Aquestive Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AQST) Trading 7.1% Higher – Should You Buy?

Aquestive Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AQST) shares were up 7.1% on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $4.63 and last traded at $4.5950. 2,647,385 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 12% from the average daily volume of 2,998,724 shares. The stock had previously closed at $4.29.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Oppenheimer began coverage on shares of Aquestive Therapeutics in a research note on Friday, April 24th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $8.00 price target on the stock. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Aquestive Therapeutics in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Aquestive Therapeutics from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 16th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $8.50.

Aquestive Therapeutics Price Performance

The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $4.13 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $4.07. The stock has a market cap of $530.74 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -6.51 and a beta of 1.49.

Aquestive Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AQST) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 11th. The company reported ($0.18) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.10) by ($0.08). The firm had revenue of $13.82 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.42 million. Equities research analysts forecast that Aquestive Therapeutics, Inc. will post -0.41 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Aquestive Therapeutics

In other news, CEO Daniel Barber sold 8,257 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $4.29, for a total transaction of $35,422.53. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 660,574 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,833,862.46. The trade was a 1.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Julie Krop sold 25,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $5.02, for a total value of $125,500.00. Following the sale, the director owned 25,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $125,500. This trade represents a 50.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 6.81% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Aquestive Therapeutics

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Walleye Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of Aquestive Therapeutics by 103.3% in the first quarter. Walleye Capital LLC now owns 584,977 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,428,000 after acquiring an additional 297,166 shares during the period. Wasatch Advisors LP raised its holdings in Aquestive Therapeutics by 57.8% during the 2nd quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 1,385,843 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,765,000 after purchasing an additional 507,527 shares during the last quarter. Simplify Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Aquestive Therapeutics in the 1st quarter worth approximately $972,000. Bleakley Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Aquestive Therapeutics in the 1st quarter worth approximately $563,000. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its stake in shares of Aquestive Therapeutics by 6,233.4% in the 4th quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,171,675 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,569,000 after purchasing an additional 1,153,175 shares during the last quarter. 32.45% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.