Aquestive Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AQST) Shares Down 4.5% - Time to Sell?

Key Points

• Aquestive Therapeutics shares fell 4.5% to about $4.77, with trading volume significantly below average.
• Analyst sentiment remains generally positive, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $9.17, despite some sell recommendations.
• The company reported a quarterly loss of $0.18 per share, missing estimates by $0.08, although revenue of $13.82 million exceeded expectations.

Shares of Aquestive Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AQST - Get Free Report) dropped 4.5% during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $4.81 and last traded at $4.7660. Approximately 780,455 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 74% from the average session volume of 3,060,427 shares. The stock had previously closed at $4.99.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on AQST shares. HC Wainwright restated a "buy" rating and set a $10.00 target price on shares of Aquestive Therapeutics in a report on Monday, August 24th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Aquestive Therapeutics in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Wall Street Zen cut Aquestive Therapeutics from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 15th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $11.00 price objective on shares of Aquestive Therapeutics in a research report on Thursday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $9.17.

Aquestive Therapeutics Stock Down 2.7%

The company has a market capitalization of $609.35 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -7.48 and a beta of 1.48. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $4.38 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $4.25.

Aquestive Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AQST - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 11th. The company reported ($0.18) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.10) by ($0.08). The firm had revenue of $13.82 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.42 million. Analysts anticipate that Aquestive Therapeutics, Inc. will post -0.5 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Julie Krop sold 25,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $5.02, for a total transaction of $125,500.00. Following the sale, the director owned 25,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $125,500. The trade was a 50.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Corporate insiders own 6.81% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Aquestive Therapeutics

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Bratton Capital Management L.P. purchased a new stake in Aquestive Therapeutics during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $40,813,585. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Aquestive Therapeutics during the second quarter worth $33,569,000. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 1,333,627 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its position in shares of Aquestive Therapeutics by 53.7% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,462,778 shares of the company's stock valued at $15,910,000 after acquiring an additional 860,562 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE increased its position in shares of Aquestive Therapeutics by 99.2% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 2,405,050 shares of the company's stock valued at $9,981,000 after acquiring an additional 1,197,459 shares during the period. 32.45% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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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