You’re reading a copy of this week’s edition of the New Cannabis Ventures weekly newsletter, which we have been publishing since October 2015. The newsletter includes unique insight to help our readers stay ahead of the curve as well as links to the week’s most important news.
Friends,
Historically, cannabis stocks have tended to move in unison. As the publicly traded cannabis sector evolves, though, we are beginning to see returns between various sub-sectors and even between the members within those sub-sectors vary from one another more than they have traditionally. The advent of more sophisticated investors, varying financial conditions among the companies and leverage to different drivers all suggest we should expect stock-picking to become increasingly important.
We break the cannabis sector into 10 different sub-sectors: Large American MSOs, Medium American MSOs, Small American MSOs, Large Canadian LPs, Other Canadian LPs, Canadian Extraction LPs, Canadian Retailers, Ancillary Companies, CBD Companies and Biotech Companies.
Since the market bottomed in March, Ancillary Companies has been the strongest sub-sector. The New Cannabis Ventures Global Cannabis Stock Index includes 7 companies that provide goods or services to the industry, or 20% of the overall number of constituents, a representation that has expanded significantly over the past year or so as new ancillary companies have joined while many of the direct cannabis companies have been removed due to no longer meeting the minimum criteria.
Since March 18th, the Global Cannabis Stock Index has increased by 81%. As the chart illustrates, the ancillary companies have been leading the way, with 6 of the 7 companies outperforming the index:
With the index down 27% in 2020, it’s worth noting that 6 of these companies have positive returns year-to-date.
We think that there are several reasons why investors are opting for ancillary companies over direct cannabis companies. First, most of these companies trade on the NASDAQ or NYSE, which greatly expands the investor base. Second, many investors are seeing the ancillary companies as a way to get diversified exposure without having to bet on individual operators. Third, several of these companies are profitable, with some even paying dividends. Finally, these businesses are substantially less capital-intensive than direct cannabis operators.
We have been surprised by how slowly the public ancillary space has evolved to date, but we expect to see more companies in the future. Several SPACs have raised substantial capital that they can deploy only into ancillary or CBD companies. We are aware of private REITs considering going public as well.
One company apparently working on going public is behemoth Hydrofarm, an independent wholesaler and manufacturer of hydroponics equipment and grow lights. Earlier this year, it filed a Form D with the SEC indicating that it had raised $23.5 million from 18 investors as part of a $50 million private placement of equity. In December, it reported that it had sold over $7 million in convertible debt through a private placement directed by Aegis Capital. In late 2018, it reported that it raised $55 million in a private placement that included Serruya Private Equity and other investors.
We note that Scotts Miracle-Gro recently upped its guidance for its Hawthorne Gardening division, suggesting sales this fiscal year could be about $1 billion, up 45-50% from a year ago, and this type of headline in November could attract additional investor interest in the ancillary space.
Helping Cannabis Investors Navigate a New Sector Since 2013
Alan Brochstein’s 420 Investor is the only due diligence platform trusted by cannabis investors for over 6 years. The go-to premium service for investors to learn, explore, and profit from publicly-traded cannabis stocks. The primary goal of 420 Investor is to provide professional, real-time, objective information about the top cannabis companies in the market in order to help investors Capitalize on Cannabis™.
New Cannabis Ventures publishes curated articles as well as exclusive news. Here is some of the most interesting business content from this week:
- 4Front Q4 Revenue Increases 109% Sequentially to $15.7 Million
- Acreage Holdings Borrows $15 Million at 60% Interest Rate Secured by Assets in Three States
- Exclusive: California Cannabis Company Caliva Ramps Up Its Direct-to-Consumer Business in the Bay Area and LA
- Canadian Cannabis Retailer Fire & Flower Quarterly Revenue Increases 142% to $23.1 Million
- Charlotte’s Web Closes Upsized C$77.6 Million Equity Offering
- Columbia Care Completes $54 Million Convertible Note Private Placement
- Generic Drug Giant Perrigo Enters CBD Space with $50 Million Investment
- Exclusive: Grassroots Prepares to Join Curaleaf as Deal Nears Completion
- MediPharm Labs Q1 Revenue Plunges 50% to $11.1 Million
- Vireo Health Q1 Revenue Increases 110% to $12.1 Million
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Sincerely,
Alan & Joel
