Aquestive Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AQST) Stock Price Up 3.8% – Still a Buy?

Aquestive Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AQST) shot up 3.8% during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $5.31 and last traded at $5.3050. Approximately 511,268 shares were traded 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 Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently weighed in on AQST. Wall Street Zen downgraded Aquestive Therapeutics from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 15th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Aquestive Therapeutics in a report on Friday, July 17th. Finally, HC Wainwright restated a “buy” rating and issued a $10.00 price target on shares of Aquestive Therapeutics in a research report on Monday, August 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Aquestive Therapeutics presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $8.80.

Aquestive Therapeutics Price Performance

The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $4.26 and its 200 day moving average price is $4.19. The firm has a market capitalization of $675.24 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -8.28 and a beta of 1.48.

Aquestive Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AQST) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 company had revenue of $13.82 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $11.42 million. On average, analysts predict that Aquestive Therapeutics, Inc. will post -0.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Julie Krop sold 25,000 shares of Aquestive Therapeutics stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $5.02, for a total transaction of $125,500.00. Following the completion of 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 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

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Bratton Capital Management L.P. purchased a new position in shares of Aquestive Therapeutics during the second quarter valued at approximately $40,813,585. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Aquestive Therapeutics during the 2nd quarter valued at about $33,569,000. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new position in Aquestive Therapeutics during the second quarter worth approximately $6,941,000. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Aquestive Therapeutics by 30.8% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,662,132 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,651,000 after purchasing an additional 1,333,627 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Federated Hermes Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Aquestive Therapeutics by 159.4% in the 4th quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 2,032,822 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,132,000 after purchasing an additional 1,249,044 shares during the last quarter. 32.45% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Aquestive Therapeutics Company Profile

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.