Charlotte';s Web Reports 2023 Third Quarter Financial Results
- New CEO appointment signifies a strategic shift towards growth and operational improvements
- Membership in ONE HEMP coalition demonstrates proactive engagement in regulatory advocacy
- In-house production of topical products and gummies to improve operating efficiencies and margins
- Partnerships with professional sports leagues have resulted in significant exposure and brand presence
- None.
New CEO Reinvigorates Organizational Focus and Strategic Discipline;
CEO Appointment Signals Strategic Changes
On September 13, 2023, Charlotte's Web appointed Bill Morachnick, Chief Executive Officer of the Company. Mr. Morachnick is an accomplished executive with a track record of building premium, differentiated products and brands. He brings an operational and data-driven mindset fixated on growth through the integration of marketing, sales, innovation and technology, with a consumer-centric focus.
"Since I joined Charlotte's Web in the late third quarter, I have been truly impressed by the talent, passion, and scientific expertise within the company," stated Bill Morachnick, the CEO of Charlotte's Web. "Following less-than-satisfactory third-quarter revenue, we have quickly mobilized a decisive action plan aimed at streamlining the organization to restore growth. We have revamped both our commercial and IT departments and are in the process of upgrading our operational platforms. Our ultimate goal with these initiatives is to elevate and fully monetize the consumer e-commerce experience, leading with data as a guidepost."
Mr. Morachnick has identified three specific areas of opportunity to simplify, focus and sharpen the corporate strategy for long-term growth. First, rapid improvement of the Company's e-commerce platform and performance; second, a holistic integration of the Company's information technology infrastructure to support the company's goals; and third, refreshing the brand and integrated consumer marketing strategies.
Regulatory Update
On September 19, 2023, Charlotte's Web announced its founding membership in ONE HEMP, a coalition comprised of top CBD industry stakeholders to support Congress and the
"It has been five years since the 2018 Farm Bill, and it has been imperative to take a bold industry-leading approach. Together with the united front of CBD leaders behind ONE HEMP, this approach is proving successful in this milestone moment," said Jared Stanley, Co-Founder and Chief Commercial Officer of Charlotte's Web. "ONE HEMP's engagement with legislative stakeholders to further regulatory clarity and stability for the CBD market demands swift and consistent action to designate CBD products as dietary supplements. We're not taking our foot off the pedal until we bring this over the finish line."
ONE HEMP engaged with Congress and the FDA with an aligned industry voice through an RFI (Request for Information) response to the House and Senate committees of jurisdiction. The submission included a landmark study determining potential upper oral intake limits for safe CBD usage by consumers. Recommendations were also provided to help inform legislators and regulators as they determine manufacturing and labeling requirements for supplement products containing CBD.
Progress has been encouraging surrounding The Hemp Derived Consumer Protection and Market Stabilization Act of 2023, (bill H.R. 1629) which aims to regulate hemp extract products under the dietary supplement regulatory framework.
Business Review
In early 2023, Charlotte's Web initiated a plan to move the production of topical products in-house. This was followed by a decision to also bring gummy production internally, and in the third quarter construction began with a modest capital expenditure. On-site manufacturing better utilizes the Company's existing
"We continuously evaluate opportunities to strengthen margins through improved operating efficiencies and moved ahead with strategic optimizations in 2023 to bring the production of our topicals and gummies on-site," said Jessica Saxton, Chief Financial Officer of Charlotte's Web. "Gummies represents the largest sales volumes in our business and insourcing will improve capacity utilization and fixed cost leverage, while also optimizing production and supporting long-term operating margins. We calculate the payback period to be highly favorable, requiring only a modest increase in capital expenditure. In addition, internalizing production will also benefit our R&D, accelerating innovations and speed to market."
Professional Sports League Leadership
Charlotte's Web's partnership with Major League Baseball© has resulted in millions of impressions. MLB delivered over 174 million digital impressions in Q3 alone and as a result, for the month of September the Company's website experienced a
Following its collaborations with Major League Baseball and Angel City Football Club in 2022, Charlotte's Web expanded its leadership in professional sports through a partnership with the Premier Lacrosse League (PLL). This partnership further cements Charlotte's Web as a CBD first-mover in the professional sports industry, with its broad-spectrum CBD NSF certified for Sport®. Through these partnerships, Charlotte's Web has gained significant exposure through consistent brand presence with national broadcast networks such as ABC, ESPN and MLB Network, brand ambassadors, and social media.
