Aquestive Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AQST) Stock Has Consensus Target Price of $8.60 According to Analysts

Key Points

• Analyst sentiment is moderately bullish: Five analysts assign Aquestive Therapeutics a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating, with four buys and one sell. The average 12-month price target is $8.60, above the stock’s reported opening price of $3.97.
• Recent earnings missed expectations: Aquestive reported a quarterly loss of $0.18 per share versus the consensus loss estimate of $0.10, although revenue of $13.82 million exceeded estimates of $11.42 million. Analysts expect a full-year loss of approximately $0.50 per share.
• Insiders have been selling shares: Company insiders sold 58,750 shares worth $271,675 over the past three months under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plans, while insiders retain 6.81% ownership. Institutional investors own 32.45% of the stock.

Shares of Aquestive Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AQST - Get Free Report) have earned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the five analysts that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation and four have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $8.60.

A number of research analysts have commented on AQST shares. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Aquestive Therapeutics in a research report on Thursday, October 15th. HC Wainwright reissued a "buy" rating and set a $10.00 price target on shares of Aquestive Therapeutics in a research note on Friday, October 16th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $11.00 price objective on shares of Aquestive Therapeutics in a report on Thursday, September 10th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Aquestive Therapeutics from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, September 12th.

Aquestive Therapeutics Stock Performance

NASDAQ:AQST opened at $3.97 on Tuesday. Aquestive Therapeutics has a 52-week low of $2.93 and a 52-week high of $7.08. The firm has a market capitalization of $498.27 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -6.11 and a beta of 1.49. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $4.69 and a 200 day moving average of $4.22.

Aquestive Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AQST - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results 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 business had revenue of $13.82 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.42 million. Equities analysts forecast that Aquestive Therapeutics will post -0.50 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Aquestive Therapeutics

In other Aquestive Therapeutics news, insider Sherry Korczynski sold 8,750 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $5.22, for a total value of $45,675.00. Following the completion of the sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Daniel Barber sold 25,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $4.22, for a total transaction of $105,500.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 627,317 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,647,277.74. The trade was a 3.83% 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 sold 58,750 shares of company stock valued at $271,675 over the last three months. 6.81% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Aquestive Therapeutics

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Aquestive Therapeutics by 27.0% during the first quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 22,895 shares of the company's stock valued at $95,000 after buying an additional 4,870 shares during the last quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP raised its position in Aquestive Therapeutics by 52.8% in the 1st quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 18,014 shares of the company's stock worth $75,000 after buying an additional 6,221 shares during the last quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP raised its position in Aquestive Therapeutics by 20.5% in the 2nd quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP now owns 49,879 shares of the company's stock worth $207,000 after buying an additional 8,496 shares during the last quarter. Corsair Capital Management L.P. lifted its stake in Aquestive Therapeutics by 16.7% during the 1st quarter. Corsair Capital Management L.P. now owns 70,000 shares of the company's stock valued at $290,000 after acquiring an additional 10,000 shares during the period. Finally, Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in Aquestive Therapeutics during the 1st quarter valued at about $42,000. Institutional investors own 32.45% of the company's stock.

About Aquestive Therapeutics

Aquestive Therapeutics, Inc is a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing pharmaceutical products that use its proprietary PharmFilm oral film technology. The company's films are designed to deliver medicines through the mouth, potentially offering alternatives to tablets, capsules, injections, or other conventional dosage forms.

Aquestive's marketed products include Libervant (diazepam buccal film), an FDA-approved treatment for the acute, intermittent, and stereotypic episodes of frequent seizure activity associated with epilepsy, and Exservan (riluzole oral film), an FDA-approved treatment for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

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