Marijuana Stocks

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler on Tuesday said his panel will pass a bill Wednesday that decriminalizes marijuana at the federal level.

The growing cannabis industry has piqued the interest of many business owners and investors who predict it could become a multi-billion dollar industry. Legal developments bolster this enthusiasm, as more than 30 states and the District of Columbia have thus far legalized marijuana for medical and/or recreational purposes.

Aurora Cannabis Inc. said Tuesday that about 94% of the holders of its C$230 million ($174 million) of 5% unsecured convertible debt that matures in March of 2020 have elected to convert their debt into stock. The company said last week it would offer all holders of the notes the opportunity to voluntarily convert them at an amended early conversion ratio to be determined using an amended early conversion price equal to a 6% discount over the stock's five-day volume weighted average trading price on the Canadian and U.S. exchanges. The move weighed heavily on the stock as the transaction is expected to be dilutive. Aurora made the announcement as it posted weaker-than-expected earnings and said it was halting construction on some of its facilities to conserve cash. The stock was slightly lower in premarket trade, but has shed 38% of its value in the month to date. The ETFMG Alternative Harvest ETF has fallen 18% in the same time frame, while the S&P 500 has gained about 5%.

Cannabis stocks were a sea of red again on Monday, with Aurora Cannabis tumbling another 7% following disappointing earnings and MedMen down 17% on news of job cuts and asset sales.

Aurora Cannabis Inc. stock had its third-worst trading day in the past three years Monday, falling 16.4% to close at C$3. Aurora had its worst trading day in the past three years Friday, after the company's disappointing fiscal first-quarter earnings. Executives said last week Aurora had halted construction on a facility in Alberta and one in Denmark and planned to force the conversion of convertible debentures due in March, further diluting the stock. On Friday, analysts raced to cut their forecasts of the second-largest weed producer in Canada by sales. Aurora stock has lost more than half its value this year, as the ETFMG Alternative Harvest ETF has fallen 36%.

Shares of MedMen Enterprises Inc. tumbled 21% toward a record low in active afternoon trading Monday, in the wake of the California-based cannabis retailer's announcement of job cuts and plans to sell assets in an effort to cut spending. The stock, which went public in May 2018, had broken the buck on a closing basis for the first time on Friday, when it closed at 99 cents. It has now plummeted 60% over the past three months, while the ETFMG Alternative Harvest ETF has dropped 38% and the S&P 500 has gained 8%. Late Friday, the company said it was cutting more than 20% of its staff, scale back marketing and outsource some operations.

The marijuana industry is made up of companies that either support or are engaged in the research, development, distribution, and sale of medical and recreational marijuana. The biggest companies include Canopy Growth Corp. (CGC), Tilray Inc. (TLRY), and Aurora Cannabis Inc. (ACB), but the industry has scores of upstarts that are trying to grab a piece of the market. The marijuana industry, as measured by the ETFMG Alternative Harvest ETF (MJ), has substantially underperformed the S&P 500 over the past year.

