Aquestive Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AQST) Releases Earnings Results, Misses Estimates By $0.08 EPS

Aquestive Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AQST) issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday. The company reported ($0.18) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.10) by ($0.08), FiscalAI reports. The firm had revenue of $13.82 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.42 million.

Aquestive Therapeutics Price Performance

NASDAQ:AQST opened at $4.23 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $530.74 million, a P/E ratio of -6.51 and a beta of 1.49. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $4.13 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $4.07. Aquestive Therapeutics has a 1 year low of $2.93 and a 1 year high of $7.55.

Insider Buying and Selling at Aquestive Therapeutics

In related news, CEO Daniel Barber sold 8,257 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $4.29, for a total transaction of $35,422.53. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 660,574 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,833,862.46. This represents a 1.23% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Julie Krop sold 25,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $125,500. This represents a 50.00% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 6.81% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Aquestive Therapeutics by 12.2% in the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 129,019 shares of the company’s stock worth $374,000 after buying an additional 14,025 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Aquestive Therapeutics by 16.2% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,977,001 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,545,000 after purchasing an additional 276,295 shares during the last quarter. Creative Planning increased its holdings in shares of Aquestive Therapeutics by 15.3% in 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 period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in Aquestive Therapeutics by 46.3% in the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 435,972 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,443,000 after purchasing an additional 137,956 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers raised its holdings 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 buying an additional 36,509 shares during the last quarter. 32.45% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have issued reports on AQST. Oppenheimer assumed coverage on Aquestive Therapeutics in a research note on Friday, April 24th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $8.00 target price on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised Aquestive Therapeutics from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, May 16th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Aquestive Therapeutics in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $8.50.

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.