Aurora Cannabis Announces Fiscal 2022 Fourth Quarter and Full Year Results

• Remains #1 Canadian LP in High Margin Global Medical Cannabis Revenues; International Medical Cannabis Net Revenue Increased 35.4% from Q4 2021 and 70.3% from Fiscal 2021
• Reiterates Adjusted EBITDA Profitability Run Rate by December 31, 2022
• Reaffirms $150 to $170 Million in Annualized Cost Savings by December 31, 2022
• Strengthens Balance Sheet Through Accretive Debt Reduction Totaling $155.3 Million in Q4 2022
• Completed Profitable Acquisition of Thrive Cannabis and Majority Investment in Bevo Farms

EDMONTON, AB, Sept. 20, 2022 /PRNewswire/ – Aurora Cannabis Inc. (the “Company” or “Aurora”) (NASDAQ: ACB) (TSX: ACB), the Canadian company defining the future of cannabinoids worldwide, today announced its financial and operational results for the fourth quarter and fiscal year ended June 30, 2022.

“We continue to enhance the long-term value of our differentiated global cannabis business by quickly identifying highly profitable growth opportunities, deploying capital in a disciplined manner, and continuing to rationalize our cost structure. We remain the #1 Canadian LP in global medical cannabis revenues and expect this high margin, high growth segment to be a key driver for future profitability. We continue to expect a positive adjusted EBITDA run rate by December 31, 2022 and remain on track with our previously announced cost saving targets of up to $170 million in annualized savings. Furthermore, our strengthened balance sheet enabled an early repurchase of $155.3 million in convertible debt during Q4 2022, while providing us with the ability to pursue strategic and accretive acquisitions. These include our purchase of a controlling interest in Bevo Farms, one of the largest suppliers of propagated vegetables and ornamental plants in North America, and Thrive Cannabis, which is widely known for its award-winning recreational brand, Greybeard,” stated Miguel Martin, Chief Executive Officer of Aurora.

During fiscal 2022, our international medical cannabis net revenues increased by over 70%; our leadership in key markets such as Germany, UK, Australia and Poland demonstrates our unique, portable and profitable international medical program. We are beginning to see signs of stabilization in our Canadian adult recreational segment and are excited about the contributions from the Thrive acquisition which continues to advance our premiumization strategy.

Miguel Martin, Chief Executive Officer of Aurora

Finally, our investment in science is beginning to pay dividends; we delivered nine new proprietary cultivars to market during the year, providing rotation and variety to consumers and driving meaningful improvements in yield.

Fourth Quarter 2022 Highlights

(Unless otherwise stated, comparisons are made between fiscal Q4 2022, Q3 2022, and Q4 2021 results and are in Canadian dollars)

Medical Cannabis:

• Medical cannabis net revenue¹ was $36.6 million, a 4% increase from the prior year period, delivering 72.8% of Aurora’s Q4 2022 consolidated net revenue¹ and 86.3% of adjusted gross profit before fair value adjustments¹.
• The increase in revenue was driven by growth in the international medical business, up 35.4% from the prior year quarter which was attributed primarily to the Company’s increasing presence in key emerging international medical cannabis markets. The 7.1% sequential decrease from Q3 was due primarily to lower sales in the EU region, the result of a temporary limited supply of high-demand cultivars, and the weakening of the Euro to the Canadian dollar.
• Adjusted gross margin before FV adjustments on medical cannabis net revenue¹ was 62% compared to 68% in the prior year period and 64% sequentially. The continued strength of the Company’s medical adjusted gross margins¹ reflect the direct-to-patient model in Canada and sustained presence in the high margin international medical business. The decrease from Q4 2021 was attributed primarily to a shift in sales mix from domestic medical to export into certain international markets which yield a slightly lower margin. The decrease from Q3 2022 was due primarily to lower volumes sold in the high-margin EU region in Q4 2022.

Consumer Cannabis:

• Consumer cannabis net revenue¹ was $12.6 million, as compared to the prior quarter net revenue of $10.3 million. The 22.2% increase was primarily due to the addition of Thrive’s consumer cannabis net revenues¹ of $1.4 million for the period from May 6, 2022 to June 30, 2022 and a result of the Company’s strengthened product offerings in certain categories.
• Adjusted gross margin before FV adjustments on consumer cannabis net revenue¹ was 26% for the three months ended June 30, 2022, compared to 29% in the prior quarter and 31% in the comparable prior year period. The decrease of 3% from Q3 2022 and 5% from Q4 2021 was due primarily to an increase in value segment vape sales.

Selling, General and Administrative (“SG&A”):

• SG&A, including Research and Development (“R&D”), was $49.3 million in Q4 2022 which includes $6.8 million of restructuring related costs, $2.3 million of prior period regulatory fee accruals, and $1.1 million in non-recurring project and litigation costs. Excluding the restructuring and prior period items, SG&A and R&D continued to be well controlled at $39.1 million versus $39.5 million in the prior quarter and $44.8 million in the prior year period, presented on a comparable basis. SG&A is now at the lowest level in almost four years.

Consolidated:

• Q4 2022 total cannabis net revenue¹ was $50.2 million, as compared to the prior quarter total cannabis net revenue¹ of $50.4 million. Excluding a $1.0 million provision related to anticipated returns on prior period U.S. CBD extract sales, cannabis net revenue was $51.2 million, an increase of $0.8 million in Q4 2022 as compared to Q3 2022, primarily due to the inclusion of less than two months of the recently acquired Thrive net revenues¹ of $1.4 million. The Q4 2022 average net selling price per gram of dried cannabis¹, excluding the effect of bulk wholesale sales, decreased 6% to $5.10 from $5.41 in Q3 2022 reflecting the higher proportion of consumer market revenue in Q4 2022 results.
• Adjusted gross margin before FV adjustments on cannabis net revenue¹ was 52% in Q4 2022 versus 57% in the prior quarter and 54% in Q4 2021. The change from Q3 is related to the gross margin impact from a greater portion of Q4 2022 revenue coming from the consumer business.
• Adjusted EBITDA¹ loss increased to $12.9 million in Q4 2022 versus $11.4 million in Q3 2022 but narrowed from $21.8 million in the prior year period. The increased adjusted EBITDA¹ loss as compared to the previous quarter is driven mostly by the $3.4 million reduction in adjusted Gross Margin before FV adjustments¹ resulting primarily from a change in the Company’s sales channel mix which yielded lower average net selling prices.

