Debra BorchardtAugust 7, 2023
Year-to-date cannabis stock performance has lagged other sectors.
Altria Archives - Green Market Report
Debra BorchardtAugust 7, 2023
StaffMarch 6, 2023
The Daily Hit is a recap of the top financial news stories for March 6, 2023.
On the Site
Investor Sues Tilray for False Claims on Inventory, ABG Deal
It’s been a minute since Tilray (Nasdaq: TLRY) went public, but investor Michael Hudson is suing the company for what he claims are “ breaches of fiduciary duties, unjust enrichment, and waste of corporate assets, and violations of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.” Read more here.
Conservative Politics Still Shutting Down New State Market Opportunities
Political wrangling over legalizing both medical and recreational marijuana in various U.S. states continues as it does every year, but thus far in 2023, at least five states have formally defeated various attempts at creating new cannabis markets. Read more here.
ICYMI: Oklahoma to Vote on Adult-Use Cannabis Tomorrow
The state already has one of the loosest MMJ industries in the nation, with low barriers to entry for entrepreneurs, a liberal allowance of cannabis for essentially any medical ailment, and thousands of businesses that have sprung into existence since the market launch in 2018. Read a summary of the measure here.
Missouri Cannabis Sales Top $100 Million in February, Localities Weigh Adding Taxes
Missouri surpassed the $100 million mark in marijuana sales for the month of February, its first month ever of selling both medical and recreational cannabis after adult use launched on Friday, Feb. 3. With such a strong start to the Missouri market, dozens of municipalities and county governments are now considering adding local taxes to recreational marijuana sales. Read more here.
Your Take: 3 Things to Know About New York’s Retail Cannabis Rollout from an Applicant
Scott Mazza is the co-founder and chief operating officer of Vitality CBD in Buffalo, New York.
New York’s recreational cannabis rollout is going from bad to worse. Last November, an out-of-state lawsuit stopped conditional adult-use retail licenses in five regions. Then, in January, a federal court upheld the injunction. All the while remaining retail applicants have been left in the dark amidst a thriving gray market. Read more here.
In Other News
Altria Group
Altria Group Inc. (NYSE: MO) entered into a definitive agreement to acquire NJOY Holdings Inc. for approximately $2.75 billion in cash payable at closing. The transaction terms include additional $500 million in cash payments that are contingent upon regulatory outcomes with respect to certain NJOY products. Read more here.
Bhang
Bhang Inc. (CSE: BHNG) (OTCQB: BHNGF) signed a letter of intent to acquire 1352135 B.C. Ltd. to obtain access to minor-cannabinoid, cannabis, THC, and psychedelic-related patents and intellectual property pivotal in building Bhang’s portfolio beyond chocolate and edible cannabis brands. Read more here.
New Leaf Ventures
New Leaf Ventures Inc. (CSE: NLV) (OTC: NLVVF) received approval from the Washington State Liquor Cannabis Board for the sale of the license holder’s cultivation license to the third-party asset management company. This solidifies NLV’s sale of cultivation-related assets, through its wholly owned subsidiary New Leaf Equipment Co., providing an infusion of capital into current operations. Read more here.
Debra BorchardtOctober 30, 2020
Altria Group (NYSE: MO) reported its third-quarter earnings as regular smokers seem to be holding steady, but its stake in the vape company Juul Labs and cannabis company Cronos Group (CRON) didn’t fare as well.
Altria took another massive writedown on its investment in Jull Labs. The original 38% stake in the e-cigarette company was $12.8 billion it has now been marked down to just $1.6 billion. That’s a drop of 88% devaluation. On top of all that, Altria wrote off another $2.6 billion and took $1.40 per share in charges to earnings.
With regards to Cronos, the company has this to say in its filing:
Altria has considered the impact of COVID-19 on the business of Cronos, including its sales, distribution, operations, supply chain and liquidity. Cronos continues to be impacted by COVID-19, due in part to government action requiring closures or limited occupancy of retail stores in the United States. During the second quarter of 2020, Cronos recorded an impairment charge on goodwill and intangible assets as a result of the impact of COVID-19 (which Altria recorded in the third quarter of 2020 due to its one-quarter lag in reporting Cronos’s results). In addition, the fair value of Altria’s investment in Cronos was approximately 20% less than its carrying value of $1.0 billion at September 30, 2020. While Altria believes that this decline in fair value is temporary, it will continue to monitor its investment in Cronos, including the impact of COVID-19 on Cronos’s business and market valuation.
