A version of this article was originally published on November 8, 2018, but we have gotten a huge number of questions and the Motley Fool is again aggressively promoting this same basic pitch, so we’re re-posting and updating this solution for you (along with a bonus at the end). The latest variation of the ad had the headline, “CEO Bets $1.1 billion on 1 Legalization Stock,” and several other variations tout it as a “backdoor play” into the fast-growing cannabis market, but the basic spiel is pretty much unchanged.
Most of the marijuana teasers last year focused on the Canadian pot stocks, since those were and are the only large and fully legal pot-focused companies (outside of pharmaceuticals), and the Motley Fool went so far as to launch its own marijuana advisory about a year ago and tease one of those as “Tom Gardner’s favorite,” (that was Namaste, if you don’t remember — we covered it about a year ago)… but late last year they launched the first marijuana teaser pitch for their regular ol’ newsletter (Motley Fool Stock Advisor), so we’ll cover that for you. Or uncover it, I guess.
Here’s how the original version of the ad launched last year:
“A little-known Canadian company just unlocked what some experts think could be the key to profiting off the coming marijuana boom.
“And make no mistake – it is coming. To the tune of an estimated $50 billion….
“Legal marijuana was worth $10 billion for the U.S. in 2017 alone. And since experts have projected the U.S. industry to skyrocket to $50 billion by 2026, it’s time for investors to start paying attention.”
Which has been updated to this now…
“A little-known Canadian company went public and is already making people rich, including one lucky insider — a ski bum with strong coding skills — who made $1.1 billion with his stake in the company.”
And then the tease…
“… we’ve been quiet on this growing marijuana industry for a while.
“Until now.
“Because a game-changing deal just went down between the Ontario government and a powerhouse Canadian company.
“And that company – which now has the opportunity to rake in profits from the $7 billion Canadian cannabis industry AND potentially the $50 billion US cannabis industry – is no stranger to us here at The Motley Fool.”
They say that this is a stock they’ve recommended before, so perhaps it’ll be one we’ve covered in the past… and they drop a few specific clues that we can feed to the Thinkolator for you… clues like:
“The stock is already up 148% over the past year….
“locked in key partnerships with behemoths like Facebook and Amazon”
“… the company’s CEO declared that he thinks they’re only 2-3% into what this company could eventually become.”
They also say that the company is not dependent on marijuana — apparently they’d still be A-OK even if the genie gets crammed back into the bottle and marijuana is banned forevermore, but they’re clearly excited about the pot potential for this particular pick.
And… well, that’s about it for clues. Ready for answers? This is our old friend Shopify (SHOP), which has been teased before for its somewhat tenuous connections to the marijuana industry — Shopify sells services and software for ecommerce, and they do indeed provide the hosting and online shop software for several of the big vendors of marijuana in Canada, including, critically, the Ontario government. Sales growth has been gradually trending down, as one would expect, but is still close to 50% (it was around 100% a year three years ago, when the Motley Fool first started teasing the stock around $30, so this particular pick has worked out quite well.)
Several Canadian provinces, including Ontario, BC and Newfoundland, started selling online only through government-owned portals, partly because their privately licensed pot retailers weren’t open at the starting gun for legalization, so folks in Toronto or elsewhere in Canada’s most populous province had to buy their marijuana online through a Shopify store if they wanted to buy legally in the first few months last winter. Ecommerce is expected to be a pretty major part of the marijuana business in Canada otherwise, too, including in provinces where the government is licensing shops instead of operating retail stores themselves, and Shopify, as Canada’s tech champion these days and the highest-profile (and arguably easiest to use) ecommerce enabler, is likely to get a lot of that business. They’re even specifically marketing it on their site.
But, still, it’s important to highlight that “this company is not dependent on marijuana” bit — mostly because we should make clear that Shopify will also probably not benefit that much from marijuana.
