Reported Record Quarterly Revenue and Adjusted EBITDA Since Company Inception
Achieved $111.2M Net Revenue in Q3 2022, a 14.1% Increase Compared to Prior Quarter
Achieved Adjusted EBITDA of $27.8M, Representing a 25.0% Margin and 354 Basis Point Margin Expansion Compared to Prior Quarter
NEW YORK, Nov. 10, 2022 /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 September 30, 2022 (“Q3 2022”). Financial results are reported in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) and all currency is in U.S. dollars.
Q3 2022 Financial Highlights
- Gross Revenue increased 14.1% quarter-over-quarter and increased 27.8% year-over-year, to $134.3 million.
- Net revenue, which excludes intercompany sale of wholesale products, increased 14.1% quarter-over-quarter and 17.9% year-over-year, to $111.2 million.
- Retail revenue grew 9.6% quarter-over-quarter to $82.8 million.
- Gross wholesale revenue grew 22.2% quarter-over-quarter to $51.5 million and wholesale, net of intercompany sales, grew 29.6% sequentially to $28.4 million.
- Net loss of $16.9 million during the quarter, compared to a net loss of $21.2 million in Q2 2022.
- Adjusted EBITDA1 was $27.8 million, representing a 25.0% margin, a 354 basis point margin expansion quarter-over-quarter.
- As of September 30, 2022, cash and cash equivalents were $91.4 million, and net debt2 was $219.0 million.
Business Highlights
- In August, the Company commenced adult-use sales at its Montclair, New Jersey dispensary; and opened its Fort Lee, New Jersey dispensary to medical patients, with plans to welcome adult-use customers by year-end 2022. The Company also opened the kitchen at its cultivation facility in Franklin, New Jersey, which enables Ascend to produce edibles and meaningfully expand its wholesale offering.
- During the quarter, the Company announced that it entered into a definitive agreement providing AWH the option to acquire 100% of the equity of Ohio Patient Access (“OPA”), which is licensed to operate three medical Ohio dispensaries that are in the process of being built in Cincinnati, Piqua, and Sandusky. The addition of OPA’s three dispensaries will increase AWH’s Ohio footprint to five dispensaries, the maximum permitted by the State. The Company also signed two agreements to acquire two dispensary licenses in Illinois from separate sellers that are in the process of being built-out. Following closing of the transactions, the Company would have ten dispensaries in Illinois, which would maximize scale and bring the Company to the state-imposed cap of ten.
- Subsequent to the quarter, the Company completed construction of 6,000 sq.ft of canopy space at its cultivation facility in Smithfield, Pennsylvania. AWH expects to plant in this new space by the end of the year. In addition, Ascend opened its first-ever “outlet” dispensary in Scranton, Pennsylvania.
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| 1 Adjusted EBITDA/margin and Adjusted Gross Profit/margin are a non-GAAP financial measures. Please see the “GAAP Reconciliations” at the end of this release. |
| 2 Total debt less cash and cash equivalents less unamortized deferred financing costs. |
Management Commentary
“AWH continues to be among the industry leaders in revenue growth and Adjusted EBITDA expansion, despite challenging macro and microenvironments,” said Abner Kurtin, Executive Chairman. “We delivered record revenue, Adjusted Gross Profit, and Adjusted EBITDA margin in Q3 2022, with quarter-over-quarter revenue increasing an impressive 14% while achieving an Adjusted EBITDA Margin of 25%. We benefited from growth in both our retail and wholesale businesses.”
Frank Perullo, Interim Co-CEO and President, commented, “I am proud of the entire team for execution and laser focus on our operational objectives across our cultivation, retail, and wholesale operations. The team’s hard work enabled us to successfully open our Fort Lee, New Jersey store; commence adult-use sales at our Montclair, New Jersey store; begin production of edibles at our Franklin, New Jersey cultivation facility; ramp our wholesale capabilities in New Jersey and Ohio; and expand into the Pennsylvania market by opening the first of six planned dispensaries in the state.”
Dan Neville, Interim Co-CEO and CFO, added, “The team continues to deliver strong margins by optimizing existing overhead; leveraging our retail organizational structure; and executing on cost saving initiatives which enabled us to achieve a sequential 354-basis-point increase in Adjusted EBITDA margin. Our exposure to key growth markets, combined with our disciplined capital allocation approach is increasingly evident in our financial performance and the strength of our balance sheet. Ascend currently has one of the strongest balance sheets in the industry with $91.4 million cash on hand and no near-term maturities, as it approaches positive cash generation from operations.”
Q3 2022 Financial Overview
Net revenue increased 14.1% quarter-over-quarter, primarily driven by an increase in third-party wholesale sales, the conversion of retail stores to adult-use, and new store openings
Total retail revenue in the third quarter of 2022 was $82.8 million, which represents a 9.6% increase compared to the prior quarter and was driven by: the full quarter benefit of adult-use sales at Rochelle Park, New Jersey; the adult-use conversion of the Montclair, New Jersey dispensary; and increases in same store sales3 for the portfolio in aggregate.
Gross wholesale revenue was $51.5 million, a 22.2% sequential increase, driven by growth in third-party sales increases in Illinois, New Jersey, and Massachusetts, and intercompany sales increases in New Jersey. Net wholesale revenue, excluding intercompany sales, increased 29.6% sequentially to $28.4 million, driven by third-party sales increases in Illinois, New Jersey, and Massachusetts.
Q3 2022 gross profit was $36.6 million, or 32.9% of revenue, compared to $33.0 million, or 33.8% of revenue, in the prior quarter. Q3 2022 Adjusted Gross Profit1 was $50.6 million, or 45.5% of revenue, compared to $44.4 million, or 45.6% 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 6 basis points sequentially driven by pricing decreases across the portfolio, partially offset by improvements in utilization and production in Massachusetts and an expanded product offering in New Jersey.
Total Q3 2022 general and administrative (“G&A”) expenses were $34.2 million, compared to $33.6 million in the prior quarter. Total G&A expenses as a percentage of revenue improved from 34.4% of revenue in the prior quarter to 30.7% of revenue as the Company leveraged existing infrastructure and optimized the retail organizational structure.
Net loss in the third quarter of 2022 was $16.9 million, or a loss of $0.09 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 $27.8 million in Q3 2022. This represents a 32.9% increase quarter-over-quarter. Adjusted EBITDA Margin1 of 25.0% represented a 354 basis point increase compared to the prior quarter driven by a significant improvement in leverage of G&A.
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| 3 Excludes entire current and prior quarter revenue contribution from Fort Lee, East Lansing, Rochelle Park, and Montclair which either opened or flipped to adult-use within the current or prior quarter. |
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 November 10, 2022 at 5:00 p.m. ET to discuss its financial results for the quarter ended September 30, 2022. The conference call may be accessed by dialing (888) 390-0605 with conference ID 35417710. 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.
