• Powell: Women, minorities face largest economic recovery hurdles

    Powell: Women, minorities face largest economic recovery hurdlesSenator Elizabeth Warren questioned Fed Chairman Jerome Powell about the economic struggles minorities have faced amid the coronavirus pandemic.

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  • DraftKings Drops 7% In Pre-Market Amid Public Share Offering

    DraftKings Drops 7% In Pre-Market Amid Public Share OfferingShares in DraftKings (DKNG) sank almost 7% in pre-market trading after the U.S. sports betting company announced a public offering to sell its common stock.The stock dropped to $37.80 in early market trading. DraftKings said it has commenced an underwritten public offering of 33 million shares of its Class A common stock, consisting of 14 million shares offered by DraftKings and 19 million shares offered by some of the company’s shareholders.The stockholders intend to grant the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional 4.95 million shares of Class A common stock. DraftKings will not receive any proceeds from the sale of Class A common stock offered by the stockholders. The offering is subject to market and other conditions, and there can be no assurance as to whether or when the offering may be completed.DraftKings said it intends to use the net proceeds it receives from the offering for general corporate purposes. Goldman Sachs & Co. and Credit Suisse Securities (USA) are acting as joint book-running managers.The share sale offering comes after the sports gambling went public at the end of April. Since the Nasdaq debut, the stock has more than doubled and is trading at $40.57 as of Tuesday’s close.Five-star analyst Jed Kelly at Oppenheimer last week initiated coverage of the stock with a Buy rating and a $48 price target.“As more states legalize sports gambling, we believe competencies in product development and customer acquisition will allow the company to be a critical player in accelerating the shift in US sports betting from ~$150 billion wagered illegally/ offshore to licensed domestic operators,” Kelly wrote in a note to investors.Although legalized sports betting and iGaming markets are in their very early stages of growth, Kelly estimates for the US legal sports wagering market to grow about 43% annually, reaching about $8 billion by 2025, and $14.4 billion by 2028 as more states regulate sports gaming. The analyst expects DraftKings to achieve about 25% market share.“While a premium valuation and high cash flow burn likely create above-average volatility near term, we emphasize the long-term nature of our rating,” Kelly added.The stock scores 7 Buy ratings versus 1 Hold rating adding up to a Strong Buy analyst consensus. The $43.29 average price target implies 6.7% upside potential in the shares over the coming year. (See DraftKings stock analysis on TipRanks).Related News: iQIYI Pops 35% In Pre-Market On Report Tencent Seeks To Buy Big Stake Nio Completes $428M ADS Offering, Stock Now Up 70% YTD Google Mulling Purchase of Stake in Indian Vodafone Idea More recent articles from Smarter Analyst: * Kamada’s Covid-19 Therapy Approved For Compassionate Use In Israel * Chembio Sinks 59% In Pre-Market As FDA Revokes Its Covid-19 Test; Top Analyst Cuts Rating * HSBC Resumes Plans To Cut 35,000 Jobs Postponed By Pandemic * Oracle Sinks Post-Earnings As Cloud Push Drags On

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  • Amarin, Apotex Settle Vascepa Dispute; Analyst Stays Sidelined