It’s not really clear what the sales picture will be in the long run, mostly because all the estimates for online pot sales in Canada are wild guesses, but Shopify CEO Tobias Lutke (he’s the one who owns well over a billion dollars worth of stock, by the way — because he founded the company and hasn’t sold his whole stake, not because he bought shares) did reportedly tell Bloomberg last year that they’ve structured their contracts to “capture the upside” of marijuana sales volume, but we don’t really know what the specifics are in those contracts — most Shopify customers pay a monthly fee for the software ($29/mo for basic, up to $299/mo for advanced) and either use Shopify’s payment processing services, which have another fee embedded, or pay 1-2% of transactions as a fee for use of the platform, but larger “Shopify Plus” contracts for substantial businesses are individually negotiated.
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If Ontario’s marijuana ecommerce operation generates $500 million in gross merchandise volume in a year, for example (that’s probably high, just an example), that would mean Shopify’s revenue from that business would probably be in the $5-10 million neighborhood… maybe a bit more if they really do have some special deal with the pot companies and provinces. That’s arguably meaningful, but it’s not likely to drive the company’s results anytime soon — Shopify merchants post almost $14 billion a quarter in sales, and Shopify is currently on pace for $1.5 billion in annual sales itself (mostly from those fees and software subscription charges), so it would take a lot for one segment, even a potentially big one like marijuana, to move the needle dramatically.
They do have some advantages — they spent some effort on providing a product that would work for pot sellers, and it’s a cloud-based offering that can be tweaked quickly to comply with regulatory changes… and they also have gone a long way toward providing “internationalized” versions of Shopify in other countries, so perhaps they’ll even make some headway as European countries begin to follow Canada’s lead in legalization.
So is it possible that pot will mean big things for Shopify? I guess, but it depends what you mean by “big” — I’d be very surprised if this ever impacts Shopify’s revenues by more than 5%, and it’s hard to gauge the impact of that for a company that’s already growing revenues by 50% a year. I don’t believe the online cannabis business has even risen to the importance of being mentioned in any of Shopify’s earnings press releases, and I don’t think it has ever even come up as a question on their conference calls.
Shopify has been a pretty volatile stock for years, I own shares and have mostly just let it bounce around as it has stayed in a range and hasn’t tripped my stop loss triggers, and I remain very impressed with management and with their very ambitious goals and their focus on investing in a great product and aggressive growth to dominate their sector. They’ve created a great and easy platform for retailers, and no one else does it as well — they’ve even outdone Amazon, which is saying something, so the news this summer that they’re also going to invest in a fulfillment network to more aggressively compete with Amazon and its delivery and warehousing capabitilities also caught everyone’s attention — even buying warehouse automation company 6 River Systems this week for $450 million, which was sort of reminiscent of Amazon’s acquisition of Kiva Systems in 2012 (Shopify facilitates selling through lots of platforms, including Facebook and Amazon, so to some degree they’re also partners with the big guys).
So it’s a great company, I’m really impressed by them… but it’s also crazy expensive, which continues to attract short sellers who see an easy path to knock the shares down a few notches (Citron was a very vocal short last year, and other have jumped in and out — about 11% of the float was sold short last Fall when I wrote the first version of this article, that has dropped wdown to more of their “normal” range, around 3% now).
And I’m not joking about the “crazy expensive” part. SHOP currently trades at 30X sales and about 380X next year’s forecasted earnings (it was at about 200X earnings last November when the first version of this ad rolled through), and they have pretty consistently said that they are focusing not on earnings but on growth, reinvesting to build the network and improve their products and services even if that means disappointing earnings-focused investors — so in that way they do clearly emulate Amazon, particularly when it comes to keeping the long view and talking about building a dominant business at the cost of current profits.
Still, they are now profitable, just barely (and on an adjusted basis), and that means earnings growth will probably be remarkably high for a while (going from 10 cents to a dollar is much faster growth than going from one dollar to two dollars)… and if you use 2020 numbers instead of 2019, well, the forward PE is only 200 instead of 380. So that’s something.
I last added to my Shopify position over a year ago, and, in fact, I sold a little bit at just about this price last month (to nibble on another foolishly speculative Canadian tech stock), but SHOP is still a top ten holding in my Real Money Portfolio because it has risen so insanely fast. I still think it’s appealing, I love the company and am really impressed by Lutke and the rest of the management team, but the valuation is so nutty that I would probably be nervous risking more than 1-2% of my portfolio on this particular stock. Pot or no pot.
