Aberdeen Group plc Acquires 184,203 Shares of Aquestive Therapeutics, Inc. $AQST

Aberdeen Group plc raised its holdings in Aquestive Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AQST) by 29.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 809,203 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 184,203 shares during the period. Aberdeen Group plc owned approximately 0.66% of Aquestive Therapeutics worth $5,227,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. NewEdge Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Aquestive Therapeutics in the 3rd quarter valued at about $28,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its position in shares of Aquestive Therapeutics by 78.3% in the 2nd 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 in the last quarter. Modern Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Aquestive Therapeutics in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Cox Capital Mgt LLC acquired a new position in shares of Aquestive Therapeutics in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $59,000. Finally, Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Aquestive Therapeutics in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $60,000. Institutional investors own 32.45% of the company’s stock.

Aquestive Therapeutics Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AQST opened at $4.18 on Thursday. Aquestive Therapeutics, Inc. has a 52-week low of $2.12 and a 52-week high of $7.55. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $4.01 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $5.14. The stock has a market cap of $510.13 million, a P/E ratio of -5.36 and a beta of 1.54.

Aquestive Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AQST) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 4th. The company reported ($0.26) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.13) by ($0.13). The business had revenue of $13.02 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $13.28 million. Analysts predict that Aquestive Therapeutics, Inc. will post -0.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Aquestive Therapeutics

In other Aquestive Therapeutics news, CFO A Ernest Toth, Jr. sold 58,254 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $4.17, for a total value of $242,919.18. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 376,112 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,568,387.04. This represents a 13.41% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Daniel Barber sold 180,677 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $4.17, for a total transaction of $753,423.09. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 1,004,753 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,189,820.01. This trade represents a 15.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 395,690 shares of company stock worth $1,650,027. 8.35% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently commented on AQST. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Aquestive Therapeutics in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Aquestive Therapeutics from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 7th. Finally, Lake Street Capital set a $6.00 target price on shares of Aquestive Therapeutics in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $8.80.

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.