Aquestive Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AQST) Trading Up 3.8% – Here’s Why

Shares of Aquestive Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AQST) were up 3.8% on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $5.31 and last traded at $5.3050. Approximately 511,268 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 83% from the average daily volume of 3,097,085 shares. The stock had previously closed at $5.11.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Aquestive Therapeutics in a report on Friday, July 17th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Aquestive Therapeutics from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 15th. Finally, HC Wainwright reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $10.00 price target on shares of Aquestive Therapeutics in a research note on Monday, August 24th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $8.80.

Aquestive Therapeutics Trading Up 2.9%

The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $4.25 and its 200 day moving average price is $4.17. The company has a market capitalization of $660.18 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -8.09 and a beta of 1.49.

Aquestive Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AQST) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, August 11th. The company reported ($0.18) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.10) by ($0.08). The company had revenue of $13.82 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.42 million. On average, research analysts expect that Aquestive Therapeutics, Inc. will post -0.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Aquestive Therapeutics news, Director Julie Krop sold 25,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $5.02, for a total value of $125,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 25,000 shares in the company, valued at $125,500. This trade represents a 50.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 6.81% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Aquestive Therapeutics

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in AQST. NewEdge Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Aquestive Therapeutics in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its holdings in Aquestive Therapeutics by 78.3% during the second quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 9,413 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 4,134 shares during the last quarter. ADAR1 Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Aquestive Therapeutics by 103.9% during the first quarter. ADAR1 Capital Management LLC now owns 10,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 264,000 shares during the last quarter. Modern Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Aquestive Therapeutics during the second quarter worth $33,000. Finally, Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in Aquestive Therapeutics during the first quarter worth $42,000. Institutional investors own 32.45% of the company’s stock.

About Aquestive Therapeutics

Aquestive Therapeutics, Inc is a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of novel drug delivery systems. Leveraging its proprietary PharmFilm® technology, Aquestive designs thin-film formulations that facilitate sublingual, buccal and oral delivery of small molecules, offering rapid onset of action and improved patient compliance compared with traditional dosage forms.

The company’s lead product, Libervant® (diazepam) Buccal Film, is approved by the U.S.