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What’s Lombardi teasing as “The Tiny $1 Marijuana Stock Next to Be Bought Out for Big Dollars?”

What's being teased by George Leong for his Red-Hot Small-Caps?

By Travis Johnson, Stock Gumshoe, October 16, 2018

Marijuana speculation is all the rage these days, with most punters focused on the first legal sales of recreational marijuana that will be taking place in Canada tomorrow and the crazy stock market gyrations of the larger Canadian growers like Canopy Growth and Aurora and Tilray and their ilk…

… and what makes some of those pot stocks seem more rational and “real” are the buyouts and investments from more mainstream companies who want to at least dip a toe into the cannabis space, led by Constellation Brands and its large investment in Canopy Growth, so we are all primed to salivate when we hear hints about the next little marijuana stock to be “bought out.”

And that’s why we see the ads, of course, because ad copywriters know damn well what makes us salivate… so that’s your backstory for today’s de-teaserification, this time we’re digging in to a George Leong pitch for his Red-Hot Small-Caps service published by Lombardi, and he’s talking up a “tiny $1 marijuana stock” that he thinks will make you buckets of money in short order.

Thankfully, Leong drops some clues in his pitch, so we can shovel those into the gaping maw of the Thinkolator and chew ’em up a bit, which usually gives us a nice, clean answer for your careful consideration. And since you didn’t pay for it, well, you’ll probably be able to think more rationally about it (if you’re like most people, once you buy something, your brain will do almost anything to convince you that purchase was a brilliant decision… even telling you to invest more than you can afford into a wild speculation).

Lombardi’s newsletters also often use a pretty aggressive “ramp up” pricing system that takes advantage of the tendency we all have to “stick with it” once we’ve tried something out… especially since canceling takes some effort. They’re selling this subscription to Red-Hot Small-Caps for $4 for 30 days, after which it renews at $93 for six months, and then after that it renews for $295/year into perpetuity if you don’t cancel. Perhaps you’ll love this newsletter, I don’t know, but don’t sign up just to learn about this ‘secret’ stock — we’ll figure that out for you, then you can think it over, take your time, and make your own call without any sales pressure.

And with that preamble, let’s move on to the clues… here’s how they tease us about this stock:

“Over the last few months, a tiny marijuana stock has quietly been making a series of very important announcements and financial moves.

“And if you’ve got a little cash set aside for just the right opportunity, then this stock may be the one you’ve been waiting for.”

There’s no date on the ad, but I got it direct from Lombardi several times today, and have had a few readers forward it along as well.

Any specific clues we can use?

“One particular company happens to be in the right place at just the right time — with marijuana grow operations kicking into gear in B.C., California and Nevada just as the recreational market takes off.

“And right now, this tiny company is selling for only $1 per share.”

OK, so that’s a good start. What else?

“The California operation alone could be a gold mine….

“This company’s initial California operation includes two greenhouses on 20 acres of land with the capacity for an additional 98 greenhouses.

“Its initial test crop in that state produced 300 pounds of marijuana, 50% higher than management had forecast….

“If the company exercises all its options and runs these 98 greenhouses over the next few years, by my estimates, annual revenues could be in excess of $145 million.”

And the Nevada project details are hinted as well…

“In Nevada, the company is securing licensing and property for a 33,500-square-foot facility to be located in the city of Henderson, 15 miles southeast of Las Vegas.

“This will give the company the capacity to produce 5,000 pounds of marijuana per year in the first full year of production — this alone is projected to generate revenue of approximately $10 million.”

And the Canadian project…

“In British Columbia, the company’s initial production is targeted at around 15,400 pounds in the first year for projected revenue of $27 million to $35 million….”

