Skip to main content
Open this photo in gallery:

Staff work in a marijuana grow room that can be viewed at the new visitors centre at Canopy Growth's Tweed facility in Smiths Falls, Ont., in 2018.Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press

Analysts have maintained their sell ratings on Canopy Growth Corp.’s WEED-T shares despite the cannabis producer’s move late last week to offload nearly one-fifth of its debt to address investor concerns.

After markets closed on June 29, Canopy said it had made a deal with several of its debt-holders to exchange $255.4-million worth of debt for shares and about $3-million in cash as part of its efforts to become profitable by 2024.

In the days since the announcement, analysts from Canaccord Genuity CF-T, CIBC Capital Markets and Piper Sandler & Co. have all reiterated their sell ratings for the stock, the price of which fell nearly 20 per cent to a five-year low of $3.55 on June 30. The shares closed up slightly at $3.63 on the Toronto Stock Exchange on Monday.

Swapping the debt for equity increases Canopy’s total outstanding share count by 56 to 78 million shares, up to about 20 per cent, according to Canaccord Genuity Group analyst Matthew Bottomley.

This is bad news for current investors, he said, who worry that with more debt remaining on the books, more share dilution may be on the horizon.

While the reduction of debt is positive, Mr. Bottomley said, it’s not enough for the investment firm to upgrade its sell recommendation to hold or even buy.

In a note, CIBC Equity Research analyst John Zamparo said the deal was positive in that it reduced about 17 per cent of the company’s debt. However, he noted, Canopy has lost market share in Canada over the past 12 months, while its German operations face increased competition and its U.S. operations are stalled by federal legislation in that country.

Canopy’s story is representative of the bleak financial situation of all Canada’s large cannabis producers, whose profitability is suffering because of high competition for products and low brand recognition. Meanwhile, slow progress toward legalization in the United States is hampering expansion plans.

Cannabis companies account for three of the five worst-performing stocks in the S&P/TSX Composite Index this year-to-date as of June 30, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence. The price of Aurora Cannabis Inc. ACB-T stock is down 75.2 per cent year to date, Canopy is down 66.8 per cent and Tilray Brands Inc. TLRY-T is down 55.2 per cent. Only Shopify Inc. SHOP-T performed worse than Aurora, with a stock decline of 77.2 per cent.

As part of Thursday’s debt deal, Constellation Brands Inc. STZ-N, which is also one of Canopy’s largest shareholders, will acquire up to 30.7 million shares, which would bring its total ownership to more than 40 per cent.

Mr. Bottomley said he remains hopeful for Canopy’s future based on its strategic partnerships abroad, but is watching to see how the company progresses toward conserving cash and streamlining operations. Currently, Canopy is burning more than $100-million in cash per quarter, according to CIBC Equity Research.

“Reducing the debt is one thing, but if you continue to operate at these extended losses, then you’re not really getting anywhere – it’s one step forward, two steps back,” Mr. Bottomley said.

Your time is valuable. Have the Top Business Headlines newsletter conveniently delivered to your inbox in the morning or evening. Sign up today.

Report an editorial error

Report a technical issue

Editorial code of conduct

Tickers mentioned in this story

Study and track financial data on any traded entity: click to open the full quote page. Data updated as of 27/03/24 4:00pm EDT.

SymbolName% changeLast
WEED-T
Canopy Growth Corp
+32.55%12.95
CF-T
Canaccord Genuity Group Inc
+1.98%8.75
ACB-T
Aurora Cannabis Inc
+12.98%6.44
TLRY-T
Tilray Inc
+7.67%3.37
SHOP-T
Shopify Inc
+0.15%106.7
STZ-N
Constellation Brands Inc
+1.02%272.04

Follow related authors and topics

Authors and topics you follow will be added to your personal news feed in Following.

Interact with The Globe