The Company's partnership as the official CBD of the PLL has provided more than 65 million social logo impressions and over 837 million projected broadcast impressions since the inception of the partnership, representing over
DeFloria Update
Charlotte's Web expanded into broader Botanical Wellness in 2023 through the formation of DeFloria LLC (see April 6, 2023 press release), with a subsidiary of British American Tobacco PLC (LSE: BATS and NYSE: BTI), and AJNA BioSciences PBC, a botanical drug development company. DeFloria was established to pursue a botanical investigational new drug ("IND") through the FDA drug development pathway for a botanical drug to target a neurological condition. During the third quarter, DeFloria initiated a Phase 1 clinical trial with Nucleus Networks in
Financial Review
The following table sets forth selected financial information for the periods indicated.
Three Months Ended, September 30, | ||||
2023 | 2022 | |||
Revenue | ||||
Cost of goods sold | 6.4 | 8.1 | ||
Gross profit | 7.9 | 8.9 | ||
Selling, general and administrative expenses Asset Impairment | 19.9 0 | 11.0 1.8 | ||
Operating loss | (12.0) | (3.9) | ||
Change in fair value of financial instruments and other | (4.0) | (4.0) | ||
Other income, net | 0.8 | 0.3 | ||
Net loss | ||||
Net loss per common share, basic and diluted |
Consolidated net revenue for the third quarter ended September 30, 2023, was
Gross profit was
Three Months Ended | |||||
September 30, | |||||
2023 | 2022 | ||||
Total Revenue - | |||||
Direct-to-consumer ("DTC") | |||||
Business-to-business ("B2B") |
Direct-to-consumer ("DTC") net revenue through the Company's webstore was
Business-to-business ("B2B") retail net revenue was
SG&A Expenses
Total selling, general and administrative ("SG&A") expenses in the quarter were
Net Income and Adjusted EBITDA1
Charlotte's Web reported a net loss of
Adjusted EBITDA1 loss for the third quarter of 2023 was
Balance Sheet and Cash Flow
Net cash used for operations, for the three months ended September 30, 2023, was
"Of
Net cash used for operations in the nine months ended September 30 was
Consolidated Financial Statements and Management's Discussion and Analysis
The Company's audited consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes for the three and nine month periods ended September 30, 2023, and 2022 and related management's discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations ("MD&A"), are reported in the Company's 10-Q filing on the Securities and Exchange Commission website at www.sec.gov and on SEDAR at www.sedarplus.ca and will be available on the Investor Relations section of the Company's website at https://investors.charlottesweb.com.
Conference Call
Management will host a conference call to discuss the Company's 2023 third quarter at 11:00 A.M. ET on November 9, 2023.
There are three ways to join the call:
- Register and enter your phone number at https://emportal.ink/48Adfis to receive an instant automated call back, or
- Dial 1-416-764-8659 or 1-888-664-6392 approximately 10 minutes before the conference call and provide conference call ID number 81041541, or
- Listen to the live webcast online.
Earnings Call Replay
A recording of the call will be available through November 16, 2023. To listen to a replay of the earnings call please dial 1-416-764-8677 or 1-888-390-0541 and provide conference replay ID 041541#. A webcast of the call will also be accessible through the investor relations section of the Company's website for an extended period of time.
Subscribe to Charlotte's Web investor news.
About Charlotte's Web Holdings, Inc.
Charlotte's Web Holdings, Inc., a Certified B Corporation headquartered in
Shares of Charlotte's Web trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) under the symbol "CWEB" and are quoted in
Subscribe to Charlotte's Web investor news.
© Major League Baseball trademarks and copyrights are used with permission of Major League Baseball. Visit MLB.com.
Forward-Looking Information
Certain information provided herein constitutes forward-looking statements or information (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as "may", "will", "should", "could", "anticipate", "expect", "project", "estimate", "forecast", "plan", "intend", "target", "believe" and similar words suggesting future outcomes or statements regarding an outlook. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and readers are cautioned against placing undue reliance on forward-looking statements. By their nature, these statements involve a variety of assumptions, known and unknown risks and uncertainties, and other factors which may cause actual results, levels of activity, and achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based on certain assumptions and analysis by management of the Company in light of its experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future development and other factors that it believes are appropriate and reasonable.