The company reported the loss on the Cronos financial instruments for the quarter was $105 million, for the past nine months $202 million. For the last 12 months ending in September, Altria reported a loss on Cronos-related financial instruments of $317 million.
“Altria continued to demonstrate its resilience during the third quarter while navigating the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Billy Gifford, Altria’s Chief Executive Officer. “In the third quarter, our tobacco businesses delivered strong financial performance once again and we continued to make progress against our 10-year Vision.”
Altria gave the following guidance:
Altria narrows its 2020 full-year adjusted diluted earnings guidance based on year-to-date performance and insight into an additional quarter of ABI earnings contributions. Altria now expects its 2020 full-year adjusted diluted EPS to be in a range of $4.30 to $4.38, representing a growth rate of 2% to 4% from an adjusted diluted EPS base of $4.21 in 2019. Altria also narrows its expectation for its 2020 full-year adjusted effective tax rate to be in a range of 24.5% to 25.5%.
While the 2020 full-year adjusted diluted EPS guidance accounts for a range of scenarios, the external environment remains dynamic. Altria will continue to monitor conditions for ATCs, including unemployment rates, disposable income (which may be impacted by potential future changes in government stimulus and federal unemployment benefit payments), mobility and purchasing behaviors.
Altria revises its estimates for 2020 full-year domestic cigarette industry volumes to be in a range of unchanged versus the prior year to down 1.5% based on better year-to-date industry performance and expectations for continued category resilience. This range replaces Altria’s previous estimates of down 2% to 3.5% versus the prior year.
AxisWireAugust 18, 2020
Founder Case Mandel moves to President and Chairman
Humboldt, CA – August 18, 2020 /AxisWire/ Boldt Runners Corp. (the “Company”), the exclusive licensee of Cannadips CBD, the Original Smokeless Dip Pouch with CBD, is pleased to announce the appointment of former Altria executive, Peter Diatelevi, as Chief Executive Officer. Peter will assume day to day leadership of the Company and will also join the Company’s Board of Directors.
As Diatelevi takes his place as CEO, the Company’s co-founder Case Mandel will move into an operational role as President and will continue to lead product innovation within the organization. Mandel has also been appointed Chairman of the Company’s Board of Directors and will continue to oversee the direction of the product and brand.
Diatelevi has over twenty years’ experience leading field sales and sales operations at Altria Group, Inc., the largest U.S. tobacco manufacturer. During his time at Altria, Diatelevi has held various senior executive roles, including Vice President Region Sales and Vice President of Sales Operations. His responsibilities included customer service and supply chain logistics, trade marketing, sales analytics, sales infrastructure, and state and trade relations. In addition, Diatelevi was instrumental in leading the strategic analysis and creation of Ste Michelle Wine Estates’ future operating plans.
“As a co-founder it is an honor to be at a stage in the business where you have the opportunity to hire someone with over 20 years of tobacco and CPG experience on a national scale,” said Mandel. “I am excited to hand off CEO duties to Peter and work alongside him as the President of the Boldt Runners. Peter is the right person for the job, and I am confident in his ability to execute the plan and take this company to the next level.”
Skilled at evaluating organizational and operational efficacy, and implementing solutions that improve ROI, Diatelevi will be instrumental in helping the Company complete its $5 million Series A fundraising round, of which to date, the Company has raised $3 million. The funds will go toward hiring experienced CPG executive talent, enhancing in-house manufacturing, and executing the go to market strategy at both retail and online.
“I am honored to be leading the Boldt Runners Corporation and joining such an amazing team. In this evolving product space, the Cannadips brand is off to a great start. We are extremely fortunate to have outstanding partners that bring strong operational expertise and a true spirit of innovation. I look forward to driving the future success of the Cannadips brand and technology platform.”
About Boldt Runners Corporation
The Boldt Runners Corporation is based in the heart of Humboldt County, California. Boldt Runners manufacturers, markets and sells Cannadips CBD – the Original Smokeless Dip Pouch with CBD, which has been built on the same values of quality, craftsmanship, and innovation that have made the Humboldt County region world-famous. Since 2016, Cannadips CBD has been paving the way to a full flavor experience for traditional dippers without tobacco or nicotine. Cannadips CBD comes in five core flavors; American Spice, Natural Mint, Tangy Citrus, Tropical Mango, and Fresh Wintergreen and can be found in over 5,000 stores nationwide. Cannadips CBD is on a growth trajectory and is poised to provide more fantastic flavor and form options for the traditional adult smokeless tobacco consumer looking for alternatives. No tobacco, No nicotine, All flavor. For further information please check out www.cannadipscbd.com.
