Aquestive Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AQST) Trading 6.3% Higher – Time to Buy?

Shares of Aquestive Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AQST) were up 6.3% on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $5.41 and last traded at $5.40. 2,374,491 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 24% from the average daily volume of 3,114,089 shares. The stock had previously closed at $5.08.

Key Headlines Impacting Aquestive Therapeutics

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

• Positive Sentiment: HC Wainwright raised multiple earnings forecasts. The firm improved its EPS estimates for Q3 and Q4 2026, each to a loss of $0.09 per share from previous estimates of $0.13 and $0.15, respectively. It also raised its FY2026 estimate to a loss of $0.43 from $0.51.
• Positive Sentiment: Longer-term expectations also improved. HC Wainwright increased its FY2027 EPS forecast to a loss of $0.39 from $0.52, with quarterly 2027 estimates also revised upward. The changes suggest the analyst expects Aquestive’s losses to narrow faster than previously projected.
• Positive Sentiment: Buy rating and $10 price target reiterated. HC Wainwright maintained its “Buy” recommendation and $10 target, implying substantial upside from the stock’s recent trading level. HC Wainwright Reiterates Buy Rating for Aquestive Therapeutics
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest data provided no meaningful signal. The report showed zero shares sold short both before and after the reporting period, making the stated increase and zero-day days-to-cover ratio unreliable and unlikely to explain the stock’s move.
• Neutral Sentiment: An article highlighted AQST’s recent rise, but the available headline did not identify a separate fundamental catalyst. Why Aquestive Therapeutics Stock Is Up

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on AQST shares. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Aquestive Therapeutics in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Wall Street Zen cut Aquestive Therapeutics from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 15th. Finally, HC Wainwright reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $10.00 target price on shares of Aquestive Therapeutics in a report on Monday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Aquestive Therapeutics has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $8.80.

Aquestive Therapeutics Stock Performance

The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $4.21 and its 200-day simple moving average is $4.14. The company has a market cap of $677.75 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -8.31 and a beta of 1.49.

Aquestive Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AQST) last posted its quarterly 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.42 million. Research analysts expect that Aquestive Therapeutics, Inc. will post -0.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, 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 transaction of $125,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 25,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $125,500. This trade represents a 50.00% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 6.81% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Aquestive Therapeutics

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Blue Owl Capital Holdings LP bought a new position in Aquestive Therapeutics during the second quarter valued at approximately $3,923,000. Latash Investments LLC bought a new stake in Aquestive Therapeutics in the second quarter worth approximately $1,011,000. Wasatch Advisors LP increased its stake in shares of Aquestive Therapeutics by 57.8% during the 2nd quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 1,385,843 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,765,000 after purchasing an additional 507,527 shares during the last quarter. Walleye Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Aquestive Therapeutics during the 2nd quarter worth $1,175,000. Finally, AWM Investment Company Inc. bought a new position in shares of Aquestive Therapeutics during the 2nd quarter valued at $1,978,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 32.45% of the company’s stock.

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.