The #MJBizCon Canna Buzz for #Cannabis #Stocks - (OTCQB: $SING) (OTC: $KSHB), (NYSE: $ACB) (TSX: $ACB.TO) (CSE: $TRUL.C) (OTC: $TCNNF)
Exhibitor SinglePoint Inc. to Showcase Smokable Hemp - one of the fastest growing segments in the industry
MJBizCon is an annual three-day event where cannabis industry professionals network, listen to premier keynote speakers and explore the more than 150 exhibiting businesses. The event brings together many top-level individuals and businesses that are working to advance the cannabis industry while also increasing its visibility on a global scale.
When asked about how this year's event has evolved to differ from last year, Tess Woods from the MJBiz Team commented, “Each year we produce MJBizCon, it is important for us to highlight the advancements the industry has made. This year, we are launching the Investor Intelligence Conference and the MJBizDaily Awards. For the first time, we will also surpass 35,000 attendees from more than 70 countries.”
Woods also commented on the noticed trends and industry trajectory saying, “It’s clear if you look at market data and consumer behavior in medicinal and adult use markets that the industry has only begun to develop here in the United States and the globe. Our annual Marijuana Business Industry Factbook recently projected the enormous YOY growth rates for the next five years. I have no reason to believe those types of curves won’t continue to be seen far into the future.”
While the industry may have suffered somewhat from negative press and underwhelming financials, companies, investors and conference attendees have renewed optimism in the industry looking to 2020.
SinglePoint Inc. (OTCQB: SING) President Wil Ralston, one of the industry exhibitors said, "We are extremely bullish on the sale of our pre-rolled hemp. We are currently selling our 1606hemp.com and have completed our first large purchase from a distributor. Smokable hemp is one of the fastest growing segments in the industry and we are at the forefront of it. Being federally legal through the passing of the 2018 Farm Bill, we are able to ship nationwide through distributors, direct to store and direct to consumer."
SinglePoint recently released a recap of their successful 2019 and a look ahead to 2020 as the company comes off its largest 3rd quarter in history, exceeding $1,000,000 in revenue for the quarter. The company continues to see expanded growth in two major markets, Hemp and Solar and throughout Q4 and into 2020, SinglePoint will focus on growing these two market segments as demand increases for both. SinglePoint recently launched 1606 hemp which will have its major debut at the December 11-13, 2019 MJBIZCON where thousands will converge at the Las Vegas Convention Center to see the latest products in the industry. SinglePoint expects the sale of 1606 to be a large contributor in 2020 to overall company growth.
“We are excited for the launch of our 1606 Original Pre-rolled Hemp. We believe we can quickly scale the sales of this product via ecommerce and retail buyers. The Hemp Pre-rolls have a major profit margin which will support continued organic growth,” states Wil Ralston, President of SinglePoint.
1606 Original Hemp cigarettes are nicotine and tobacco free. Some research suggests that smoking hemp cigarettes could be a potential tool to replace tobacco and nicotine addictions.
According to a Brightfield Group survey of more than 5,000 CBD users in the US:
· 24% have used it to help quit smoking.
· Quitters are often replacing cigarettes with either smokable hemp or vaping.
· 41% of quitters have entirely replaced traditional smoking with hemp CBD.
According to a June 2019 market research report published by MarketsandMarkets™, the industrial hemp market is projected to grow from $4.6 billion in 2019 to $26.6 billion by 2025, recording a compound annual growth rate of 34.0% during the forecast period. The CBD market is on track to grow to $23.7 billion through 2023, according to Brightfield Group. The firm also estimated the smokable hemp market to be valued at $11.5 million in 2018, a growth of 250% from 2017.
“We have an exceptional strategic plan in making SinglePoint one of the biggest publicly traded companies in the Smokable hemp space. We believe we offer investors and our current shareholders tremendous value given our leadership position in several explosive markets including ecommerce, Hemp and Solar. As SinglePoint continues to grow revenue and profit we continue to strive for meeting the qualifications to apply for a listed exchange,” states Greg Lambrecht, SinglePoint CEO.
SinglePoint predicts growth in its markets will continue. Support for legalization passed recently when lawmakers in the House Judiciary Committee approved a Bill that stands to decriminalize marijuana at the federal level. The Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act of 2019 (the “MORE Act”) passed by a wide margin with bipartisan support. This bill will now head to Senate; this is just the first of many steps but as support continues, SinglePoint believes it will only continue to open up options for businesses to obtain legal payment processing accounts. SinglePoint is currently growing its portfolio of accounts and as soon as the company believes there is a viable, stable payments option it will be able to onboard additional clients.