Profits for most cannabis companies aren't expected in the near future, so when companies to announce positive EBITDA in their earnings report, it's important to look under the hood more to find out what the nature of those results entail, and if they are sustainable.In this article we'll look at OrganiGram Holdings, Aphria, and Liberty Health Sciences, all of which have been posting positive EBITDA.TipRanks' Stock Comparison toolOrganiGram (OGI)OrganiGram has received some accolades because of it being able to generate positive earnings for four quarters in a row. The good news is because of its smaller size in comparison to a number of market leaders, it should be able to continue to boost revenue and earnings for now, as it operates out of one 490,000 square foot facility, which is expected to increase the amount of kilograms it grows annually from 36,000 to 113,000 by the end of 2019.OrganiGram is also one of three companies based in Canada that have sales agreements in all the 10 provinces in Canada.One of the major strengths of Organigram is its unique growing system that allows it to grow almost twice as much cannabis per square foot than its closest competitors, and in most cases, it's over twice as much per square foot.Another competitive advantage for now is its being the only large cannabis producer in Canada located in the province of New Brunswick. While it isn't a highly populated region, it does have the most cannabis usage based upon percentage of population. It also has little competition at this time.I think Organigram should be able to remain the dominant player in the Eastern province for some time, but once the larger players saturate other areas of Canada, once more retail outlets are operational, there's not doubt to one degree or another, they'll start to focus on New Brunswick. That will take time, so Organigram should enjoy a competitive advantage in the near term.Because of its one facility, increase in production capacity, and not having to spend on expansion, it should continue to improve earnings in the quarters ahead.On the negative side, that which is a strength for Organigram under the current market conditions, will eventually become a weakness as the number of retail outlets in Canada scale across the nation. Its much larger competitors will be able to lower costs per gram as they scale in conjunction with the increase of retail stores.The other concern is what Organigram will do for growth once it reaches production capacity. By that time its competitors should be starting to generate positive EBITDA as well, and it will struggle to show how it can match the long-term growth trajectory of many of its peers. Consequently, its share price will come under pressure.On the other hand, Organigram also faces the same limitations its competitors do because of lack of places to sell cannabis in Canada. Because of its location and size, it is probably not going to be affected as much, but its revenue numbers have been subdued because of the ongoing shortage of retail outlets.For now, there are questions concerning revenue growth that have no apparent answers because of its relatively small amount of production capacity when its fully operational.With a stock price down 70% since its May IPO, you might think that OGI is running out of juice -- but Wall Street begs to differ. TipRanks' survey of stock analyst ratings shows that, on average, Wall Street considers the dried cannabis specialist a "strong buy," and capable of delivering as much as 246% profit if it reaches its $8.00 price target. (See OrganiGram stock analysis on TipRanks)Aphria (APHA)Not that long ago the market was very positive on the assumed potential of Aphria. Most of that came from the company posting a profit in a couple of quarters in a row. But once the dust settled and investors took a closer look, the outcome wasn't as impressive as it initially seemed, based upon headlines in the media.When looking closer at the numbers it was found that the profits weren't coming from operations, but from other sources, including CC Pharma, a German distributor.One major positive catalyst Aphria has going for it is it's doubling its production capacity, which should, over time, allow it to improve operational results from scale and increased revenue.On the down side, Aphria lost its long-term supply deal with Aleafia, which it inherited with the acquisition of Emblem. This came from Aphria's inability to come close to meeting the 25,000 kilograms it was contracted for, selling only 2,226 kilograms over a period of four months ending on August 31.On the face of it, it would appear this could be a positive because of low margins associated with wholesale pot, but in reality, it's profitable because it costs much less to convert, package and deliver.In the short term Aphria is going to struggle to replace the revenue it was expected to generate from Aleafia.After removing the gains outside of operations, net income plummeted from a $16 million gain to a loss of $30 million.Even though Aphria reiterated it full year 2020 guidance of $650 t0 $700 million in revenue and $88 to $95 million in adjusted EBITDA, I think it's far too aggressive to reach.Some of this will determined by, as with Organigram, how rapidly retail cannabis stores are rolled out, and the impact of cannabis derivatives on its performance.TipRanks reveals the cannabis player as one drawing bullish attention on Wall Street. Out of 7 analysts polled in the last 3 months, 7 rate a Buy on Aphria stock, while only one suggests Sell. Based on these ratings, the average $8.47 price target on X stock translates into upside of almost 100% from the current share price. (See Aphria stock analysis on TipRanks)Liberty Health Sciences (LHSIF) Recent numbers from Liberty Health Sciences show that while it had some help from non-operating events such as the sale of Chestnut Hill Tree Farm and a boost from fair value adjustments to its biological assets, it still would have at least broke even.The sale of Chestnut Hill Tree Farm provided $14 million to the bottom line of the company.In the latest quarter it posted a profit of $22.9 million with the inclusion of non-operational items. Operating profit came in at over $9.2 million.A key reason for the solid performance was the ability of the company to have its operating expenses climb by a modest 3 percent year-over-year, while it was able to have sales jump by almost 380 percent.One of the strengths of Liberty Health is it is able to produce solid results by focusing solely on the Florida market. This lowers costs because the firm doesn't need to increase spending in order to expand to other markets.Canadian companies on the other hand have to spend more to expand in markets around the world in order to generate sustainable, long-term growth.This is why in the near term companies competing in the U.S., in general, have superior results than Canadian companies, although that doesn't apply to the MSOs that are looking to take a permanent long-term lead in the U.S. market by issuing shares and taking on more debt for the purpose of acquiring assets.ConclusionOrganiGram, Aphria, and Liberty Health Sciences. have enjoyed some positive press and response to their ability to generate a profit before other cannabis companies have been able to.In the case of Aphria, it has yet to prove it can consistently produce a profit when not including non-operational items. It will benefit from increased production capacity, but as with Organigram, has to wait until it can fully take advantage of the potential demand in the Canadian market with the increase in retail outlets. It also will have to prove it can boost revenue and wident margins from derivative sales over the next couple of quarters starting in 2020.Of these three companies Liberty Health Sciences and Organigram should be able to continue to increase their revenue and earnings for some time. That said, as the companies stand today, eventually they'll face a ceiling on revenue and earnings that they'll have to deal with. For now, both are able to keep costs low because of their primary focus on a more limited geographic region. What happens when those markets are saturated will determine the long-term sustainability of their growth potential.That time isn't likely to be here for a couple of years, but when the limitations of their business models are met, they will be forced to expand beyond their current capabilities, which will increase costs and put pressure on margins and earnings.For now, I see OrganiGram Holdings and Liberty Health Sciences having more potential to sustainably generate profits, while Aphria will without a doubt outperform them on revenue. How the market responds to those results will determine the share price of the companies.At this time the market is rewarding those that are able to reduce costs and generate a profit, but when market sentiment for cannabis improves, Aphria could be considered a much better long-term holding with more potential to reward shareholders.To find other good ideas for cannabis stocks trading at fair value or better, visit TipRanks’ Best Stocks to Buy, a newly launched tool that unites all of TipRanks’ equity insights.

