrain repair solutions. This month's new releases include an innovative Dorman OE FIX transmission oil cooler bypass valve, with coverage for approximately 1.5 million select Chevrolet, GMC and Cadillac SUVs and pickup trucks. On certain models, when the transmission overheats, doesn't generate sufficient heat, or leaks fluid, it can be due to corrosion, clogging, and wax motor failure of the original equipment valve. The Dorman OE FIX valve is designed to help optimize cooler and transmission performance and provide a more permanent repair. Machined from solid aluminum billet, it also features an additional access port to make routine service more convenient. Dorman is also adding hundreds of new direct replacement parts and assemblies engineered and manufactured to match or improve upon the performance of the original equipment offerings.

07:09 EST Beneficient closes initial series of liquidity transaction financings - Beneficient announced key milestones and liquidity transaction financing closings sourced through its expanding Preferred Liquidity Provider Program for general partners. As a result of recent increased participation in the PLP Program, Beneficient has now executed PLP Program agreements with 19 separate alternative asset funds having an aggregate of $1.5 billion in committed capital across various asset classes, vintage years and fund sizes, which represents an increase of approximately $1.2 billion in committed capital from the 7 alternative asset funds that were participating as of January 22, 2023. Under the PLP Program, Beneficient has financed nearly $10 million of liquidity transactions, including today's announced successful closing of $2 million, to limited partners of these participating funds who were looking for an early exit solution. Each of the 19 separate alternative asset funds participating in the PLP Program and their collective 1,300 limited partners may utilize AltAccess, Beneficient's innovative customer-focused SOC 2 Type 1, SOC 2 Type 2, and SOC 3 certified technology platform, to digitize their alternative assets in order to explore early exit opportunities financed by Beneficient. The PLP Program provides alternative asset general partners, the investment funds they advise and their limited partners an opportunity for enhanced reporting and trust and custodial services, as well as early exit capabilities for their illiquid alternative investments financed by Beneficient. As a strategic, enterprise-wide initiative, the PLP Program also seeks to provide a wide range of financial services firms, including fund sponsors and wealth managers, the opportunity the to engage directly with AltAccess to create a turnkey, private-labeled experience for their customers and investors. Transactions pursuant to the PLP Program may be efficiently closed through our AltAccess platform, which provides customer proposals for liquidity in a secure online environment that is subject to ongoing oversight by our subsidiary's state banking regulators.

07:09 EST AC Immune to regain global rights to crenezumab, semorinemab - AC Immune announced that the Company will regain all global rights to the anti-amyloid beta antibody crenezumab and the anti-Tau antibody semorinemab following termination of the collaboration agreements with Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, and Roche. Both antibodies have been evaluated in clinical studies for Alzheimer's disease. AC Immune will also regain rights to existing GMP drug-product for clinical testing as well as associated data generated under each of the agreements. AC Immune will carefully review and evaluate available data sets, including the final open label extension results from the Lauriet trial when they become available and are received in full by AC Immune, before decisions are made on potential further development and other opportunities. Dr. Andrea Pfeifer, CEO of AC Immune SA, commented: "AC Immune is highly focused on progressing its three active immunotherapies from its precision medicine pipeline. These product candidates are being developed in ongoing, potentially registrational, Phase 2 clinical trials, including the recently initiated first prevention study in presymptomatic Alzheimer's disease. This approach, using the patients' own immune system to slow onset and ultimately prevent neurodegenerative diseases, has the potential to revolutionize how these conditions are addressed. With the recent milestone payment from our partner in the Tau active immunotherapy program, plus the USD50 million financing secured in December, we are well financed into 2026, and able to advance multiple high value development programs.

07:08 EST Neumora Therapeutics appoints Panandiker as Chief Commercial Officer - Neumora Therapeutics (NMRA) announced the appointment of Kaya Pai Panandiker as chief commercial officer and a member of Neumora's executive team, reporting to Henry Gosebruch, president and chief executive officer. Pai Panandiker has more than 20 years of experience commercializing medicines in areas of significant unmet need, including the commercial launches of TRINTELLIX and REXULTI for major depressive disorder and schizophrenia. Prior to joining Neumora, Pai Panandiker served as head of commercial at Cerevel Therapeutics (CERE) and general manager, neuroscience at Lundbeck US.