As SinglePoint’s Hemp business continues to blossom, Direct Solar of America drives additional expansion. Direct Solar, a subsidiary of SinglePoint Inc. (SING), a leading residential and commercial solar brokerage, continues to exceed revenue growth targets and has been pivotal to improving the Company’s financials.
Direct Solar of America is filling a gap in the solar market by providing homeowners the knowledge and comfort throughout the solar purchasing cycle. There are many complexities when it comes to the purchases including tax credits, leasing vs. buying, installers among other decisions to make. Direct Solar separates itself by becoming experts in the intricacies of solar in each market. Direct Solar has surpassed over $900,000 in revenue in just six months of operations.
KushCo Holdings, Inc. (OTC: KSHB), the premier producer of ancillary products and services to the legal cannabis and CBD industries, will also be exhibiting at MJBizCon after having recently reported its financial results for its fiscal fourth quarter and full year ended August 31, 2019.
For the Fourth Quarter the company saw a net revenue increased 135% year-over-year to $47.0 million, a gross profit was 20.1%, compared to 18.1% in the prior year period on a GAAP basis and, excluding the impact of certain non-recurring items, gross profit was approximately 22.1% on a Non-GAAP basis.
For the Full Year the company saw a net revenue increased 186% year-over-year to a record $149.0 million, enabling the Company to achieve its previously issued guidance of between $145.0 million and $150.0 million, a gross profit was 16.5%, compared to 25.6% in the prior year on a GAAP basis and excluding the impact of certain non-recurring items, gross profit was approximately 21.3% on a Non-GAAP basis.
Nick Kovacevich, Co-founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, commented: "Since we became a public company in 2016, we have more than doubled our annual revenue in each of the last four fiscal years, with revenue for fiscal 2019 increasing 186% year-over-year to a record $149.0 million, helping us achieve our guidance of between $145 million and $150 million in revenue. Substantially all of this robust growth was organic, driven primarily by our continued success in penetrating both new and existing markets and cross-selling deeper into our 6,000+ strong customer base with our significantly expanded offerings. Perhaps more importantly, we have supplemented this solid topline growth with increasing margins, as we have driven further improvements and efficiencies in our business. In fact, our gross margins have been increasing every quarter since we started fiscal 2019 from 13% in fiscal Q1 to 20% in fiscal Q4. Given that we are continuing to gain scale and efficiency in our core business, while launching and ramping up higher-margin service offerings, we expect to see continued gross margin enhancement in the near future.
"Over the past couple of months, KushCo and the entire regulated cannabis industry has been dealing with a vaping crisis that increasingly appears to be connected to counterfeited, adulterated, and untested vape products being sold in the black market, which we do not service. While we have been seeing a slight pullback in sales for the overall vape market, it's important to note that we service the entire regulated cannabis and CBD sector, and as a result, benefit from some consumers potentially shifting to other form factors, such as flower, edibles and pre-rolls. That being said, we believe there will be some topline softness in the first half of fiscal 2020 related to vape, as our customers have been more cautious with their spending and have been slowing down their vape purchasing activity to limit any potential inventory or regulatory risk should there be additional temporary state bans affecting vape product sales. Looking out to the second half of fiscal 2020, we expect orders for vape products to pick up again.
"Longer term, we believe this crisis will drive more consumers from the illicit market to the legal market and incentivize operators to upgrade to higher-quality, premium and tested products-both drivers that should help our business. However, we remain focused on gradually diversifying away from vape, which we have been communicating and executing on for the past several quarters, especially with the launch of newer and higher-margin initiatives, such as our retail services, our custom branded anti-counterfeiting and authentication labels, and most recently our hemp trading business. These offerings not only further diversify our business, adding incremental defensibility and sustainability, but also drive higher margins which help us achieve our primary goal of adjusted EBITDA profitability in the second half of fiscal 2020.
"KushCo is one of the few companies in the cannabis and CBD industries that has historically been profitable, and we believe we can achieve this status again, only now at a much higher level of scale, diversification, and customer and market penetration. Our strategy of achieving adjusted EBITDA profitability is centered around three main drivers: 1) continued topline growth in our core business; 2) the successful ramp up of our newer and higher-margin initiatives; and, 3) a healthy level of restructuring and cost-cutting to right-size the business, enhance margins, and improve cash flow. Already, we have made significant inroads across each profitability driver.
