(Reuters) – Canadian pot firm Canopy Growth reported a smaller-than-expected core loss for the first quarter on Friday, helped by lower operating expenses and stronger demand for medical cannabis.
Its U.S.-listed shares were up 3.3% at $7.15 in premarket trading.
Faced with increased competition in an overcrowded market, North American pot companies have been cutting costs and taking measures to reduce inventories to preserve cash and improve their finances.
Canopy Growth’s quarterly operating expenses fell 23.7% to C$52.1 million ($37.92 million) from a year ago.
Revenue from its Canadian medical cannabis business rose 20.3% to C$18.8 million in the quarter ended June 30.
The company expects to achieve positive adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) on a consolidated basis in the second half of the fiscal year, CEO David Klein said.
Canopy Growth also pointed to easing doubts around the company’s ability to continue as a going concern.
The company had raised doubts about its ability to continue as a going concern last year as it struggled to turn profitable. It later sold its sports nutrition products unit, Biosteel, after seeking bankruptcy protection for it.
The company reported a first-quarter adjusted core loss of C$5.3 million, compared with analysts’ average estimate of C$7.1 million, according to LSEG data.
Peer Aurora Cannabis reported strong quarterly results earlier this week, helped by growth in medical cannabis segment.
($1 = 1.3739 Canadian dollars)
(Reporting by Tanay Dhumal in Bengaluru; Editing by Shreya Biswas)
Comments