We recently published a list of 12 Best Cannabis Stock to Buy According to Billionaires. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Cronos Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CRON) stands against other best marijuana stocks to invest in according to billionaires.
2025 didn’t start off very well for the American cannabis sector. The recent failure of the adult-use ballot initiative in Florida, the lack of prioritization of federal reforms, and pricing pressure by the black market have contributed significantly to cannabis equity values reaching near record lows. MSOS, the first actively managed US-listed ETF with dedicated cannabis exposure focusing exclusively on US companies, has fallen by just over 36% since the beginning of the year, against a decline of 1.72% by the general market.
READ ALSO: 10 Best Alcohol Stocks to Buy According to Billionaires
To make matters worse, the biggest multi-state cannabis operators have as much as $6 billion in debt maturing next year, according to Whitney Economics. Moreover, due to federal illegalization, these companies cannot turn to the US bankruptcy court to keep their creditors at bay while renegotiating their debt. As a result, these businesses will be forced to refinance their debt at higher interest rates and onerous contractual covenants, which will be extremely difficult to manage given the declining profitability of the sector. A recent survey by Whitney Economics revealed that only 27.3% of cannabis operators nationwide are profitable, compared to 42% in 2022.
Also, despite the stringent crackdowns, the cannabis black market continues to be a constant thorn in the side of licensed operators. The market remains flooded with illegal weed, and according to cannabis market tracker BDSA, the US witnessed about $44 billion in illicit sales last year compared to around $31 billion in regulated, legal sales. The black market, combined with an oversaturation of legal operators, has led to a massive decline in prices and, hence reduced margins. The US Cannabis Spot Index, which tracks wholesale prices in 22 states, sits at $991 per pound after reaching a record low in early January of $888. This is significantly down from its peak of $2,133 in September 2015, during the early period of licensed sales in some states.
Given the tough conditions at home, a growing number of cannabis operators are now looking to capitalize on the growing opportunities abroad. As you will notice below, several cannabis stocks in our list managed to increase their sales in the last quarter also due to their expanding international footprint and revenues. With legalization gaining traction worldwide, several industry veterans are now exporting cannabis internationally or straight up establishing growing facilities in their target markets. A great example is how Canada’s volume of cannabis exports to Germany doubled from 16,895 kilograms (roughly 37,247 pounds) in 2023 to 33,155 kilograms last year, according to Germany’s Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices.
As of the writing of this article, 24 states have legalized recreational weed in America, in addition to the District of Columbia. However, possessing or selling marijuana remains a crime under federal law, punishable by prison time and fines.
With that said, here are the Best Marijuana Stocks According to Billionaires.
A close up of cannabis plants growing in an outdoor facility, symbolizing the product of the cannabinoid company.
Our Methodology
To collect data for this article, we scanned Insider Monkey’s database of billionaires’ stock holdings and picked the top 10 companies operating in the cannabis sector with the highest number of billionaire investors in Q4 of 2024. When two or more companies had the same number of billionaires backing them, we ranked them by the revenue of their last financial year. Following are the Best Marijuana Stocks to Invest in According to Billionaires.
At Insider Monkey, we are obsessed with the stocks that hedge funds pile into. The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 373.4% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 218 percentage points (see more details here).
Cronos Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CRON)
Number of Billionaire Holders: 6
Cronos Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CRON) is a Canada-based cannabinoid company engaged in the cultivation, manufacture, and marketing of cannabis and cannabis-derived products for both medical and adult-use markets. A noteworthy aspect of the company is its close association with Altria Group, a giant in the tobacco industry that maintains a 41% stake in Cronos that it acquired for $1.8 billion in 2019.
Cronos Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CRON) delivered an EPS of $0.11, beating estimates by $0.12. The company’s revenue of $30.27 million, though up 26.6% YoY, fell below estimates by $4.56 million. What’s more is that most of this growth came from the company’s increasing market share in Canada, reflecting its sustainable nature. Cronos also reported a net profit of $41.08 million for the full year of 2024, its first annual profit since 2021. Another notable achievement is that the company’s Spinach brand ended the year 2024 as the number one cannabis brand in Canada by market share, solidifying its leadership position. Moreover, its PEACE NATURALS brand ended 2024 as the number one flower brand in Israel, with a 24% market share. Cronos also maintains an industry-leading balance sheet with cash and cash equivalents of $859 million, significantly exceeding its market cap and reinforcing its ability to invest in growth, innovation, and global expansion.
Cronos Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CRON) is making continued progress on the expansion of its GrowCo facility, expecting to finish construction of the expanded cultivation and processing facilities in the second quarter of this year, with first harvests and sales from the area commencing in the second half of 2025. The strategic move positions the cannabis company to capitalize on Canadian domestic demand and meet international growth opportunities in 2025.
Overall, CRON ranks 3rd on our list of the best cannabis stocks to buy according to billionaires. While we acknowledge the potential for CRON to grow, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and doing so within a shorter time frame. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than CRON but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.
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