Canopy Growth Q1 Revenue Ahead of Expectations at $110 Million

Canopy Growth Reports First Quarter Fiscal 2021 Financial Results

Transformation strategy gains traction

Net Revenue of $110 million increases 22% over Q1 FY20

Net Loss of $128 million; Adjusted EBITDA loss of $92 million narrows versus Q1 FY20

Established leadership position in growing cannabis-infused beverage segment; shipping +1.2mm cans to Canadian provinces since launch

Strengthened foothold in U.S. market with launch of shopcanopy.com

SMITHS FALLS, ON, Aug. 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ – Canopy Growth Corporation (“Canopy Growth” or the “Company”) (TSX: WEED) (NYSE: CGC) today announced its financial results for the first quarter fiscal 2021 ended June 30, 2020. All financial information in this press release is reported in millions of Canadian dollars, unless otherwise indicated.

“We’re proud of our strong first-quarter performance, despite unprecedented volatility and uncertainty in the market and across the globe,” said David Klein, CEO.

We grew our revenue year-over-year and are seeing market share improvement, notably achieving number one market share in cannabis-infused beverages in the Canadian market.

David Klein, CEO

We are implementing a renewed corporate strategy with the appointment of a new leadership team which will focus on delivering quality products to our consumers, positioning our business for continued growth. The proposed retooled Acreage announcement refocuses our entry for the evolving U.S. market, where we are seeing increased momentum.

“Following our previously announced restructuring actions, we have substantially reduced our expense and cash burn in this quarter in addition to reducing headcount by over 18% since beginning of this calendar year. Our marketing and R&D investments are being re-allocated to programs with high-return potential in order to drive sales,” added Mike Lee, CFO. “Our gross margins in the quarter came in below our expectations due to under-utilization of our large-scale infrastructure. We’ve already proven we can deliver 40%-plus gross margin and are confident that we can return to that level as we work toward higher capacity utilization across our facilities as demand for our cannabis products continue to grow. In the meantime, we are focused on further optimizing our operating footprint through a full end-to-end strategy that looks at people, process, technology, and infrastructure that we believe will lead to best in class margins over time.”

First Quarter Fiscal 2021 Financial Summary

First Quarter Fiscal 2021 Corporate Financial Highlights

  • Revenues: Net revenue in Q1 2021 increased by 22% versus Q1 2020 driven by higher medical cannabis sales in Canada and Germany, strong Storz & Bickel (“S&B”) vaporizer sales and the benefit of a full quarter of contribution from acquired businesses C³ (acquired in April 2019) and This Works (acquired in May 2019) that were reflected for a full quarter in Q1 2021. Excluding the impact from acquired businesses, net sales growth increased 9% versus Q1 2020. The growth was partially offset by a decline in Canadian Recreational cannabis revenue due to restricted retail operating environment in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and increased competition in dried flower-based products.
  • Gross margin: Gross margin was 6%. Adjusted gross margin, excluding inventory step-up costs, was 7%, down 1,300 bps versus Q1 2020. Gross margin was impacted by lower production output as well as manufacturing variances and inventory adjustments.
  • Operating expenses: Total SG&A expenses declined by 23% versus Q1 2020, driven by year-over-year reductions in Sales & Marketing expenses, partially offset by higher General & Administrative (G&A) and Research & Development (“R&D”) expenses. Sales & Marketing expense decline of 25% reflects lower compensation expenses resulting from corporate restructuring actions taken earlier in the year, delayed or cancelled marketing activities and reduced travel-related expenses due to the COVID-19 pandemic. G&A expenses increased 2%, while R&D expenses rose 61% mainly driven by research studies that commenced in Q2 and Q3 2020 and increased activities to support Cannabis 2.0 product development. Share-based Compensation expenses decreased 65% over Q1 2020.
  • Net Loss: Net loss of $128 million in Q1 2021, a $66 million narrower loss versus Q1 2020, was driven by higher revenue and lower SG&A expenses.
  • Adjusted EBITDA: Adjusted EBITDA loss was $92 million in Q1 2021, compared to a loss of $93 million in Q1 2020.
  • Cash Position: Cash and Short-term Investments amounted to $2.0 billion at June 30, 2020, unchanged from $2.0 billion at March 31, 2020 reflecting the investment of approximately $245 million by an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) to exercise warrants in the Company offset by the EBITDA loss and capital investments.