That’s just my worry shining through, though, and what matters, of course, is what you think — it’s your money, after all. Feel like a toke of SHOP fits your portfolio? Expect bigger things for marijuana, or international expansion, or whatever? Or do you sympathize with the short sellers who think I’m crazy to pay 30X sales for this stock (remembering that they also said it was crazy to pay 15X sale last year, and the stock has tripled since)? Either way, please let us know with a comment below.
And yes, for those who are looking for the answer to a variation of this ad, there’s also one that says the Motley Fool Stock Advisor is now recommending only two marijuana companies — neither of whom depends on marijuana legalization in the US to succeed. The second one is a stock we covered much more recently, that’s Charlotte’s Web (CWEB.TO, CWBHF), the Colorado hemp CBD company that was teased as Tom Gardner’s first marijuana pick a couple months ago — you can see my story about that one here.
Disclosure: I own shares of Shopify, Facebook, Charlotte’s Web and Amazon among the stocks mentioned above. I will not trade in any covered stock for at least three days after publication, per Stock Gumshoe’s rules.
TTD got hit on earnings. Anyone adding or selling?
I’m tempted to add but am overweight already. Perhaps the market was looking for a huge beat on revenue rather than a slight one, but I can only guess.
#TTD
If you want to diversify, try HEI. I like the A shares. It’s boring but goes up fast, with a dividend. They believe in share splits to include everyone. As the World grows they will, if it goes to War, then they benefit.
Their acquisition history has also been impeccable.
Hello Stephen,
Bravo! you were correct. well done and if you have any other favorites I’m all ears.
Happy New Year,
Michael
Personal Investor from Boston.
mikearroyo1@gmail.com
Holding…PE was too high in light of rising interest rates…Stock price is adjusting. Long-term, this stock will be a huge winner..Selling covered calls has lessened the share price drop for me.
Would have added a nibble at $105 after hours if I had been watching, that seems like an overreaction to me… we’ll see what tomorrow brings
Glad you mentioned TTD here as it’s on my mind too. Does seem to be a overcorrection.
Overreaction to what? From what I saw they beat on earnings and revenue, and forward guidance was above estimates. So what prompted the big sell off? Sure the PE is high, but still would have expected a move up following what looked like a positive report.
you meant $205
I know 3 people in Calif, 2 in AZ, and 2in CO. Even with pot cards, they still buy about 60% of their pot under the table. Legal pot is just TOO EXPENSIVE!!! First the high cost of the pot, then the taxes are TOO high. If you don’t have a card and go recreational, you need to take a second mortgage on your house. So most of what they buy are edibles. Then they just put it in legal containers. So I’m not sure if any pot stock will go wild. All the dealers do is under cut the STATE. And until the States get more reasonable on the taxes, they will never get close to the dealers. I may buy one pot stock more as a spec, but only with what I can afford to lose. They will never put the dealers out of business. They even transport their illegal pot in legal containers just in case they are stopped. A lot of the dealers are legal growers, so how can the STATE beat the system. Buy from the STATE it costs $300. I go to my dealer and it’s only $125.00. The STATE of Colorado only collected about 45% in taxes of what they thought they were going to collect.
I think investing in the pot stocks branding companies is the best chance of beating the market right now – but it is a long view for sure, There is only an upside from here on.
Once again I think the Thinkolator is spot on! I don’t own any SHOP, but I saw your recommended IIPR had a nice gain yesterday.
I agree with you about SHOP, Travis. I picked up some in May at $138 (actually set up a June 2020 140 Synthetic at that time/price to limit my upfront cash outlay).
I am still holding the one stock I will ever need to retire – WHOLE FOODS
The Fool’s are the one that don’t do their own dilligence. SHOP has other problems-do your D.D.
Owned by Jeff Bezos of Amazon…right? Nice store!
Except there is no longer Whole Foods stock.
Agree with you, Travis. Shopify is a well-run company with bright prospects, irrespective of the marijuana business. Since the market has been pretty volatile recently, it might be more opportunistic to wait for a pullback.
