Controversial or not, the marijuana boom is tough to ignore.
For one, lawmakers in Kentucky and West Virginia are now considering full marijuana legalization. Lawmakers in Indiana, Missouri, Texas and Virginia could also soon vote on legalization bills that were recently introduced.
Two, considering the sizable growth there are plenty of reasons to get excited.
According to analysts at Cowen, U.S. cannabis sales alone could reach $80 billion by 2030 – an increase of $5 billion from earlier estimates, and a 4% compound annual growth rate. Even Piper Jaffray believes the market for legal cannabis could be worth $15 billion to $50 billion a year, with global sales growing to $250 billion to $500 billion.
Three, we’re seeing considerable interest from corporate America.
Constellation Brands invested $4 billion in Canopy Growth. Molson Coors even listed legal cannabis among the biggest possible risks to its business in its annual shareholder report. Anheuser-Busch InBev (BUD) looks to be jumping on the bandwagon, too.
And four, stocks like Tilray Inc. (TLRY) fail to disappoint investors.
In fact, shares of TLRY were up as much as $20 a share last Friday after its biggest shareholder said it would hold the stock until at least the second half of 2019.
“We do not have plans to register, sell or distribute the shares Privateer holds in Tilray during the first half of 2019,” Privateer Holdings’ Michael Blue noted. “When we decide to distribute shares, we will do so in an orderly and deliberate manner to maximize tax- efficiency considerations for Privateer investors, while also taking into consideration potential impacts on Tilray’s public float. And we will do it in a way that reflects our long-term confidence in Tilray’s business model and management team.”
Also, TLRY appears to be in good shape fundamentally.
Not only does it have ample production capacity, it expected to have 912,000 sq. ft. of growing space by the close of 2018. It also had supply-agreements in British Columbia, Quebec, Manitoba, and Yukon with a medical marijuana agreement in place with Novartis. And, according to the company’s SEC filings, it had also made agreements with pharmaceutical distributors in 12 countries, had four clinical trials in three countries and was among the first companies to have licenses for cannabis cultivation in two countries: Canada and Portugal.
In short, there are plenty of reasons to get excited about Tilray Inc.
Technically, the stock is just beginning to break out from a multi-month consolidation pattern. Should it continue, we believe the stock could re-challenge a high of $300 a share. Stay tuned.