Specifically, this press release contains forward-looking statements relating to, but not limited to: organizational changes and operational platform upgrades, and the impact of these initiatives on revenue and e-commerce monetization; regulatory developments and the impact of developments on both consumer action and the Company's opportunities and operations; activities relating to, and sponsorship of, legislation to advance regulatory framework; the impact of insourcing on operating margins, capital expenditures and R&D; DeFloria's anticipated progress and activities in 2024; anticipated consumer trends and corresponding product innovation; anticipated future financial results; the impact of the Company's partnership with the MLB and PLL on the Company's exposure and sales; the impact of the Company's new distribution partners on sales; the Company's ability to increase online traffic and demographic exposure through new products and marketing; and the impact of certain activities on the Company's business and financial condition and anticipated trajectory.
The material factors and assumptions used to develop the forward-looking statements herein include, but are not limited to: regulatory regime changes; anticipated product development and sales; the success of sales and marketing activities; product development and production expectations; outcomes from R&D activities; the Company's ability to deal with adverse growing conditions in a timely and cost-effective manner; the availability of qualified and cost-effective human resources; compliance with contractual and regulatory obligations and requirements; availability of adequate liquidity and capital to support operations and business plans; and expectations around consumer product demand. In addition, the forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties pertaining to, among other things: supply and distribution chains; the market for the Company's products; revenue fluctuations; regulatory changes; loss of customers and retail partners; retention and availability of talent; competing products; share price volatility; loss of proprietary information; product acceptance; internet and system infrastructure functionality; information technology security; available capital to fund operations and business plans; crop risk; economic and political considerations; and including but not limited to those risks and uncertainties discussed under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ending December 31, 2022 and other risk factors contained in other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission available on www.sec.gov and filings with Canadian securities regulatory authorities available on www.sedarplus.ca. The impact of any one risk, uncertainty, or factor on a particular forward-looking statement is not determinable with certainty as these are interdependent, and the Company's future course of action depends on management's assessment of all information available at the relevant time.
Any forward-looking statement in this press release is based only on information currently available to the Company and speaks only as of the date on which it is made. Except as required by applicable law, the Company assumes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. All forward-looking statements, whether written or oral, attributable to the Company or persons acting on the Company's behalf, are expressly qualified in their entirety by these cautionary statements.
(1) Non-GAAP Measures: The press release contains non-GAAP measures, including EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA. Please refer to the section in the tables captioned "Non-GAAP Measures" below for additional information and a reconciliation to GAAP for all Non-GAAP metrics.
CHARLOTTE'S WEB HOLDINGS, INC.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS | |||
September 30, | December 31, | ||
2023 (unaudited) | 2022 | ||
ASSETS | |||
Current assets: | |||
Cash and cash equivalents | $ 51,016 | $ 66,963 | |
Accounts receivable, net | 2,492 | 1,847 | |
Inventories, net | 22,631 | 26,953 | |
Prepaid expenses and other current assets | 7,605 | 7,998 | |
Total current assets | 83,744 | 103,761 | |
