Catch up on today's top five analyst upgrades with this list compiled by The Fly: 1. Procter & Gamble (PG) upgraded to Buy from Neutral at UBS with analyst Stephen Powers saying the risk/reward is positive given the company's changes over the past six months. 2. Dick's Sporting (DKS) upgraded to Outperform from Sector Perform at RBC Capital with the firm saying it thinks that the company has a number of potential positive catalysts going forward, including reduced disruption from the Sports Authority's liquidation in the second quarter and third quarter and potential benefits from the liquidation next year, along with reduced spending on e-commerce in 2017. 3. GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) upgraded to Buy from Hold at Jefferies with analyst Jeffrey Holford saying fears of a dividend cut are overdone and the company's improving yield quality will continue to attract investors. 4. Southern Company (SO) upgraded to Overweight from Equal Weight at Barclays with analyst Daniel Ford saying the risk/reward is improving as it transforms to an infrastructure company. 5. Barrick Gold (ABX) and Randgold (GOLD) upgraded to Buy from Hold and Kinross Gold (KGC) upgraded to Hold from Underperform at Jefferies with analyst Christopher LaFemina upgrading the stocks after his firm increased its gold price forecasts to reflect ongoing elevated macro risk. This list is just a portion of The Fly's full analyst coverage. To see The Fly's full Street Research coverage, click here.

Due to a rapidly changing epidemiological environment following the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, CureVac and GSK decided to end the Pandemic Preparedness Agreement jointly concluded with the Federal Republic of Germany in April 2022. This decision was made after consultation with the German Federal Ministry of Health and the German Center for Pandemic Vaccines and Therapeutics. The agreement included the provision of production capacity and supply of mRNA-based vaccines in the event of a public health emergency in Germany. Termination will take effect on May 31, 2024, with no further financial obligations. Completion of CureVac's GMP IV manufacturing plant for the production mRNA-based vaccines is unaffected and progressing. Contingent upon regulatory approval, the facility is expected to be certified in the second half of 2024.

CureVac (CVAC) announced the start of the Phase 1 part of a combined Phase 1/2 study of an investigational influenza A pre-pandemic vaccine candidate developed in collaboration with GSK (GSK). The H5N1 avian influenza virus is considered a potential future pandemic threat, known to sporadically cross species from its original bird host to other animal hosts and humans. The monovalent vaccine candidate is based on CureVac's proprietary second-generation mRNA backbone and encodes an influenza A H5-antigen. The combined Phase 1/2 study will evaluate the safety, reactogenicity and immunogenicity of an investigational influenza A pre-pandemic vaccine candidate in healthy younger adults aged 18 to 64 and healthy older adults aged 65 to 85. In the initial Phase 1 dose-escalation part of the study, up to five dose levels will be assessed compared to a placebo control. The study will be conducted in the United States. The broad CureVac-GSK infectious disease collaboration was first announced in July 2020. It focuses on applying CureVac's mRNA-technology to the development of new products for infectious disease targets.