What happened
Sundial Growers (SNDL -2.50%) stock has been popular with traders over the past several months. Its daily average trading volume has soared by more than 1,000% since the U.S. elections in November, and its share price has also risen by more than 700% in that time.
After Sundial reported earnings Wednesday, its shares headed upward again, and were trading higher by 7.9% as of 10:40 a.m. EDT Thursday.
So what
Sundial reported fourth-quarter and full-year 2020 results Thursday night, and there were several positive items of note. Though net revenue for the year declined by 4%, gross revenue increased by 10%. And that increase came as pricing declined. The company reported that its gross selling price per gram equivalent of branded products declined from $6.24 in 2019 to $5.05 in 2020. That's good news and bad news for the cannabis company.
Image source: Getty Images.
Now what
The good news is the company is growing revenue as it transitions from wholesale to more branded retail sales. Sundial reported branded net cannabis sales increased to 75% of total cannabis sales in 2020, compared to 20% in 2019.
The bad news on pricing is that management foresees more pricing pressure ahead for the entire industry "due to continuing competition and relative oversupply." That's not a good formula for a company that is working to become profitable.
But management is optimistic that its operational strategy will pay off. In a statement, Sundial CEO Zach George said the company's "commitment to cultivation in our modular indoor facility" will differentiate it from its peers, and that he expects positive results from the strategy this year.
