Great Lakes Dredge & Dock (GLDD) – More Business


Monday, October 02, 2023

Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation is the largest provider of dredging services in the United States. In addition, Great Lakes is fully engaged in expanding its core business into the rapidly developing offshore wind energy industry. The Company has a long history of performing significant international projects. The Company employs experienced civil, ocean and mechanical engineering staff in its estimating, production and project management functions. In its over 131-year history, the Company has never failed to complete a marine project. Great Lakes owns and operates the largest and most diverse fleet in the U.S. dredging industry, comprised of approximately 200 specialized vessels. Great Lakes has a disciplined training program for engineers that ensures experienced-based performance as they advance through Company operations. The Company’s Incident-and Injury-Free® (IIF®) safety management program is integrated into all aspects of the Company’s culture. The Company’s commitment to the IIF® culture promotes a work environment where employee safety is paramount.

Joe Gomes, Managing Director, Equity Research Analyst, Generalist , Noble Capital Markets, Inc.

Joshua Zoepfel, Research Associate, Noble Capital Markets, Inc.

Refer to the full report for the price target, fundamental analysis, and rating.

New Awards. Great Lakes was awarded some additional work, according to the DOD daily new awards announcements. The work totals some $48 million and continues the recent trend of building backlog.

Award 1. On September 27th, Great Lakes was awarded a $14.4 million modification to contract W912HY-21-C-0015 for removal and disposal of pipelines. Work will be performed in Corpus Christie, Texas, with an estimated completion date of March 20, 2024. Fiscal 2021 and 2023 civil construction funds and fiscal 2023 non-federal, Port of Corpus Christie funds in the amount of $14.4 million were obligated at the time of the award.


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Commercial Vehicle Group, Inc. (CVGI) – Updating Third Quarter Estimates


Monday, October 02, 2023

Joe Gomes, Managing Director, Equity Research Analyst, Generalist , Noble Capital Markets, Inc.

Joshua Zoepfel, Research Associate, Noble Capital Markets, Inc.

Refer to the full report for the price target, fundamental analysis, and rating.

Management Call. We recently had an opportunity to chat with Commercial Vehicle Group management. While major trends continue, there has been some reduced overall industry expectations in truck builds. While management did not comment on any impact on Commercial Vehicle, to be on the conservative side we are modestly lowering our expectations for the quarter. This does not change our longer term outlook for the Company.

Heavy Duty Trucks. Between mid-August and mid-September, industry specialist ACT Research slightly lowered their forecast for Class 8 trucks for the quarter, lowering the forecast by nearly 5,000 to 84,779 units. We would note, however, the full year 2023 and 2024 forecasts remain very positive.


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Cocrystal Pharma (COCP) – CDI-988 Begins Phase 1a/b Clinical Trial


Monday, October 02, 2023

Cocrystal Pharma, Inc. is a clinical-stage biotechnology company discovering and developing novel antiviral therapeutics that target the replication process of influenza viruses, coronaviruses (including SARS-CoV-2), hepatitis C viruses and noroviruses. Cocrystal employs unique structure-based technologies and Nobel Prize-winning expertise to create first- and best-in-class antiviral drugs. For further information about Cocrystal, please visit www.cocrystalpharma.com.

Robert LeBoyer, Senior Vice President, Equity Research Analyst, Biotechnology, Noble Capital Markets, Inc.

Refer to the full report for the price target, fundamental analysis, and rating.

CDI-988 Begins Clinical Studies. Cocrystal announced that CDI-988 has begun Phase 1a/b studies, meeting our expected timeframe. CDI-988 is a 3CL protease inhibitor that interferes with an enzyme early in the viral lifecycle, stopping a virus from reproducing. This early action contrasts with other approaches that seek to kill the virus after it reaches the bloodstream. The study objective is to establish safety, dosing, and pharmacokinetics for design of a Phase 2 study.

Phase 1a/b Study Will Test Ascending Dose Cohorts. The study will have a Phase 1a single ascending-dose stage (SAD) in which patients receive a single administration of CDI-988. As safety is established for each dose, subsequent groups receive higher doses. The Phase 1b stage will have multiple administrations of CDI-988 at ascending doses (MAD). Since CDI-988 is an orally administered vaccine, pharmacokinetic data will include the effect of food drug adsorption. The results of the study will be used to design Phase 2 studies in both norovirus, a frequent cause of acute gastroenteritis, and COVID-19.


