Aquestive Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AQST) Stock Price Down 6.7% – Should You Sell?

Aquestive Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AQST) shares were down 6.7% on Thursday. The company traded as low as $4.26 and last traded at $4.2990. 1,672,901 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 43% from the average session volume of 2,942,585 shares. The stock had previously closed at $4.61.

More Aquestive Therapeutics News

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

• Positive Sentiment: The FDA accepted Aquestive’s resubmitted New Drug Application for Anaphylm, its investigational sublingual film for severe allergic reactions and anaphylaxis. The filing was deemed complete, with a PDUFA action date of March 16, 2027. If approved, Anaphylm could become the first oral rescue treatment for anaphylaxis, significantly expanding AQST’s commercial opportunity. Aquestive Therapeutics Announces FDA Acceptance of Anaphylm NDA Resubmission
• Positive Sentiment: The resubmission reportedly includes improved human-factors data showing a substantial reduction in packaging and administration errors, addressing previous FDA concerns. One analyst upgraded AQST to Buy and projected potential Anaphylm revenue exceeding $250 million annually by 2030, although competition and reimbursement remain risks. Aquestive FDA Acceptance of Anaphylm Resubmission Makes for Rating Upgrade
• Neutral Sentiment: AQST CEO Daniel Barber sold 25,000 shares for approximately $105,500, reducing his direct position by 3.83%. The sale occurred under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan, which lessens its significance as a discretionary bearish signal. SEC Insider Transaction Filing
• Negative Sentiment: Options trading was unusually defensive, with investors purchasing 11,658 put options—about 390% above typical volume—suggesting increased hedging or bearish speculation around AQST.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AQST has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $11.00 price objective on shares of Aquestive Therapeutics in a research report on Thursday, September 10th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Aquestive Therapeutics in a research report on Thursday. HC Wainwright reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $10.00 price objective on shares of Aquestive Therapeutics in a research report on Friday. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Aquestive Therapeutics from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, September 12th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $8.60.

Aquestive Therapeutics Price Performance

The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $4.74 and a 200 day moving average price of $4.35. The company has a market cap of $474.43 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -5.82 and a beta of 1.49.

Aquestive Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AQST) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, August 11th. The company reported ($0.18) earnings per share 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 the consensus estimate of $11.42 million. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Aquestive Therapeutics, Inc. will post -0.50 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Daniel Barber sold 25,000 shares of Aquestive Therapeutics stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $4.22, for a total transaction of $105,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 627,317 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,647,277.74. This trade represents a 3.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Sherry Korczynski sold 8,750 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $5.22, for a total transaction of $45,675.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 235,689 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,230,296.58. The trade was a 3.58% 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. Insiders have sold 58,750 shares of company stock valued at $271,675 in the last three months. Insiders own 6.81% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Aquestive Therapeutics

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. WINTON GROUP Ltd acquired a new stake in Aquestive Therapeutics in the 2nd quarter worth about $210,000. Engineers Gate Manager LP grew its position in shares of Aquestive Therapeutics by 20.5% during the 2nd quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP now owns 49,879 shares of the company’s stock worth $207,000 after purchasing an additional 8,496 shares in the last quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. bought a new position in shares of Aquestive Therapeutics during the second quarter worth approximately $60,000. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in shares of Aquestive Therapeutics by 4.0% during the second quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 301,647 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,255,000 after purchasing an additional 11,587 shares during the period. Finally, Beacon Pointe Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Aquestive Therapeutics during the second quarter worth approximately $252,000. 32.45% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Aquestive Therapeutics Company Profile

Aquestive Therapeutics, Inc is a pharmaceutical company that develops and commercializes medicines using proprietary drug-delivery technologies, including its PharmFilm platform. The company’s oral and buccal films are designed to dissolve in the mouth and may provide alternatives to conventional tablets, capsules, injections, or liquid formulations.

Aquestive’s commercial and partnered products have included treatments for neurological conditions. Its portfolio includes Libervant (diazepam buccal film) for seizure clusters, Exservan (riluzole oral film) for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and Sympazan (clonazepam oral film) for certain seizure disorders.