Hesai Group ADR stock rises after reaching 2 million lidar deliveries

Investing.com -- Bill Holdings Inc. (NYSE:BILL) stock rose 2.2% Thursday after Bloomberg reported that activist investor Barington Capital Group has taken a stake in the business payments firm and is urging its board to explore a sale.

Barington has built a roughly $25 million position in Bill Holdings and joins other activist investors Elliott Investment Management and Starboard Value LP who already have stakes in the company. The hedge fund is now engaging with the company, according to people familiar with the matter.

"Based on our research, it is our belief that the company would be an extremely attractive acquisition candidate for both strategic and financial buyers," Barington Chief Executive Officer James Mitarotonda wrote in a letter to Bill’s board that was reviewed by Bloomberg News.

In the letter, Mitarotonda called on the board to "engage a financial adviser and form a special committee of independent directors to explore strategic alternatives for the company, including a potential sale, merger or other business combination."

The news comes as Bill Holdings faces increasing pressure from activist investors to consider strategic options that could potentially unlock shareholder value.

This article was generated with the support of AI and reviewed by an editor. For more information see our T&C.

Investing.com -- Cross Country Healthcare (NASDAQ:CCRN) stock tumbled 20% after the healthcare staffing company announced the termination of its merger agreement with Aya Healthcare.

The deal’s collapse follows a prolonged regulatory review process that extended beyond the merger agreement’s December 3, 2025 termination date. According to the company, Aya Healthcare cited "uncertainty, time and resource burden resulting from a possible challenge by the FTC" as justification for abandoning the transaction.

Cross Country Healthcare will receive a $20 million termination fee from Aya Healthcare as stipulated in their agreement. The termination follows a Second Request from the Federal Trade Commission in February 2025, with the HSR waiting period ultimately extended to December 30, 2025 due to the 43-day government shutdown—beyond the merger agreement’s deadline.

Despite the failed merger, Cross Country Healthcare emphasized its strong financial position with no debt and plans to immediately commence stock repurchases under its existing $40 million authorization program, subject to market conditions.

"Although the outcome is not what we envisioned, we believe we are well-positioned to continue executing our strategic plan and drive accelerated growth," said John A. Martins, President and CEO of Cross Country Healthcare. "The Company is operationally resilient, well diversified across the continuum of care and fully focused on delivering long-term value for our shareholders."

This article was generated with the support of AI and reviewed by an editor. For more information see our T&C.

Investing.com -- Hims & Hers Health (NYSE:HIMS) stock rose 3.6% Thursday after the company announced its official expansion into the Canadian market, marking a significant step in its international growth strategy.

The health and wellness platform’s entry into Canada follows its recent acquisition of Livewell, a Canadian digital health platform specializing in weight loss treatments. This strategic move positions the company to launch its comprehensive weight loss program in Canada next year, coinciding with the anticipated availability of generic semaglutide.

The expansion addresses a critical need in Canada, where nearly two-thirds of adults are overweight or living with obesity, yet face limited access to effective treatments due to high costs and other barriers. To support this new market, Hims & Hers has appointed Austin Kouri as General Manager of Canada and Dr. Sandy Van as Chief Medical Officer in Canada.

"Our expansion into Canada is a direct response to critical public health needs, particularly around the obesity crisis," said Andrew Dudum, co-founder and CEO of Hims & Hers. The company completed the all-cash acquisition using funds from its existing balance sheet.

The company, which already operates in the United States and Europe, views this expansion as part of its broader mission to democratize access to personalized healthcare globally. Hims & Hers plans to continue expanding into additional specialties in Canada and other international markets as demand for personalized healthcare access grows.

This article was generated with the support of AI and reviewed by an editor. For more information see our T&C.

Investing.com -- ENDRA Life Sciences (NASDAQ:NDRA) stock fell 10% after the company announced new results from its 2025 TAEUS Liver device feasibility study showing the device’s thermo-acoustic fat fraction measurement closely tracks the MRI-PDFF gold standard at critical liver fat fraction thresholds.

The study demonstrated that ENDRA’s TAEUS device performed with high accuracy at liver fat fraction thresholds of 12-17% and 20-22%, which separate mild, moderate, and severe steatotic liver disease. At the 12-17% range, the device showed an average positive predictive value (PPV) of 100%, negative predictive value (NPV) of 94%, and accuracy of 95%. For the 20-22% range, it delivered a PPV of 90%, NPV of 94%, and accuracy of 94%.

ENDRA is positioning the TAEUS device as a low-cost alternative to MRI-PDFF for patient stratification and monitoring in clinical trials. While an MRI-PDFF exam can cost over $2,500, ENDRA anticipates its solution will cost less than $200, potentially reducing imaging costs in drug development for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) and obesity.

"Drug developers and payors need to know if a patient is above or below the specific thresholds that trigger costly therapies, reimbursement of those therapies or trial enrollment," said Alexander Tokman, CEO of ENDRA Life Sciences.

The company has begun a second feasibility study in London, Ontario to further validate performance beyond a single center, with completion expected in the coming months. ENDRA plans to engage with the FDA in 2026 regarding pivotal study design in support of a future De Novo submission.

This article was generated with the support of AI and reviewed by an editor. For more information see our T&C.