Property and equipment, net | 28,057 | 29,330 | |
License and media rights | 20,019 | 26,871 | |
Operating lease right-of-use assets, net | 15,066 | 16,519 | |
Investment in unconsolidated entity | 11,100 | — | |
SBH purchase option and other derivative assets | 3,110 | 3,620 | |
Intangible assets, net | 1,382 | 1,771 | |
Other long-term assets | 1,389 | 5,770 | |
Total assets | $ 163,867 | $ 187,642 | |
LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY | |||
Current liabilities: | |||
Accounts payable | $ 3,577 | $ 4,018 | |
License and media rights payable - current | 11,734 | 7,759 | |
Accrued and other current liabilities | 7,221 | 7,344 | |
Lease obligations – current | 2,249 | 2,306 | |
Total current liabilities | 24,781 | 21,427 | |
Convertible debenture | 40,394 | 37,421 | |
Lease obligations | 16,240 | 17,905 | |
License and media rights payable | 11,222 | 20,383 | |
Derivatives and other long-term liabilities | 7,492 | 13,001 | |
Total liabilities | 100,129 | 110,137 | |
Commitments and contingencies | |||
Shareholders' equity: | |||
Common shares, nil par value; unlimited shares authorized as of | 1 | 1 | |
Additional paid-in capital | 326,875 | 325,431 | |
Accumulated deficit | (263,138) | (247,927) | |
Total shareholders' equity | 63,738 | 77,505 | |
Total liabilities and shareholders' equity | $ 163,867 | $ 187,642 |
CHARLOTTE'S WEB HOLDINGS, INC.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE LOSS | |||||||
Three Months Ended | Nine Months Ended | ||||||
2023 | 2022 | 2023 | 2022 | ||||
Revenue | $ 14,294 | $ 17,037 | $ 47,310 | $ 55,271 | |||
Cost of goods sold | 6,365 | 8,092 | 20,546 | 25,291 | |||
Gross profit | 7,929 | 8,945 | 26,764 | 29,980 | |||
Selling, general and administrative expenses | 19,889 | 11,032 | 57,029 | 48,646 | |||
Asset Impairment | — | 1,822 | — | 1,822 | |||
Operating loss | (11,960) | (3,909) | (30,265) | (20,488) | |||
Gain on investment in unconsolidated entity | — | — | 10,700 | — | |||
Change in fair value of financial instruments and other | (4,024) | (4,000) | 5,588 | (3,900) | |||
Other income (expense), net | 841 | 321 | (1,234) | 304 | |||
Loss before provision for income taxes | (15,143) | (7,588) | (15,211) | (24,084) | |||
Income tax expense | — | — | — | — | |||
Net loss | $ (15,143) | $ (7,588) | $ (15,211) | $ (24,084) | |||
Per common share amounts | |||||||
Net loss per common share, basic and diluted | $ (0.10) | $ (0.05) | $ (0.10) | $ (0.17) |
CHARLOTTE'S WEB HOLDINGS, INC. | |||||||||
Common Shares | Additional |
Accumulated | Total | ||||||
Shares | Amount | ||||||||
Balance—December 31, 2022 | 152,135,026 | $ 1 | $ 325,431 | $ (247,927) | $ 77,505 | ||||
Common shares issued upon vesting of restricted share units, net of withholding | 297,888 | — | (69) | — | (69) | ||||
Share-based compensation | — | — | 375 | — | 375 | ||||
Net income (loss) | — | (2,912) | (2,912) | ||||||
Balance— March 31, 2023 | 152,432,914 | $ 1 | $ 325,737 | $ (250,839) | $ 74,899 | ||||
Common shares issued upon vesting of restricted share units, net of withholding | 392,204 | — | (6) | — | (6) | ||||
Share-based compensation | — | — | 624 | — | 624 | ||||
Net income (loss) | — | — | — | 2,844 | 2,844 | ||||
Balance— June 30, 2023 | 152,825,118 | $ 1 | $ 326,355 | $ (247,995) | $ 78,361 | ||||
Common shares issued upon vesting of restricted share units, net of withholding | 954,738 | — | (127) | — | (127) | ||||
Share-based compensation | — | — | 647 | — | 647 | ||||
Net income (loss) | — | — | — | (15,143) | (15,143) | ||||
Balance— September 30, 2023 | 153,779,856 | $ 1 | $ 326,875 | $ (263,138) | $ 63,738 | ||||
Balance—December 31, 2021 | 144,659,964 | $ 1 | $ 319,059 | $ (188,614) | $ 130,446 | ||||
Common shares issued upon vesting of restricted share units, net of withholding | 77,193 | — | (45) | — | (45) | ||||
Harmony Hemp contingent equity compensation | 169,045 | — | 165 | — | 165 | ||||
ATM program issuance costs | 239,500 | — | (2) | — | (2) | ||||
Share-based compensation | — | — | 1,214 | — | 1,214 | ||||
Net income (loss) | — | — | — | (8,626) | (8,626) | ||||
Balance—March 31, 2022 | 145,145,702 | $ 1 | $ 320,391 | $ (197,240) | $ 123,152 | ||||