StaffMay 10, 2019
A 6.0% dividend yield tells you all you need to know
By Will Ashworth, InvestorPlace Contributor May 3, 2019, 2:07 pm EDT
It’s been almost two months since Altria (NYSE:MO) closed its deal to buy 45% of Cronos Group (NASDAQ:CRON) for C$2.4 billion. And the cigarette maker’s latest earnings disappointment would suggest Cronos Group stock is the better buy of the two if you’re looking to make a play on marijuana stocks.
However, before you jump on your discount broker’s website to buy some CRON stock, you might want to consider the argument for considering MO instead.
Earnings in Transition
In my opinion, free cash flow is the metric that rules most, if not all, investment decisions. That’s because if you’re a company with minimal debt and growing free cash flow, it’s pretty hard to get into too much trouble in an economic downturn.
And while an economic downturn doesn’t appear to be imminent here in the U.S., economies have a way of turning sour in a hurry. Donald Trump’s economic policies are all the rage right now with (a whopping 56% of ) Americans, but when the benefits of his tax cuts wear off and the country’s debt problem worsens, you better own companies whose financials are rock solid.
Altria reported Q1 2019 results April 25. On the top line, revenues net of excise taxes fell 6.0% year over year to $4.4 billion. On the bottom line, adjusted earnings per share decreased 5.3% to $0.90.
As if that wasn’t bad enough, Altria missed the analyst estimate for earnings by two cents and revenues by $200 million.
Ouch.
Free Cash Flow Set to Grow
However, the company is in the early stages of a cost reduction program that should generate significant savings over the next year. In addition, investments such as Cronos and Juul should change the company’s growth trajectory in the years to come. A short-term decline in earnings isn’t a big deal.
From a free cash flow perspective, despite the downturn in earnings, Altria still managed to generate $2.25 billion in the first quarter. On a trailing 12-month basis, it’s free cash flow is $7.6 billion providing CEO Howard Willard with plenty of cash to pay down the $16.3 billion in 4.1% unsecured debt it issued in February to pay for Juul and Cronos along with general corporate purposes.
As long as it can commit to paying down a billion a year over the next five years, the increased cash flow from Juul along with gains from its Cronos investment should bring the total debt down to close to two times EBITDA from 2.8 after the first quarter.
Willard put it best in the company’s Q1 2019 press release
“After taking steps to position Altria for long-term success at the end of 2018, we entered 2019 with an evolved business platform that includes our strong core tobacco businesses and new strategic investments with tremendous potential for growth,” Willard stated.
With 2019 adjusted earnings expected to grow by 4%-7%, there’s an excellent possibility that free cash flow could surprise in 2019.
Cronos Stake Worth Less
Since Altria closed its deal in early March, Cronos Group stock has fallen in value by 23%. That’s prompted InvestorPlace contributor Luce Emerson to suggest Altria overpaid.
“With CGC and TLRY already off the market, Altria jumped for CRON,” Emerson wrote April 11. “There are certainly synergies across Altria’s core business with cannabis than with beer. Still, it is hard to justify paying a price to sales multiple of 267x (compare that to CGC’s 86x).
She goes on to suggest that if you compare Canopy Growth’s (NYSE:CGC) market cap to kilograms sold with Cronos Group’s, you’ll see that Altria paid approximately $1.8 million per kilogram of cannabis sold or three times as much as investors pay for Canopy Growth.
I’m as big a fan of unconventional metrics as anyone. However, in this case, I don’t think we’re talking about an apples-to-apples comparison.
The fact is, we’re not talking about mature companies here, such as Altria or Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM), where the price-to-sales comparison is a perfectly logical metric. Comparing P/S ratios at this point in the game when it comes to cannabis makes less sense than it did during the dot.com boom.
Emerson is right about one thing.
Altria knew it had to act sooner rather than later because it needed to have a place in line once the U.S. government legalized cannabis federally.
Why?
To show that the company and its partners are experienced in the production of cannabis and worthy of licenses in all 50 states.
As I stated in December, compared to the price Altria paid for its 35% stake in Juul, its C$2.4 billion investment in Cronos Group was a steal given the long-term prognosis for cannabis in its various forms including edibles and infused drinks.
Sometimes you have to pay a little more to gain entry to an exclusive club. Altria’s now a member in full standing.
For safety reasons, I’d buy Altria over Cronos Group stock.
At the time of this writing Will Ashworth did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities.