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He tosses around some generic numbers about marijuana cultivation, estimating that it will sell for $2,000 a pound and that the growing cost of $600/lb for greenhouse operations means they get $1,400/lb in profits, which adds up quickly at scale — I expect that’s a gross simplification, since we don’t know what the prices will end up being in a few years and there are plenty of non-growing costs for these kinds of companies (there’s a reason why agriculture has been industrialized: Massive scale and capital-intensive operations generate better profits and drive down prices).

But anyway, that’s about it for clues… what’s our little company?

The Thinkolator had to chug for a little while on this one, partly because the data is pretty out-of-date… but it didn’t disappoint, this one must be: Maple Leaf Green World (MGWFF on the OTCQX in the US, MGW on the Neo Exchange in Canada).

I haven’t run across the Neo exchange before — it was started up as a competitor stock exchange in Toronto a few years ago and has some trading in TSX-listed stocks as well, but there are a few stocks whose primary listing is on the NEO — Maple Leaf Green World, as of today, is the most active of those… but with only a few hundred thousand shares traded on either the OTC markets in the US or on that NEO exchange in Canada, it’s not all that active or liquid.

And no, it’s not at a dollar a share… and it’s not up 151% in the past 9 months, but both of those numbers were accurate in late January of this year. Right now, the shares are around 30 cents — not quite at the lowest price it has traded at over the past two years, but pretty close. Maple Leaf Green World currently has a market capitalization of about $43 million, aims to be a medical marijuana grower, and has yet to generate any revenue.

So this appears to be an opportunistic ad, based on pretty old data, trotted out to snare subscribers because marijuana is in the news with the Canadian legalization date coming tomorrow and some more state-level marijuana votes a couple weeks away. No huge surprise there, publishers often haul out and rerun successful ads when they think the headlines will give them a leg up in attracting investor attention, but let’s take a step back and look at what this company actually is and does, and what those teased projects mean.

The stock price data is from early this year, but the details about their core California project are a year older still — that 300 lb test grow of marijuana in their two California greenhouses was in 2016, and they did have 20 acres of land for expansion at that time… they were also looking to build that 33,500 square foot production facility in Nevada, and had already bought the land for it, back in early 2017 when the CEO was interviewed by CEOCFO magazine.

That movement to the Neo Exchange happened about six months ago — prior to that they were listed on the much-more-mainstream Venture exchange in Canada, but they were essentially kicked off the Venture by the tenuous state of legalization in the US, since all marijuana businesses in the US are still technically breaking federal law (that’s apparently why US marijuana companies who list in Canada have recently gone to the Canadian Securities Exchange, which like Neo is very small and not affiliated with the Toronto exchange).

There isn’t a huge amount of detail on the company website, but I went back through their press releases — the actual testing of their California greenhouse production was announced at the end of 2016, and they indicated that the project (with a coop partner) was primed for $900,000 in annual revenue at the rate they anticipated then, with expansion adding nine more greenhouses in 2017 and that Maple Leaf Green World would then be “well on the way to achieving its revenue target of US$10 million for its California joint venture operations.”

They did report that ~$300,000 in revenue at the end of 2016 and beginning of 2017, but not anything after that. The California property is still on the books, but they announced a while back that the partnership with their nonprofit grower/coop has ended — if you read between the lines in their press release earlier this year, I’d guess that the grow operation in Riverside County was actually illegal, though they’re hopeful of a change to that local law and they say they’re looking for other properties elsewhere, maybe with the same partner.

From the looks of the latest interim financial statements over the summer, they are focusing on building the British Columbia grow facility, which should be pretty close to completion at this point, and perhaps building their Nevada facility (they had a contract to build it last year, but canceled it and they’re apparently in arbitration with their engineering firm… as of June they say they expect the Nevada facility to be “completed in the fall of this year”).

So no, they’re not going to soon be building 98 more greenhouses on their 20 acres in California… but it sounds like they plan to be growing by next year in British Columbia, with a non-binding agreement to endeavor to establish a supply agreement (say that three times fast!) for up to 2,000 kilos of cannabis a year with a hopeful Saskatchewan wholesaler, and perhaps a future plan about creating a brand or becoming a retailer (they hired Crowns Creative Agency to work on this).