Business & Operational Highlights

  • Significant progress on our strategic priorities and organizational design: Key activities included implementing new organizational structure and aligning resources to reflect a new strategy, initiating end to end supply chain review, and rolling out dried flower quality improvement programs.
  • Strengthened competitive positioning in Canada recreational market:
    • Completed a national repositioning of Twd. dried flower value brand; our dollar share increased nearly 5pts in value flower in the province of Ontario during the latest 4-weeks ended July 19, 2020.
    • Company’s Rec 2.0 products accounted for 13% of total Canada B2B sales in Q1 2021; Four Ready-to- Drink (“RTD”) cannabis beverages under Tweed, Houseplant and DeepSpace brands available nation-wide in the Canadian recreational market; over 1.2 million beverage units have been shipped since late March 2020.
  • Stepped up activities in the U.S. market to drive accelerated revenue growth:
    • Launched shopcanopy.com (“ShopCanopy”) ecommerce site in current quarter; ShopCanopy provides a one-stop shopping destination for the Company’s growing portfolio of CBD products in the U.S.
    • BioSteel RTD non-CBD beverages in new environmentally friendly Tetrapak packaging is now available for sale online in the U.S; we are actively engaging with major retailers in an effort to expand distribution of BioSteel products to key markets across the U.S.
    • Expanded distribution of S&B vaporizer products in the U.S.
    • Final preparations underway for the launch of Martha Stewart branded health and wellness CBD products expected in the coming weeks.
  • The Company and Acreage Holdings, Inc. (“Acreage”) entered into a proposal agreement to amend the terms of the existing arrangement between the Company and Acreage (the “Amended Arrangement”), that reaffirms the Company’s path to the U.S. THC market when federally permissible; the Amended Arrangement is subject to, among other things, Acreage shareholder approval and court approval.
  • Continuing to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, with a focus on the health and safety of our employees, business continuity and supporting our communities.  To date, there has been minimal disruption to production and supply chain, all of our 22 corporate-owned retail stores have re-opened and our liquidity position remains strong.

First Quarter Fiscal 2021 Financial and Operational Review

Revenue by Channel

Revenue by Form

Canadian Cannabis 

  • Canadian medical revenue increased 19% from Q1 2020. The year-over-year increase due primarily to the prior year quarter being impacted by the transition of medical customers to the Spectrum Therapeutics online store and limited supply of medical cannabis medical products, as well as higher average basket size we saw in Q1 2021.
  • Recreational B2C net sales declined 12% over the comparative period due primarily to the restricted cannabis retail operating environment in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including full closure of our corporate owned store for the first half of Q1 2021, and upon reopening with click & collect/curbside pick up and reduced hours.
  • Recreational B2B net sales declined by 10% from Q1 2020 primarily as a result of increased competition driving lower market share in dried flower, partially offset by new cannabis 2.0 products and reduced provisions for returns.

International Cannabis

  • Crevenue in Q1 2021 increased 75% over Q1 2020 due to the recognition of a full quarter of revenue in Q1 2021 (compared to approximately two months of revenue in Q1 2020 following the acquisition of C3 by the Company in April 2019) and growth of the Dronabinol market in Germany. C3 revenue increased by 17% on an organic basis, adjusted for the timing of acquisitions.
  • Dried flower sales in Germany grew 181% in Q1 2021 over Q1 2020 due to increased supply and patient demand.

Strategic Acquisitions

  • S&B vaporizer revenue in Q1 2021 increased 74% over Q1 2020, benefiting from expanded distribution in the United States and broader product portfolio.
  • This Works sales in Q1 2021 increased 160% over Q1 2020 due in part to the recognition of a full quarter of revenue in Q1 2021 (compared to less than a month of revenue in Q1 2020 following the acquisition of This Works by the Company in May 2020). This Works sales declined by 13% on an organic basis, mainly due to the closure of retail stores as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The first quarter fiscal 2021 and first quarter fiscal 2020 financial results presented in this press release have been prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP.