I’ve been waiting for a pull back since I sold it at $212
Yes I am waiting for a pullback in Shopify. However, I did hear Joe Terranova, one of the regular debaters on Fast Money Halftime recently recommend Shopify as a ” stock that you should own” even at it’s current levels.
Isn’t whole foods owned by amazon?
The Fool is pitching this stock for a long time. Tom Gardner even called it his No one suggestion period! They are up quite a bit on it. I bought it at $123 in sep of 2017. Talking about TTD; The Fool is hot on them too. Im up on that more that 100%
Took the words right out of my mouth. Kind of wished I had got some of SPOT when it ticked under 125 a couple of weeks ago. Now up 25 points. Sure is volatile. It will probably be back. A number of Fool favorites besides TTD haven’t been doing so well lately such as IQ, CELG, and Z. One of their latest is UPWK, which was down over 20% this morning after their first earnings report as a public company. It did recover to being only down about 11% at the close. Good sign?
I was holding $TTD and almost sold out at 105 after market yesterday, but I hung in there. now it’s at 128, I so would have kicked myself if I had sold LOL
SHOP’S infrastructure offerings: Storefront, inventory, payment processing, shipping, foreign and languages, loans, plus so many apps is so appealing that their CEO is quoted as saying that everyday brick and mortar businesses are now a growing part of their business. Too the extent this is the case, it looks like SHOP is simply the software as a service company that beats them all. In a way it is what AMZN maybe would like to be as far as their retail sales go. AMZN’s retail margin is what, 2% – 3% of sales and that doesn’t scale either. SHOP’s gross margin is so much higher and scales like crazy. AMZN is making most of it’s money in cloud services. SHOP operates in the cloud as a pure software company. Really, what is their not too like?
Travis…the tease I read about Fools #1 pick indicated that it was a Medical MJ/hemp company?
Don’t spend time with weed cause it will leaving you feeling like you aren’t motivated to see what is really happening. Oil is what should be watched. With that being said the oil barons are banking on the fact that we are all too distracted from what they are doing, opening up Alaska for oil drilling. So if you want to see the growth turn your attention to American oil companies. Check out the http://www.blm.gov to see the land lease sales coming up in December in Alaska and the lower 48 (Texas/Nebraska/Kansas/Wyoming/Colorado/Montana/Utah etc. Check out the companies that are planning on transporting this “newly found oil”. By 2020 the USA will be the dominate exporter of crude and LNG to the world. OPEC is being locked up and unable to bring their product to market. Right now oil is tanking as designed, come mid 2019 all the contracts for oil leasing will be finalized and paying. Get in now for the shift. Buffet mentioned several months ago that this company is worth watching in one of his owned news paper companies, ETE = Energy Transfer Equity. KMI = Kinder Morgan Inc is the Texas based company that is poised to build the remainder of the Keystone pipeline in 2019. Look it up.
In addition to IIPR, if there is only one cannabis stock to own, I would say Canopy Growth CGC. If you are interested in US companies, consider Green Thumb Industries GTBIF, MedMen Enterprises MMNFF, and Planet 13 Holdings PLNHF. Some US cannabis companies that recently had IPO’s on the CSE Canadian Securities Exchange: Nov.1st Curaleaf Holdings HQ in Wakefield MA, CSE: CURA, OTC in US LDVTF; Nov 16 Harvest Inc. HQ in Tempe AZ, CSE: HARV, not on US OTC yet; and the one I have been waiting for Nov 16 Acreage Holdings HQ in New York, CSE: ACRG.U; the U stands for listed and traded in US Dollars (not Canadian), US OTC: ACRZF. Acreage Holdings purports to being largest cannabis company in US, measured by footprint of holdings and revenues.
Yes Steve, MEDMEN is a very good palce to put your money. And when it goes it’s going to go. There won’t be any 10¢ here or 50¢ there when it goes it’s going to go. Like as if it joined the NASDAQ.
Thank :-: You
FRANK8MORRISS
But not at this time, wait to until the CEO thing blows over and it starts getting traction. But it will be a invest soon.
