What happened
It's been a rough week for investors in marijuana stocks, and for investors in Aurora Cannabis (ACB -6.81%) in particular. Aurora stock hasn't seen an up day since Monday, when the election results were mostly finalized.
Because Vice President-elect Kamala Harris had campaigned on a plan to decriminalize marijuana, and expunge the records of those with pot-related convictions, it was assumed Monday that the Democrats' victory would be good news for marijuana stocks such as Aurora.
But following several reports of bad news for the company, Aurora Cannabis stock is trading down for the third day in a row today, falling 4.5% through 11:50 a.m. EST.
Image source: Getty Images.
So what
Aurora's earnings news showed sales down 10% year over year, and an $81 million net loss. Then Aurora said that its free cash flow was still going negative, with $93 million in cash burned during the first fiscal quarter of 2021.
And then the company added insult to financial injury, announcing plans to sell 20 million new shares in an effort to raise $150 million to replace its lost cash.
Now what
Will the sell-off ever end? Investors can hope. If the president-elect even hints at a desire to move forward with federal legalization of marijuana, I expect Aurora shares will jump on the change in sentiment. For the stock to make sustained gains, however, the company must find a way to earn better profits from its product, and start generating cash from its business.