Ask Benjamin Witte about Recess, and one of the first places he’ll send you is the company’s Instagram page.

Canopy Growth Corp. shares slide more than 17% Thursday and pulls rivals lower after the company posts weaker-than-expected earnings for its fiscal second quarter in the latest blow for the troubled cannabis sector.

Canopy Growth Corp. paid more in share-based compensation in its fiscal second quarter than it generated in revenue, MKM analyst Bill Kirk wrote Thursday. "Separately, General & Administrative costs (C$87.9mn) were also greater than period revenue," Kirk wrote in a note to clients following the Canadian cannabis company's earnings. "This disappointing quarter, and with Canopy production levels still far greater than sell-through, becomes an industry issue that does not resolve quickly." Other items the analyst noted from the report; Canopy posted a wider-than-expected loss for the quarter and sales of C$76.6 million that were lower than the C$90.5 million generated in the first quarter. The company had a C$32.7 million adjustment to revenue that was related to returns and pricing adjustments mostly due to oils and softgels. "We do not consider this type of adjustment to be one-time, as it reflects returns and new pricing architecture and package assortment going forward," Kirk wrote. "We have long been concerned about Canopy's production levels relative to sell-through and the quality/age of inventory. We believe the returns and pricing adjustments, as well as a C$15.9mn inventory charge in the period, demonstrate this issue." The analyst rate the stock as neutral. Canopy's U.S.-listed shares were down 7% premarket and have fallen 31% in 2019, while the ETFMG Alternative Harvest ETF has fallen 28% and the S&P 500 has gained 23%.

