Aphria #1 in Canada Aphria has been doing exceptionally well since Irwin Simon took over its CEO position in March 2019 after serving as the independent chair of its board of directors. Simon's objective as a leader has been to focus on the company's core market of Canada, which has proven beneficial in bringing in revenue and profits. The company has also benefited from a lack of the cash-burning aggressive acquisitions enjoyed by so many of its peers. As of May 31, the end of fiscal Q4 2020, it had CA$497.2 million of cash and cash equivalents on the books, which management plans to use for expansion.
Q4 marked an impressive fifth consecutive quarter in which Aphria recorded a positive EBITDA. Its consolidated adjusted EBITDA rang in at CA$8.6 million, a striking 49% hike from CA$5.7 million in the year-ago quarter. The company even saw an 18% rise in revenue from the year-ago period, to CA$152 million. Medical cannabis sales made up 13% of total revenue, while recreational contributed the rest. When it comes to revenue, Aphria also holds an upper hand in the cannabis space. A year-over-year increase of 129% in fiscal 2020 brought the total to CA$543.3 million. Meanwhile, Canopy, with a market cap five times the size of Aphria's, saw its revenue jump by 76%, to CA$399 million, for the same period. Aphria's core market is Canada, but it has also extended into Germany, Italy, Malta, Colombia, and Argentina with its medical and recreational products. Its cannabis derivatives products, in particular its vape offerings, are doing well.