Aquestive Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AQST) Short Interest Update

Aquestive Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AQST) saw a large drop in short interest during the month of January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totaling 20,296,603 shares, a drop of 15.9% from the December 31st total of 24,139,081 shares. Approximately 18.1% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 8,996,718 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.3 days. Based on an average daily volume of 8,996,718 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.3 days. Approximately 18.1% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Key Headlines Impacting Aquestive Therapeutics

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

• Positive Sentiment: Large speculative activity: unusually heavy call buying (23,178 calls) and elevated intraday volume appear to have driven a sharp short-term rally in the stock. This speculative flow can push the price higher even amid negative news. Why did AQST stock jump 35% today?
• Neutral Sentiment: Company commentary/transcript: management held a call/transcript outlining the FDA Complete Response Letter (CRL) and next steps; investors may be parsing whether the issues noted are addressable by a resubmission. Details may temper panic but do not guarantee approval. AQST Discusses FDA CRL and Next Steps (Transcript)
• Neutral Sentiment: Trading halt and odd short-interest report: trading was briefly halted for “news pending,” and public short-interest figures show zeros/odd reporting — likely a reporting anomaly rather than meaningful changes in short positions. These mechanics can increase intraday volatility but don’t change fundamentals.
• Negative Sentiment: FDA rejection for lead product Anaphylm: Aquestive disclosed a Complete Response Letter from the FDA for its Anaphylm (dibutepinephrine) sublingual film NDA, meaning the agency declined to approve the drug as filed. That is a clear setback for the company’s near-term commercial outlook given Anaphylm is a lead candidate. Investors should await details on the CRL’s deficiencies and management’s remediation timeline. US FDA declines to approve Aquestive’s oral drug (Reuters)
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple investor litigation notices: several law firms have announced investigations and potential class actions related to Aquestive, increasing legal and reputational risk and potential future costs for the company. This adds a layer of downside risk for shareholders. Schall Law Firm investor notice (Business Wire)

Aquestive Therapeutics Trading Up 39.0%

Shares of AQST opened at $4.10 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $500.20 million, a PE ratio of -5.77 and a beta of 1.65. Aquestive Therapeutics has a 1 year low of $2.12 and a 1 year high of $7.55. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $5.22 and a 200-day simple moving average of $5.22.

Aquestive Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AQST) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The company reported ($0.14) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.13) by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $12.81 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $12.94 million. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Aquestive Therapeutics will post -0.46 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Piper Sandler lifted their target price on Aquestive Therapeutics from $5.00 to $8.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Aquestive Therapeutics in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Citigroup restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Aquestive Therapeutics in a research report on Thursday, October 9th. JMP Securities upped their target price on Aquestive Therapeutics from $9.00 to $12.00 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 9th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Aquestive Therapeutics from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Aquestive Therapeutics currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $8.83.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Aquestive Therapeutics

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Aquestive Therapeutics by 30.8% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,662,132 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,651,000 after buying an additional 1,333,627 shares in the last quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC bought a new stake in Aquestive Therapeutics during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $5,918,000. Federated Hermes Inc. bought a new stake in Aquestive Therapeutics during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $4,381,000. Wasatch Advisors LP acquired a new stake in Aquestive Therapeutics during the 3rd quarter valued at $4,049,000. Finally, Aberdeen Group plc bought a new position in Aquestive Therapeutics in the 3rd quarter valued at $3,494,000. 32.45% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.