"Overall, fiscal 2019 was a major leap forward for KushCo, as we once again drove significant topline growth, enhanced our margins, expanded our offerings, and further penetrated our deep customer base. Now, with industry conditions becoming more challenging, we have our sights set on further expanding the business, but doing so in a more efficient and profitable manner. Our recent capital raise of $30.1 million, along with our revolving credit facility with Monroe Capital for up to $50 million, should give us enough sprint capacity to execute on this strategy, achieve our goal of becoming financially self-sufficient, and put ourselves in a much stronger position to power the global cannabis ecosystem. We believe this will ultimately drive the highest returns for our shareholders."
Looking forward KushCo expects annual net revenue for fiscal 2020 to be between $230 million and $250 million. Included in this financial guidance is the Company's expectation that net revenue from its newly launched hemp trading business will total at least $25 million for the fiscal year.
Aurora Cannabis Inc. (NYSE: ACB) (TSX: ACB) who recently opened its flagship retail store in The West Edmonton Mall, the largest mall in North America, will also be exhibiting at MJBizCon this year.
The roughly 11,000-sq.-ft. Aurora’s flagship store will offer different products and events. The retail cannabis store will offer “a safe, age-gated retail experience in full compliance with all relevant federal and provincial regulations,” according to a company statement.
Designed by Bruce Mau Design and GMC Architects, the flagship store will host world-class researchers, creators and culture makers to lead sessions with artists, chefs, local innovators and experts in the emerging world of cannabis. The cannabis store will offer visitors access to over 42 different cannabis products from the Aurora family of brands.
“Aurora is proud to call Edmonton home. It’s here where we established our roots and built our business. There’s no better place for us to open the doors to our flagship store and to welcome consumers from all over the world to join us in celebrating how far the cannabis movement has come and how quickly it continues to grow,” Aurora CEO, Terry Booth stated.
The company also recently announced that one of its oil products has obtained approval for use under Ireland’s new Medical Cannabis Access Programme.
The company’s high CBD Oil Drops have been added to a regulatory schedule by the Irish Minister of Health, allowing the importation and prescribing of the oil. It's one of two products to receive such an approval, Aurora said.
Ireland’s Medical Cannabis Access Programme allows for a consultant to prescribe medical cannabis to patients suffering from spasticity related to multiple sclerosis, difficult nausea and vomiting connected to chemotherapy and severe refractory epilepsy. The program was approved in June by Irish Minister of Health, Simon Harris and is set to last for five years.
"Aurora is pleased to be able to assist patients who are seeking treatment with high quality EU-GMP (good manufacturing practice) certified pharmaceutical-grade medical cannabis in Ireland,” Dr. Shane Morris, Aurora's Chief Product Officer, said in a statement.
“We are very proud to be one of the first approved suppliers of medical cannabis under the MCAP. We want to acknowledge the efforts made by many people, especially the patients and doctors who have campaigned for access to these medicines."
Trulieve Cannabis Corp. (CSE: TRUL) (OTC: TCNNF), a leading and top-performing cannabis company in the United States, will also be attending this year’s MJBIzCon after having recently announced that CEO Kim Rivers was featured on a presenting panel Multi-State Operators take on Medicinal Cannabis speaking with other leading cannabis executives in the healthcare sector at Piper Jaffray's 31st Annual Healthcare Conference on December 3rd, 2019.
Ms. Rivers is scheduled to speak on the Licensing: Ins and Outs – Ensuring Continued Compliance in a Changing Regulatory Landscape panel at the MJBiz Conference at 10:30 a.m. PST on Thursday, December 12th, 2019 in Las Vegas.
CEO Kim Rivers was also recently among the 50 most influential women to be recognized across the cannabis industry at the High Times Female 50.
Trulieve Cannabis Corp., like many of the other above listed exhibitors also released its financial results for the third quarter of 2019 ended September 30, 2019.
"Our third quarter results reflect our continued customer loyalty, growth, and leadership position. Trulieve's strong brand, wide-ranging access to stores, and authentic customer experience have resonated with our customers and patients," stated Kim Rivers, Trulieve CEO. "The third quarter was also successful in further strengthening our position in our existing markets as well as preparing for new market entry. We continue to build operational efficiencies and financial discipline to ensure a solid foundation, cash reserves, and the right tools at our disposal to expand our footprint. Looking ahead, this is an exciting time as we execute on our strategic vision to be one of the top performing cannabis companies in North America."
This year’s MJBizCon kicks off next week on December 11th and it seems many of the exhibitors are looking to use this event, filled with industry professionals and investors, to help reinvigorate the industry and update the cannabis market on their recent developments. Reflecting, 2019 may not have been all we hoped for when looking at the hemp and cannabis sector but it seems 2020 is inciting many companies to be optimistic as we start to see real revenue generation and an improved regulatory environment.
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