The Daily Hit: August 6, 2019

It’s time for your Daily Hit of cannabis financial news for August 6, 2019.

On The Site

GW Pharmaceuticals

British biotech firm GW Pharmaceuticals pls (NASDAQ: GWPH) second-quarter net sales of $68.4 million of the company’s cannabis-related drug Epidiolex, which is prescribed for children with rare epilepsy diseases. For the first half of 2019, GW Pharmaceuticals has sold $109 million of the drug. The good news sent the stock higher by over 10% in aftermarket trading to lately trade near $170.

The company delivered $72.0 million in revenue for the quarter ending June 30, 2019 versus $3.3 million for last year’s quarter for the same time period. Net income for the quarter was $79.7 million versus a net loss of $84.0 million for last year’s quarter. The cash and cash equivalents on June 30, 2019, were $583.7 million.

Zynerba

Australian-based Zynerba Pharmaceuticals Inc. (ZYNE) delivered second-quarter results and updates on the company’s drugs including its CBD (cannabidiol) gel. The general and administrative expenses for Zynerba during the second quarter of 2019 were $3.3 million, including stock-based compensation expense of $0.8 million. The net loss for the second quarter of 2019 was $11.1 million with a basic and diluted net loss per share of $(0.50).

The company announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issued U.S. Patent No. 10,314,792 titled “Treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorder with Cannabidiol” which includes claims directed to methods of treating autism spectrum disorder by administering a therapeutically effective amount of synthetic cannabidiol. This new patent expires in 2038 and is part of an expanding intellectual property portfolio covering Zygel.

Aurora Cannabis

Aurora Cannabis Inc.  (NYSE | TSX: ACB) gave an update on selected financial metrics for the fourth quarter of the company’s fiscal 2019 period ending June 30, 2019. While the information is selectively limited, Aurora said it feels it is being transparent by releasing the data and that the full results will be published prior to September 15, 2019. The company did not report any expense figures or any data relating to net profits or losses. The stock seemed to get a boost as the price was lifted by 5% in premarket trading.

Credit Unions

Last week Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed a bill that will allow credit unions and other financial institutions to service businesses that cultivate hemp and sell cannabidiol products as long as there is no more than 0.3% of THC. This week, NCUA (National Credit Union Association) Chairman Rodney Hood said that credit unions won’t be sanctioned for servicing cannabis-related accounts as long as they adhere to money laundering rules.

“It’s a business decision for the credit unions if they want to take the deposits,” Hood told the Credit Union Times. He added, “We don’t get involved with micro-managing credit unions.” Hood also told the CU Times that Congress could remove all ambiguity if it enacted legislation to declassify marijuana.

In Other News

CV Sciences

CV Sciences’ Q2 earnings release: https://ir.cvsciences.com/press-releases/detail/124/cv-sciences-inc-reports-second-quarter-2019-financial. The company reported revenue of $16.9 million for the second quarter of 2019, an increase of 36% over the same quarter in 2018. 14 consecutive quarters of sequential revenue growth. Gross margin improved to 70.9% from 70.8% in the first quarter of 2019. Retail distribution increased to 4,591 stores as of June 30, 2019, a 39% increase from March 31, 2019.

Broadened retail presence into the food, drug and mass channel and in active discussions for further expansion of the PlusCBD™ Oil brand. Generated $2.7 million of cash from operations, with total cash balance increasing to $15.7 million at quarter-end. Dismissal of class action suit which was originally filed in 2014. Announced planned 500% increase in production capacity with the addition of new 45,500 square foot facility. Initiated domestic sourcing efforts, committing to more than 500 acres of U.S. Hemp Production to support future sales.

TerrAscend

TerrAscend Corp. (CSE: TER; OTCQX: TRSSF) signed a definitive agreement to acquire Ilera Healthcare, one of five vertically-integrated cannabis cultivator, processor, and dispensary operators in Pennsylvania, with such vertically-integrated licenses, also referred to as “Super Licenses” in the state.

TerrAscend has agreed to acquire 100% of the equity of Ilera for total consideration of between US$125-$225 million, paid in a combination of cash and TerrAscend shares. On closing, TerrAscend will pay to the sellers US$25 million in cash, subject to customary closing adjustments, and an additional US$25 million worth of proportionate voting shares in the equity of TerrAscend equivalent to approximately 5,059.102 proportionate voting shares (which are each exchangeable for 1,000 TerrAscend common shares, being issued at an issuance price of US$ 4.94 per share, based on the 45 day volume-weighted average trading price of TerrAscend’s common shares as of Monday, July 29, 2019 of C$6.5307 and an exchange rate of C$1.3216 per US$1.00). The additional cash consideration of up to US$175 million2 in aggregate may be paid to the sellers based on Ilera achieving certain specified revenue and profitability targets, with staged payments being made in 2020 and 2021. The transaction is expected to close in the 4th quarter of 2019, subject to regulatory approvals by the Pennsylvania Department of Health as well as certain customary closing conditions.

Louisiana

Medical marijuana is now legally available to Louisiana patients, with Baton Rouge’s Capitol Wellness Solutions recording the state’s first-ever regulated medical-cannabis sales transaction at the dispensary’s grand opening today. Three patients were the first to benefit from the state’s new regulated medical program, including two cancer patients and the first veteran in the state to be able to utilize medical marijuana to treat symptoms of PTSD.

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The Green Market Report focuses on the financial news of the rapidly growing cannabis industry. Our target approach filters out the daily noise and does a deep dive into the financial, business and economic side of the cannabis industry. Our team is cultivating the industry’s critical news into one source and providing open source insights and data analysis


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