07:06 EST Nouveau Monde acquires Lac Gueret Property from Mason Resources - Nouveau Monde has entered into an asset purchase agreement with Mason Resources for the acquisition of the entire Lac Gueret Property, targeted for the development of the Uatnan Mining Project. The transaction strengthens the company's long-term vision to be a dominant force in the supply of carbon-neutral anode material for the Western market. NMG's active commercial discussions with tier-1 battery and electric vehicle, or EV, manufacturers, including Panasonic Energy, a wholly owned subsidiary of Panasonic, confirm the strong projected demand by battery materials analysts for graphite. This acquisition of another major asset in Quebec, Canada, reinforces NMG's fully vertically integrated production model in North America with the highest ESG standards of the industry, as validated by Benchmark Mineral Intelligence's Sustainability Index. NMG has agreed to acquire 100% of Mason's Lac Gueret Property, which consists among other things of 74 map-designated claims totaling 3,999.52 hectares. The consideration for the acquisition of the Lac Gueret Property is payable in 6,208,210 common shares of NMG, representing 9.25% of the pro forma issued and outstanding shares of NMG, to be issued to Mason upon the closing of the transaction. A subsequent payment of $5,000,000 will be made to Mason at the start of commercial production of the contemplated Uatnan Mining Project. 3,104,105 of the common shares of NMG to be issued in connection with the transaction will be subject to a lock-up for a period of 12 months and the remaining 3,104,105 common shares of NMG will be subject to a lock-up of 18 months. The shares of NMG will also be subject to a four-month hold period pursuant to Canadian securities laws. Closing of the transaction is expected to occur on or before January 31, 2024, and is subject to certain standard conditions, including the receipt of the final approval from the TSX Venture Exchange.

07:06 EST Vista Outdoor names Joyce Butler CHRO amid seperation to become 'standalone' - Revelyst, a collective of world-class maker brands that design and manufacture performance gear and precision technologies, today announced the appointment of Joyce Butler as Chief Human Relations Officer. Revelyst, the Outdoor Products division of Vista Outdoor Inc. (NYSE: VSTO), is in the process of separating into a standalone public company, with an expected execution date of later this year. Butler has dedicated her career to developing leaders and helping individuals, teams and organizations thrive. She has more than 25 years of experience in several industries, including health care, technology, and play and entertainment. Butler most recently served as CHRO for Avid Technology Inc., the Burlington, Massachusetts-based technology and multimedia company that develops digital non-linear editing systems, video editing software, audio editing software, music notation software and management and distribution services. Before Avid, she worked in various human resources and talent management roles for PTC, Hasbro, Lifespan and more.

07:05 EST Autolus Therapeutics announces acceptance of BLA for obe-cel - Autolus Therapeutics announces that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, FDA, has accepted its Biologics License Application, BLA, for obecabtagene autoleucel, obe-cel, for patients with relapsed/refractory, r/r, Adult B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, ALL. Under the Prescription Drug User Fee Act, PDUFA, the FDA has set a target action date of November 16, 2024, a standard review timeline consistent with recently approved CAR T therapies. The FDA is not currently planning to hold an advisory committee meeting to discuss this application. "Acceptance of the BLA filing is an important milestone for Autolus and we look forward to continuing our collaboration with the FDA during the review cycle," commented Dr. Christian Itin, Chief Executive Officer of Autolus. "With the PDUFA date set for November, we remain focused on preparing for the potential launch of obe-cel."

07:04 EST Ecovyst provides update on expansion of Texas catalyst activation facility - Ecovyst plans to invest in a new air emission control system at its Orange, Texas site as part of a project that is expected to increase the efficiency of the facility's emission control process and, through additional permitting, enable the future expansion of production capacity. The site is part of Ecoservices' Chem32 business, an ex-situ sulfiding and pre-activation provider for hydro-processing catalysts, which are used in the production of traditional and renewable fuels. Once installed, the new control system is expected to meet or exceed regulatory-required performance standards for applicable pollutants and also allow for expansion at the site to meet the increasing demand for catalysts that are used in the production of cleaner burning fuels.

07:04 EST Cara Therapeutics to discontinue Phase 3 program in advanced CKD - "We are sharpening our clinical focus on the rapidly progressing Phase 2/3 study in NP, which we believe is the therapeutic indication with the greatest commercial potential for oral difelikefalin," said Christopher Posner, President and Chief Executive Officer of Cara Therapeutics. "Following careful consideration, we have decided to discontinue our work in advanced chronic kidney disease. I would like to thank the patients and investigators who have participated in our advanced CKD clinical program, as well as our employees for their commitment to transforming the lives of CKD patients suffering from pruritus."

