Article by Guelph Today
Canada’s legalization of cannabis in October 2018 was supposed to signify the beginning of a new and prosperous industry in a country with a long-held pot culture.
But just over a year later, the heady days of the pot stock bubble have given way to a harsh reality where share prices are in the tank, supply issues bedevil the system and politicians are laying blame at each others’ feet.
Stocks of several large Canadian cannabis producers fell between 15 and 28 per cent since Monday, which began a week of bad financial news from several of the industry’s heavyweights.
Canopy Growth Corp., which missed revenue estimates and said it was increasingly unlikely to meet revenue targets for its fourth quarter, lost 26.9 per cent of its value over five days, including 67 cents or three per cent on Friday.
Others companies that have been hit this week were Aphria Inc. (down 15.3 per cent), Hexo Corp. (down 23 per cent) and Aurora Cannabis (down 27.6 per cent).
As with Canopy, Aurora’s net sales — announced late Thursday — were below expectations, coming in at $75.2 million rather than a consensus estimate of $93 million.
“The sales shortfall was driven mainly by a 33 per cent decline in recreational sales due to slowing demand from the provinces as they work through high inventory levels,” wrote Desjardins Securities analyst John Chu.
Desjardins cut its stock price estimate for Aurora to $6.50, from $14, but continued its “buy” rating.