Author: therawinformant

The shares of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd (NYSE: NCLH), Carnival Corp. (NYSE: CCL), and Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd (NYSE: RCL) continued to dip in the after-hours session Thursday, as the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention extended its ban on cruise sailing in the United States.What Happened In an order Thursday, the CDC extended the suspension of "passenger operations on cruise ships with the capacity to carry at least 250 passengers in waters" through September 15."If unrestricted cruise ship passenger operations were permitted to resume, passengers and crew on board would be at increased risk of COVID-19 infection and those that work or travel on cruise ships would place substantial unnecessary risk on healthcare workers, port personnel and federal partners, and the communities they return to," the federal agency said in a statement.According to the CDC data between March and July, there have been 2,973 coronavirus or coronavirus-like illnesses on cruise ships since March, including 34 deaths.Why It Matters Cruise companies have been voluntarily delaying resuming their operations as well, with the risk of coronavirus spread remaining especially high in contained spaces.Norwegian announced last month it was suspending its voyages through October, and rival Carnival has also suspended its operations through mid-September at least.Miami-based Norwegian earlier in the day said it intended to raise $925 million via debt offerings and $250 million via stock offerings, as it looks to keep the business afloat during the pandemic.Price Action Carnival shares traded 1% lower in the after-hours session at $15.78 on Thursday, after closing the regular session 9.7% lower at $15.78.Royal Caribbean was down 0.4% at $53.94. It had closed the regular session 7.6% lower at $53.94.Norwegian dropped 0.7% further from the 15.6% lower close at $15.61 in the regular session.See more from Benzinga * iPhone Chipmaker TSMC Reports Massive Earnings Beat In Q2 * Biohaven Pharmaceutical's Migraine Drug To Be Promoted by Khloe Kardashian * GoHealth Shares Drop 9% On Day One Trading After 3M IPO(C) 2020 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

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Vaccine-focused biopharma Dynavax Technologies (DVAX) has announced a collaboration to develop a universal influenza (flu) vaccine with the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.Mount Sinai’s work in this area is funded under a contract award from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), as part of the Collaborative Influenza Vaccine Innovation Centers (CIVICs) program.The Mount Sinai CIVICs team will evaluate a novel approach they have developed called chimeric hemagglutinin (cHA) designed to protect against all strains of influenza in combination with Dynavax’s CpG 1018TM adjuvant.Adjuvants are added to a vaccine to boost the immune response to produce more antibodies and longer-lasting immunity, thus minimizing the dose of antigen needed. They can also enhance vaccine efficacy by helping to modify the immune response by particular types of immune system cells.The development program will support an Investigational New Drug (IND) application for Phase I clinical trials.There are no approved universal flu vaccines. The effectiveness of seasonal influenza vaccine ranges between 10% and 60%. A universal vaccine could eliminate the need to update and administer the seasonal flu vaccine annually and could protect against newly emerging flu strains, potentially including those that could cause a flu pandemic.Seasonal influenza epidemics, caused by influenza A and B viruses, result in 3–5 million severe cases and 300 000–500 000 deaths globally each year.“We are focused on designing novel vaccine candidates and delivery platforms with an emphasis on cross-protective vaccine strategies that could be used in healthy adults as well as populations at high risk for the most serious outcomes of influenza,” said Peter Palese, of Mount Sinai. “Including CpG 1018 in these vaccines gives us an important tool to potentially improve the immune response, especially in populations that need it most like the elderly.”Shares in Dynavax have surged 66% year-to-date, and all four analysts covering the stock rate it a buy. The Strong Buy analyst consensus comes with a $15 average analyst price target (62% upside potential).“We remind investors that Dynavax currently has partnerships in place with five different companies developing COVID-19 vaccines that utilize Dynavax’s CpG 1018 adjuvant” commented HC Wainwright analyst Edward White on July 16.“We include no value at this time for the influenza vaccine or the COVID-19 vaccines, but we expect to add potential value for them to our price target once we see clinical data” he adds. White’s buy rating comes with a $12 price target. (See DVAX stock analysis on TipRanks).Related News: Johnson & Johnson Tops Q2 Estimates; Raises 2020 Guidance Boston Scientific Mulls Billion-Dollar Snake Venom Sale- Report Becton, Dickinson Score Fed Contract For Covid-19 Rapid Test Systems More recent articles from Smarter Analyst: * Norwegian Cruise Sets $15 Offering Price, As Downgrades Sweep Stock * LendingTree Boosts Q2 Guidance; Analysts Raise Price Targets * Netflix Sinks 9% On Weak Q2 Earnings; Subdued Guidance * Amazon Launches Brand-Streaming Product Using Twitch Technology

