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3 Cannabis Stocks to Benefit From New York Recreational Cannabis Approval

3 Cannabis Stocks to Benefit From New York Recreational Cannabis Approval

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After the coronavirus fears subside and the U.S. counts the economic toll, the legalization of cannabis is a potential beneficiary. Most states have huge budget deficits with an eye on legalization of especially recreational cannabis as a major source of new tax revenues.

One state pushing forward with recreational cannabis approval is New York. Governor Andrew Cuomo is one of the few governors pushing aggressively for approval and the state would probably be very close to legalization, if not for the ongoing setback from COVID-19.

The flip side of this setback is the need for cannabis tax revenues is further enhanced by the near full shutdown of the New York economy for 4 months now. State lawmakers are now pushing to get marijuana legalized due an estimated $300 million in tax revenues for the state that now has a budget deficit of up to $61 billion.

The state currently has a medical cannabis program with 10 licensed organizations approved for 4 dispensaries each. A big remaining question is whether these existing license holders and dispensaries will obtain an immediate conversion into recreational cannabis sales similar to Illinois.  

Illinois is an estimated $2 billion to $4 billion annual cannabis sales opportunity while New York has a population about 50% larger. The best opportunity to expedite immediate sales and tax collection is following the Illinois plan.

With this in mind, we’ve delved into 3 multi-state operator (MSO) stocks to consider as the state of New York looks to quickly approve recreational cannabis to fill a major budget deficit. Using TipRanks’ Stock Comparison tool, we lined up the three alongside each other to get the lowdown on what the near-term holds for these MSO players.

Cresco Labs (CRLBF)

Cresco Labs is one of the leading MSOs and positioned to lead in important states such as Illinois, Pennsylvania and New York. The company obtained four NY dispensaries and the right to operate one cultivation facility via the acquisition of Valley Agriceuticals, LLC. The dispensaries have recently been re-branded to the Sunnyside retail brand.

Unlike most of the MSOs, Cresco Labs is more focused on the wholesale market. The company gets over 50% of revenues from the wholesales business, but the key retail stores located in large states like New York will provide substantial revenue upside.

Illinois is on pace to be 3.5x to 4x larger in 2020 than 2019 sales levels following the legalization of recreational cannabis on January 1. The MSO had a similar position in that state with some equally strong competitors, but the limited licenses to start was a huge benefit to the existing license holders.

Overall, Cresco remains a Wall Street darling, as TipRanks analytics showcasing the MSO as a Strong Buy. With an average price target of $9.60, analysts are predicting massive upside potential of 77% for the stock. In total, the stock has received 8 'buy' ratings vs. just 1 'hold' in the last three months. (See Cresco stock analysis on TipRanks)

Curaleaf (CURLF)

Curaleaf is the biggest MSO and will benefit from the approval of recreational cannabis in New York. The company has the same four store locations as the other smaller MSOs so the big upside potential is probably in the other MSOs, but the large MSO having licenses amongst only 10 other companies is a huge plus to Curaleaf becoming a dominant MSO.

The cannabis company forecast Q2 revenues of $165 million despite some major impacts from store closures in Nevada and Massachusetts. Even $10 or $20 million in additional quarterly revenue wouldn’t move the needle substantially for Curaleaf, but the revenues would build the case for the company being the global leader in cannabis by a wide margin. Curaleaf is already approaching $200 million in quarterly revenue while some Canadian players are still struggling to hit the $100 million level.

Depending on how New York approves the market dynamics for recreational cannabis, Curaleaf could definitely utilize market size to roll out new recreational products quicker and even build out additional new retail stores faster. The approval of recreational cannabis in New York would make the MSO as one the dominant players in two of the new big cannabis markets in the U.S.

Columbia Care (CCHWF)

Columbia Care remains one of the few MSOs not well known by the market. The company isn’t generating quarterly sales in the $50 million or $100 million range of other major MSOs involved in New York, but the company is just getting started in major states outside of New York including operations in Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts and Ohio.

Analysts have Columbia Care generating 2020 revenues of $210 million while the market cap is only $620 million. The MSO is positioned to see the biggest upside from four retail locations in New York being able to sell recreational cannabis due to the smaller size of the company. Columbia Care has key store locations in Brooklyn and Manhattan.  

Analysts forecast the MSO doubling revenues in 2021 to over $400 million before even seeing upside from a New York and even Florida approval of recreational cannabis. The company has limited stores in Illinois, Massachusetts, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New Jersey just now opening or ramping up.

Columbia Care is still generating large EBITDA losses as the company still launches operations in additional states such as New Jersey and Virginia while ramping up operations in these other states.

Like the other stocks in this article, Columbia Care has a Strong Buy consensus – and it is based on 3 'buy' ratings given in recent months. The shares have an average price target of $8.29, suggesting a 194% upside from the $2.82 current trading price.

To find good ideas for cannabis stocks trading at attractive valuations, visit TipRanks’ Best Stocks to Buy, a newly launched tool that unites all of TipRanks’ equity insights.

Disclosure: No position.

The post 3 Cannabis Stocks to Benefit From New York Recreational Cannabis Approval appeared first on TipRanks Financial Blog.

