Cronos Earnings Disappoint, But Cannabis Mergers Pick Up The Pace
Investing.com | May 11, 2021 08:15
Shares of cannabis grower Cronos Group (NASDAQ:CRON) (TSX:CRON) closed up last week, despite worse-than-expected first-quarter results.
The Canadian-based marijuana company missed expectations when it unveiled its latest earnings last Friday for the three-month period that ended Mar. 31.
Despite a 50% jump in revenue, which hit US$12.6 million, the company registered a disappointing US$37.1-million adjusted EBITDA loss.
The company’s cash balance has been maintained at a healthy level at $1.02 billion, however. But that figure is still down 9% from last year’s level.
Investors might soon find themselves asking why Cronos isn't able to keep pace as the global cannabis market—and in particular, the US market—continues to grow?
Looking Beyond Tilray Merger/h2
After shareholders formally confirmed the merger of Tilray (NASDAQ:TLRY) and Aphria last week, Tilray shares took a significant drop. But the downward trajectory made an impressive turnaround last Friday.
Tilray stock went from hitting a low of about $13.89 last Thursday to a high of about $16.98 last Friday. But after hitting that peak, shares shed some of those gains. They closed out the week at about $16.16.
This week, they've slipped again, dropping about another 7% on the day yesterday.
The jump last week was likely in reaction to analyst optimism for the newly-minted “biggest cannabis company in the world.” Jefferies analyst Owen Bennett took renewed interest in the marijuana grower issuing a ‘buy’ rating and setting an aggressive target price of $23, giving the stock an almost 50% upside.
With the merger delays behind it and the company set to post its latest earnings’ report next week, Tilray is Jefferies' number one pick in the cannabis sector.
According to published reports, Bennett said he predicts Tilray could possibly triple its revenues in the coming year. And that is before US moves to legalize pot at the federal level.
All eyes are now on how the newly merged company, which is now being traded in Canada as well under the TLRY ticker. It is ready to move past being identified solely as a Canadian-based company and take on the challenge of a global player.
The company’s new CEO, Irwin Simon, made that intention clear as he made a statement to the media last week. Simon said:
“Tilray today has a footprint all around the world. We are participating in a $100-billion category with tremendous growth opportunities around our brands and the categories that we participate in.”
The new company has operations in all corners of the world, including Australia, Germany and interests in the US.
Said one Stifel analysts, according to media reports:
“Tilray is currently best positioned to leverage a leading Canadian market position to capture global cannabis category growth.”
Look for some of that growth to be in the burgeoning CBD space.
In the last year, Tilray stock has gained more than 105%.
Trulieve Gets Hops On Merger Bandwagon/h2
Florida-based cannabis firm Trulieve Cannabis (OTC:TCNNF) (CSE:TRUL) announced a merger deal of its own Monday, transforming this successful multi-state operator into a national player with a broader operational footprint and positioning itself to take full advantage of US legalization.
Trulieve is acquiring Arizona-based Harvest Health (OTC:HRVSF) (CSE:HARV), a vertically integrated multi-state cannabis company. The share acquisition buyout represents a $2.1-billion deal, making it the largest merger between US operators.
“This combination offers us the opportunity to leverage our respective strong foundations and propel us forward with an unparalleled platform for future growth," said Trulieve CEO Kim Rivers in a statement issued by the company.
Shares of Trulieve yesterday closed down 5.65% at $38.61. In the last year, the stock has gained just over 292%.
Shares of Harvest Health jumped just over 12% yesterday to close at $4.01. In the last year, this stock has gained just under 210%.
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