Brokerages Set Aquestive Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AQST) Price Target at $8.50

Aquestive Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AQST) has been given an average rating of “Buy” by the seven research firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have assigned a buy recommendation and two have assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $8.50.

AQST has been the topic of several recent research reports. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Aquestive Therapeutics in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Aquestive Therapeutics from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday. Finally, Oppenheimer assumed coverage on shares of Aquestive Therapeutics in a report on Friday, April 24th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $8.00 target price on the stock.

Aquestive Therapeutics Stock Performance

Aquestive Therapeutics stock opened at $4.25 on Thursday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $4.14 and a two-hundred day moving average of $4.08. Aquestive Therapeutics has a twelve month low of $2.93 and a twelve month high of $7.55. The stock has a market capitalization of $533.42 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -6.54 and a beta of 1.49.

Aquestive Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AQST) last released its 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. Equities analysts predict that Aquestive Therapeutics will post -0.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Aquestive Therapeutics

In related news, Director Julie Krop sold 25,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $5.02, for a total value of $125,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 25,000 shares in the company, valued at $125,500. This trade represents a 50.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 6.81% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Aquestive Therapeutics

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AQST. Man Group plc purchased a new position in shares of Aquestive Therapeutics during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,463,000. AWM Investment Company Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Aquestive Therapeutics in the second quarter valued at approximately $1,978,000. Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new stake in shares of Aquestive Therapeutics in the second quarter valued at approximately $44,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company acquired a new position in Aquestive Therapeutics during the second quarter worth $122,000. Finally, Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in Aquestive Therapeutics during the second quarter worth $42,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 32.45% of the company’s stock.

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.