The Blue Chip of Pot: Can CGC Stock Rally 20% on Acreage Deal and Earnings?

Shares of Canopy Growth (NYSE:CGC) are climbing on optimism that its deal for Acreage Holdings (OTCMKTS:ACRGF) will go through. On Wednesday the deal received CGC stock shareholder approval, just leaving regulators on the table for a potential headwind. We also have this afternoon’s earnings to get through.

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By and large, the deal is expected to go through, particularly given some of the board members involved. Acreage board members include former Republican Congressman and Speaker of the United States House John Boehner and Brian Mulroney, the former Conservative Prime Minister of Canada — among others.

Many expect the $3.4 billion cash and stock deal to go through, leaving Canopy with a big asset for future growth here in the U.S.

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When investors think of blue-chip stocks, Canopy won’t be the first that comes to mind. Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG), Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) and others are what investors think of, but that doesn’t matter. CGC stock has quickly proven that it’s the best of the best when it comes to cannabis investments.

Canopy Growth Is a Blue Chip Stock

After Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) invested some $4 billion into the company, it loaded CGC’s bank account. But the deal gave Canopy a lot more than a good reputation. Suddenly, it had a powerful balance sheet as a major asset. It could afford to enter new markets, gobble up high-growth companies and essentially lead the land-grab charge as cannabis gains momentum. Further yet, it had a high-quality and reputable company staking big-time money on Canopy’s leadership. That gives the company some clout.

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If Constellation trusts Canopy with $4+ billion, why shouldn’t I? That’s what a lot of investors and other companies found themselves asking.

CGC stock has built a foundation in Canada and is working on global expansion in Europe and Australia, while its Acreage Holdings deal positions itself for the coming landslide in the U.S. While its valuation doesn’t quite reflect its current fundamentals, investors are betting on its long-term potential.

In essence, they are betting that CGC will become the PepsiCo (NYSE:PEP)  or Coca-Cola of its industry. That’s not to say New Age Beverages (NASDAQ:NBEV), Aurora Cannabis (NYSE:ACB) or Cronos Group (NYSE:CRON) won’t be winners either. Just that CGC is becoming the 800-lb gorilla of the group.

From the most recent earnings release:

“Our successful first full quarter with recreational sales in Canada reinforces our long held strategy of making meaningful investments early in order to secure market share,” said Bruce Linton, Chairman & Co-CEO, Canopy Growth. “With a strong cash position, we added strategic assets and IP through acquisitions to accelerate the sophistication of our inputs with ebbu, and our consumer-facing outputs with Storz and Bickel.”

Trading CGC Stock

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CGC stock is now pushing through its 20-day and 200-day moving averages. If it can continue to push higher, its 50-day moving average near $44.50 is in sight. This stock has been volatile, but continues to very slowly push out new highs.

Unfortunately, those new highs are often met with a wave of selling. For instance, after hitting $52 in February, Canopy Growth stock quickly retreated, falling to sub-$42 — a 19% drop — in just six trading sessions. It traded sideways for a while after that, before eventually pushing up through $52. A month later, shares were at $38.38. The peak to trough decline was more than 27% that time.