Curaleaf (CURLF) looks like one of the real emerging leaders in the marijuana field; in fact, it’s the largest U.S. weed company by revenue ($790 million during the past year), with a $9 billion market cap, notes Mike Cintolo, growth stock expert and editor of Cabot Growth Stock Investor.
The company operates in 23 states, has 30 processing facilities and has two million square feet of cultivation capacity; all together, it offers a powerful, vertically-integrated operation that’s producing ridiculous growth.
The company also operates 102 retail locations (and has nearly 2,000 points of sale through wholesale partners) and, thanks to a recent acquisition, now has a foothold in Europe.
And with a good-sized lead, it’s just a matter of expanding its offerings (its new Select Squeeze THC-infused beverage enhancer was its most successful new product launch ever) and using its muscle to expand its store count and geographical reach both organically and through buyouts.
Sales have expanded at triple-digit rates for many quarters (up 170% in Q1), and management says the bottom line will leap into the black in the second half of this year. (Analysts see earnings of four cents per share this year and 28 cents in 2022.)
The stock got going from a long post-IPO base last November and ran to $18 before pulling in with most growth stocks and working on a new launching pad; CURLF still has work to do (18% off its high), and obviously macro factors (legalization trends) will move the stock.
Plus, shares are very thinly traded (just $12 million per day). But if you’re comfortable with the risk, watch for a few days of good-volume upside, which should tell you the next rally has begun.
