What is the worst thing an investor could hear from a market share leader? According to Jefferies’ analyst Owen Bennett, it is probably the need to "understand what consumers want.”And that’s just what Canopy Growth (CGC) has said. According to the analyst, the Canadian cannabis producer’s disappointing FQ4 results indicate “things are worse than thought.”Canopy's Q4 net revenue came in at C$107.9 million, well below the C$128.9 million estimate and down by 13% from the previous quarter. The enormous overall net loss of C$1.3 billion, amounted to C$3.72 per share, far worse that the Street’s expectation of C$0.59 per share. Cue investors running to the exit door and a drop of 20% in the following trading session.Bennett recently upgraded Canopy’s rating from Sell to Hold, based on the reasoning “top line pressures were better understood,” and under the impression cost saving actions were moving the company in the right direction.Pointing out the slim bull case for Canopy rested on “increased focus on cost structure and profit delivery,” the analyst believes the turnaround appears more sluggish than anticipated as evidenced by operating expenses. Instead of improving, these increased by 17% compared to the previous quarter.Additionally, looking ahead, Canopy reduced expectations, describing FY21 as a “transition year,” and taking off the table previous forecasts for when it would achieve positive adjusted EBITDA.Along with the letdown of the report, the tone coming from Canopy’s direction has not impressed Bennett, who said, “While it said it is addressing certain headwinds with a shift into value and more high THC offerings, what really concerned us was commentary around needing to "understand what consumers want", and "servicing different segments". This is just basics and an issue we flagged over 12 months ago when initiating (Canopy having a catch all brand with no segmentation) and is something that in our view should be addressed prior to legalisation, not over a year into it, and especially from a market share leader.”To this end, Bennett reiterated a Hold and has a C$22.00 (US$16) price target on Canopy shares. (To watch Bennett’s track record, click here)Most of Wall Street echoes a neutral point of view, with TipRanks analytics exhibiting Canopy Growth as a Hold. Based on 15 analysts tracked by in the last 3 months, 2 say Buy, 10 suggest Hold, while 3 recommends Sell. Meanwhile the 12-month average price target stands at C$22.44, which aligns with where the stock is currently trading. (See Canopy Growth stock analysis on TipRanks)To find good ideas for cannabis stocks trading at attractive valuations, visit TipRanks’ Best Stocks to Buy, a newly launched tool that unites all of TipRanks’ equity insights.

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OPEC leader Saudi Arabia and non-OPEC Russia have agreed a preliminary deal to extend existing record oil production cuts by one month while raising pressure on countries with poor compliance to deepen their output cuts, OPEC+ sources told Reuters. “Any agreement on extending the cuts is conditional on countries who have not fully complied in May deepening their cuts in upcoming months to offset their overproduction,” one OPEC source said. OPEC+ agreed last month to cut output by a record 9.7 million barrels per day, or about 10% of global output, in May and June to lift prices battered by plunging demand linked to lockdown measures aimed at stopping the spread of the coronavirus.

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(Bloomberg) — Coronavirus has exposed a lack of investment in the big batteries crucial to unlocking solar and wind power.A drop in energy demand caused by the pandemic has left European grids overloaded with green electricity, raising the threat of blackouts and underlining the need for energy storage in a low-carbon energy system.Europe is striving to rid its power grids of carbon emissions by the middle of the century. But what should be an incentive to increase the use of batteries isn’t happening nearly fast enough with installations dropping last year, according to BloombergNEF.“Batteries are extremely critical,” Fatih Birol, executive director of the International Energy Agency, said in an interview. “They are ready for the big time” and should be included in post-virus economic recovery packages, he said.One reason for the drop in battery installations comes down to how power markets are set up, according to Marco van Daele, chief executive officer of Susi Partners AG, a clean energy infrastructure fund. The newness of storage technology and the lack of long-term income streams has put investors off.“An obstacle for much wider investment in the space is the lack of contracted and visible revenue,” he said. Even as the costs of building batteries come down, “the remuneration of that capacity needs to become more visible in order to attract the large-scale investment needed.”For decades, power markets have been designed around demand and ensuring there is enough supply to fulfill peak consumption. Slowly the focus is changing to how to control an oversupply when it’s sunny or windy. And with renewables having priority feeding into the grid, they have more influence over how the system is managed.Read more about how renewables are impacting the grid in BritainThe slide in demand caused by the virus lockdowns has been “like pressing a fast-forward button in power markets to where you have large amounts of generation but not the investment in flexibility,” said Peter Osbaldstone, research director on European power and renewables at Wood Mackenzie Group Ltd.For its part, the EU has proposed a 750 billion-euro ($824 billion) recovery plan to accelerate the transition to clean transport, increase energy savings and boost the production of renewable power.Read more about the Green Deal hereThe European Battery Alliance wants to use the opportunity to accelerate projects that would create 1 million jobs in the sector that could be worth 210 billion euros within the next 2-1/2 years, according to European Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic.European carbon emissions are on track for a 17% reduction this year, thanks to a higher proportion of renewables used to meet demand.For battery owners, swings in prices when renewables hit the grid could be a major opportunity. Batteries can charge up when solar and wind generation is plentiful and market rates are low, and then sell power to the grid when prices are higher. With enough capacity on the system, buying and selling from battery operators could ultimately help ease the price swings.The U.K., Ireland, Italy, France and Germany have high potential for growth in the short-term, according to Marek Kubik, market director for U.K. and Ireland at Fluence Energy LLC.Factors such as retiring thermal generation, fast-growing variable renewable generation and a move to electrify sectors like transport and heat all point to a need for flexibility that can be easily supplied by battery-based energy storage, he said.For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.

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