We recently published a list of 8 Most Undervalued Pot Stocks to Buy According to Analysts. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Chicago Atlantic Real Estate Finance, Inc. (NASDAQ:REFI) stands against other most undervalued pot stocks to buy according to analysts.
A decade ago, the cannabis industry was in full swing as stock valuations exploded to record highs in states across the country legalizing pot use for medicinal and recreational purposes. Fast forward, valuations have crashed as harsh realities set in. While legalization on the state level has gathered pace in recent years, marijuana remaining illegal on the federal level is turning out to be one of the biggest stumbling blocks.
Far higher taxes in handling federally prohibited cannabis and its products have hit the industry hard. Similarly, legal weed sales have faced stiff competition from the illegal market, something that has hurt companies’ ability to ramp up sales and generate significant shareholder value. The just concluded US election has added yet another layer of uncertainty for the pot industry. While Vice President Kamala Harris had given the clearest indication to legalize recreational use nationally, she lost the election waiting to see what is in store under the Donald Trump administration.
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Nevertheless, it is a fact that the pot industry suffered its biggest blow yet on the ballot on state legalization referendums failing through. North Dakota, South Dakota, and Florida all had unsuccessful referendums to legalize recreational use. Only Nebraska’s medical use referendum was successful.
Twenty-four states in the United States have legalized marijuana for adult use, and Florida might have added a sizable market for the cannabis sector. According to marijuana analytics company Headset, recreational marijuana sales in the state could have reached between $4.9 billion and $6.1 billion in the first year after legalization.
Amid the setbacks, the cannabis sector outlook remains positive as the focus shifts to reclassifying marijuana as a less serious federal offence. President-elect Donald Trump has shown that he is open to supporting changes and new laws for marijuana. This could greatly help the struggling marijuana industry.
According to ATB Capital Markets analyst Frederico Gomes, reclassifying pot as a less federally severe crime would offset any effects of failure to pass substantial amendments during the referendum. Due to the harsh treatment of Cannabis under the so-called 280E tax code, pot businesses currently pay effective tax rates of over 70%.
The provision also prevents companies dealing in schedule one or two controlled substances from claiming tax credits. Consequently, reclassification would translate to about $3.5 billion being injected back into the sector, thus lowering the overall cost for capital and sparking a flurry of activities, according to Katan Associates International founder Seth Yakatan.
“I think the combination of the rescheduling [of Cannabis] to Schedule III, having businesses able to deduct their business expenses, is building momentum for other changes. I think in short order, after this happens, very likely [there will be a] change in federal policy regarding banking. As you know, it is very hard for state-legal cannabis businesses to have bank accounts. It’s also very expensive, and they are charged a premium,” said U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer in an interview with the Wall Street Journal.
The most undervalued pot stocks to buy could turn out to be big winners in the regulatory environment improving under the new administration come next year.
Our Methodology
To create a list of the most undervalued cannabis stocks to buy, we looked through different cannabis ETFs to find companies that are heavily involved in the cannabis industry. We then scanned for stocks that analysts believe are undervalued with a price to earnings multiples of less than 20 and well positioned to generate significant long-term value. Finally, we ranked the stocks in ascending order based on the stock’s upside potential as of November 26.
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 275% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 150 percentage points (see more details here).
The skyline of a major metropolitan center, dotted with commercial real estate properties.
Chicago Atlantic Real Estate Finance, Inc. (NASDAQ:REFI)
Stock Upside Potential: 37.07%
Forward Price to Earnings Ratio (P/E): 7.48
Number of Hedge Fund Holders as of Q3 2024: 6
Chicago Atlantic Real Estate Finance, Inc. (NASDAQ:REFI) is a company that provides loans and financing for commercial real estate. They focus on clients in the cannabis industry, offering secured loans and other financial help to support their businesses. Chicago Atlantic Real Estate Finance, Inc. (NASDAQ:REFI) delivered impressive third-quarter results on November 7, 2024. The company benefited from a strong pipeline in existing states and a growing number of states that have legalized marijuana for adult use. Net income was up 21.7% sequentially to $11.2 million or $0.56 per diluted share. It ended the quarter with $362.3 million in total loan principal across 29 companies with an average yield of 18.3%.
Chicago Atlantic Real Estate Finance, Inc. (NASDAQ:REFI) stands out as one of the most undervalued pot stocks as it trades at a price-to-earnings multiple of 7.41 compared to an average forward P/E of 45 for real estate companies. The company has chosen to be taxed as a real estate investment trust (REIT), so it doesn’t pay federal corporate income taxes. This helps it give more money back to shareholders. Because it distributes 90% of its taxable income to stockholders, it attracts a lot of interest from investors who want regular income.
Overall, REFI ranks 4th on our list of most undervalued pot stocks to buy according to analysts. While we acknowledge the potential of REFI as an investment, 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 REFI but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.
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Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.