Common shares issued upon vesting of restricted share units, net of withholding | 132,463 | — | (13) | — | (13) | ||||
Share-based compensation | — | — | 643 | — | 643 | ||||
Net income (loss) | — | — | — | (7,870) | (7,870) | ||||
Balance—June 30, 2022 | 145,278,165 | $ 1 | $ 321,021 | $ (205,110) | $ 115,912 | ||||
Common shares issued upon vesting of restricted share units, net of withholding | 231,207 | — | (67) | — | (67) | ||||
ATM program issuance costs | — | — | (59) | — | (59) | ||||
Share-based compensation | — | — | 664 | — | 664 | ||||
Net income (loss) | — | — | — | (7,588) | (7,588) | ||||
Balance—September 30, 2022 | 145,509,372 | $ 1 | $ 321,559 | $ (212,698) | $ 108,862 |
CHARLOTTE'S WEB HOLDINGS, INC. | |||
Nine Months Ended September 30, (unaudited) | |||
2023 | 2022 | ||
Cash flows from operating activities: | |||
Net loss | $ (15,211) | $ (24,084) | |
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities: | |||
Depreciation and amortization | 11,509 | 5,762 | |
Change in fair value of financial instruments and other | (5,588) | 3,900 | |
Gain on investment in unconsolidated entity | (10,700) | — | |
Convertible debenture and other accrued interest | 2,916 | — | |
Asset impairment | — | 1,822 | |
Share-based compensation | 1,646 | 2,686 | |
Changes in right-of-use assets | 1,453 | 1,877 | |
Expected credit loss | 1,187 | (89) | |
Inventory provision | 730 | 1,857 | |
Other | 1,594 | (679) | |
Changes in operating assets and liabilities: | |||
Accounts receivable, net | (1,151) | 2,928 | |
Inventories, net | 3,593 | 112 | |
Prepaid expenses and other current assets | (589) | 3,086 | |
Accounts payable, accrued and other liabilities | (328) | (4,238) | |
Operating lease obligations | (1,722) | (1,665) | |
License and media rights payable | (6,000) | — | |
Income taxes and other receivable | 4,261 | 6,575 | |
Other operating assets and liabilities, net | (449) | (2,449) | |
Net cash used in operating activities | (12,849) | (2,599) | |
Cash flows from investing activities: | |||
Purchases of property and equipment and intangible assets | (3,015) | (411) | |
Proceeds from sale of assets | 119 | 354 | |
Net cash used in investing activities | (2,896) | (57) | |
Cash flows from financing activities: | |||
Other financing activities | (202) | (325) | |
Net cash used in financing activities | (202) | (325) | |
Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents | (15,947) | (2,981) | |
Cash and cash equivalents —beginning of period | 66,963 | 19,494 | |
Cash and cash equivalents —end of period | $ 51,016 | $ 16,513 |
(1) Non-GAAP Measures – EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA
Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization ("EBITDA") is not a recognized performance measure under
Adjusted EBITDA for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023, and 2022 is as follows:
Three Months Ended September 30 (Unaudited) | Nine Months Ended September 30 (Unaudited) | ||||||||
2023 | 2022 | 2023 | 2022 | ||||||
Net loss | $ (15,143) | $ (7,588) | $ (15,211) | $ (24,084) | |||||
Depreciation of property and | 3,741 | 1,822 | 11,509 | 5,762 | |||||
Interest (income) expense | 289 | (88) | 1,436 | (69) | |||||
EBITDA | (11,113) | (5,854) | (2,266) | (18,391) | |||||
Stock Comp | 647 | 664 | 1,646 | 2,686 | |||||
Mark-to-market financial instruments | 4,024 | 4,000 | (5,588) | 3,900 | |||||
Gain on Initial Investment in DeFloria | - | - | (10,700) | - | |||||
Adjusted EBITDA | $ (1,190) | $ (11,805) | |||||||
Certain prior year amounts in the table above have been conformed to the current year presentation in accordance with how the Company is defining the EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA calculation on September 30, 2023
View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/charlottes-web-reports-2023-third-quarter-financial-results-301982704.html
SOURCE Charlotte's Web Holdings, Inc.
FAQ
What are the main highlights of Charlotte's Web Holdings, Inc.'s recent press release?
Who is the new CEO of Charlotte's Web Holdings, Inc.?
What is ONE HEMP, and why is it significant for Charlotte's Web Holdings, Inc.?
What operational improvements has Charlotte's Web Holdings, Inc. made?