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*Analyst certification and important disclosures included in the full report. NOTE: investment decisions should not be based upon the content of this research summary. Proper due diligence is required before making any investment decision. 

Bassett Furniture (BSET) – Reports Fiscal Third Quarter


Monday, October 02, 2023

Bassett Furniture Industries, Incorporated manufactures, markets, and retails home furnishings in the United States. The company operates in three segments: Wholesale, Retail, and Logistical Services. It is involved in the design, manufacture, sourcing, sale, and distribution of furniture products to a network of company-owned and licensee-owned Bassett Home Furnishings (BHF) retail stores, as well as independent furniture retailers; and wood and upholstery operations. As of September 16, 2017, the company operated a network of 91 company-and licensee-owned stores. It also provides shipping, delivery, and warehousing services to customers in the furniture industry. In addition, the company owns and leases retail store properties. It also distributes its products through other multi-line furniture stores, Bassett galleries or design centers, specialty stores, and mass merchants. Bassett Furniture Industries was founded in 1902 and is based in Bassett, Virginia.

Joe Gomes, Managing Director, Equity Research Analyst, Generalist , Noble Capital Markets, Inc.

Joshua Zoepfel, Research Associate, Noble Capital Markets, Inc.

Refer to the full report for the price target, fundamental analysis, and rating.

3Q23 Results. Bassett reported 3Q23 results in-line with the September 6th lowered expectations. Revenue was $87.2 million, down 26.1% year-over-year. Wholesale revenue declined 28.2% while Retail revenue declined 26.2%. Operating loss was $3.8 million compared to adjusted operating income of $6.1 million last year. Basset reported a net loss of $2.6 million, or $0.30 per share better than we had anticipated as SG&A expenses were reduced.

Uncertain Environment. The operating environment remains uncertain. While traffic and business increases around holiday events, day-to-day store traffic and wholesale order writing between the big events remain very challenging. We do not expect this situation to change until the consumer feels more confident about future prospects for the economy.


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*Analyst certification and important disclosures included in the full report. NOTE: investment decisions should not be based upon the content of this research summary. Proper due diligence is required before making any investment decision. 

Hemisphere Energy Corporation (HMENF) – Production jump coming. A special dividend!


Friday, September 29, 2023

Michael Heim, Senior Vice President, Equity Research Analyst, Energy & Transportation, Noble Capital Markets, Inc.

Refer to the full report for the price target, fundamental analysis, and rating.

2023 summer drilling program completed. Hemisphere drilled eight wells (6 for production) during the summer, as planned. Four had been completed by August 24th, as reported during second quarter results, so the completions were expected and in line with our model’s assumptions. Management indicated that capital expenditures for the rest of the year should be minimal and we do not expect additional wells to be drilled. 

Production is rising. Management reports that production has reached 3,200 boe/d, up from August production of 3,000 boe/d. Recall that production for the second quarter was slightly below our expectations, but we expected rates to rise as wells came on line.  With production finishing the quarter strong, we believe third quarter production should meet our projections for 3,050 boe/d and fourth quarter production of 3,200 boe/d which assumes some improvement from well optimization.


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*Analyst certification and important disclosures included in the full report. NOTE: investment decisions should not be based upon the content of this research summary. Proper due diligence is required before making any investment decision. 

Century Lithium Corp. (CYDVF) – Time to Step Up?


Friday, September 29, 2023

Mark Reichman, Managing Director, Equity Research Analyst, Natural Resources, Noble Capital Markets, Inc.

Refer to the full report for the price target, fundamental analysis, and rating.

Near-term weakness presents an opportunity. Lithium stocks have been weighed down by a decline in lithium spot prices this year driven mainly by factors in China. The recent price of battery grade lithium carbonate was ~US$23,300 per tonne. We think it presents an opportunity for longer-term investors based on favorable intermediate and long-term lithium fundamentals supported by growth in the North American electric vehicle market. While commodity spot prices tend to be volatile, long-term supply contracts will likely account for market volume growth as electric vehicle industry participants seek to secure their own lithium sources.