StaffMay 9, 2019
Forget the marijuana stocks, their partners are more of a sure thing
By Aaron Levitt, InvestorPlace Contributor Apr 4, 2019, 12:24 pm EDT
Marijuana stocks are all the rage these days as legalized cannabis has hit the scene. Analysts now project that the market for both medical and recreational cannabis use will reach a staggering $200 billion in global sales in just five years. As a result, stocks in the sector have surged on the wave of optimism.
The problem is, marijuana stocks aren’t exactly a slam dunk.
Many are fraught with some big-time risks, hefty volatility, zero profits, etc. At this point, many marijuana stocks are just speculative bets. They could pay off or they could crash and burn. But one thing many of the top cannabis stocks do have is partners. Specifically, major corporate partners that are as far from speculative plays as you can get.
It’s here that more conservative investors can cash in on the marijuana stock mania and benefit from everything it has to offer. Sure, these stocks won’t rise as much as some of the pure marijuana stocks. But, you know what? They won’t fall as much either and they’ll still be able to reap potential billions in revenues derived from cannabis.
With that, here are the 3 top partners of the marijuana stocks and why you should focus on them.
Constellation Brands (STZ)
Seemingly overnight, Constellation Brands(NYSE:STZ) become one of the biggest marijuana stocks out there. That’s thanks to its big partnership with Canopy Growth(NYSE:CGC). For a cool $4 billion, STZ purchased a 38% stake in Canopy last year. The firm now owns warrants that would allow it own a majority stake in 2021.
The end game STZ is pretty simple. Marijuana would be perfect “fourth leg of a stool” to the company’s beer, wine, and spirits operations. Constellation owns over 100 world class beverage brands including Corona beer, Svedka Vodka, and Robert Mondavi wines. These are highly regulated consumer products. The end goal is for STZ to do the same with cannabis. Apply its vast branding knowledge and distribution network to get various pot products into the hands of the masses.
Constellation has already started working with Canopy on cannabis-infused drinks. At the same time, it’s looking to parlay is vast marketing knowledge into other cannabis areas such as edibles and other consumable products. These can and will be all major sources of revenues once the switch is flipped and full legalization happens.
In the meantime, STZ is no slouch with regards to what it already generates money on and its recently undergone some moves to shore up its balance sheet and pay for CGC purchase. This allows it to be a safer play than any of the marijuana stocks.
Novartis (NVS)
One of the main reasons why marijuana stocks have surged so far has been the growing use of medical marijuana and cannabis treatments. Demand here has already begun to surge and it could grow further as doctors look for alternatives to addictive opioids for pain relief.
International drug giant Novartis (NYSE:NVS) saw the writing on the wall and decided that it needed to get into the cannabis game. This prompted it to partner with major grower Tilray (NASDAQ:TLRY).
That partnership allows for NVS division Sandoz to develop and distribute TLRY’s medical marijuana in legal jurisdictions around the world. With the deal, Tilray is able to tap into Novartis vast distribution network and will allow TLRY to help commercialize its non-smokable/noncombustible medical cannabis products. For NVS, it’s able to collect fees and revenues from sales. Moreover, the deal allows it to co-brand some products to help enhance sales further.
For both partners, the deal seems like a win-win. NVS gets its hands-on fast-growing medical marijuana, while Tilray can actually sell its products to more consumers. Given how good the deal is, both firms decided to expand more on those partnerships and look into developing new cannabis-related drugs.
The win for investors by choosing NVS over TLRY is that you get the backing of one of the largest drug manufacturers on the planet.
Altria (MO)
Big Tobacco has been eyeballing legalized cannabis sales for what seems like decades, so it’s no surprise that cigarette-king Altria(NYSE:MO) would be looking at the marijuana stocks for a partnership. That came from a $1.8 billion investment in pot grower Cronos Group(NASDAQ:CRON). MO now has a 45% stake in the firm.
Traditional cigarette sales continue to fall and MO has been looking for ways to expand its portfolio and reduce potential revenue loss. This helps explain its major purchase of vaping specialist Juul Labs. Its CRON buy helps expand on that vaping tech.
Speculation has already begun that Altria could fill Juul Pods with CBD once pot is legal everywhere or add it to its other vaping/e-cigarette brands. Meanwhile, MO’s huge production facilities could instantly be flipped towards smokable marijuana products. The deal also allows for CRON to co-develop new products that could be sold on Altria’s large network. Together, it gives Altria an instant foothold in a growing business.
And that’s important for the firm. Potentially, it gives Big Tobacco a way to really reduce its multi-year declines. Last quarter again, Altria managed to miss estimates for sales.
