Aurora fires back at Curaleaf 🥊

M&A
Aurora fires back at Curaleaf 🥊

What happened: Aurora fired back at Curaleaf $CURLF ( ▲ 6.96% ) on Wednesday, a day after Curaleaf went public with its $4 per share hostile bid.

What they’re saying: “We believe Curaleaf made a strategic decision to make its offer public to pressure our shareholders into making a short-term decision for the benefit of Curaleaf shareholders,” Aurora CEO Miguel Martin said. “We will not do that.” $ACB ( ▲ 6.54% )

Curaleaf shot back in a social media post: “Don’t be fooled by Aurora's response as it does not change the facts: billions written off, years of restructuring, bloated costs, and promises made with little to show for it.”

What’s in the bid: Curaleaf’s bid amounts to an implied price of $4 per share, or a 45% premium on Aurora’s 30-day average share price, dated to August 10. Since then, Aurora’s up about 34% to $3.89 per share, while Curaleaf’s OTC-listed shares are up about 6% to $9.80.

Aurora’s board, for its part, formed a special committee to review the offer.

Both stocks have ticked upwards since news of the bid broke, which is somewhat surprising as acquiring companies usually see their shares slide. Jordan said in an interview last week this could be reflective of the market liking the deal.

He added that he initially wanted his overture to Aurora to be friendly, and had initial discussions with Martin in June and July, but those talks broke down and his team decided to go hostile.

Why it matters: At the core of the bid is Aurora’s EU-GMP certified cultivation facilities, which allow it to export medical cannabis to the lucrative European market, including Germany and Portugal. 

As a Canadian firm, Aurora has smoother export regulations than Curaleaf, which is based in the U.S. where cannabis is federally illegal. Exports are quickly becoming one of the most lucrative sectors within the emerging cannabis industry.

Jordan said Curaleaf’s international business is expanding 25-30% per year, compared to just 5-10% in the U.S.

“Their objective is to acquire Aurora's highly strategic EU-GMP facilities and leading medical cannabis platforms at the lowest price possible,” Aurora’s Martin said in a statement.

What’s next: The offer expires on December 1.

-JB

Verano launches THC drinks as hemp beverage ban looms 🥤

Verano is launching Easy Landings, a THC beverage line, Friday in Illinois, Arizona and Nevada dispensaries, with New Jersey following August 28. The 2-ounce, 100mg bottles sell exclusively through licensed dispensaries, which CMO David Spreckman says insulates the brand from November's threatened hemp THC ban. $VRNO ( ▲ 4.28% )

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