I don’t know if they’ll get to that point or not, but if they can sell 2,000 kilos a year at $2,000 a pound that’s about $4,400 per kilo and close to $9 million a year. At $500 a pound, if wholesale marijuana prices fall dramatically (as has happened in some other legalization states, particularly on the west coast), that would be about $2.2 million a year. If they get up to the projected 3,750 kilos of annual production that they talked about for this BC Project earlier, then that revenue might range from $4 million to $16.5 million based on those same high and low price guesses. No idea what the profit margin might be, but in the context of a $43 million valuation and lots of uncertainty, that doesn’t look all that appealing to me.

I should note, though, for disclosure’s sake, that these little pot stocks pretty much never look particularly appealing to me — the massive investment in capacity in Canada means pricing and profitability will be extraordinarily uncertain as we wait to see what the retail demand actually ends up being, and if you want to bet on Canadian pot I’d be much more comfortable betting on the massive companies like Canopy and Aurora and the like… I don’t like their valuations at all, either, I can’t justify those $10+ billion valuations for companies in a commodity business where you don’t know much about the supply or demand or where things might “normalize” after the initial flurry of legalization, but they are at least very well financed and have a better chance of developing compelling brands, and will almost certainly be the survivors after the first couple years wash out all the under-financed and unprofitable small growers.

So yes, I’m a fuddy-duddy on the Canadian pot stocks and don’t much like them in general, but this one looks worse than most I’ve seen. Your mileage, of course, may vary… if you’ve an opinion on Maple Leaf Green World or any of the other hopefuls, please let us know with a comment below.

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Jan
Member
Jan
October 16, 2018 2:58 pm

It could also be MDM Marapharm Ventures Inc.

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Jan
Member
Jan
October 16, 2018 3:08 pm

What do you think of MDM.

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Ern-Dog
Guest
Ern-Dog
October 16, 2018 3:34 pm

Being a long time consumer of cannabis (50 yrs) and watching these events taking place has enlightened my heart. Back in the day of NORML (National Organization for Reform of Marijuana Laws), these events are what we have been waiting for. Cannabis consumers know that harmful drugs have no place in society but alcohol is still legal and will be forever. That is exactly what is taking place with cannabis. Many new medical drugs will be discovered by legalization, allowing big companies to do their R&D. I think we are seeing the tip of the iceberg with what is going on in North America. There are 7 billion people on this earth (and growing) so there will be room for many of these small companies to flourish. Hold on to you hats and watch this trend grow. I was fortunate enough to visualize the events and bought CGC, ACBFF and OGRMF several years ago and can hardly contain my excitement. Gumshoe has been the best tool to discover some of these small companies for me. Thank you,

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Hip
Guest
Hip
October 16, 2018 6:10 pm
Reply to  Ern-Dog

You believe in any now that may be in two years what those 3 from 2016 are for you now?

wiredawg2014
Irregular
October 21, 2018 9:59 pm
Reply to  Ern-Dog

@En-Dog, are these 3 the only 3 MJ companies you brought into? Did you by others…if so, what are/were they?

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jflynch
Member
jflynch
October 22, 2018 6:21 pm
Reply to  Ern-Dog

I think the CBD side of the MJ plant will be very big….health drinks and CBD for illnesses….THC not always necessary! We will see them on the shelves in grocery stores very soon everywhere!

Rusty Brown in Canada
Member
Rusty Brown in Canada
October 16, 2018 7:30 pm

Legalization tomorrow! Just 4½ hours and counting…

toff
toff
October 16, 2018 8:23 pm

“de-teaserification” ? That has got to be a Gumshoe-coined word, don’t you think? Google finds it twice, both at the Gumshoe.

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gummytree
gummytree
October 22, 2018 3:15 pm

Here’s the latest addition to the Oxford Dictionary for 2018
“IDIOCRACY”……….Please look it up yourselves !