Net Loss:

Net loss for Q4 2022 was $618.8 million compared to $134.0 million for the same period in the prior year. The increase in net loss was primarily due to non-cash impairment charges of $505.1 million recorded in other income (expense) during the current quarter to write-down goodwill, intangibles assets and property, plant and equipment. The impairment charges were triggered by changes in cannabis market conditions, and in the current capital market environment including higher rates of borrowing and lower foreign exchange rates.

Operational Efficiency Plan, Balance Sheet Strength, & Cash Use:

Aurora has previously identified annualized cash savings of up to $170 million in cash savings under this transformation program by the end December 2022, split approximately evenly between costs of goods sold (“COGS”) and SG&A. Projected COGS savings include the repurposing of the Aurora Sky facility in Edmonton, in keeping with our diversified business portfolio, a prudent approach to capital allocation, and focusing on higher margin categories in the Canadian adult-use market. These cash savings will be reflected in our P&L either as they occur within SG&A savings, or as inventory is drawn down for production-related savings.

At June 30, 2022, the Company had $488.8 million of cash, including $51.0 million in restricted cash, and no secured term debt.

During Q4 2022, the Company completed an offering of 70,408,750 units of the Company (“June 2022 Offering”) for gross proceeds of approximately US$172.5 million. Each unit consists of one common share and one common share purchase warrant (“June 2022 Offering Warrant”) of the Company. Each June 2022 Offering Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one common share of the Company at a price of US$2.45 per warrant share until June 1, 2025. The Company issued an additional 488,639 Common Shares of the Company during Q4 2022 for gross proceeds of US$1.5 million under the ATM Program.

As of June 30, 2022, the Company has access to US$713.7 million under the 2021 Shelf Prospectus, including the balance of US$186.2 million pursuant to the ATM Program. At management’s discretion, Aurora may sell shares under the ATM Program from time to time to be utilized for strategic purposes.

Fiscal 2023 will comprise of three quarters, with the new fiscal year end being March 31, 2023.

The Company continues to materially improve cash use, as outlined in the following table:

Key Quarterly Financial and Operating Results

Conference Call

Aurora will host a conference call today, Tuesday, September 20, 2022, to discuss these results. Miguel Martin, Chief Executive Officer, and Glen Ibbott, Chief Financial Officer, will host the call starting at 5:00 p.m. Eastern time | 3:00 p.m. Mountain Time. A question and answer session will follow management’s presentation.

Conference Call Details

DATE: Tuesday, September 20, 2022

TIME: 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time | 3:00 p.m. Mountain Time

WEBCAST: Click here

This weblink has also been posted to the Company’s “Investor Info” link at https://investor.auroramj.com/ under “News & Events”.

About Aurora

Aurora is a global leader in the cannabis industry, serving both the medical and consumer markets. Headquartered in Edmonton, Alberta, Aurora is a pioneer in global cannabis, dedicated to helping people improve their lives. The Company’s adult-use brand portfolio includes Aurora Drift, San Rafael ’71, Daily Special, Whistler, Being and Greybeard, as well as CBD brands, Reliva and KG7. Medical cannabis brands include MedReleaf, CanniMed, Aurora and Whistler Medical Marijuana Co. Aurora also has a controlling interest in Bevo Farms, North America’s leading supplier of propagated agricultural plants. Driven by science and innovation, and with a focus on high-quality cannabis products, Aurora’s brands continue to break through as industry leaders in the medical, performance, wellness and adult recreational markets wherever they are launched. Learn more at www.auroramj.com and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Aurora’s common shares trade on the NASDAQ and TSX under the symbol “ACB”.

This news release contains reference to certain financial performance measures that are not recognized or defined under IFRS (termed “Non-GAAP Measures”). As a result, this data may not be comparable to data presented by other licensed producers of cannabis and cannabis companies. Non-GAAP Measures in this news release include “adjusted EBITDA”, “net revenue”, “adjusted gross profit before FV adjustments” and “adjusted gross margin before FV adjustments”.

For an explanation of each measure to related comparable financial information presented in the consolidated financial statements prepared in accordance with IFRS, refer to the section of the Company’s management’s discussion and analysis for the years ended June 30, 2022 and 2021 (the “MD&A”) entitled “Cautionary Statement Regarding Certain Non-GAAP Performance Measures“, which is incorporated by reference into this news release. A copy of the MD&A is available under the Company’s profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

Non-GAAP Measures should be considered together with other data prepared in accordance with IFRS to enable investors to evaluate the Company’s operating results, underlying performance and prospects in a manner similar to Aurora’s management. Accordingly, the Non-GAAP Measures included in this news release are intended to provide additional information and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with IFRS.

Net Revenue, Adjusted Gross Profit and Margin

Net revenue, adjusted gross profit before FV adjustments and adjusted gross margin before FV adjustments are Non-GAAP Measures and can be reconciled with gross profit and gross margin, the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures, respectively, as follows:

Adjusted EBITDA

Adjusted EBITDA is a Non-GAAP Measure and can be reconciled with net income, the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure, as follows:

Original press release

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