Aquestive Therapeutics, Inc. $AQST Shares Bought by Wasatch Advisors LP

Wasatch Advisors LP grew its position in Aquestive Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AQST) by 28.9% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 878,316 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 197,076 shares during the quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP’s holdings in Aquestive Therapeutics were worth $3,645,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Aquestive Therapeutics by 12.2% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 129,019 shares of the company’s stock worth $374,000 after purchasing an additional 14,025 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Aquestive Therapeutics by 16.2% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,977,001 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,545,000 after buying an additional 276,295 shares during the period. Creative Planning grew its holdings in shares of Aquestive Therapeutics by 15.3% during the second quarter. Creative Planning now owns 98,751 shares of the company’s stock worth $327,000 after buying an additional 13,130 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in Aquestive Therapeutics by 46.3% in the 2nd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 435,972 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,443,000 after acquiring an additional 137,956 shares during the period. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers raised its stake in Aquestive Therapeutics by 35.0% during the 2nd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 140,872 shares of the company’s stock valued at $466,000 after acquiring an additional 36,509 shares during the last quarter. 32.45% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Aquestive Therapeutics Trading Down 1.8%

Shares of AQST opened at $4.39 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $4.23 and its two-hundred day moving average is $4.39. Aquestive Therapeutics, Inc. has a twelve month low of $2.93 and a twelve month high of $7.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $550.73 million, a PE ratio of -7.20 and a beta of 1.46.

Aquestive Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AQST) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 13th. The company reported ($0.07) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.14) by $0.07. The business had revenue of $14.45 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.90 million. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Aquestive Therapeutics, Inc. will post -0.41 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Aquestive Therapeutics news, Director Julie Krop sold 25,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $5.02, for a total value of $125,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 25,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $125,500. This represents a 50.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Daniel Barber sold 8,257 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $4.29, for a total value of $35,422.53. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 660,574 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,833,862.46. This trade represents a 1.23% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Corporate insiders own 6.81% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on AQST shares. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Aquestive Therapeutics in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Aquestive Therapeutics from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 16th. Finally, Oppenheimer initiated coverage on shares of Aquestive Therapeutics in a research note on Friday, April 24th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $8.00 price objective on the stock. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Aquestive Therapeutics has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $8.50.

Aquestive Therapeutics 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.