Charlet
Guest
Charlet
October 25, 2018 9:09 pm
Reply to  gummytree

“Idiocracy” was a painful movie – painful in watching the idiocy, and painful in realizing how close to reality it is for so many!

rexstorm
rexstorm
October 16, 2018 9:15 pm

I foresee a massacre tomorrow or sometime this Week. Run up and Sell the news, living novices holding empty bags.

Lookout
Member
Lookout
October 17, 2018 6:06 am

I love your site Travis & always feel guilty reading it for free. If I was in the US I would subscribe, but being in in the impoverished land of South Africa most of your stuff would not help me.

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SoGiAm
October 21, 2018 1:39 pm
Reply to  Lookout

#CLQ, #IVN > $CTEQF, $IVPAF etc… > #Lookout RE: #SouthAfrica: https://www.stockgumshoe.com/2018/01/microblog-scandium-cobalt-and-water-purification-clean-teq-holdingsvolume-2-2018/
#H2O yes #Water > https://www.stockgumshoe.com/2015/11/microblog-water-our-most-precious-resource/comment-page-5/#comment-4990001 #Best2YOU!
something for EVERY retail investor, globally!

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John in NV
Guest
John in NV
October 18, 2018 3:05 am

Travis,
Thank you for all you do for us.
A couple of things to add here; Today in Las Vegas you can’t purchase a pound from a legally operated business, but one can illegally purchase a pound for about $1100.
The production cost of $600 in legally operated warehouses here is a pretty conservative when you take into consideration that the municipalities are taxing growers at 8% of gross revenues, not net income. I know the county and state have their fingers in the grower’s pie too.
From what I have seen in the past 15 months of legalized recreational marijuana in NV, the place to invest is in the retail sellers. They are selling small quantities at very expensive prices, operating using low wage part-time employees. They have highly secured limited access buildings so there is no product slippage and they are not victims of robberies.

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jflynch
Member
jflynch
October 26, 2018 6:01 pm
Reply to  John in NV

MJ has been very high priced but that will come way down next year….due to legalization in Canada and some US states. It’s like the first TV or car….very high priced…..until mass production developed. In CA I heard you can grow up to 6 plants legally….if certain conditions are met. A person could make their own tinctures easily homegrown…like wine or beer….or herbal remedies. I’m made ginseng tinctures by buying bulk ginseng….adding other herbs for a health drink…nice hobby for home use and all legal.

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millerfilm
October 18, 2018 4:12 am

This is purely informational: A company called Invictus is placing online ads around the web. I certainly would NOT buy something based on an ad, but the start of legalized marijuana in Canada yesterday seems to be kicking things up.

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finn
finn
October 18, 2018 2:52 pm

Hey Travis! Sorry you are so fuddy duddy bout pot! Yes, the exuberance is enticing, exciting, and profitable. I’m a newbie investor and thrilled about the profits over the past year. Now, with everyone and their uncle getting in, it’s going to be more challenging. There is a pot newsletter for $1495. (for already subscribers) called the Aurora Report coming out around Thanksgiving. I’ve been in his standard newsletter for a few weeks on free trial and like it. Any thoughts? Thanks for all your great sleuthing!!!!

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Derby Dude
Member
Derby Dude
October 21, 2018 5:37 pm

Travis, do you believe that the less overvalued US pot stocks have a great potential as pot continues to be legalized in the US? ITHUF/MPXEF, SNNVF, EMMBF, CNNRF, TRTC, SPRWF, VVCIF, etc?

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v4t1n4
April 16, 2019 12:27 pm

Like now? 17Apr19 was a doozer…

jflynch
Member
jflynch
October 26, 2018 6:05 pm
Reply to  finn

Wow, a lot for a newsletter…I think there’s enough info out there without paying for a newsletter…maybe I’d pay $50.00….but probably not. To each his own!