Meanwhile, investors buying MO over other marijuana stocks gets plenty of stability, profits and hefty 5.93% dividend yield.
Disclosure: At the time of writing, Aaron Levitt did not hold a position in any of the marijuana stocks mentioned.
Debra BorchardtDecember 4, 2018
Cronos Group Inc. (CRON) (TSX: CRON) confirmed on Tuesday that it was having discussions concerning a potential investment by tobacco company Altria Group Inc. (MO) in Cronos Group. The company statement said that “No agreement has been reached with respect to any such transaction and there can be no assurance such discussions will lead to an investment or other transaction involving the companies.”
The stock closed 11% higher on Monday after rumors of such talk sparked a run on the shares. The confirmation of the talks sent the stock another 15% higher and was lately trading at $11.23, below its 52-week high of $15.30. Yesterday Cronos sent an email to MarketWatch saying, “We do not comment on market rumors.” Last week, it was reported by The Wall Street Journal that Altria was considering taking a significant minority stake in e-cigarette company Juul Labs Inc.
In October, Altria, the maker of Marlboro cigarettes, was making headlines when it was rumored that it was in talks with another cannabis company Aphria. The Globe and Mail reported that Altria was considering an equity stake in Aphria (APHQF). However, the story source cautioned that a deal could take time to reach and that it could possibly end up not occurring. The Globe’s source said that the leadership teams from Altria and Aphria have met on several occasions. It was rumored that Altria would start with a minority stake and then ultimately push it to a majority stake.
Aphria issued a statement saying, “That there is no agreement, understanding or arrangement in place with a potential investor at this time” and then added, “Aphria will advise the investment community of any material changes, if and when they occur, in accordance with applicable disclosure requirements.”
Declining Sales
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that during 2017, about 249 billion cigarettes were sold in the United States—a 3.5% decrease from the 258 billion sold in 2016. Four companies—Philip Morris USA, Reynolds American Inc., ITG Brands, and Liggett—accounted for about 92% of U.S. cigarette sales.
By state, the average retail price of a pack of 20 cigarettes (full-priced brands), including federal and state excise taxes, ranged from $5.12 in Missouri to a high of $10.66 in New York, as of November 2016. On average, federal and state excise taxes account for 44.3% of the retail price of cigarettes.
Altria History
Altria was once known as called Philip Morris. It is based in Richmond, VA and its roots as a tobacco company date back to 1847 when it was founded in London. It was split off from Philip Morris in 2002. Its subsidiary NuMark is focused on developing and marketing e-vapor products for adult smokers and vapers. It also has a 10 percent equity investment in Anheuser-Busch InBev NV, the maker of Budweiser beer.
Altria generated more than $25.5 billion dollars in sales in 2017.
Debra BorchardtOctober 10, 2018
It has long been expected that big tobacco would want to get into the cannabis business. The legal status in the U.S. has been the one thing holding back tobacco companies. While it hasn’t seemed to matter to alcohol brands, tobacco has mostly remained on the fringes until today’s report from The Globe and Mail.
The Canadian publication reported that Altria (MO), which is the maker of Marlboro cigarettes was considering an equity stake in Aphria (APHQF). However, the story source cautioned that a deal could take time to reach and that it could possibly end up not occurring. The Globe’s source said that the leadership teams from Altria and Aphria have met on several occasions and most recently on Monday. It is rumored that Altria would start with a minority stake and then ultimately push it to a majority stake.
Aphria issued a statement saying, “That there is no agreement, understanding or arrangement in place with a potential investor at this time” and then added, “Aphria will advise the investment community of any material changes, if and when they occur, in accordance with applicable disclosure requirements.”
Aphria is a leading global cannabis company headquartered in Leamington, Ontario – the greenhouse capital of Canada. The company is known for its low-cost production of safe, clean and pure pharmaceutical-grade cannabis at scale, grown in the most natural conditions possible. Aphria has strategic partnerships with a presence in more than 10 countries across 5 continents.
Aphria stock jumped over 14% on Wednesday to lately trade at $15.30 on the OTC Markets. This is lower than its 52-week high of $19.86. Altria stock fell slightly during the day and closed down 19 cents to $62.91.
Traditional beverage brands have also been eyeing cannabis. Constellation Brands (STZ) made an almost $5 billion investment into Canopy Growth not long ago. Last week. Molson Coors (TAP) agreed to a joint venture with The Hydropothecary Corp. or Hexo (HEXO) to develop non-alcoholic cannabis drinks.
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