Aquestive Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AQST) Given New $8.00 Price Target at Piper Sandler

Aquestive Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AQST) had its price objective increased by research analysts at Piper Sandler from $5.00 to $8.00 in a note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “overweight” rating on the stock. Piper Sandler’s price objective would suggest a potential upside of 30.51% from the company’s current price.

Other analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Zacks Research raised shares of Aquestive Therapeutics from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 17th. Citigroup reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Aquestive Therapeutics in a report on Thursday, October 9th. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on Aquestive Therapeutics from $7.00 to $8.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, September 8th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Aquestive Therapeutics in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, JMP Securities lifted their price target on shares of Aquestive Therapeutics from $9.00 to $12.00 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 9th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Aquestive Therapeutics has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $10.00.

Aquestive Therapeutics Trading Up 2.2%

Shares of AQST opened at $6.13 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $611.28 million, a P/E ratio of -8.63 and a beta of 1.79. Aquestive Therapeutics has a 12 month low of $2.12 and a 12 month high of $7.55. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $5.84 and its two-hundred day moving average is $4.24.

Aquestive Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AQST) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The company reported ($0.14) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.13) by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $12.81 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $12.94 million. Aquestive Therapeutics has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Aquestive Therapeutics will post -0.46 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Carl N. Kraus sold 20,272 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $7.00, for a total value of $141,904.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 282,475 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,977,325. This represents a 6.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Peter E. Boyd sold 15,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $5.30, for a total value of $79,500.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 288,323 shares in the company, valued at $1,528,111.90. This trade represents a 4.95% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 276,770 shares of company stock worth $1,692,203. 8.35% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Aquestive Therapeutics

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of AQST. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Aquestive Therapeutics by 16.2% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,977,001 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,545,000 after buying an additional 276,295 shares during the last quarter. Pale Fire Capital SE lifted its stake in shares of Aquestive Therapeutics by 25.5% in the second quarter. Pale Fire Capital SE now owns 1,676,451 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,549,000 after purchasing an additional 340,767 shares during the period. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC acquired a new position in Aquestive Therapeutics during the third quarter valued at approximately $5,918,000. Sio Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Aquestive Therapeutics by 141.9% during the second quarter. Sio Capital Management LLC now owns 947,489 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,136,000 after buying an additional 555,860 shares during the period. Finally, Federated Hermes Inc. acquired a new stake in Aquestive Therapeutics during the 3rd quarter valued at $4,381,000. 32.45% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.