07:03 EST Natera acquires reproductive health assets from Invitae - Natera (NTRA) announced that it has acquired from Invitae (NVTA) certain assets relating to Invitae's non-invasive prenatal screening and carrier screening business. Natera has made an upfront payment in the amount of $10M to Invitae. In addition, the transaction includes $42.5M in potential milestone payments including cash and litigation-related credits. Pursuant to the agreement, Invitae will transition its non-invasive prenatal screening and carrier screening customers to Natera.

07:03 EST Ionis Pharmaceuticals' donidalorsen meets primary endpoint in Phase 3 HAE trial - Ionis Pharmaceuticals announced positive topline results for the Phase 3 OASIS-HAE study of donidalorsen in people with hereditary angioedema, or HAE. The trial met its primary endpoint of reduction in rate of angioedema attacks in patients treated with donidalorsen via subcutaneous injection dosed every 4 or 8 weeks vs. placebo. In addition, donidalorsen achieved statistical significance on all secondary endpoints in the Q4W group and key secondary endpoints in the Q8W group. Donidalorsen demonstrated a favorable safety and tolerability profile in the study, and there were no serious adverse events in the patients treated with donidalorsen. HAE is a rare and life-threatening genetic disease that causes unpredictable and frequent severe swelling of the skin, gastrointestinal tract, upper respiratory system, face and throat. Based on these data, Ionis is preparing to submit a New Drug Application with the FDA. Otsuka, which has exclusive rights to commercialize donidalorsen in Europe, is preparing to submit a Marketing Authorization Application to the European Medicines Agency. Donidalorsen received Orphan Drug Designation in the U.S., and the Orphan Drug Designation procedure in the EU is ongoing. Ionis plans to present the Phase 3 OASIS-HAE results at an upcoming medical congress by mid-year. Ionis also plans to share results from the Phase 3 OASIS-Plus study by mid-year.

06:57 EST Fisker announces amendements with 2025 convertible notes investor - Fisker filed a Form 8-K with the SEC regarding amendments with its 2025 convertible notes investor. Among other matters in the filing, Fisker and the investor agreed that upon a definitive agreement with a strategic OEM partner, any liens on intellectual property would be released, further enabling the company to pursue strategic collaborations. Additionally, the amended agreement waives all financial covenants with respect restricted cash used for operations. As of January 19, 2024, Fisker's outstanding debt under its 2025 convertible notes has been reduced by $185.5M to $324.5M from an aggregate originally issued amount of $510.0M. This reduction reflects the conversion of a portion of 2025 notes to equity by the investor.

06:56 EST Mallinckrodt presents findings from post hoc analysis of CONFIRM trial - Mallinckrodt announced the presentation of findings from a post hoc analysis of the Phase 3 CONFIRM clinical trial. In this analysis, treatment with Terlivaz for injection was associated with improvements in verified hepatorenal syndrome, or HRS, reversal and HRS reversal vs. placebo in adult cirrhosis patients with alcoholic hepatitis, or AH, and HRS with rapid reduction in kidney function. The results will be shared in an oral presentation at the Society of Critical Care Medicine, or SCCM, 2024 Critical Care Congress, taking place January 21-23, 2024, in Phoenix, Arizona. The post hoc analysis evaluated the efficacy of Terlivaz in a subgroup of patients from the CONFIRM trial with HRS, acute-on-chronic liver failure, or ACLF, grade 0-2 and serum creatinine, or SCr less than 5 mg/dL.1 The incidence of verified HRS reversal - defined as two consecutive SCr values less than or equal to 1.5 mg/dL at least two hours apart while on treatment and alive without renal replacement therapy, or RRT, for at least 10 days - and HRS reversal - defined as SCr less than or equal to1.5 mg/dL while on treatment - were assessed. A total of 117 patients in the subgroup analysis met the criteria for evaluation. The analysis found that the incidence of verified HRS reversal was significantly higher in patients treated with Terlivaz vs. placebo, as well as the incidence of HRS reversal.

