Aquestive Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AQST) Stock Price Up 5.2% - Here's Why

Key Points

• Aquestive Therapeutics' shares increased by 5.2% on Friday, reaching as high as $5.21 after previously closing at $4.95.
• Analysts have a consensus rating of Buy for the stock, with a target price averaging $10.29, following multiple upgrades and positive ratings from brokerages.
• Institutional ownership has risen significantly, with several firms, including Geode Capital Management and Sio Capital Management, increasing their stakes in the company during the second quarter.

Aquestive Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AQST - Get Free Report)'s stock price traded up 5.2% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $5.19 and last traded at $5.21. 445,064 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 72% from the average session volume of 1,608,098 shares. The stock had previously closed at $4.95.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. HC Wainwright reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $10.00 price objective on shares of Aquestive Therapeutics in a report on Tuesday, June 17th. Lifesci Capital upgraded shares of Aquestive Therapeutics to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 3rd. Oppenheimer upped their price target on shares of Aquestive Therapeutics from $7.00 to $8.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, September 8th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Aquestive Therapeutics from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $10.29.

Aquestive Therapeutics Stock Up 0.3%

The company has a market cap of $487.23 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -6.98 and a beta of 1.82. The company's fifty day moving average price is $4.17 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $3.35.

Aquestive Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AQST - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 11th. The company reported ($0.14) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.18) by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $10.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.32 million. Aquestive Therapeutics has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. Research analysts forecast that Aquestive Therapeutics, Inc. will post -0.46 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Aquestive Therapeutics

In other news, insider Peter E. Boyd sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $5.30, for a total transaction of $79,500.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 288,323 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,528,111.90. This represents a 4.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, COO Cassie Jung sold 62,180 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $5.00, for a total transaction of $310,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 283,346 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,416,730. The trade was a 18.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 7.85% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Aquestive Therapeutics

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Aquestive Therapeutics by 16.2% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,977,001 shares of the company's stock worth $6,545,000 after purchasing an additional 276,295 shares during the period. Pale Fire Capital SE raised its holdings in Aquestive Therapeutics by 25.5% in the second quarter. Pale Fire Capital SE now owns 1,676,451 shares of the company's stock worth $5,549,000 after purchasing an additional 340,767 shares during the period. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC raised its holdings in Aquestive Therapeutics by 7.6% in the first quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 1,059,760 shares of the company's stock worth $3,073,000 after purchasing an additional 75,275 shares during the period. Sio Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Aquestive Therapeutics by 141.9% in the second quarter. Sio Capital Management LLC now owns 947,489 shares of the company's stock worth $3,136,000 after purchasing an additional 555,860 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE raised its holdings in Aquestive Therapeutics by 905.2% in the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 690,284 shares of the company's stock worth $2,457,000 after purchasing an additional 621,614 shares during the period. 32.45% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Aquestive Therapeutics

Aquestive Therapeutics, Inc operates as a pharmaceutical company in the United States and internationally. The company markets Sympazan, an oral soluble film formulation of clobazam for the treatment of lennox-gastaut syndrome; Suboxone, a sublingual film formulation of buprenorphine and naloxone for the treatment of opioid dependence; Zuplenz, an oral soluble film formulation of ondansetron for the treatment of nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy and post-operative recovery; and Azstarys, a once-daily product for the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.