Thank:-:You
FRANK8MORRRISS
cramer like cgc as the only pot stock he would buy
That would be among my favorites, too, just wouldn’t buy it at this price. They probably won’t fall as far as some because of the Constellation investment, but for most of the producing Canadian pot stocks my guess is that a 60-80% washout is needed from the bubble highs — for CGC that would be around $10, though my opinion might change once we start to see some actual financials from the first year of legal sales and can get a better idea of where things might stabilize and what sales, prices and margins might be like once things normalize.
I look at the market cap of these things and just cringe.
When everyone is talking about a stock or sector, that means, in my experience beware. This is expecially true of stocks with great future potential rather than a great bottom line.
Yo Travis are you holding any CGC? I have been in the stock for awhile. I see it has a 52 week high of just over 52 dollars. I am keeping the faith, even though i am behind by about 800 bucks at the current levels. I just have feeling there is a break out coming In CGC. Rock on man.
Hi, Travis is CCI still a good buy here for the long-term and
GWL?
No, I’ve never owned Canopy. Tempted a few times because of their potential brand power, but never was able to swallow the valuation.
I don’t believe Blackberry is even listed on the TSX.
It’s dual listed, BB in both Toronto and NY (as is OTEX)
Evening;
Wonder if someone could please rec a low cost up and coming pot stock? I’ve fallen on hard times here in Ohio , lost our nest egg (all but about 5k) and need to find something that we could invest in as my wife is still beside herself over the loss of basically our retirement.
Much Obliged
Sonny
Hi Sonny, welcome to the Gumshoe community! I’m a native Ohioan myself, now in Maryland, and can relate to your concerns and your wife’s. Many advisors say you shouldn’t invest more than 4% in any one stock, which would be about $200. We don’t usually recommend stocks for others, but do discuss what we like.
I’ve gotten out of most of my pot stocks, but there is one I liked the description of, and have held onto, and added to, even though it’s down 75%. You can feel free to stop reading right now, if you think I’m nuts, but the stock is LDSYF, which is a strip delivery system. I hate taking pills, so I want it to succeed! It’s currently about 27 cents, so you could buy 600 shares or so.
If you use the SEARCH button at the top of the page, you can find lots of great related info, but I suggest you might want to read an old article, and compare the old info with what you find about the company today.
This was a favorite of mine: https://www.stockgumshoe.com/reviews/technology-profits-confidential/whats-the-pre-election-secret-50-marijuana-stock-blueprint-pitched-by-technology-profits-confidential/
Hello Catherine;
I think I should invest in the weed stocks as the medical aspect is beyond anything I’ve seen before. I’m excited to pick up some of LDSYF much obliged for your advice and will plan on mid next week to buy.
Sonny
I am looking up LDSYF RIGHT NOW! The reason– my son, even though high functioning autistic, could not take pills or liquid medicine for years (about 12 of his 13)! One company used to make “cough strips” but stopped. Any strip delivery system is a completely untapped goldmine in my opinion. You have no idea how many kids need this!
sonny,
LUV = it…forget pot stocks, good for the gambler only!!
Hey Sonny, Catherine gives some good advice. I would suggest consider IIPR Innovative Industrial Properties, the only pot stock Mr. Gumshoe owns himself; it is one of the few pot stocks that pays dividends, quarterly. As Catherine mentioned, you can go to the search field and learn more about it.
Hello Steve;
I thank you for your advice , but IIPR is just to much money for me right now
Sonny
Hi Sonny, this is a very volatile market and no one can recommend an investment because what you need is a sure thing and there is no such thing in the stock market. If you are looking for quick daily profits you will need to learn how to become a day trader. If you are looking for something you can afford that has high potential and is not speculative I would recommend spoxf, but it will take a little bit to see a nice return.
This is not investment advice…just a suggestion
Hope this helps and do your homework.
ATTBF
What’s ATTFB
it’s ATTBF….Abbatis Pharma……….$2.00 down to 3 cents…
I’m still trying to get this info. I joined SA but I have not seen the name of this stock.
It is still Shopify (SHOP), and the ads continue.
SHOP is extremely solid. Longterm HOLD. Pot does not matter here, they have a solid eCommerce platform. Stock will double in 5 years.