Benzinga's Most-Read Stories Of 2019

While it was a brutal year for cannabis investors, Benzinga readers couldn't get enough of the still-growing sector. Of Benzinga's 10 most-read stories of the year, nine of them were focused on the cannabis space.

Aurora Cannabis Inc ACB in particular was the main subject of seven of those stories. Aurora shares dropped 60% this year.

Here are Benzinga's 10 most-read news stories of the year:

1. "Aurora Cannabis Shares Dive Following $250M Offering News" Jan. 17

Aurora announced a $250-million private placement of convertible senior notes due in 2024. The deal would also include the option for the buyers to purchase an additional $37.5 million in notes.

2. "Here's How Much Investing $100 In Apple Stock Back In 2010 Would Be Worth Today" Dec. 30

One of the top performers of the decade was the iPhone maker. $100 worth of Apple Inc. AAPL stock in 2010 would be worth more than $1,110 today.

3. "Aurora Cannabis Analyst Says Stock Will Go Up In Smoke, Sets Zero Price Target" Dec. 16

GLJ Research analyst Gordon Johnson initiated coverage of Aurora Cannabis with a Sell rating and zero price target.

4. "Seaport Global Initiates Bullish Coverage On A Dozen Cannabis Stocks" Feb. 21

Seaport Global initiated coverage on a dozen names early in the year. Some of the most popular U.S. cannabis stocks were not among the firm’s top picks.

5. "Signs An Aurora Cannabis Technical Breakout May Be Imminent" April 24

A look at ACB's technical picture in the second quarter of 2019.

6. "'A World-Class Portfolio': Aurora Closes Hempco Acquisition" Aug. 19

Aurora announced in April that it would acquire the remaining interest in the provider of hemp-based foods, hemp fiber and hemp nutraceuticals. It closed the acquisition at a valuation of around CA$63.4 million ($47.4 million).

7. "Bank Of America Initiates Coverage On Cannabis Stocks, Names Surprising Top Pick" April 17

Christopher Carey said Hexo is Bank of America’s top cannabis stock pick thanks to its compelling market positioning.

8. "Cowen: Aurora Is 'Top Pick In Cannabis'" June 24

While a number of Canadian cannabis producers are positioned to take advantage of a global boom in demand, Cowen analyst Vivien Azer said Aurora is the only one of the top growers that is also on track to become profitable in the near-term (we'll see if that comes to fruition).

9. "Aurora Cannabis Sells Remaining Green Organic Dutchman Shares For $86.5M" Sept. 4

Aurora sold all of its remaining shares of The Green Organic Dutchman Holdings. "When we acquired Whistler Medical Marijuana Corporation – an iconic and premium organic cannabis producer – our interest in TGOD became less important to our core strategy," CEO Terry Booth said at the time.

10. "Aurora Cannabis Issues Below-Consensus Q2 Revenue Guidance" Jan. 8

Aurora got off to a rough start after the company issued below-consensus revenue guidance for the fiscal second quarter.

Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference Heads To Miami Beach, Detroit, Toronto

The Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference heads to Miami Beach, Florida Feb. 24-25, followed by a conference March 20 in Detroit and June 1-2 in Toronto.