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Low Iron Levels In Blood Could Trigger Long COVID: Study

Low Iron Levels In Blood Could Trigger Long COVID: Study

Authored by Amie Dahnke via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

People with inadequate…

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Low Iron Levels In Blood Could Trigger Long COVID: Study

Authored by Amie Dahnke via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

People with inadequate iron levels in their blood due to a COVID-19 infection could be at greater risk of long COVID.

(Shutterstock)

A new study indicates that problems with iron levels in the bloodstream likely trigger chronic inflammation and other conditions associated with the post-COVID phenomenon. The findings, published on March 1 in Nature Immunology, could offer new ways to treat or prevent the condition.

Long COVID Patients Have Low Iron Levels

Researchers at the University of Cambridge pinpointed low iron as a potential link to long-COVID symptoms thanks to a study they initiated shortly after the start of the pandemic. They recruited people who tested positive for the virus to provide blood samples for analysis over a year, which allowed the researchers to look for post-infection changes in the blood. The researchers looked at 214 samples and found that 45 percent of patients reported symptoms of long COVID that lasted between three and 10 months.

In analyzing the blood samples, the research team noticed that people experiencing long COVID had low iron levels, contributing to anemia and low red blood cell production, just two weeks after they were diagnosed with COVID-19. This was true for patients regardless of age, sex, or the initial severity of their infection.

According to one of the study co-authors, the removal of iron from the bloodstream is a natural process and defense mechanism of the body.

But it can jeopardize a person’s recovery.

When the body has an infection, it responds by removing iron from the bloodstream. This protects us from potentially lethal bacteria that capture the iron in the bloodstream and grow rapidly. It’s an evolutionary response that redistributes iron in the body, and the blood plasma becomes an iron desert,” University of Oxford professor Hal Drakesmith said in a press release. “However, if this goes on for a long time, there is less iron for red blood cells, so oxygen is transported less efficiently affecting metabolism and energy production, and for white blood cells, which need iron to work properly. The protective mechanism ends up becoming a problem.”

The research team believes that consistently low iron levels could explain why individuals with long COVID continue to experience fatigue and difficulty exercising. As such, the researchers suggested iron supplementation to help regulate and prevent the often debilitating symptoms associated with long COVID.

It isn’t necessarily the case that individuals don’t have enough iron in their body, it’s just that it’s trapped in the wrong place,” Aimee Hanson, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Cambridge who worked on the study, said in the press release. “What we need is a way to remobilize the iron and pull it back into the bloodstream, where it becomes more useful to the red blood cells.”

The research team pointed out that iron supplementation isn’t always straightforward. Achieving the right level of iron varies from person to person. Too much iron can cause stomach issues, ranging from constipation, nausea, and abdominal pain to gastritis and gastric lesions.

1 in 5 Still Affected by Long COVID

COVID-19 has affected nearly 40 percent of Americans, with one in five of those still suffering from symptoms of long COVID, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Long COVID is marked by health issues that continue at least four weeks after an individual was initially diagnosed with COVID-19. Symptoms can last for days, weeks, months, or years and may include fatigue, cough or chest pain, headache, brain fog, depression or anxiety, digestive issues, and joint or muscle pain.

Tyler Durden Sat, 03/09/2024 - 12:50

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Walmart joins Costco in sharing key pricing news

The massive retailers have both shared information that some retailers keep very close to the vest.

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As we head toward a presidential election, the presumed candidates for both parties will look for issues that rally undecided voters. 

The economy will be a key issue, with Democrats pointing to job creation and lowering prices while Republicans will cite the layoffs at Big Tech companies, high housing prices, and of course, sticky inflation.

The covid pandemic created a perfect storm for inflation and higher prices. It became harder to get many items because people getting sick slowed down, or even stopped, production at some factories.

Related: Popular mall retailer shuts down abruptly after bankruptcy filing

It was also a period where demand increased while shipping, trucking and delivery systems were all strained or thrown out of whack. The combination led to product shortages and higher prices.

You might have gone to the grocery store and not been able to buy your favorite paper towel brand or find toilet paper at all. That happened partly because of the supply chain and partly due to increased demand, but at the end of the day, it led to higher prices, which some consumers blamed on President Joe Biden's administration.

Biden, of course, was blamed for the price increases, but as inflation has dropped and grocery prices have fallen, few companies have been up front about it. That's probably not a political choice in most cases. Instead, some companies have chosen to lower prices more slowly than they raised them.

However, two major retailers, Walmart (WMT) and Costco, have been very honest about inflation. Walmart Chief Executive Doug McMillon's most recent comments validate what Biden's administration has been saying about the state of the economy. And they contrast with the economic picture being painted by Republicans who support their presumptive nominee, Donald Trump.

Walmart has seen inflation drop in many key areas.

Image source: Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Walmart sees lower prices

McMillon does not talk about lower prices to make a political statement. He's communicating with customers and potential customers through the analysts who cover the company's quarterly-earnings calls.

During Walmart's fiscal-fourth-quarter-earnings call, McMillon was clear that prices are going down.