06:52 EST Pharvaris announces FDA lifting of clinical hold of deucrictibant in HAE attacks - Pharvaris announced the FDA has lifted the clinical hold on the Investigational New Drug application for deucrictibant for the prophylactic treatment of hereditary angioedema, or HAE, attacks following review of data from a 26-week rodent toxicology study. In August 2022, the FDA placed clinical studies of deucrictibant, including CHAPTER-1, on hold. Pharvaris notified ex-U.S. country-specific regulatory authorities of the clinical hold in the U.S., and the regulatory status of deucrictibant outside the U.S. was not affected. In June 2023, Pharvaris announced the FDA's removal of the clinical hold of deucrictibant for the on-demand treatment of HAE in the U.S. following FDA review of data from a preplanned interim analysis of a 26-week rodent toxicology study. In December 2023, Pharvaris announced positive top-line clinical data from the Phase 2 CHAPTER-1 study of deucrictibant for the prophylactic treatment of HAE attacks.

06:47 EST International Game signs three year contract extension with the Virginia Lottery - International Game announced that its subsidiary, IGT Global Solutions, has signed a three-year contract extension with the Virginia Lottery. The extension, when added to the full duration of the contract, will run through October 2033, and in addition makes available three, one-year extension options. IGT will provide the Virginia Lottery with an upgraded lottery central system and communications network, new point-of-sale hardware, and exciting gameplay features with a target live date of October 2025.

06:44 EST Cellectar Biosciences' iopofosine conjugate shows efficacy in CNS malignancies - Cellectar Biosciences' novel phospholipid radiotherapeutic conjugate, iopofosine I 131, demonstrated a pathological response with complete clonal clearance in a relapsed/refractory Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia - WM - patient with CNS involvement, also known as Bing-Neel Syndrome - BNS -, enrolled in its Phase 2b CLOVER WaM pivotal trial. As part of the CLOVER WaM pivotal trial, the patient with BNS received the standard WM dosing regimen of two treatment cycles with two doses per cycle for a total of four fixed doses of iopofosine I 131 over 75 days. Cerebrospinal fluid flow cytometry showed no evidence of clonal B-cells, and molecular analysis did not detect the MYD88 mutation. Cellectar previously announced a complete response in a patient with relapsed/refractory primary central nervous system lymphoma as part of its ongoing Phase 2a trial of iopofosine I 131. Currently, there are no approved therapies available to CNSL patients. Additionally, with the support of a $2M grant from the National Institute of Health's National Cancer Institute, during 3Q23, Cellectar initiated a Phase 1b study in pediatric high-grade gliomas, currently enrolling, with the objective to identify the recommended iopofosine I 131 Phase 2 dose in pHGG patients. The NCI funding was in part granted due to the Phase 1a trial data demonstrating five months of progression free survival, greater than what is typically observed in relapsed/refractory patients.

06:41 EST Choice Hotels proposes eight nominees for Wyndham Hotels & Resorts board - Choice Hotels (CHH) announced that it has proposed eight independent, highly qualified individuals to stand for election at the 2024 Annual Shareholder Meeting of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts (WH). The company said, "The nominees proposed by Choice understand the nuances of the franchising model and the increasing pressure franchisees face from rising operating costs, larger hotel chains and dominant online travel agencies - pressures that will only mount as the lodging sector becomes even more competitive with new brand entrants."

06:35 EST Sandoz agrees to acquire Cimerli business from Coherus - Sandoz (SDZNY) has signed an agreement to acquire the U.S. biosimilar ranibizumab Cimerli from Coherus BioSciences (CHRS) for an upfront cash purchase payment of $170M. This is inclusive of a biologics license application, product inventory, ophthalmology sales and field reimbursement talent, as well as access to proprietary commercial software. "Sandoz looks forward to providing even more treatment options for US patients with vision impairment and loss. The agreement to acquire the Cimerli business from Coherus allows us to build a more robust ophthalmic platform that would support future product launches. Closing is anticipated in 1H 2024, subject to standard conditions and approvals," the company stated.

06:33 EST CGI Inc. partners with Korber - CGI announced a partnership with Korber aimed at enabling pharmaceutical and life sciences companies to improve their production processes by combining CGI's end-to-end services with Korber's Werum PAS-X Manufacturing Execution System, or MES, Suite. The global partnership is designed to help clients increase efficiency, accuracy, and safety in pharma products and enhance decision-making through access to real-time data.

