 Viridian Capital on Tuesday initiated coverage of Ascend Wellness AAWH, -1.19 with a buy rating and a 5.15 price target as a beneficiary of adult cannabis sales in New Jersey starting on Thursday. Analyst Jonathan DeCourcey said Ascend Wellness trades at a discount to other cannabis multi-state operators MSOs partly because its stock debut in May, 2021 came after the market peak for cannabis stocks; also because of its legal dispute over its acquisition of MedMens business in New York State. 