"I'm excited about the omnichannel net promoter score trends the team is driving. Across countries, we continue to see a customer that's resilient but looking for value. As always, we're working hard to deliver that for them, including through our rollbacks on food pricing in Walmart U.S. Those were up significantly in Q4 versus last year, following a big increase in Q3," he said.

He was specific about where the chain has seen prices go down.

"Our general merchandise prices are lower than a year ago and even two years ago in some categories, which means our customers are finding value in areas like apparel and hard lines," he said. "In food, prices are lower than a year ago in places like eggs, apples, and deli snacks, but higher in other places like asparagus and blackberries."

McMillon said that in other areas prices were still up but have been falling.

"Dry grocery and consumables categories like paper goods and cleaning supplies are up mid-single digits versus last year and high teens versus two years ago. Private-brand penetration is up in many of the countries where we operate, including the United States," he said.

Costco sees almost no inflation impact

McMillon avoided the word inflation in his comments. Costco  (COST)  Chief Financial Officer Richard Galanti, who steps down on March 15, has been very transparent on the topic.

The CFO commented on inflation during his company's fiscal-first-quarter-earnings call.

"Most recently, in the last fourth-quarter discussion, we had estimated that year-over-year inflation was in the 1% to 2% range. Our estimate for the quarter just ended, that inflation was in the 0% to 1% range," he said.

Galanti made clear that inflation (and even deflation) varied by category.

"A bigger deflation in some big and bulky items like furniture sets due to lower freight costs year over year, as well as on things like domestics, bulky lower-priced items, again, where the freight cost is significant. Some deflationary items were as much as 20% to 30% and, again, mostly freight-related," he added.

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Walmart has really good news for shoppers (and Joe Biden)

The giant retailer joins Costco in making a statement that has political overtones, even if that’s not the intent.

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As we head toward a presidential election, the presumed candidates for both parties will look for issues that rally undecided voters. 

The economy will be a key issue, with Democrats pointing to job creation and lowering prices while Republicans will cite the layoffs at Big Tech companies, high housing prices, and of course, sticky inflation.

The covid pandemic created a perfect storm for inflation and higher prices. It became harder to get many items because people getting sick slowed down, or even stopped, production at some factories.

Related: Popular mall retailer shuts down abruptly after bankruptcy filing

It was also a period where demand increased while shipping, trucking and delivery systems were all strained or thrown out of whack. The combination led to product shortages and higher prices.

You might have gone to the grocery store and not been able to buy your favorite paper towel brand or find toilet paper at all. That happened partly because of the supply chain and partly due to increased demand, but at the end of the day, it led to higher prices, which some consumers blamed on President Joe Biden's administration.

Biden, of course, was blamed for the price increases, but as inflation has dropped and grocery prices have fallen, few companies have been up front about it. That's probably not a political choice in most cases. Instead, some companies have chosen to lower prices more slowly than they raised them.

However, two major retailers, Walmart (WMT) and Costco, have been very honest about inflation. Walmart Chief Executive Doug McMillon's most recent comments validate what Biden's administration has been saying about the state of the economy. And they contrast with the economic picture being painted by Republicans who support their presumptive nominee, Donald Trump.

Walmart has seen inflation drop in many key areas.

Image source: Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Walmart sees lower prices

McMillon does not talk about lower prices to make a political statement. He's communicating with customers and potential customers through the analysts who cover the company's quarterly-earnings calls.

During Walmart's fiscal-fourth-quarter-earnings call, McMillon was clear that prices are going down.

"I'm excited about the omnichannel net promoter score trends the team is driving. Across countries, we continue to see a customer that's resilient but looking for value. As always, we're working hard to deliver that for them, including through our rollbacks on food pricing in Walmart U.S. Those were up significantly in Q4 versus last year, following a big increase in Q3," he said.

He was specific about where the chain has seen prices go down.

"Our general merchandise prices are lower than a year ago and even two years ago in some categories, which means our customers are finding value in areas like apparel and hard lines," he said. "In food, prices are lower than a year ago in places like eggs, apples, and deli snacks, but higher in other places like asparagus and blackberries."

McMillon said that in other areas prices were still up but have been falling.

"Dry grocery and consumables categories like paper goods and cleaning supplies are up mid-single digits versus last year and high teens versus two years ago. Private-brand penetration is up in many of the countries where we operate, including the United States," he said.

Costco sees almost no inflation impact

McMillon avoided the word inflation in his comments. Costco  (COST)  Chief Financial Officer Richard Galanti, who steps down on March 15, has been very transparent on the topic.

The CFO commented on inflation during his company's fiscal-first-quarter-earnings call.

"Most recently, in the last fourth-quarter discussion, we had estimated that year-over-year inflation was in the 1% to 2% range. Our estimate for the quarter just ended, that inflation was in the 0% to 1% range," he said.

Galanti made clear that inflation (and even deflation) varied by category.

"A bigger deflation in some big and bulky items like furniture sets due to lower freight costs year over year, as well as on things like domestics, bulky lower-priced items, again, where the freight cost is significant. Some deflationary items were as much as 20% to 30% and, again, mostly freight-related," he added.

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