    Amarin, Apotex Settle Vascepa Dispute; Analyst Stays SidelinedAmarin (AMRN) has announced a settlement agreement with Apotex Inc. that resolves a patent litigation over Apotex’s abbreviated new drug application (ANDA) seeking US approval of a generic form of Vascepa capsules. Shares in Amarin rose 5% in Tuesday’s after-market trading.Amarin’s lead product Vascepa was initially launched in the US in 2013 as an adjunct therapy to diet to reduce triglyceride levels in adult patients with severe hypertriglyceridemia. A new, cardiovascular risk indication for the fish-oil derivative was approved by the FDA in December 2019 based on the results of the landmark Reduce-It trial.The company is currently appealing to the U.S. Court of Appeals a March 2020 patent invalidity ruling in favor of generic companies, Hikma Pharmaceuticals USA Inc. and Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, Inc. Because Apotex is not a party to that litigation, it is not directly subject to related rulings.As part of the new settlement agreement, Apotex can not sell a generic Vascepa in the US until August 9, 2029 (the same date as Amarin’s 2018 settlement agreement with Teva (TEVA)) or earlier under certain customary circumstances.  These circumstances include if Amarin is not successful in its pending appeal of the March 2020 Nevada district court decision.The agreement also substantially resolves future litigation with Apotex that relating to the December 2019 cardiovascular risk reduction indication of Vascepa, says Amarin.“This settlement involves no financial payment from Amarin to Apotex and allows Amarin to avoid incremental litigation expense and distraction associated with Apotex’s participation in patent litigation related to the MARINE and REDUCE-IT indications,” said John F. Thero, Amarin CEO.Year-to-date shares in Amarin have plunged 68%, but analysts retain a cautiously optimistic Moderate Buy outlook on the stock. This breaks down into 7 recent buy ratings vs 5 hold ratings. Meanwhile the average analyst price target of $18 translates into 155% upside potential. (See Amarin stock analysis on TipRanks)Stifel Nicolaus analyst Derek Archila reiterated his Amarin Hold rating following the settlement announcement. “While this is a slight positive, we don’t see this a major stock moving catalyst” he wrote, adding that he expects AMRN shares to remain range bound until it gets closer to the critical appeal hearing later this year.Related News: Too Much Uncertainty Keeps This 5-Star Analyst Watching Amarin Stock From the Sidelines Jazz Pharma Scores Surprise Early Approval For Lung Cancer Treatment Merck’s Gardasil Receives FDA Nod For Expanded Cancer Indications More recent articles from Smarter Analyst: * Kamada’s Covid-19 Therapy Approved For Compassionate Use In Israel * Chembio Sinks 59% In Pre-Market As FDA Revokes Its Covid-19 Test; Top Analyst Cuts Rating * HSBC Resumes Plans To Cut 35,000 Jobs Postponed By Pandemic * DraftKings Drops 7% In Pre-Market Amid Public Share Offering

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  • Chembio Sinks 59% In Pre-Market As FDA Revokes Its Covid-19 Test; Top Analyst Cuts Rating

    Chembio Sinks 59% In Pre-Market As FDA Revokes Its Covid-19 Test; Top Analyst Cuts RatingShares in Chembio Diagnostics (CEMI) sank 59% after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration revoked the Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) of its DPP (Dual Path Platform) COVID-19 serology test.The stock plunged to $4.10 in pre-market trading after the FDA said that there were performance concerns with the accuracy of Chembio’s SARS-CoV-2 antibody test. The U.S. regulator added that it made the decision to revoke the EUA authorization for the serology test as “benefits no longer outweigh its risks”.“This test generates a higher than expected rate of false results and higher than that reflected in the authorized labeling for the device,” the FDA said in a statement. “Under the current circumstances of the public health emergency, it is not reasonable to believe that the test may be effective in detecting antibodies against SARS-CoV-2.”The antibody test was one of the first to be granted EUA by the FDA in April. Chembio had been touted as one among a list of companies with the potential to bring a viable COVID-19 test to the market. The potential to deliver a reliable test has fueled impressive gains for the stock this year helping the value to almost double.Chembio’s share price dropped 5% to $9.93 at the close on Tuesday.In response to the FDA decision, five-star analyst Max Masucci at Canaccord Genuity downgraded the stock to a Hold and slashed the price target to $7 (30% downside potential) from $22, saying that his Buy thesis is no longer intact.“While the FDA’s revocation of CEMI’s EUA for its serology test comes as a surprise, it serves as a humble reminder that execution and transparency risks are magnified for micro-cap companies,” Masucci wrote in a note to investors. “Following the update, we materially reduce our revenues and have diminished expectations for CEMI’s ability to seed the market with analyzers for future test launches.”For now, the stock still scores a Moderate Buy analyst consensus with 3 Hold ratings versus 2 Buy ratings. The $16.33 average price target indicates 64% upside potential in the shares in the coming year.  (See Chembio stock analysis on TipRanks)Related News: Fulgent Pops 18% In After-Market On FDA Nod For Covid-19 Home Test AstraZeneca Inks Europe Deal For 400M Covid-19 Vaccine Doses Israel Is Said To Be In Talks To Buy Moderna’s Covid-19 Vaccine Candidate More recent articles from Smarter Analyst: * Kamada’s Covid-19 Therapy Approved For Compassionate Use In Israel * HSBC Resumes Plans To Cut 35,000 Jobs Postponed By Pandemic * DraftKings Drops 7% In Pre-Market Amid Public Share Offering * Oracle Sinks Post-Earnings As Cloud Push Drags On

