Aquestive Therapeutics Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NASDAQ:AQST)

Aquestive Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AQST) was the target of some unusual options trading on Friday. Stock investors bought 11,658 put options on the company. This represents an increase of 390% compared to the typical volume of 2,379 put options.

Insider Buying and Selling at Aquestive Therapeutics

In related news, CEO Daniel Barber sold 25,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $4.22, for a total value of $105,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 627,317 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,647,277.74. This trade represents a 3.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available 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 Aquestive Therapeutics stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $5.22, for a total transaction of $45,675.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 235,689 shares in the company, valued at $1,230,296.58. This represents a 3.58% 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. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 58,750 shares of company stock valued at $271,675. 6.81% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Aquestive Therapeutics

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in AQST. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Aquestive Therapeutics by 5.9% in the 1st quarter. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC now owns 58,060 shares of the company’s stock worth $241,000 after purchasing an additional 3,210 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Aquestive Therapeutics by 27.0% during the 1st quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 22,895 shares of the company’s stock worth $95,000 after purchasing an additional 4,870 shares in the last quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP lifted its holdings in Aquestive Therapeutics by 52.8% during the 1st quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 18,014 shares of the company’s stock valued at $75,000 after purchasing an additional 6,221 shares during the last quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP lifted its holdings in Aquestive Therapeutics by 20.5% during the 2nd quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP now owns 49,879 shares of the company’s stock valued at $207,000 after purchasing an additional 8,496 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Corsair Capital Management L.P. lifted its holdings in Aquestive Therapeutics by 16.7% during the 1st quarter. Corsair Capital Management L.P. now owns 70,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $290,000 after purchasing an additional 10,000 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 32.45% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Aquestive Therapeutics Price Performance

Aquestive Therapeutics stock opened at $3.78 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $474.44 million, a PE ratio of -5.82 and a beta of 1.49. Aquestive Therapeutics has a one year low of $2.93 and a one year high of $7.55. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $4.74 and a 200 day simple moving average of $4.35.

Aquestive Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AQST) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 11th. The company reported ($0.18) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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. Equities analysts anticipate that Aquestive Therapeutics will post -0.50 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.

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.