Webcast and Conference Call Information

The Company will host a conference call and audio webcast with David Klein, CEO and Mike Lee, CFO at 10:00 AM Eastern Time on August 10, 2020.

Webcast Information

A live audio webcast will be available at:
https://produceredition.webcasts.com/starthere.jsp?ei=1343663&tp_key=96c72fd568

Replay Information

A replay of the call will be accessible by webcast, until 11:59 PM ET on November 8, 2020, at
https://produceredition.webcasts.com/starthere.jsp?ei=1343663&tp_key=96c72fd568

Non-GAAP Measures

Adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP measure used by management that is not defined by U.S. GAAP and may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other companies. Adjusted EBITDA is calculated as the reported net loss, adjusted to exclude income tax recovery (expense); other income (expense), net; loss on equity method investments; share-based compensation expense; depreciation and amortization expense; asset impairment and restructuring costs; and charges related to the flow-through of inventory step-up on business combinations, and further adjusted to remove acquisition-related costs. The Adjusted EBITDA reconciliation is presented within this news release and explained in the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q to be filed with the SEC.

Adjusted Gross Margin and Adjusted Gross Margin Percentage are non-GAAP measures used by management that are not defined by U.S. GAAP and may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other companies. Adjusted Gross Margin is calculated as gross margin excluding charges related to the flow-through of inventory step-up associated with business combinations. Adjusted Gross Margin Percentage is calculated as Adjusted Gross Margin divided by Net Revenue.  The Adjusted Gross Margin reconciliation is presented within this news release.

Free Cash Flow is a non- GAAP measure used by management that is not defined by U.S. GAAP and may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other companies.  This measure is calculated as net cash provided by (used in) operating activities less purchases of and deposits on property, plant and equipment. The Free Cash Flow reconciliation is presented within this news release and explained in the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q to be filed with the SEC.

About Canopy Growth Corporation

Canopy Growth (TSX:WEED,NYSE:CGC) is a world-leading diversified cannabis, hemp and cannabis device company, offering distinct brands and curated cannabis varieties in dried, oil and Softgel capsule forms, as well as medical devices through the Company’s subsidiary, Storz & Bickel GMbH & Co. KG. From product and process innovation to market execution, Canopy Growth is driven by a passion for leadership and a commitment to building a world-class cannabis company one product, site and country at a time.

The Company’s medical division, Spectrum Therapeutics is proudly dedicated to educating healthcare practitioners, conducting robust clinical research, and furthering the public’s understanding of cannabis, and has devoted millions of dollars toward cutting edge, commercializable research and IP development. Spectrum Therapeutics sells a range of full-spectrum products using its colour-coded classification Spectrum system as well as single cannabinoid Dronabinol under the brand Bionorica Ethics.

The Company operates retail stores across Canada under its award-winning Tweed and Tokyo Smoke banners. Tweed is a globally recognized cannabis brand which has built a large and loyal following by focusing on quality products and meaningful customer relationships.

From our public listing on the Toronto Stock Exchange and New York Stock Exchange to our continued international expansion, pride in advancing shareholder value through leadership is engrained in all we do at Canopy Growth. Canopy Growth has established partnerships with leading sector names including cannabis icons Snoop Dogg and Seth Rogen, breeding legends DNA Genetics and Green House Seeds, and Fortune 500 alcohol leader Constellation Brands, to name but a few. For more information visit www.canopygrowth.com.

Original press release

Published by NCV Newswire
NCV Newswire
The NCV Newswire by New Cannabis Ventures aims to curate high quality content and information about leading cannabis companies to help our readers filter out the noise and to stay on top of the most important cannabis business news. The NCV Newswire is hand-curated by an editor and not automated in anyway. Have a confidential news tip? Get in touch.

Get Our Sunday Newsletter