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  • U.S. FAA chief to testify at hearing on jet certification after 737 MAX crashes

    U.S. FAA chief to testify at hearing on jet certification after 737 MAX crashesThe head of the Federal Aviation Administration is set to testify on Wednesday before a Senate committee on the safety certification of jetliners like Boeing Co’s 737 MAX, still grounded after fatal crashes. The Senate Commerce committee hearing at 10 a.m. EDT (1400 GMT) gives lawmakers a chance to question FAA Administrator Steve Dickson about bipartisan legislation introduced Tuesday that would grant the FAA more power over Boeing’s aircraft designs.

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  • PG&E Is Set to Exit Bankruptcy, Ending Saga Sparked by Fires

    PG&E Is Set to Exit Bankruptcy, Ending Saga Sparked by Fires(Bloomberg) — Only 19 months after the Camp Fire erupted in the tinderbox mountains of Northern California, PG&E Corp., the power utility behind the deadliest conflagration in the state’s history, is poised to emerge from bankruptcy with its safety reforms still in question.As the state braces for another fire season, the judge overseeing PG&E’s Chapter 11 case said Tuesday he would approve its $59 billion turnaround plan. Moments earlier, its chief executive officer pleaded guilty on behalf of the company to involuntary manslaughter, bringing its criminal case from the deadly blaze close to an end. And on Wall Street, PG&E moved forward with plans to sell bonds to fund its restructuring.The quick series of events concludes a tumultuous chapter for PG&E. Yet it’s exiting bankruptcy facing many of the same challenges as it did the day it filed. Efforts to strengthen its finances and safety procedures are still underway, and the long-term future of the giant utility remains in question.“It’s only going to take one season like the last couple and they’d be back in bankruptcy,” said San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo, who led an unsuccessful push to turn PG&E into a customer-owned cooperative.During an online hearing, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Dennis Montali said he will issue a notice Wednesday outlining his plan to approve PG&E’s restructuring. The judge said he will schedule a hearing for Friday to iron out a handful of issues.“I’m going to come to the conclusion that the plan should be confirmed,” Montali said.An attorney for PG&E asked for an official order confirming the plan by Monday so the company can start selling $9 billion in equity to help fund its reorganization. It’s already sold $8.9 billion in investment-grade bonds and is raising $3.75 billion in junk bonds. As of Tuesday morning, the company had received about triple the number of orders it’s seeking for the high-yield notes.Read More: PRICED: Pacific Gas And Electric $8.925b Debt OfferingOn the morning of Nov. 8, 2018, in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains, a faulty PG&E transmission line ignited what soon became a hell on Earth — a fire that soon consumed more than 150,000 acres, including the entire town of Paradise. It killed more than 80 people and destroyed nearly 19,000 homes, businesses and other structures.PG&E, which serves about 16 million people in Northern and Central California, has made some crucial changes since collapsing into bankruptcy in the aftermath of the blaze. It has replaced 11 of its 14 board members and is allowing for additional state oversight, appointing an independent safety monitor and dividing operations into regional units to focus more on safety. The company will have a new chief executive officer after its current one, Bill Johnson, steps down at the end of the month.As the judge prepared to announce his decision Tuesday, Johnson appeared in a California courtroom in Chico, some 20 miles from where the Camp Fire began. On behalf of the company, he pleaded guilty to 84 counts of involuntary manslaughter and one count of unlawfully starting a fire.“PG&E will never forget the Camp Fire and all that it took from this region,” Johnson said. “We remain deeply, deeply sorry for the terrible devastation we have caused.”READ MORE: PG&E Pleads Guilty to Killing 84 People in 2018 Camp FireHours after Johnson spoke, the Butte County District Attorney, who prosecuted the utility, released a scathing 92-page report of his probe into the Camp Fire. The findings included that a broken metal hook supporting the power line that started the blaze was at least 97 years old. The tower that held the equipment was about 100 years old.In essence, the prosecutor said, “PG&E blindly bought a used car. PG&E drove that car until it fell apart.”In a statement, PG&E said it has made “substantial