What happened
Sundial Growers (SNDL -3.38%) went on a queasy roller coaster ride Thursday, with the stock rising as much as 6%-plus during the trading day, only to close nearly 16% lower. That isn't out of the ordinary for a low-priced stock, but there are circumstances around Sundial that make it unique.
So what
Sundial rocketed to semi-fame when it became a fat blip on the radar of the (in)famous WallStreetBets group on Reddit earlier this month. Ever since the group's big power play on GameStop, its posts on inexpensive stocks have been scrutinized and, in many cases, acted upon.
Image source: Getty Images.
Judging by Sundial's trading volume (which has declined in recent days), what we can call the WallStreetBets Effect is fading. It feels as if investors are now struggling to find the proper level for this stock.
Neither today's mini-pop nor the ultimate double-digit decline are justified by fundamentals or any surprising news coming from the company. Yes, on Wednesday it cheerfully announced that with the recent price surge it has regained compliance with Nasdaq listing rules, but since that's based on trailing performance, it wasn't a surprise.
Now what
As for the fundamentals, nothing has changed for Sundial. It's a relatively small and not overly distinguished Canadian marijuana producer.
As such, it struggles with that market's numerous challenges, among them a persistent black market that pushes retail prices down, oversupply, and sluggish licensing regimes. To me, these days Sundial is a potential falling knife best avoided.
