Nanaimo-based Tilray reports US$33.6M profit in Q4 as it merged with cannabis rival Aphria
Tilray Inc.'s chief executive blamed COVID-19 lockdowns for more than $100 million in revenue losses Wednesday, but hopes a recent merger will help it rebuild from the pandemic.
Irwin Simon, who took the helm of Tilray after it merged with Aphria Inc. in May, told analysts on a conference call that public health measures forced many cannabis stores to temporarily close and sent customers searching for product online, weighing on the company's results for the quarter ended May 31.
“Until just recently, in mid-June, there were over 800 stores in Ontario alone that had never opened their doors to customers because of COVID or could only do curbside delivery,” he said.
“This has now begun to change and many stores have since opened...although that of course, did not help our May ending fiscal quarter sales.”
The pandemic came as Tilray and the cannabis industry are still trying to educate customers about their constantly expanding product lines and pushed Tilray to use social media and e-commerce to reach and entice consumers, said Simon.
Despite the challenges, the company managed to report a US$33.6 million profit in its fourth fiscal quarter, up from a net loss of US$84.3 million during the same time last year.
Tilray's basic and diluted earnings per share for the quarter amounted to 18 cents, up from a loss of 39 cents per share in the year prior.
Analysts had expected Tilray, which reports its results in U.S. dollars, to record a loss of 10 cents per share, according to financial data firm Refinitiv.
Its net revenue for the quarter was US$142.2 million, up from US$113.5 million in the fourth quarter of 2020.
The results pushed Tilray's shares up by $3.55 or more than 22 per cent to $19.58 in mid-morning trading.
Simon said Wednesday that Tilray's future is rosy.
He pointed out that the Aphria merger had already generated US$35 million in synergies, bringing it closer to its US$80 million target.
He also predicted the company would see $4 billion in sales by 2024, in part because he has high hopes that the U.S. will federally legalize cannabis soon.
“Between CBD and THC, (the U.S.) is probably close to a $50-billion market and it's the biggest opportunity for us,” he said.
CBD is cannabidiol, a compound found in cannabis and hemp that doesn't produce a high but is believed to relax consumers, and THC is tetrahydrocannabinol, the main psychoactive component in cannabis.
Tilray, said Simon, intends to expand into the U.S. by looking for opportunities with multi-state operators, cannabis companies doing business in several states. He wants to integrate with them, merge or acquire some of them once legalization happens.
He also plans to focus on Tilray's Sweetwater Brewing Co. and Manitoba Harvest businesses in the U.S. by looking for consumer packaged goods brands in the alcohol and food space to work with to create products that could be infused with cannabis.
To further Tilray's U.S. ambitions, shareholders have been asked to meet Thursday to vote on a proposal centred on using more shares for acquisitions.
The proposal recently received the support of the Glass Lewis and ISS proxy advisory firms.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 28, 2021.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Ottawa public school board, 3 Toronto-area school boards launch lawsuit against social media giants
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and three school boards in the Toronto-area have launched legal action against social media giants, accusing them of "disrupting students' fundamental right to education."
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
Tipping is off the table at this Toronto restaurant
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff.
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 mm among weather alerts in effect for 7 provinces
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 millimetres, air quality advisories and other alerts have been issued for seven Canadian provinces, according to the latest forecasts.
King Charles calls for acts of friendship in first public remarks since Kate's cancer diagnosis
King Charles III gave public remarks for Maundy Thursday, addressing the importance of acts of friendship, following his and Catherine, Princess of Wales’ cancer diagnoses.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in N.Y. hush-money criminal case
Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order that bars him from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial.
A fight to protect the dignity of Michelangelo's David raises questions about freedom of expression
Michelangelo's David has been a towering figure in Italian culture since its completion in 1504. But in the current era of the quick buck, curators worry the marble statue's religious and political significance is being diminished.
Doctors visiting a Gaza hospital are stunned by the war's toll on Palestinian children
An international team of doctors visiting a hospital in central Gaza was prepared for the worst. But the gruesome impact Israel’s war against Hamas is having on Palestinian children still left them stunned.