North American lithium projects have gained traction. With critical minerals supplies subject to geopolitical risk, lithium projects in North America benefit from a variety of funding options as battery manufacturers and car makers seek to secure supplies to de-risk their own long-term objectives. General Motors’ investment and offtake agreement with Lithium Americas to advance the Thacker Pass lithium project in Nevada validates the commercial potential of similar projects. Another example is the U.S. Dept. of Energy’s commitment to lend up to US$700 million to develop Ioneer’s Rhyolite Ridge project in Nevada coupled with US$490 million of conditional financing from Sibanye-Stillwater and binding offtake agreements with Ford, Toyota/Panasonic, and EcoPro.


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Baudax Bio (BXRX) – Orphan Drug Designation Granted By FDA for TI-168


Friday, September 29, 2023

Baudax Bio is a pharmaceutical company focused on innovative products for acute care settings. ANJESO is the first and only 24-hour, intravenous (IV) COX-2 preferential non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) for the management of moderate to severe pain. In addition to ANJESO, Baudax Bio has a pipeline of other innovative pharmaceutical assets including two novel neuromuscular blocking agents (NMBs) and a proprietary chemical reversal agent specific to these NMBs. For more information, please visit www.baudaxbio.com.

Gregory Aurand, Senior Vice President, Equity Research Analyst, Healthcare Services & Medical Devices, Noble Capital Markets, Inc.

Refer to the full report for the price target, fundamental analysis, and rating.

Treatment of Hemophilia A with inhibitors.  As announced yesterday, the FDA granted Orphan Drug Designation to the Company’s novel treatment. TI-168 is the IND-cleared Treg therapy to address Factor VIII (FVIII) inhibitors in Hemophilia A patients.  Baudax Bio expects to initiate Phase 1/2a trial enrollment early 2024.

Important FDA acknowledgement.  The FDA has authority to grant orphan drug status for new treatments in rare diseases affecting fewer than 200,000 patients in the United States.  The designation qualifies sponsoring companies with qualified clinical trial tax credits, exemption from user fees, potential seven years of market exclusivity after approval, and other benefits. It is estimated that 105,000-165,000 Hemophilia A patients are affected with autoantibody inhibitors in the U.S.


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FAT Brands Inc. (FAT) – Management Discussions on Smokey Bones Acquisition


Thursday, September 28, 2023

FAT Brands (NASDAQ: FAT) is a leading global franchising company that strategically acquires, markets, and develops fast casual, quick-service, casual dining, and polished casual dining concepts around the world. The Company currently owns 17 restaurant brands: Round Table Pizza, Fatburger, Marble Slab Creamery, Johnny Rockets, Fazoli’s, Twin Peaks, Great American Cookies, Hot Dog on a Stick, Buffalo’s Cafe & Express, Hurricane Grill & Wings, Pretzelmaker, Elevation Burger, Native Grill & Wings, Yalla Mediterranean and Ponderosa and Bonanza Steakhouses, and franchises and owns over 2,300 units worldwide. For more information on FAT Brands, please visit www.fatbrands.com.

Joe Gomes, Managing Director, Equity Research Analyst, Generalist , Noble Capital Markets, Inc.

Joshua Zoepfel, Research Associate, Noble Capital Markets, Inc.

Refer to the full report for the price target, fundamental analysis, and rating.

Management Conversation. We had an opportunity to speak with FAT Brands Chairman of the Board Andy Wiederhorn regarding the Smokey Bones acquisition. As we highlighted in our Tuesday report, the acquisition adds 61 corporate owned locations and adds the barbeque vertical to Fat Brands portfolio. But, we believe the acquisition will add even more.

A Better Price. FAT Brands had been eyeing Smokey Bones for a while and, in fact, had almost closed the deal over a year ago, but at a much higher price than the $30 million deal. Based on a $10 million annual adjusted EBITDA run rate, the chain was acquired at 3x, which will help lower FAT Brands’ overall leverage ratio by nearly a turn. According to Mr. Wiederhorn, annual revenue is in the $170-$180 million range.


