Aquestive Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AQST) Shares Gap Down Following Weak Earnings

Aquestive Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AQST)’s stock price gapped down prior to trading on Wednesday following a weaker than expected earnings announcement. The stock had previously closed at $4.41, but opened at $4.27. Aquestive Therapeutics shares last traded at $4.3350, with a volume of 931,381 shares.

The company reported ($0.18) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.10) by ($0.08). The company had revenue of $13.82 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.42 million.

Aquestive Therapeutics News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Aquestive Therapeutics this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Aquestive reported second-quarter revenue of $13.82 million, exceeding the $11.42 million analyst consensus. Management also provided a business update focused on advancing its product pipeline and preparing for potential commercialization. Aquestive Therapeutics Reports Second Quarter 2026 Financial Results and Provides Business Update
• Positive Sentiment: Previously announced topline human-factors and pharmacokinetic study results for Anaphylm, an epinephrine sublingual film intended to treat severe allergic reactions, showed encouraging performance. The results could support regulatory progress and strengthen the company’s commercial preparation efforts. Aquestive Announces Positive Anaphylm Study Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported August short-interest data showed zero shares sold short and a zero-day days-to-cover ratio. However, the figures appear inconsistent and provide little meaningful information about investor positioning.
• Negative Sentiment: Second-quarter adjusted loss widened to $0.18 per share from $0.14 a year earlier and missed the $0.10-per-share consensus estimate by $0.08. The result highlights continued operating losses as the company advances Anaphylm. Aquestive Therapeutics Reports Q2 Loss, Tops Revenue Estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Aquestive’s fiscal 2026 revenue guidance of $46 million to $50 million is below the approximately $50.8 million consensus estimate. This outlook may weigh on the shares because it suggests slower near-term revenue growth than analysts expected.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Aquestive Therapeutics

In other Aquestive Therapeutics news, CEO Daniel Barber sold 8,257 shares of the 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 owned 660,574 shares in the company, valued at $2,833,862.46. This trade represents a 1.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Julie Krop sold 25,000 shares of Aquestive Therapeutics stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $5.02, for a total transaction of $125,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 25,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $125,500. This trade represents a 50.00% 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. 6.81% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Aquestive Therapeutics

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of AQST. NewEdge Advisors LLC bought a new position in Aquestive Therapeutics during the third quarter worth about $28,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its position in shares of Aquestive Therapeutics by 78.3% in the second quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 9,413 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 4,134 shares during the last quarter. ADAR1 Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Aquestive Therapeutics by 103.9% during the 1st quarter. ADAR1 Capital Management LLC now owns 10,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 264,000 shares during the period. Modern Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Aquestive Therapeutics during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Aquestive Therapeutics during the 1st quarter worth approximately $42,000. 32.45% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Aquestive Therapeutics Stock Performance

The business has a fifty day moving average of $4.13 and a two-hundred day moving average of $4.06. The firm has a market capitalization of $530.10 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -6.92 and a beta of 1.49.

About Aquestive Therapeutics

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.