Aquestive Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AQST) Given Consensus Rating of “Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Aquestive Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AQST) have been given an average recommendation of “Buy” by the ten research firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $8.8333.

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. JMP Securities raised their price target on shares of Aquestive Therapeutics from $9.00 to $12.00 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 9th. Citigroup reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Aquestive Therapeutics in a research note on Thursday, October 9th. Oppenheimer lifted their target price on shares of Aquestive Therapeutics from $7.00 to $8.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, September 8th. Piper Sandler boosted their target price on Aquestive Therapeutics from $5.00 to $8.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Finally, Zacks Research raised Aquestive Therapeutics from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 17th.

Aquestive Therapeutics Stock Performance

Shares of AQST opened at $6.45 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $786.90 million, a P/E ratio of -9.08 and a beta of 1.66. Aquestive Therapeutics has a 52 week low of $2.12 and a 52 week high of $7.55. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $6.10 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $5.17.

Aquestive Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AQST) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The company reported ($0.14) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.13) by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $12.81 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.94 million. On average, equities analysts forecast that Aquestive Therapeutics will post -0.46 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Peter E. Boyd sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $7.00, for a total value of $70,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 268,323 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,878,261. The trade was a 3.59% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, COO Cassie Jung sold 67,575 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $7.01, for a total transaction of $473,700.75. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 240,771 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,687,804.71. The trade was a 21.92% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 97,847 shares of company stock valued at $685,605 in the last ninety days. 7.85% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Aquestive Therapeutics

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in shares of Aquestive Therapeutics by 8.6% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 473,579 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,647,000 after purchasing an additional 37,607 shares during the period. Penn Capital Management Company LLC raised its stake in shares of Aquestive Therapeutics by 6.6% in the third quarter. Penn Capital Management Company LLC now owns 92,908 shares of the company’s stock valued at $519,000 after buying an additional 5,793 shares during the period. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of Aquestive Therapeutics during the 3rd quarter valued at $60,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Aquestive Therapeutics during the 3rd quarter worth $28,000. Finally, PharVision Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in Aquestive Therapeutics in the 3rd quarter worth about $260,000. Hedge funds and other 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.