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*Analyst certification and important disclosures included in the full report. NOTE: investment decisions should not be based upon the content of this research summary. Proper due diligence is required before making any investment decision. 

One Stop Systems (OSS) – A New Market


Wednesday, September 27, 2023

One Stop Systems, Inc. (OSS) designs and manufactures innovative AI Transportable edge computing modules and systems, including ruggedized servers, compute accelerators, expansion systems, flash storage arrays, and Ion Accelerator™ SAN, NAS, and data recording software for AI workflows. These products are used for AI data set capture, training, and large-scale inference in the defense, oil and gas, mining, autonomous vehicles, and rugged entertainment applications. OSS utilizes the power of PCI Express, the latest GPU accelerators and NVMe storage to build award-winning systems, including many industry firsts, for industrial OEMs and government customers. The company enables AI on the Fly® by bringing AI datacenter performance to ‘the edge,’ especially on mobile platforms, and by addressing the entire AI workflow, from high-speed data acquisition to deep learning, training, and inference. OSS products are available directly or through global distributors. For more information, go to www.onestopsystems.com.

Joe Gomes, Managing Director, Equity Research Analyst, Generalist , Noble Capital Markets, Inc.

Joshua Zoepfel, Research Associate, Noble Capital Markets, Inc.

Refer to the full report for the price target, fundamental analysis, and rating.

Submarine Award. One Stop Systems has received an order to design and develop prototypes for a sonar data processing system to be used in a foreign navy submarine application. The order expands OSS’s AI Transportable solutions into a new vertical, new prime relationship, and new application.

Details. The award was procured through a new global defense prime contractor. The win represents the first AI transportable program win for a foreign navy as well as for a subsurface application. OSS expects to deliver the first prototypes by the end of 2023, followed by potential production orders in 2024. If production orders begin, we anticipate the award could add over $2 million to 2024 revenue.


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*Analyst certification and important disclosures included in the full report. NOTE: investment decisions should not be based upon the content of this research summary. Proper due diligence is required before making any investment decision. 

Eledon Pharmaceuticals (ELDN) – Initiating Coverage With An Outperform Rating and $10 Price Target


Wednesday, September 27, 2023

Robert LeBoyer, Senior Vice President, Equity Research Analyst, Biotechnology, Noble Capital Markets, Inc.

Refer to the full report for the price target, fundamental analysis, and rating.

We Are Initiating Coverage Of EledonPharmaceuticals. Eledon is developing tegoprubart, an anti-CD40L antibody to modulate the immune response. Phase 1b and Phase 2 clinical trials in progress for prevention of kidney transplant rejection. The clinical trial program is designed to show superiority to the immunosuppressive drugs that are currently the standard of care after organ transplants.

Tegoprubart Blocks CD40/CD40L. Tegoprubart blocks the step in the immune response where the CD40 ligand (CD40L, also known as CD154) on T cells interacts with the CD40 receptor on either B cells or antigen-presenting cells. This binding connects the innate and adaptive immune systems and leads to a full immune response. Tegoprubart binds to the CD40L to block this step, inhibiting both B cell maturation and T-cell proliferation that leads to cellular immune responses.


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*Analyst certification and important disclosures included in the full report. NOTE: investment decisions should not be based upon the content of this research summary. Proper due diligence is required before making any investment decision. 

CoreCivic, Inc. (CXW) – New Contracts; Rising Populations


Wednesday, September 27, 2023

CoreCivic is a diversified, government-solutions company with the scale and experience needed to solve tough government challenges in flexible, cost-effective ways. We provide a broad range of solutions to government partners that serve the public good through high-quality corrections and detention management, a network of residential and non-residential alternatives to incarceration to help address America’s recidivism crisis, and government real estate solutions. We are the nation’s largest owner of partnership correctional, detention and residential reentry facilities, and believe we are the largest private owner of real estate used by government agencies in the United States. We have been a flexible and dependable partner for government for nearly 40 years. Our employees are driven by a deep sense of service, high standards of professionalism and a responsibility to help government better the public good. Learn more at www.corecivic.com.

Joe Gomes, Managing Director, Equity Research Analyst, Generalist , Noble Capital Markets, Inc.

