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India's Serum Institute buys 50% stake in country's largest vial maker

Serum Institute of India has bought a 50% stake in vials maker Schott Kaisha, the companies said on Tuesday, as the world’s largest vaccine maker aims to secure pharmaceutical packaging to meet rising demand due to the pandemic.

"Securing this supply chain is of strategic importance," said Adar Poonawalla, chief executive officer of Serum Institute. "As a longtime customer, we use (Schott’s) vials, ampoules and syringes to store our vaccines including (COVID-19 vaccine) Covishield."

Serum and Schott did not divulge any financial details onthe deal in their joint statement. A representative for Schott India in an email said that the two partners have decided not to disclose the value of the deal. Serum did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Schott Kaisha is a joint venture between specialty glassmakers Schott AG from Germany and India’s Kaisha, producing the highest number of ampoules and vials in the country at around 2.5 billion units per year.

In May, a Schott Kaisha executive told Reuters that the company expected to sell 380 million vials for COVID-19 vaccines in 2021-22, up from 113 million a year earlier.

Coronavirus cases in India have sharply dropped from the devastating peak of the second wave in April and May. The country on Tuesday administered a near record number of vaccination doses in the last 24 hours.

Cree Inc. Q4 adjusted earnings Beat Estimates

Below are the earnings highlights for Cree Inc. (CREE):

-Earnings: -$147.6 million in Q4 vs. -$38.9 million in the same period last year.
-EPS: -$1.28 in Q4 vs. -$0.36 in the same period last year.
-Excluding items, Cree Inc. reported adjusted earnings of $26.9 million or -$0.23 per share for the period.
-Analysts projected -$0.24 per share
-Revenue: $145.8M in Q4 vs. $108.4 million in the same period last year.

-Guidance:
Next quarter EPS guidance: -$0.21 to -$0.25
Next quarter revenue guidance: $144-$154 mln

Nuggets schedule: Preseason regular-season opener unveiled for 2021-22

Nuggets preseason schedule

• Oct. 4: At Los Angeles Clippers, 8:30 p.m.
• Oct. 6: At Golden State Warriors, 8 p.m.
• Oct. 8: Minnesota Timberwolves, 7 p.m.
• Oct. 13: At Oklahoma City Thunder, 6 p.m.
• Oct. 13: At Oklahoma City Thunder (at BOK Center in Tulsa, Okla.), 6 p.m.

Noah Holdings Limited Earnings at RMB 305.53 M in Q2

Below are the earnings highlights for Noah Holdings Limited (NOAH):

-Earnings: RMB305.53 million in Q2 vs. RMB299.64 million in the same period last year.
-EPS: RMB4.53 in Q2 vs. RMB4.84 in the same period last year.
-Excluding items, Noah Holdings Limited reported adjusted earnings of RMB337.03 million or RMB5.00 per share for the period.
-Revenue: RMB493.63 billion in Q2 vs. RMB382.74 billion in the same period last year.

Google Pixel 6 Series Phones To Ship Without Wall Chargers: Reports

After Apple and Samsung, it is now Google’s turn to do away with the charger. According to reports, Google Inc. (GOOG,GOOGL) will announce its upcoming Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro to come without the brick in the box.

Following the latest trend of the leading mobile manufacturing brands, set by Apple (AAPL), with its sans charger iPhone 12 series last year, and later followed by Samsung in the Galaxy S21 series, Google has decided to strip their customers of the wall charger with the common excuse that most customers already have one at their disposal.

Google’s decision of discontinuing the in-box charger lines up with the initiative of supporting the cause of helping the environment and reducing carbon footprint which is one of the most pressing issues in today’s world.

According to The Verge, the company said that the Pixel 5A will be the last in the series to include a wall charger in the box, implying that Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro won’t be shipped with the accessory in its retail boxes.

The new Pixel 6 is powered by Google’s in-house designed new system-on-chip and is expected to launch in the fall.

With the big sharks of phone manufacturers signing up for the no-charger product launches, one can only expect the smaller companies to follow suit sooner or later.

La-Z-Boy Inc Q1 adjusted earnings Miss Estimates

La-Z-Boy Inc (LZB) revealed a profit for its first quarter that advanced from the same period last year.

The company’s bottom line totaled $24.6 million, or $0.54 per share. This compares with $4.8 million, or $0.10 per share, in last year’s first quarter.

Excluding items, La-Z-Boy Inc reported adjusted earnings of $24.9 million or $0.55 per share for the period.

Analysts had expected the company to earn $0.57 per share, according to figures compiled by Thomson Reuters. Analysts’ estimates typically exclude special items.

The company’s revenue for the quarter rose 83.8% to $524.8 million from $285.5 million last year.

La-Z-Boy Inc earnings at a glance:

-Earnings (Q1): $24.9 Mln. vs. $8.6 Mln. last year.
-EPS (Q1): $0.55 vs. $0.18 last year.
-Analysts Estimate: $0.57
-Revenue (Q1): $524.8 Mln vs. $285.5 Mln last year.

Agilent Technologies Q3 adjusted earnings Beat Estimates

Agilent Technologies (A) reported a profit for its third quarter that rose from last year.

The company’s profit came in at $264 million, or $0.86 per share. This compares with $199 million, or $0.64 per share, in last year’s third quarter.

Excluding items, Agilent Technologies reported adjusted earnings of $337 million or $1.10 per share for the period.

Analysts had expected the company to earn $0.99 per share, according to figures compiled by Thomson Reuters. Analysts’ estimates typically exclude special items.

The company’s revenue for the quarter rose 26.2% to $1.59 billion from $1.26 billion last year.

Agilent Technologies earnings at a glance:

-Earnings (Q3): $337 Mln. vs. $243 Mln. last year.
-EPS (Q3): $1.10 vs. $0.78 last year.
-Analysts Estimate: $0.99
-Revenue (Q3): $1.59 Bln vs. $1.26 Bln last year.

-Guidance:
Next quarter EPS guidance: $1.15 – $1.18
Next quarter revenue guidance: $1.63 – $1.66 Bln
Full year EPS guidance: $4.28 – $4.31
Full year revenue guidance: $6.29 – $6.32 Bln