Aquestive Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AQST) Sees Significant Decrease in Short Interest

Aquestive Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AQST) was the target of a significant drop in short interest during the month of January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totaling 20,296,603 shares, a drop of 15.9% from the December 31st total of 24,139,081 shares. Approximately 18.1% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 8,996,718 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.3 days. Based on an average trading volume of 8,996,718 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.3 days. Approximately 18.1% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. NewEdge Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Aquestive Therapeutics in the 3rd quarter valued at about $28,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its stake in shares of Aquestive Therapeutics by 78.3% in the second quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 9,413 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 4,134 shares in the last quarter. USAdvisors Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Aquestive Therapeutics during the second quarter valued at $33,000. Modern Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Aquestive Therapeutics during the second quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Daymark Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Aquestive Therapeutics during the second quarter valued at about $58,000. 32.45% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Aquestive Therapeutics News

Here are the key news stories impacting Aquestive Therapeutics this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and coverage highlighted a “silver lining” in the CRL — noting the FDA cited discrete issues and that Aquestive has a defined path to address them, which supports a constructive view toward eventual approval. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Market reaction: shares rallied (intraday surge reported) even after the CRL as traders focused on remediation steps and optional upside if Aquestive successfully addresses FDA comments. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Unusual options activity: heavy call buying was reported (large increase in call volume), suggesting some traders are positioning for a rebound or binary upside tied to regulatory progress.
• Neutral Sentiment: Trading halt briefly occurred for “news pending” before the announcement — a procedural move that can magnify volatility but doesn’t change fundamentals.
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported short-interest entries show zero shares (likely a data or reporting anomaly rather than a genuine decline in short interest); treat those figures as unreliable until updated.
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory setback: the FDA issued a Complete Response Letter for the Anaphylm NDA, meaning the drug was not approved as submitted and Aquestive must address FDA deficiencies (uncertain timeline and potential additional studies or data). This is the primary fundamental negative catalyst. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Litigation risk: multiple law firms (Pomerantz, Schall, Levi & Korsinsky, Faruqi & Faruqi) announced investigations or shareholder notices related to the FDA disclosure, increasing potential legal/financial exposure and investor uncertainty. Read More.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on AQST shares. Zacks Research upgraded Aquestive Therapeutics from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 17th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Aquestive Therapeutics in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Piper Sandler raised their target price on shares of Aquestive Therapeutics from $5.00 to $8.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Lake Street Capital set a $6.00 price target on shares of Aquestive Therapeutics in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, JMP Securities increased their price target on shares of Aquestive Therapeutics from $9.00 to $12.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 9th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $8.50.

Aquestive Therapeutics Stock Performance

AQST opened at $4.10 on Wednesday. Aquestive Therapeutics has a twelve month low of $2.12 and a twelve month high of $7.55. The firm has a market cap of $500.20 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -5.77 and a beta of 1.65. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $5.18 and a 200 day simple moving average of $5.21.

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

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.