Aquestive Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AQST) Shares Gap Down Following Weak Earnings

Key Points

• Aquestive Therapeutics shares fell 4.2%, opening at $4.27 after the company reported a second-quarter loss of $0.18 per share, missing the $0.10 consensus estimate, despite revenue of $13.82 million topping forecasts.
• The company’s fiscal 2026 revenue guidance of $46 million to $50 million is below analysts’ approximately $50.8 million consensus, raising concerns about near-term growth and ongoing operating losses.
• Encouraging Anaphylm human-factors and pharmacokinetic results could support regulatory and commercialization efforts, while analysts remain broadly positive with an average “Buy” rating and an $8.50 price target.

Aquestive Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AQST - Get Free Report)'s share price gapped down prior to trading on Wednesday after the company announced weaker than expected quarterly earnings. The stock had previously closed at $4.41, but opened at $4.27. Aquestive Therapeutics shares last traded at $4.3350, with a volume of 931,381 shares traded.

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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.42 million.

Key Headlines Impacting Aquestive Therapeutics

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

• Positive Sentiment: Aquestive reported second-quarter revenue of $13.82 million, exceeding the $11.42 million analyst consensus. Management also provided a business update focused on advancing its product pipeline and preparing for potential commercialization. Aquestive Therapeutics Reports Second Quarter 2026 Financial Results and Provides Business Update
• Positive Sentiment: Previously announced topline human-factors and pharmacokinetic study results for Anaphylm, an epinephrine sublingual film intended to treat severe allergic reactions, showed encouraging performance. The results could support regulatory progress and strengthen the company’s commercial preparation efforts. Aquestive Announces Positive Anaphylm Study Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported August short-interest data showed zero shares sold short and a zero-day days-to-cover ratio. However, the figures appear inconsistent and provide little meaningful information about investor positioning.
• Negative Sentiment: Second-quarter adjusted loss widened to $0.18 per share from $0.14 a year earlier and missed the $0.10-per-share consensus estimate by $0.08. The result highlights continued operating losses as the company advances Anaphylm. Aquestive Therapeutics Reports Q2 Loss, Tops Revenue Estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Aquestive’s fiscal 2026 revenue guidance of $46 million to $50 million is below the approximately $50.8 million consensus estimate. This outlook may weigh on the shares because it suggests slower near-term revenue growth than analysts expected.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AQST has been the subject of a number of research reports. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Aquestive Therapeutics from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, May 16th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Aquestive Therapeutics in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Finally, Oppenheimer started coverage on Aquestive Therapeutics in a research report on Friday, April 24th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $8.00 target price for the company. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $8.50.

Insider Activity at Aquestive Therapeutics

In other Aquestive Therapeutics news, CEO Daniel Barber sold 8,257 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $4.29, for a total transaction of $35,422.53. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 660,574 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,833,862.46. The trade was a 1.23% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Julie Krop sold 25,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $5.02, for a total value of $125,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 25,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $125,500. This trade represents a 50.00% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Corporate insiders own 6.81% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Aquestive Therapeutics

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AQST. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Aquestive Therapeutics by 17.0% in the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 12,794 shares of the company's stock valued at $72,000 after buying an additional 1,862 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its holdings in Aquestive Therapeutics by 6.0% during the second quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 47,098 shares of the company's stock worth $156,000 after acquiring an additional 2,649 shares in the last quarter. Informed Momentum Co LLC lifted its holdings in Aquestive Therapeutics by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Informed Momentum Co LLC now owns 155,053 shares of the company's stock worth $1,002,000 after acquiring an additional 2,721 shares in the last quarter. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Aquestive Therapeutics by 5.9% during the first quarter. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC now owns 58,060 shares of the company's stock worth $241,000 after acquiring an additional 3,210 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Stifel Financial Corp grew its stake in Aquestive Therapeutics by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 369,728 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,388,000 after acquiring an additional 3,300 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 32.45% of the company's stock.

Aquestive Therapeutics Stock Down 4.2%

The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $4.13 and a 200-day simple moving average of $4.06. The company has a market capitalization of $530.10 million, a P/E ratio of -6.92 and a beta of 1.49.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.

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