Aquestive Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AQST) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded Aquestive from "sell" to "hold," while the overall analyst consensus remains a Buy with a consensus target price of $8.80.
• Q4 results missed expectations — EPS loss of $0.26 vs. consensus ($0.13) and revenue slightly below estimates — raising near‑term earnings and margin risk; analysts forecast a full‑year EPS of about −0.46.
• The company reiterated FY‑2026 revenue guidance of $46–50M and plans a commercial launch of Anaphylm with a ~75‑rep sales force that could boost near‑term revenue, but multiple class‑action lawsuits and investigations over FDA timing disclosures add significant legal and reputational risk.

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

Several other research analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. Lake Street Capital set a $6.00 price objective on Aquestive Therapeutics in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Piper Sandler lifted their target price on Aquestive Therapeutics from $5.00 to $8.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Aquestive Therapeutics in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $8.80.

Aquestive Therapeutics Price Performance

NASDAQ:AQST opened at $4.22 on Friday. Aquestive Therapeutics has a one year low of $2.12 and a one year high of $7.55. The company has a market cap of $515.01 million, a PE ratio of -5.41 and a beta of 1.61. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $4.22 and a 200-day moving average of $5.19.

Aquestive Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AQST - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 4th. The company reported ($0.26) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.13) by ($0.13). The business had revenue of $13.02 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $13.28 million. On average, equities research analysts expect that Aquestive Therapeutics will post -0.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Aquestive Therapeutics

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in Aquestive Therapeutics by 30.8% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,662,132 shares of the company's stock valued at $31,651,000 after acquiring an additional 1,333,627 shares in the last quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. boosted its holdings in 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 period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its holdings in 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 period. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of Aquestive Therapeutics during the 3rd quarter valued at $5,918,000. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company MN increased its holdings in shares of Aquestive Therapeutics by 804.6% in the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 1,188,531 shares of the company's stock worth $7,678,000 after purchasing an additional 1,057,145 shares during the period. 32.45% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Aquestive Therapeutics

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

• Positive Sentiment: Aquestive reiterated FY‑2026 revenue guidance of $46.0M–$50.0M and plans a commercial launch for Anaphylm with a ~75‑rep sales force and an expanded medical affairs team — these items support near‑term revenue upside if launch execution is successful. Aquestive plans 75‑rep Anaphylm launch
• Neutral Sentiment: Company released Q4 results and an earnings‑call presentation/transcript that provide more detail on revenue mix, commercialization plans and guidance; these materials will be used by investors to reassess model assumptions. Q4 2025 earnings call transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Q4 results missed expectations: EPS loss of $0.26 vs. consensus of ($0.13) and revenue slightly below estimates — the miss raises short‑term earnings risk and increases scrutiny on margins and burn. Q4 results and estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple law firms announced investigations and several class‑action complaints were filed alleging that Aquestive misled investors about the timing of FDA approval for Anaphylm (PDUFA date-related disclosures). Legal exposure and potential damages or distraction to management are downside catalysts for the stock. Robbins LLP stockholder alert
• Negative Sentiment: Additional litigation notices/investigations were publicized today (Bernstein Liebhard, Holzer & Holzer, Gainey McKenna & Egleston, Faruqi & Faruqi), amplifying legal and reputational risk and likely adding selling pressure while matters progress. Bernstein Liebhard investor alert
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst commentary and a TipRanks note flagged new risk disclosures (AI execution risk and competitive threats) that could pressure future margins and R&D success probabilities. TipRanks AI execution risks

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.

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