Everstar Asset Management LLC Purchases 208,381 Shares of Aquestive Therapeutics, Inc. $AQST

Everstar Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Aquestive Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AQST) by 60.4% during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 553,181 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 208,381 shares during the period. Aquestive Therapeutics accounts for about 1.2% of Everstar Asset Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest position. Everstar Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Aquestive Therapeutics were worth $2,296,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Aquestive Therapeutics by 12.2% in the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 129,019 shares of the company’s stock valued at $374,000 after buying an additional 14,025 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Aquestive Therapeutics by 16.2% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,977,001 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,545,000 after acquiring an additional 276,295 shares in the last quarter. Creative Planning lifted its holdings in shares of Aquestive Therapeutics by 15.3% during the second quarter. Creative Planning now owns 98,751 shares of the company’s stock valued at $327,000 after acquiring an additional 13,130 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in shares of Aquestive Therapeutics by 46.3% in the 2nd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 435,972 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,443,000 after purchasing an additional 137,956 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers boosted its stake in shares of Aquestive Therapeutics by 35.0% in the 2nd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 140,872 shares of the company’s stock valued at $466,000 after purchasing an additional 36,509 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 32.45% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Daniel Barber sold 8,257 shares of Aquestive Therapeutics stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $4.29, for a total value of $35,422.53. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 660,574 shares in the company, valued at $2,833,862.46. This trade represents a 1.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 6.81% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Aquestive Therapeutics in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Aquestive Therapeutics from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 16th. Finally, Oppenheimer started coverage on Aquestive Therapeutics in a report on Friday, April 24th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $8.00 target price on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $8.50.

Aquestive Therapeutics Trading Down 0.3%

Aquestive Therapeutics stock opened at $4.70 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $588.99 million, a P/E ratio of -7.70 and a beta of 1.46. Aquestive Therapeutics, Inc. has a 1 year low of $2.93 and a 1 year high of $7.55. The business has a 50-day moving average of $4.17 and a 200-day moving average of $4.43.

Aquestive Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AQST) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 13th. The company reported ($0.07) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.14) by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $14.45 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.90 million. Research analysts anticipate that Aquestive Therapeutics, Inc. will post -0.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Aquestive Therapeutics Profile

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.