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(Bloomberg) — SoftBank Group Corp. quietly sold an additional $2.2 billion of its stake in Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. as part of the Japanese conglomerate’s fund-raising effort to pay down debt and buy back its own shares.The deal, which includes a collar contract and call spread, is expected to be settled between May 2024 and June 2024. The details were disclosed on page 276 of SoftBank’s year-end financial filing released on June 25, but have not been previously reported. A SoftBank Group spokesman confirmed the details of the sale.This step is the latest in an unwinding of a relationship between the two companies that spans two decades. SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son was an early backer of Jack Ma’s Alibaba and the Chinese e-commerce giant remains his most successful investment by far. In early 2000, Son invested $20 million into the then-unknown web portal connecting Chinese manufacturers with overseas buyers, a stake that is now worth more than $150 billion. Son and Ma stepped down from each other’s boards last month.The deal brings the total of Alibaba stock sold by the Tokyo-based company this year to $13.7 billion. SoftBank in May said that it entered into several prepaid forward contracts with banks in April and May using Alibaba shares to procure a total of $11.5 billion. That includes a $1.5 billion forward contract with settlement in April 2024, a $1.5 billion floor contract with settlement in Dec. 2023 and Jan. 2024, and a $8.5 billion collar contract with settlement from Jan. to Sept. 2022.SoftBank is in the process of offloading 4.5 trillion yen ($42 billion) of assets to bankroll stock buybacks and slash debt to reassure investors after a swoon in its shares earlier this year. In addition to Alibaba, the company is selling a stake in T-Mobile US Inc. for as much as $20 billion and stock in its domestic telecom unit.SoftBank shares have recovered as the company has sold assets and bought back stock. The stock has climbed about 140% from their low in March and hit the highest level in two decades this month.For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.

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It’s been a low-volume breakout so far for D.R. Horton (DHI), but it’s still in buy range from a 59.94 entry.

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Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NCLH) has announced that it has priced its $250M offering of 16,666,667 ordinary shares at a price to the public of $15.00 per share. Shares in NCLH plunged 16% in Thursday’s trading, bringing the share price down to $15.61.NCLH has also granted the underwriters an option to purchase up to 2,500,000 of additional ordinary shares, which must be exercised on or before August 17, 2020.The offering is expected to close on July 21, 2020, subject to customary closing conditions. The company says it expects to use the net proceeds from the offering for general corporate purposes.J.P. Morgan, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, Barclays, Mizuho Securities and UBS Investment Bank are acting as joint book-running managers.NCLH, which operates a combined fleet of 28 ships, has seen shares plunge 73% year-to-date due to the fallout from Covid-19 on the tourism industry.However the stock maintains a cautiously optimistic Moderate Buy Street consensus, with 6 recent buy ratings, 10 hold ratings and 1 sell rating. Meanwhile the $17 average analyst price target indicates 9% upside potential lies ahead. (See NCLH analysis on TipRanks).In the last few days both SunTrust Robinson and Macquarie have downgraded the cruise company to Hold from Buy. That brings the total analyst downgrades in the last month to four. Indeed, Macquarie’s Paul Golding downgraded the entire cruise sector, citing spiking Covid-19 cases.“One of the many factors that makes the resumption of service complicated is the fact that cruise operators must coordinate with multiple regulatory bodies from numerous countries. We don’t anticipate that the regulations and procedures will necessarily be identical across the globe” comments Deutsche Bank analyst Chris Woronka.He has a hold rating on NCLH and $15 price target, telling investors: “Cruises are inherently social in nature and there are legitimate questions about the quality of the experience if physical distancing is required (in addition to concerns that it might be exceedingly difficult to profitably operate an itinerary that is capacity constrained).”Related News: Netflix Sinks 9% On Weak Q2 Earnings; Subdued Guidance Guns, Gaming and Zoom – The Companies with the Highest Earnings Momentum Heading into Q2 Reports American Airlines, JetBlue Partner To Boost Flight Options In Bid For Covid-19 Recovery More recent articles from Smarter Analyst: * LendingTree Boosts Q2 Guidance; Analysts Raise Price Targets * Netflix Sinks 9% On Weak Q2 Earnings; Subdued Guidance * Amazon Launches Brand-Streaming Product Using Twitch Technology * Uber Buys Routematch To Expand Public Transit Operations

