Here’s a comparative take on which retail-favorite cannabis stock gave the best returns in the first half of 2021.

Year-To-Date Returns: Tilray’s stock has returned year-to-date gains of 118.9%, while Sundial’s year-to-date returns stand at 100.2%. Aurora Cannabis stock’s year-to-date returns of 8.78% pale in comparison to both.  

Shares of Tilray, Sundial Growers and Aurora Cannabis — all Reddit favorites — peaked in February amid heightened retail interest, but have fallen notably since then.

Tilray shares hit a new 52-week high of $67.00 and Aurora Cannabis touched a high of $18.98 on Feb. 10, while Sundial shares reached a 52-week high of $3.96 a day later.

Nevertheless, optimism that cannabis reforms will make it easier for the companies to do business has led to a renewed retail-investor interest in these stocks.

See Also: Aurora Cannabis Rolls Out Three THC-Powerful Proprietary Cultivars Under San Rafael '71 Brand

Capital Raising: Taking advantage of the investor interest, Sundial said in January it is raising $100 million through a sale of stock and warrants.

Aurora Cannabis said in May it is seeking to raise $300 million by selling its commons shares through the at-the-market offering, noting that the funds will provide it with “maximum flexibility” to pursue acquisition opportunities.

Retail investors behave differently than institutional investors, and this offers a number of opportunities for a company like Sundial, the company's CEO Zach George said at the Benzinga Cannabis Conference in early June.

Price Action: Tilray shares closed 1.2% higher in Wednesday’s trading at $18.08, while Sundial Growers closed 0.1% lower at $0.9490 and Aurora Cannabis shares closed almost 0.6% lower at $9.04.

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