progress” toward emerging from bankruptcy as a financially stable company that is positioned to safely supply California with power and help meet the state’s clean-energy goal.Critics, however, contend the reforms have yet to fully address the daunting operational challenges PG&E faces. Despite calls for the company to be broken up or turned into a government-owned entity, it will remain a colossal investor-owned utility. And it will emerge from Chapter 11 having nearly doubled its debt to more than $38 billion.As recently as May, a federal judge overseeing PG&E’s criminal probation stemming from a fatal gas-pipeline explosion in 2010 excoriated the company, saying it continues to drag its feet on safety and calling it a “recalcitrant criminal.”“If ever there was a corporation that deserved to go to prison — it is PG&E,” U.S. District Judge William Alsup said during a virtual hearing. “I’m going to do everything within my power to protect the people of California from further crimes and further destruction by PG&E.”PG&E’s debt has raised concerns about its financial durability and its ability to make an estimated $40 billion in investments required to fire-proof its grid. In the meantime, the utility will need to resort to intentionally shutting off power to keep its lines from igniting fires during wind storms.The company expects to officially exit bankruptcy at some point this summer, after it closes on the financing it has lined up to fund its reorganization. If PG&E gets into trouble again, California will have the option to take the utility over as part of an agreement with the state to back its reorganization plan.“This company didn’t get much out of the bankruptcy that’s going to help it going forward,” said Jared Ellias, a bankruptcy law professor at the University of California, Hastings College of Law. “They are leaving bankruptcy basically having converted pre-bankruptcy claims into mostly debt they have to pay.”One key advantage PG&E will have once it formally exits Chapter 11 is the option to participate in a state fund established to help utilities cover liabilities from future fires linked to their equipment.In all, investigators blamed PG&E equipment for 21 fires in 2017 and 2018. PG&E’s downfall underscores the increasing vulnerability utilities face as wildfires and hurricanes become more extreme. That’s especially the case in California, where state law holds utilities liable for damages even if they aren’t found to be negligent.PG&E’s odyssey through Chapter 11 turned into a battle for control of the century-old company as some of the biggest names on Wall Street including Pacific Investment Management Co., Elliott Management Corp. and Seth Klarman’s Baupost Group fought over competing reorganization plans.Judge Montali says he will confirm PG&E’s proposal despite concerns from some fire victims about whether they will get the full value of a $13.5 billion settlement to pay claims filed on behalf of an estimated 70,000 families and businesses devastated by fires.Half of the settlement will be paid in stock that some victims worry may go down in value if PG&E is blamed for causing more wildfires this year. The trust could see a $2 billion shortfall in the value of its shares when PG&E emerges based on current stock price estimates, an attorney for fire victims said Tuesday during the bankruptcy hearing.“Everyone here in Northern California really needs this company to succeed,” Ellias said.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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  • U.S. May retail sales surge 17.7%, but do not signal the ‘beginning of a trend’: Columbia Business School Professor

    U.S. May retail sales surge 17.7%, but do not signal the 'beginning of a trend': Columbia Business School ProfessorYahoo Finance’s Alexis Christoforous and Brian Sozzi react to the May retail sales number with Columbia Business School Professor Mark Cohen.

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  • Target raises minimum wage to $15 an hour for store, distribution and headquarter employees

    Target raises minimum wage to $15 an hour for store, distribution and headquarter employeesWith the job market kicking back into gear after the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Target looks to attract new workers to meet demand.

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  • Should You Take Comfort From Insider Transactions At Carnival Corporation & Plc (NYSE:CCL)?

    Should You Take Comfort From Insider Transactions At Carnival Corporation & Plc (NYSE:CCL)?We've lost count of how many times insiders have accumulated shares in a company that goes on to improve markedly. The…

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