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I last wrote about Plug Power (NASDAQ:PLUG) in early April. A fair bit has happened to the manufacturer of hydrogen fuel cell systems in the three months since. All of it is good, which is why PLUG stock is up 129% since April 7. The stock hit a 52-week and all-time high of $10.49 on July 6. In the six days of trading since it has fallen back 21%. I guess investors felt Plug Power stock was getting ahead of itself from a valuation perspective. Fair enough. InvestorPlace – Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading TipsIn April, I was enthusiastic about the company's drive to $1 billion in sales by 2024, suggesting it was a buy in the mid-$3s and a steal under $3. Now that it's pushing $10, it's not nearly as cheap. Despite its lofty valuation, I still believe it's a buy. Here's why. Plug Power's Lofty Goals Got LoftierIn April, Plug Power announced a five-year plan that included $1 billion in sales, $170 million in operating income, and $200 million in adjusted EBITDA by 2024. On June 23, the company raised its goals for 2024 to $1.2 billion in sales, $210 million in operating income, and $250 million in adjusted EBITDA, 17%, 24% and 25% increases, respectively, from its earlier targets. * 8 Presidential Election Stocks to Buy in Case Trump Wins Again Acquisitions were the main reason for the increase.The first was United Hydrogen, one of the largest privately-owned hydrogen producers in North America. It currently can produce 6.4 tons of hydrogen daily. It will up that amount to 10 tons daily soon. Having United Hydrogen in the fold helps Plug Power keep up with the push to hydrogen fuel. The second acquisition was Giner ELX, an operator of one of the world's largest and most cost-effective proton exchange membrane (PEM) hydrogen generators. As someone who had trouble with science in high school, I'll leave the importance of such a generator to the professionals. "Water electrolysis technologies are classified into three categories based on the applied electrolyte: alkaline water electrolysis, proton exchange membrane (PEM) water electrolysis, and solid oxide water electrolysis [11]," stated authors Radenka Maric and Haoran Yu in a November 2018 journal contribution for IntechOpen. "PEM water electrolysis systems provide several advantages over the other two electrolysis technologies, such as higher rate of hydrogen production, more compact design, and greater energy efficiency."In a nutshell, Giner ELX gives Plug Power access to greener hydrogen, which will allow it to move its customers to low carbon and zero-carbon energy solutions. Plug Power's intention is to become a vertically-integrated hydrogen company. These two acquisitions have moved it closer to its goal to have 50% or more of the hydrogen used in its business to be green by 2024. "Plug Power is working to build the modern clean hydrogen economy. Every decision we make is with an eye to the future, not the past," Plug Power CEO, Andy Marsh, said in its press release announcing closing the two acquisitions. "This closely aligns with the efforts that companies like United Hydrogen and Giner ELX have made to secure broad participation in the hydrogen economy, and to achieve the objectives of a clean environment and reduced dependence on foreign oil."Any business that can help drive fossil fuels into oblivion is worthy of investor attention. Plug Power is undoubtedly one of them. Why Buy PLUG Stock at 9 Times Sales?Plug Power reported its first-quarter results in May. On the top line, sales were $40.8 million, 88.9% higher than a year earlier. On the bottom line, it had adjusted EBITDA of $6.1 million, 30.7% lower than Q1 2019. On a GAAP basis, it lost 12 cents per share, 14% lower than last year. All around, the numbers were very encouraging. Despite the novel coronavirus and Covid-19, it closed a multi-site anchor GenKey customer with estimated gross billings, of approximately $50 million during the quarter. Also, it launched its 125kW Pro-Gen zero-emission engine for heavy-duty Class 6, 7, and 8 trucks, transit buses, etc. Equally important, it reaffirmed its 2020 guidance of $300 million in gross billings, a growth rate of more than 25%. This is a business on the move."Hydrogen is expected to be one of the fastest growing segments of the energy industry representing as much as 18% of the energy mix by 2050. Today, Plug Power is the largest user of liquid hydrogen and has built more hydrogen refueling stations than anyone else in the world," stated its Q1 2020 letter to shareholders."Customers have performed more than 27.7 million fills, dispensing more than 27 tons of hydrogen daily. These numbers remain unmatched by any other company in our industry."I believe that it makes sense to pay up for companies that are breaking the mold. Plug Power is such a company.Next stop, $20. The only question is when? Sooner than you think. Will Ashworth has written about investments full-time since 2008. Publications where he's appeared include InvestorPlace, The Motley Fool Canada, Investopedia, Kiplinger, and several others in both the U.S. and Canada. He particularly enjoys creating model portfolios that stand the test of time. He lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia. At the time of this writing Will Ashworth did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities. More From InvestorPlace * Why Everyone Is Investing in 5G All WRONG * America's 1 Stock Picker Reveals His Next 1,000% Winner * Revolutionary Tech Behind 5G Rollout Is Being Pioneered By This 1 Company * Radical New Battery Could Dismantle Oil Markets The post Ita€™s Time for Plug Power to Plow Through $10 appeared first on InvestorPlace.

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The former head of a key subsidiary of Wirecard, who was arrested earlier this month, has admitted wrongdoing to prosecutors for his role in a multi-billion-euros fraud, his lawyer said on Thursday. It is the first known confession of wrongdoing in the collapse of one of Germany’s biggest companies. The unidentified jailed executive was the chief executive officer of Dubai-based Cardsystems Middle East.

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