Canadian cannabis company The Green Organic Dutchman Holdings Ltd. said Thursday it has signed agreements that give it up to C$103 million ($77.6 million) in financing. The news comes after the Toronto-based company said in October it would cut costs and adopt a plan to reduce its financing needs as it grapples with a smaller-than-expected Canadian market. The company been working to find alternative financing to raise the funds needed to complete construction of some of its facilities, after the financing on offer was prohibitively expensive. Green Organic Dutchman now says it has a financing package composed of a sale-leaseback of its Ancaster Energy Centre; a construction mortgage loan term sheet; and a convertible equity term sheet. The 10-year sale-leaseback arrangement has given the company proceeds of C$23 million. The mortgage loan term sheet is for C$40 million and is secured by the Ancaster facility along with Valleyfield. The convertible term sheet is for $30 million U.S. dollars and has a 5% coupon. The company will use the funds to complete construction of the processing facility at Ancaster and to complete construction of six zones in its Valleyfield hybrid greenhouse. U.S.-listed shares were not yet active premarket, but have fallen 61% in 2019, while the ETFMG Alternative Harvest ETF has fallen 28% and the S&P 500 has gained 23%.

The U.S.-listed shares of Canopy Growth Corp. dropped 2.5% in premarket trading Thursday, after the Canada-based cannabis company reported a wider-than-expected fiscal second-quarter loss and revenue that came up short of forecasts. The net loss for the quarter to Sept. 30 widened to C$374.6 million ($282.4 million), or C$1.08 a share, from C$330.6 million, or C$1.52 a share, in the year-ago period. The FactSet consensus for net losses per share was C41 cents. Net revenue more than tripled to C$76.6 million ($57.7 million) from C$23.3 million, but was well below the FactSet consensus of C$90.6 million. Kilograms harvested of 40,570 was up from 15,217 a year ago but down from 40,960 in the sequential first quarter. Recreational business-to-business dry cannabis sales was 7,497 kilograms and recreational business-to-consumer dry cannabis sales were 1,064 kilograms--there were no recreational sales a year ago--while medical dry cannabis sales fell to 998 kilograms from 1,698 kilograms. "The last two quarters have been challenging for the Canadian cannabis sector as provinces have reduced purchases to lower inventory levels, retail store openings have fallen short of expectations, and Cannabis 2.0 products are yet to come to market," said Chief Executive Mark Zekulin. He said he believes the challenges are "a short-term headwind in what is a brand new industry." The stock has tumbled 31.2% year to date through Wednesday, while the ETFMG Alternative Harvest ETF has dropped 27.8% and the S&P 500 has climbed 23.4%.

Tilray Inc. shares fell 3.2% in premarket trade Wednesday, as analysts weighed in on a mixed set of earnings with Benchmark analyst Mike Hickey slashing his price target in half. Hickey lowered his price target to $40 from $80 and said profitability again disappointed. "We remain cautious on the Canadian regulatory construct, and expect on-going near term supply and distribution constraints," the analyst wrote in a note to clients. He maintained his buy rating on Tilray stock. MKM analyst Bill Kirk said where other cannabis companies have missed on the top and bottom line, Tilray only missed on the bottom line. "We like Tilray's strategy around: 1) entering the U.S. via hemp seed food products, which serves as a launch pad as regulations change; 2) cultivating in Portugal to service the European markets; and 3) being open to less capital intensive raw material sourcing," Kirk wrote in a note to clients. The analyst has a neutral rating on Tilray stock, which has fallen 69% in 2019, while the ETFMG Alternative Harvest ETF has fallen 26% and the S&P 500 has gained 23%.

