Aurora Cannabis Inc. ACB, -2.88% ACB, -1.88% shares fell 2.3% in early trade Thursday, after BofA Merrill Lynch downgraded the stock to neutral from buy and lowered its stock price target to $8 from $10, on concerns about the company's cash burn. "Aurora has emerged as one of the best operators in the cannabis sector, with industry leading scale and margins even vs other large peers, and global optionality," analyst Christopher Carey wrote in a note to clients. "However, despite this, and a focus on profit, (CQ2 positive EBITDA target), it is burning cash and by our estimates could be cash negative by CQ120 (absent financing), namely if a large convertible debenture due in CQ120 stays out of the money." Even if its current cash burn were to improve, Aurora will likely need funding in the next few quarters," said the analyst The company has access to about C$100 million in a credit facility, but a convertible note that matures in the first quarter of 2020 will likely need to be paid in cash, he wrote. Shares have gained 47% in 2019, while the S&P 500 SPX, +1.59% has gained 19%.