Aquestive Therapeutics Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NASDAQ:AQST)

Aquestive Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AQST) was the target of unusually large options trading activity on Friday. Traders bought 13,449 call options on the company. This represents an increase of 306% compared to the average daily volume of 3,309 call options.

Aquestive Therapeutics Stock Down 39.1%

Aquestive Therapeutics stock traded down $2.43 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $3.78. 17,725,255 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,387,929. Aquestive Therapeutics has a 52-week low of $2.12 and a 52-week high of $7.55. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $6.06 and its 200-day moving average price is $5.23. The stock has a market capitalization of $461.54 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -5.40 and a beta of 1.66.

Aquestive Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AQST) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The company reported ($0.14) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.13) by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $12.81 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $12.94 million. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Aquestive Therapeutics will post -0.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Aquestive Therapeutics

In other news, insider Carl N. Kraus sold 20,272 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $7.00, for a total value of $141,904.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 282,475 shares in the company, valued at $1,977,325. This trade represents a 6.70% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Peter E. Boyd sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $7.00, for a total value of $70,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 268,323 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,878,261. This trade represents a 3.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 97,847 shares of company stock valued at $685,605. Corporate insiders own 8.35% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Aquestive Therapeutics

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in AQST. NewEdge Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Aquestive Therapeutics during the 3rd quarter worth $28,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its holdings in Aquestive Therapeutics by 78.3% during the second quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 9,413 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 4,134 shares during the last quarter. USAdvisors Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Aquestive Therapeutics during the second quarter worth about $33,000. Modern Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Aquestive Therapeutics in the second quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, First National Bank & Trust Co. of Newtown purchased a new position in Aquestive Therapeutics in the second quarter valued at about $50,000. 32.45% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AQST has been the topic of a number of research reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Aquestive Therapeutics in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. JMP Securities upped their price objective on shares of Aquestive Therapeutics from $9.00 to $12.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 9th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Aquestive Therapeutics from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 8th. Citigroup restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Aquestive Therapeutics in a report on Thursday, October 9th. Finally, Piper Sandler raised their price target on shares of Aquestive Therapeutics from $5.00 to $8.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $8.83.

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.