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John F. F. McCullagh LIBOR
Member
John F. F. McCullagh LIBOR
October 21, 2018 2:03 pm

Too much hype. These may be the ultimate buy high sell low stocks!

jrussel18
jrussel18
October 21, 2018 4:44 pm

MJ is the way to play weed stocks

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vivian
October 21, 2018 5:59 pm

Ah Vancouver is now Neo. it does not go away

Pam Day
Guest
Pam Day
October 21, 2018 6:49 pm

BAD NEWS..AN ARCHITECT FRIEND SMOKE IT ILLEGALLY FOR YEARS RHEUMATISM arthritic condition and made it. To. HOUSE BEAUTIFUL magazine..now gets it legal…perscription a d Dr. Visit $200.00 ?insurance and Medicare doESNT.PLUS 35 PERCENT TAX cover..$1100.00 A POUND…WHY NOT GET WHAT LOOKS LIKE MINIATURE FRIDGE WITH GROW LIGHT’S FROM Home Depot I heard and grow your ownI….It costs double left street value plus doctor visit….if caught not much trouble today……Mjna an hour program on this co…has money,a favorite of Fidelity customers..at least doubles interesting history..lots of volume..took boatloads into Calif…for years ..finally caught short prison term,now legal in Puerto Rico.no capital gains tax there…many bitcoin big money bought there..Teeka my favorite to learn from him…from Doug Casey..made Ripple fly

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FRANK8MORRISS
Member
June 30, 2019 8:26 pm

Some of these Guru’s obviously aren’t making it so they have to recycle old news and make new news. But sometimes it is helpful. I’m glad Travis and Steve have this site. Add all the information you get versus buying every idea they have.
Thank:-: You
FRANK8MORRISS

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hedy1234
hedy1234
June 30, 2019 8:32 pm
Reply to  FRANK8MORRISS

Frank, who is the Steve you are referring to ?

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steveflick
July 9, 2019 6:12 pm
Reply to  FRANK8MORRISS

and , I do not have this site! I did not post a comment on this article. I do not have an attachment to Stock Gumshoe. I am an Irregular paid member that occasionally Comments on some articles. I did author a blog, a member initiated blog, April 5th “What is Matt McCall’s, Investment Opportunities, of Investor Place, Pot Stock teaser to buy April 4th IPO”

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cardano465e
Member
cardano465e
June 30, 2019 10:05 pm

Hello Gum Shoers
Is there anyone that I have your email address you are not getting emails from me?
So far for July 8 Whole Foods
Let me know if your not getting emails from me. For those of you that have I hope you all did well with MTEC who changed there name to Akerna and went from $10.16 to over , $70.00
If you are supposed to get emails and are not.Tell me @ cardano4.65e@gmail.com
Thank-You
FRANK8MORRISS

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tnvolfan
tnvolfan
July 9, 2019 11:00 pm
Reply to  cardano465e

I replied 3 times and never received any response

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clemdane
Irregular
August 30, 2019 3:18 pm

Please do! I just got George Leong’s pitch letter again today and realized it wasn’t Maple Leaf, but I don’t know what it is. Here is his latest letter if it helps:
https://media.profitconfidential.com/products/RedHotSmallCaps/Landing/index_03122018.php?dept=PC&sb=EBLAST1118-S2&sdate=08302019

clemdane
Irregular
October 29, 2019 6:12 pm

Hey Travis, would you please redo this one?

Here are the key details:

Trading around $1
440,000 square feet growing space
Project annual 1.7 million ounces of marijuana
$5 million in most recent quarter was a 229% increase over same quarter in previous fiscal
Raised $100 million in debenture financing late last year
Leung thinks the four biggest mj companies are going to try to acquire this one

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clemdane
Irregular
October 10, 2019 4:07 pm

George Leong is using this line again, but I’m sure it’s not the same stock. This time he says this stock will “Set you up for life.”

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