Joshua Zoepfel, Research Associate, Noble Capital Markets, Inc.

Refer to the full report for the price target, fundamental analysis, and rating.

New Contract. CoreCivic signed a new management contract with Hinds County, Mississippi for up to 250 adult male pre-trial detainees at the Company’s 2,672-bed Tallahatchie County Correctional Facility. The initial contract term is for two years. CoreCivic remains in discussions with additional federal, state, and local government agencies to utilize capacity in numerous CoreCivic facilities.

Other Business. CoreCivic recently accepted approximately 160 additional residents from the state of Idaho under an existing contract at the Saguaro Correctional Facility in Arizona. The Company also recently signed contract extensions with the state of Vermont at the Tallahatchie facility, with ICE at the Elizabeth Detention Center in New Jersey, with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice for five residential reentry centers in Texas, and with the state of Montana at the Crossroads Correctional Center in Montana.


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*Analyst certification and important disclosures included in the full report. NOTE: investment decisions should not be based upon the content of this research summary. Proper due diligence is required before making any investment decision. 

FAT Brands Inc. (FAT) – Expanding Into BBQ


Tuesday, September 26, 2023

FAT Brands (NASDAQ: FAT) is a leading global franchising company that strategically acquires, markets, and develops fast casual, quick-service, casual dining, and polished casual dining concepts around the world. The Company currently owns 17 restaurant brands: Round Table Pizza, Fatburger, Marble Slab Creamery, Johnny Rockets, Fazoli’s, Twin Peaks, Great American Cookies, Hot Dog on a Stick, Buffalo’s Cafe & Express, Hurricane Grill & Wings, Pretzelmaker, Elevation Burger, Native Grill & Wings, Yalla Mediterranean and Ponderosa and Bonanza Steakhouses, and franchises and owns over 2,300 units worldwide. For more information on FAT Brands, please visit www.fatbrands.com.

Joe Gomes, Managing Director, Equity Research Analyst, Generalist , Noble Capital Markets, Inc.

Joshua Zoepfel, Research Associate, Noble Capital Markets, Inc.

Refer to the full report for the price target, fundamental analysis, and rating.

Adding Smokey Bones. Last night, FAT Brands announced the acquisition of the Smokey Bones Bar & Fire Grill chain for $30 million from Sun Capital Partners. Smokey Bones not only expands FAT Brands into the BBQ space, but also amplifies the Company’s polished dining vertical, in our view.

Smokey Bones. Smokey Bones operates 61 award winning locations across 16 states. With a focus on BBQ, Smokey Bones is a casual dining restaurant with a sports bar scene. Smokey Bones serves lunch, dinner, and late night, and has a full bar featuring a variety of bourbons and whiskeys, a selection of domestic, import, and local craft beers, and several signature handcrafted cocktails.


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*Analyst certification and important disclosures included in the full report. NOTE: investment decisions should not be based upon the content of this research summary. Proper due diligence is required before making any investment decision. 

Lifeway Foods (LWAY) – Stock Price Momentum Continues, Moving to Market Perform


Monday, September 25, 2023

Joe Gomes, Managing Director, Equity Research Analyst, Generalist , Noble Capital Markets, Inc.

Joshua Zoepfel, Research Associate, Noble Capital Markets, Inc.

Refer to the full report for the price target, fundamental analysis, and rating.

Price Momentum. LWAY shares continue their rise, closing last Friday at $12.42, above our recently raised $12 price target. LWAY shares are up 97% since closing at $6.30 the Friday before the August 14th 2Q23 earnings release and are up nearly 124% YTD. Notably, volume continues to show strong momentum, with the ADV since August 14 at 136,522 shares, compared to a 90 day ADV of 15,430 shares just prior to the August 14th earnings release.

Rationale. With the sharp price rise, LWAY shares are likely to enter a consolidation phase, in our view. Further significant price appreciation leans towards operating results exceeding expectations and/or a potential acquisition of the Company, in our view. With insiders controlling nearly 50% of the outstanding shares, we do not believe a sale of the Company is in the cards. 


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*Analyst certification and important disclosures included in the full report. NOTE: investment decisions should not be based upon the content of this research summary. Proper due diligence is required before making any investment decision.