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Fly News Breaks for May 24, 2019
ACB, CGC, APHA
May 24, 2019 | 08:10 EDT
Jefferies analyst Owen Bennett initiated coverage of Aphria (APHA) with a Buy rating and C$15 price target. The stock closed yesterday down 33c to $6.41. The analyst says the company scores highly on his "strategic scorecard," or third overall behind only Canopy Growth (CGC) and Aurora Cannabis (ACB). Despite a "strong global outlook," Aphria's valuation is the cheapest across the space, with allegations around inflated assets/insider deals weighing on the shares, Bennett tells investors in a research note. The analyst expects a "significant re-rating" in the shares with "these issues now seemingly cleared up." He points out that the company's questionable relationships have been severed and a special committee review found assets had not been falsely inflated. Bennett believes Aphria continues to execute and that its valuation is "not reflective of reality."