Ascend Wellness Announces Q1 2023 Financial Results

Reported Record Quarterly Revenue Since Company Inception 

Achieved $114.2M Net Revenue in Q1 2023, a 34.2% Increase Year-Over-Year and 1.9% Increase Quarter-Over-Quarter

Generates Positive Cash from Operations for First Quarter Since Company Inception

NEW YORK, May 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ – Ascend Wellness Holdings, Inc. (“AWH” or the “Company” or “Ascend”) (CSE: AAWH.U) (OTCQX: AAWH), a vertically integrated multi-state cannabis operator focused on bettering lives through cannabis, today reported its financial results for the three months ending March 31, 2023 (“Q1 2023”). Financial results are reported in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) and all currency is in U.S. dollars.

Q1 2023 Financial Highlights

• Gross Revenue increased 39.5% year-over-year and 4.9% quarter-over-quarter to $141.2 million.
• Net revenue, which excludes intercompany sale of wholesale products, increased 34.2% year-over-year and 1.9% quarter-over-quarter to $114.2 million.
• Retail revenue increased 30.7% year-over-year but decreased 1.8% quarter-over-quarter to $82.7 million.
• Gross wholesale revenue increased 54.0% year-over-year and 16.3% quarter-over-quarter to $58.4 million. Wholesale, net of intercompany sales, increased 44.2% year-over-year and 13.0% quarter-over-quarter to $31.4 million.
• Net loss of $18.5 million during the quarter, represented an improvement compared to a net loss of $27.8 million in Q1 2022 and $15.1 million in Q4 2022.
• Adjusted EBITDA¹ was $23.3 million, representing a 20.4% margin. Adjusted EBITDA increased 42% and margins expanded 118 basis points year-over-year. Margins declined 473 basis points quarter-over-quarter.
• As of March 31, 2023, cash and cash equivalents were $73.3 million, and net debt² was $250.8 million.

Business Highlights

• During the quarter, the Company opened outlet dispensaries in New Bedford, Massachusetts and Grand Rapids, Michigan. Subsequent to the quarter, the Company opened an outlet dispensary in Tinley Park, Illinois. Including the Scranton, Pennsylvania and Wayne, Pennsylvania dispensaries, the Company now operates five outlet dispensaries across the business.
• Subsequent to the quarter, the Company closed the acquisition of four dispensaries in Maryland from Devi Holdings, Inc. This marks the AWH’s expansion to the seventh state with a total of 31 operating dispensaries across all seven states.
• During the quarter, the Company had the first harvest at its Smithfield, Pennsylvania cultivation facility and made the first sale of product produced from that facility to its two retail dispensaries in Pennsylvania.
• Subsequent to the quarter, the Company announced it was appointing John Hartmann as permanent Chief Executive Officer of the company effective May 15th, 2023.

Management Commentary

“I am proud of the team for delivering record revenue and the first quarter of positive cash from operations in the quarter, despite the competitive industry dynamics,” said Abner Kurtin, Executive Chairman.  “Additionally, as announced in a release published earlier today, I look forward to welcoming John Hartmann, our new CEO, when he joins Ascend on May 15th as Ascend transitions from a founder-led management team to a professional-led organization.”

Frank Perullo, Interim Co-CEO and President, commented, “During the quarter our team opened two outlet dispensaries to great success. We are happy with the traction the outlet model is generating in select markets. Subsequent to the quarter, we were also pleased to close on the transaction of four dispensaries in Maryland and are working hard to integrate these assets and get ready to commence adult-use sales at the start of the program expected in July. We were proud to generate nearly $6 million in cash from operations during the quarter. Ascend’s balance sheet remains one of our top priorities and we are laser focused on cash generation and committed to generating cash from operations for the full year 2023.”

Q1 2023 Financial Overview

Net revenue increased 1.9% quarter-over-quarter, primarily driven by opening of New Bedford, Massachusetts dispensary, the full quarter benefit of adult use sales at the Fort Lee, New Jersey dispensary, and increases in third-party wholesale sales in New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Illinois.

Total retail revenue in the first quarter of 2022 was $82.7 million, which represents a 1.8% decrease compared to the prior quarter and was driven by: the full quarter benefit of adult-use sales at Fort Lee, New Jersey and the opening of a dispensary in New Bedford, Massachusetts, being fully offset by declines in retail revenue in southern Illinois due to the start of adult-use in neighboring Missouri.

Gross wholesale revenue was $58.4 million, a 16.3% sequential increase, driven by growth in wholesale sales Massachusetts, New Jersey, Illinois, and Ohio. Net wholesale revenue, excluding intercompany sales, increased 13.0% sequentially to $31.4 million, driven by third-party sales increases in New Jersey,  Massachusetts, and Illinois, partially offset by declines in Michigan.

Q1 2023 gross profit was $35.7 million, or 31.3% of revenue, compared to $41.5 million, or 37.0% of revenue, in the prior quarter. Q1 2023 Adjusted Gross Profit¹ was $47.6 million, or 41.7% of revenue, compared to $53.5 million, or 47.7% of revenue, in the prior quarter. Adjusted Gross Profit¹ excludes depreciation and amortization included in cost of goods sold, equity-based compensation included in cost of goods sold, and non-cash inventory adjustments. Adjusted Gross Profit¹ margin decreased 601 basis points sequentially driven cultivation challenges in Franklin. New Jersey and pricing pressure and transaction declines in Southern Illinois retail. 

Total Q1 2023 general and administrative (“G&A”) expenses were $35.4 million, compared to $36.1 million in the prior quarter as the Company completed workforce and other cost optimization measures. Total G&A expenses as a percentage of revenue improved from 32.2% of revenue in the prior quarter to 31.0% of revenue as the Company leveraged existing infrastructure and optimized the retail organizational structure.

Net loss in the first quarter of 2023 was $18.5 million, or a loss of $0.10 per basic and diluted share of Class A common stock, which was primarily driven by operating costs and tax expenses.

Adjusted EBITDA¹, which adjusts for tax, interest, depreciation, amortization, equity-based compensation, and other items deemed one-time in nature, was $23.3 million in Q1 2023. This represents an 17.3% decrease quarter-over-quarter driven by the aforementioned gross profit declines in the New Jerseywholesale and Illinois retail businesses. Adjusted EBITDA Margin¹ of 20.4% represented a 473 basis point decrease compared to the prior quarter driven by the above gross profit margin declines being partially offset by workforce and cost optimization. 

Non-GAAP Financial Information

This press release includes certain non-GAAP financial measures as defined by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), including Adjusted Gross Profit, Adjusted Gross Margin, Adjusted EBITDA, and Adjusted EBITDA Margin. Reconciliations of these non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable financial measure calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP are included in the financial schedules attached to this press release. This information should be considered as supplemental in nature and not as a substitute for, or superior to, any measure of performance prepared in accordance with GAAP.

Conference Call and Webcast

AWH will host a conference call on May 9, 2023 at 5:00 p.m. ET to discuss its financial results for the quarter ended March 31, 2023. The conference call may be accessed by dialing (888) 390-0605. A live audio webcast of the call will also be available on the Investor Relations section of AWH’s website at https://www.awholdings.com/investors and will be archived for replay.