Aquestive Therapeutics Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NASDAQ:AQST)

Key Points

• Investors showed significant interest in Aquestive Therapeutics, purchasing 3,169 call options, marking a 211% increase from the average volume of 1,020 call options.
• Insider trading activity was notable, with COO Cassie Jung selling 62,180 shares, representing an 18% decrease in her position, while insider Peter E. Boyd sold 15,000 shares, reducing his stake by nearly 5%.
• Analysts have a positive outlook on the stock, with Oppenheimer raising its price target from $7.00 to $8.00 and a consensus price target of $10.29 across multiple ratings, including several "buy" recommendations.

Aquestive Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AQST - Get Free Report) was the recipient of some unusual options trading activity on Friday. Traders acquired 3,169 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of 211% compared to the average daily volume of 1,020 call options.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Insider Activity

In other news, COO Cassie Jung sold 62,180 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $5.00, for a total value of $310,900.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 283,346 shares in the company, valued at $1,416,730. This represents a 18.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Peter E. Boyd sold 15,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $5.30, for a total value of $79,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 288,323 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,528,111.90. The trade was a 4.95% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 77,580 shares of company stock valued at $392,800 over the last 90 days. 7.85% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AQST. Summit Wealth & Retirement Planning Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Aquestive Therapeutics in the 1st quarter worth about $29,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in Aquestive Therapeutics during the 1st quarter valued at $31,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its holdings in shares of Aquestive Therapeutics by 78.3% during the second quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 9,413 shares of the company's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 4,134 shares during the period. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Aquestive Therapeutics during the first quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, USAdvisors Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Aquestive Therapeutics in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 32.45% of the company's stock.

Aquestive Therapeutics Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AQST traded up $0.24 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $5.41. The stock had a trading volume of 2,231,121 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,716,461. Aquestive Therapeutics has a one year low of $2.12 and a one year high of $6.00. The stock has a market cap of $539.29 million, a PE ratio of -7.75 and a beta of 1.82. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $4.26 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $3.42.

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

Aquestive Therapeutics Company Profile

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.