06:20 EST H World Group reports preliminary Q4 hotel operations results - H World Group announced preliminary results for hotel operations in Q4 2023 and the full year 2023. For its Legacy-Huazhu business, RevPAR in Q4 2023 recovered to 120% of the 2019 level, supported by the sustained recovery in both leisure and business travel demand. RevPAR in October, November and December 2023 recovered to 120%, 117% and 123% of the 2019 levels, respectively. For 2023, RevPAR reached 122% of the 2019 level. While RevPAR growth in 2023 was primarily driven by ADR, the company also experienced continuous recovery in the occupancy rate. The company opened 460 hotels and closed 225 hotels in Q4 2023 and recorded a net increase of 852 hotels to its network in the full year of 2023. For Steigenberger Hotels GmbH and its subsidiaries, RevPAR in Q4 2023 recovered to 111% of the 2019 level, and was marginally above the 2022 level mainly due to a higher ADR base experienced during the FIFA World Cup and the COP27 UN Climate Change Conference in Q4 2022.

06:09 EST Bionomics provides update on BNC210 development - Bionomics provided a 2023 review and its outlook for 2024. Positive topline results from the Phase 2b ATTUNE study were announced in September 2023, meeting the primary endpoint on reduction in total symptom severity and highlighting the potential of BNC210 to improve multiple Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder symptom clusters with effects on thought intrusions, mood, trauma-related cognition, and sleep. An EoP2 meeting with the FDA in September 2023 confirmed the Phase 3 enabling nature of the PREVAIL dataset and clarified plans for the registrational program for BNC210 in Social Anxiety Disorder. The ongoing partnership with Merck on alpha7 PAMs for the treatment of cognitive disorders such as Alzheimer's disease and cognitive impairment associated with schizophrenia has generated two clinical candidates that are currently in late Phase 1 clinical development after completing several Phase 1 safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetic and biomarkers studies. The partnership has a potential value of $500M in regulatory and clinical milestones with additional potential royalties from commercialization. Future anticipated milestones for BNC210 include: plans to discuss a potential dose-ranging late-stage study of BNC210 in PTSD with the FDA; an update on the next steps is expected by the end of Q2'24. The company is exploring the submission of a request for Breakthrough Therapy designation in PTSD in Q2'24. The company is looking to secure a strategic partnership for BNC210.

05:55 EST Sony calls off merger with India's Zee Entertainment - Sony Pictures Networks India Private Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation, on Monday issued a notice terminating the definitive agreements entered into by SPNI and Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. relating to the merger of ZEEL with and into SPNI, which was previously announced on December 22, 2021. The definitive agreements provided that if the Merger did not close by the date twenty-four months after their signature date, the parties would be required to discuss in good faith an extension of the End Date required to make the Merger effective by a reasonable period of time. "The Merger did not close by the End Date as, among other things, the closing conditions to the Merger were not satisfied by then. SPNI has been engaged in discussions in good faith to extend the End Date but the Discussion Period has expired without an agreement upon an extension of the End Date. As a result, on January 22, 2024, SPNI issued a notice to ZEEL terminating the definitive agreements." Reference Link

05:30 EST BIO-key selected to enhance cybersecurity with Grupo Tragsa - BIO-key announced that Spain's Grupo Tragsa has partnered with Factum Espana to implement BIO-key's AuthControl Sentry solution. AuthControl Sentry, renowned for its comprehensive authentication capabilities, now plays a critical role in protecting the login processes of Tragsa's internal and external users. The implementation of AuthControl Sentry, complemented by a Virtual Private Network, or VPN, enhances the overall security posture of Tragsa, ensuring encrypted and secure access across its vast network. The collaboration underscores Tragsa's commitment to utilizing top-tier technology to maintain the highest standards of data security and operational integrity.

05:04 EST Vertical Aerospace secures $50M in funding from CEO Stephen Fitzpatrick - Vertical Aerospace announced that it has secured $50M in committed funding from founder, majority owner and CEO, Stephen Fitzpatrick. The investment provides the platform for further funding rounds and extends Vertical's projected cash runway into Q2 2025, supporting the continued development of the certification aircraft design following prototype testing this year. This certification aircraft will then go into final regulatory testing before production. This funding comes at an important period for the company as it nears the completion of its second-generation, full-scale piloted VX4 prototype at GKN Aerospace's Global Technology Centre. The aircraft will conduct a series of key public flight demonstrations in 2024, including the intention to fly at Farnborough International Airshow and to and from Heathrow Airport. These flights are expected to demonstrate the significant technical and engineering advancements made to the VX4. Following this flight test program and planned public demonstrations, Vertical expects to be in position to refine and finalize its aircraft design.