Charlotte's Web Holdings (TSX: CWEB.TO) Dec 12, 2019Currently the entire cannabinoid industry is in a downturn. The sky high valuations that these companies have been commanding past few months have clashed with reality, leaving investors scrambling for cover.
The whole premise for the high valuations was the high growth rate. However, as recent events in Canada show, legitimate cannabinoid companies still cannot compete with the black market given the high taxes and the costs of compliance with regulatory requirements. Furthermore, with the government allowing private citizens to grow cannabis, a chunk of the retail market has vanished for these big players. Now the competition among the bigger players is among niche and value added products.
Coming to CWEB, it's revenue has grown in the double digits but so has the costs. Currently, the stock commands a PE of 213 (Yahoo Finance), which would theoretically take an investor more than 2 centuries to recoup his/her investment (assuming no growth rate). Critics may point out the impressive rate of growth, but the key question to ask: Is the company generating any money?
A quick glance at the Cash Flow statement reveals that although CF was positive from FY17 to FY18; however in the TTM the company has spent 44,000K from its reserves. Furthermore, in the company's short life span, FCF was positive only in 2017.
Based on the analysis, CWEB would not find a space in my personal portfolio. It seems that the company is funding it's growth from shareholder equity. In the absence of shareholders pouring in money coupled with a negative FCF, the company would find it challenging to sustain its growth.
