Topic: Cannabis Investing

How to Invest in Marijuana Stocks: What you need to watch out for

There’s an important point to remember in trying to answer the question, is it time to  invest in marijuana stocks? Be very aware that the budding industry of legal marijuana production comes with a lot of speculation.

These stocks should only be bought (if at all) by aggressive investors willing to accept the risks. However, even for aggressive investors, it is important to understand how to invest in marijuana stocks — if at all.

The marijuana industry continues to undergo many changes, and at the same time it continues to attract a lot of investor interest—and questions, including Is it time to invest in marijuana stocks?  However, it’s important to realize that these are speculative stocks with momentum; they’re not true growth stocks at this point in their development.

With the October legalization of marijuana for recreational use in Canada, and the increase in marijuana production, the appeal of marijuana stocks for investors will only grow.


Calling the shots on pot

When marijuana stocks became news, the leading media outlets came to us: How can Canadian investors profit from legalization? We had answers that others didn’t have. They may surprise you, but they can help you make smart choices when pot goes legal this summer. They’re all in our FREE report.

How to invest in marijuana stocks: Is it time to invest in marijuana stocks yet?

As you probably know, several U.S. states have decriminalized or legalized marijuana use and have begun authorizing legal production and sale of the plant. In Canada, marijuana has been legal for medical use for some time, and the government introduces legal recreational use in October. As a result, TSI readers and subscribers often ask about Canadian marijuana stocks.

This change in the law is bound to lead to a shift in current and future cannabis production to service a fully legal economy, where it can be regulated, taxed and invested in. Tax revenues are already starting to roll in, but we haven’t found a Canadian marijuana stock worthy of investment.

How to invest in marijuana stocks: Stay out of highly speculative promotions

Outside of the established producers, we’ve seen marijuana stock promotions.

We advise staying out of stock promotions of Canadian marijuana businesses or other speculative venture. They attract the wrong kind of people. Stock promotion is a take-the-money-and-run type of business. Most successful entrepreneurs value their reputations, and want to build a profitable, sustainable business that can pay off for investors. So they generally stay out of stock promotion. Right now, marijuana stock investing is a risky area—and far from adhering to our Successful Investor approach.

While the marijuana industry now has a number of established producers, in the early stages of decriminalization we have already seen many highly speculative “pot-of-gold” penny stock promotions. These typically arise in new industries.

A stock promotion launched by penny stock promoters is usually the work of their marketing departments or a public relations firm. Penny stock promotions are created to make a penny stock appear more valuable than it actually is. That’s because it’s much easier to launch a penny stock promotion than it is to create a successful, lasting business.

Ten Successful Investor tips you need to know if you hope to invest in marijuana stocks successfully—and you choose to do so

  1. Downplay stocks in the broker/media limelight.
  2. Limit aggressive investments to a small part of your portfolio.
  3. Look for aggressive investing stocks with hidden value.
  4. Look for strong management
  5. Look for a strong balance sheet
  6. Look for well-financed companies
  7. Look past the hype
  8. Look for reasonable share prices
  9. Look for a results-focused company
  10. Look for stocks trading on a well-regulated exchange

Bonus Tip: Aggressive investors can cut their risk with hidden assets

Hidden assets can consist of real estate or underused brand names—and are a key part of our Successful Investor approach. For example, companies often carry their real-estate assets on the corporate books at its purchase price, even though its value has multiplied many times over the years. Balance sheets often fail to assign any value to brand names, even though those household names have built up multitudes of loyal customers over the years.

Looking for aggressive stocks with hidden value can provide investors a bargain. These stocks may also attract takeover bids.

We suggest that even an aggressive investor should choose investments with as much underlying value and as many hidden assets as possible. This is the best way to cut risk, for conservative and aggressive investors alike. At the same time, we recommend limiting your aggressive holdings to a small part of your overall Successful Investor portfolio. This is because aggressive stocks expose you to a greater risk of loss.

Will investing in the recreational marijuana market lead to significant gains for investors or will it lead to losses due to their sky-high market caps?

Is it time to invest in marijuana stocks? or do you think the opportunities for significant gains are over?

This article was originally published in 2018 and is regularly updated.

Comments

  • The Canadian government plans to legalize pot use in July. Constellation brands, a company that deals primarily with alcoholic beverages, bought a 10% stake in Canopy Growth (WEED). I therefore have purchased some shares in Canopy Growth. I also own shares in Cronos. TSI should be doing research and making recommendations for their subscribers.

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