Aquestive Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AQST) Upgraded by Wall Street Zen to Hold Rating

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded Aquestive Therapeutics from “Sell” to “Hold.” Despite mixed ratings, the stock has a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average analyst price target of $9.17.
• AQST shares opened at $4.78, compared with a 52-week range of $2.93 to $7.55. The company’s latest quarterly loss of $0.18 per share missed estimates, although revenue of $13.82 million exceeded expectations.
• Insiders recently sold shares under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plans, while institutional investors and hedge funds own approximately 32.45% of the company.

Aquestive Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AQST - Get Free Report) was upgraded by research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report issued on Saturday, Wall Street Zen reports.

A number of other analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $11.00 price objective on shares of Aquestive Therapeutics in a research note on Thursday. HC Wainwright reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $10.00 target price on shares of Aquestive Therapeutics in a research note on Monday, August 24th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Aquestive Therapeutics in a report on Friday, July 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $9.17.

Aquestive Therapeutics Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AQST opened at $4.78 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $599.94 million, a P/E ratio of -7.35 and a beta of 1.48. The business has a 50-day moving average of $4.39 and a two-hundred day moving average of $4.26. Aquestive Therapeutics has a fifty-two week low of $2.93 and a fifty-two week high of $7.55.

Aquestive Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AQST - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 11th. The company reported ($0.18) earnings per share 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. As a group, research analysts expect that Aquestive Therapeutics will post -0.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Aquestive Therapeutics

In other Aquestive Therapeutics news, insider Sherry Korczynski sold 8,750 shares of Aquestive Therapeutics stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $5.22, for a total value of $45,675.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 235,689 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,230,296.58. The trade was a 3.58% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at 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 company'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 transaction, the director owned 25,000 shares of the company's stock, 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. Insiders own 6.81% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Aquestive Therapeutics

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. NewEdge Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Aquestive Therapeutics in the 3rd quarter worth $28,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised 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 valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 4,134 shares in the last quarter. Modern Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Aquestive Therapeutics in the second quarter valued at $33,000. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in Aquestive Therapeutics in the first quarter worth $42,000. Finally, ADAR1 Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Aquestive Therapeutics by 103.9% in the first quarter. ADAR1 Capital Management LLC now owns 10,000 shares of the company's stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 264,000 shares during the period. 32.45% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.

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