Cronos Group Inc. said Tuesday it had a profit of C$788.4 million ($595.2 million), or 53 cents a share, in the third quarter, after a loss of C$7.2 million, or 4 cents a share, in the year-earlier period. The profit was mostly due to a C$835 million gain on the revaluation of derivative liabilities. Revenue came to C$12.7 million, up from $3.8 million a year ago. The FactSet consensus was for a loss of 3 cents and revenue of C$13.7 million. The company sold 3.142 kilograms of cannabis in the Canadian adult-use market in the quarter, up from 514 kg sold in the year-earlier period. Revenue per gram sold fell to C$3.75 from C$6.44. Shares rose 2% in premarket trade, but are down 22% in 2019, while the ETFMG Alternative Harvest ETF has fallen 23% and the S&P 500 has gained 23%.

Alibaba Rakes In 38 Billion Singles It’s the 11th year for the single biggest 11-11 singles day singled out to take place in a single day, though no discrimination against non singles intended. Alibaba (NYSE:BABA) has surpassed the $38 billion mark in sales during its iconic Singles Day, which may not be as impressive as […]The post Market Morning: Alibaba's Billions, Boeing's Reprieve, Colorado Cannabis Records, Hong Kong Bleeds appeared first on Market Exclusive.

Pot stocks have room for growth, driven by new dispensaries and the introduction of options like vapes, a Cowen analyst says.

GW Pharmaceuticals PLC shares rose more than 2% Monday, after the U.K. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) said it would recommend that the country's National Health Service (NHS) offer routine reimbursement for Epidyolex, its cannabis-based treatment for severe forms of childhood epilepsy. Leerink said the news was a clear positive for the stock, coming after NICE published two draft guidances that were largely against the use of Epidyolex on the NHS. "We believe this was merely part of the price negotiation process between GW and NICE, rather than NICE finding some issue with either product," analysts led by Marc Goodman wrote in a note to clients. GW Pharma has said it expects pricing in the UK to be in range to 50% to 70% of the U.S. price, while France is also getting close to it too. "Epidiolex in the US is still ramping nicely for Dravet Syndrome (DS) and Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome (LGS), and physicians are getting incrementally more comfortable with off-label usage in other indications," the analysts wrote. "Europe is just starting to kick in and will add a nice boost to sales, especially given our understanding that the excitement in the EU epilepsy community is similar to that in the US." The drug is marketed as Epidiolex in the U.S. GW Pharma shares have gained about 15% in 2019, outperforming the broader cannabis sector. The ETFMG Alternative Harvest ETF has fallen 23% in the year to date, while the S&P 500 has gained 23%.

Neptune Wellness Solutions Inc. reported Monday a fiscal second-quarter net loss that widened to C$20.78 million ($15.7 million), from a loss of $3.05 million a year ago. The Canada-based cannabis extraction company said the increased loss is due primarily to an increase in stock-based compensation expense, depreciation and amortization and increased expenses on contingent consideration. Revenue fell to C$6.51 million ($4.9 million) from C$7.07 million. Cannabis revenue reached C$1.22 million after having no cannabis revenue last year, while nutraceutical revenue fell to C$5.15 million from C$7.07 million, due to the timing of orders of the nutrition business. Separately, Neptune announced an agreement with International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. to develop hemp-derived cannabidiol (CBD) products for the mass retail and health and wellness markets. Under terms of the agreement, Neptune will issue 2 million warrants to IFF, which each warrant allowing the purchase of one Neptune common share at an exercise price of $12.00 per share. The co-development agreement will include a variety of topical aromatherapy products. Neptune's U.S.-listed stock, which was still inactive in premarket trading, has tumbled 27% over the past three months, while the ETFMG Alternative Harvest ETF has plunged 31% and the S&P 500 has gained 6.0%.

Now, over 4 years, 400,000+ bongs, and 550,000 instagram followers later it has exploded. Daily High Club’s Instagram page drives more social traffic than their competitors and most online businesses. Most conventional digital marketing strategy relies on paid ads through Facebook (NASDAQ: FB), Twitter (NASDAQ: TWTR), Google and other mainstream sites which banned advertising for cannabis and “tobacco” products.