Essex Investment Management Co. LLC Sells 83,768 Shares of Aquestive Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AQST)

Essex Investment Management Co. LLC reduced its position in shares of Aquestive Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AQST) by 11.8% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 623,310 shares of the company’s stock after selling 83,768 shares during the quarter. Essex Investment Management Co. LLC’s holdings in Aquestive Therapeutics were worth $2,219,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. New York State Common Retirement Fund raised its holdings in Aquestive Therapeutics by 713.3% during the 4th quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 12,200 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 10,700 shares during the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Aquestive Therapeutics during the 3rd quarter worth about $90,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its holdings in Aquestive Therapeutics by 252.2% during the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 18,826 shares of the company’s stock worth $94,000 after purchasing an additional 13,481 shares during the last quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in Aquestive Therapeutics during the 4th quarter worth about $69,000. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new stake in Aquestive Therapeutics during the 3rd quarter worth about $135,000. 32.45% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Aquestive Therapeutics Stock Performance

NASDAQ AQST opened at $2.65 on Monday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $3.09 and a 200 day simple moving average of $4.10. Aquestive Therapeutics, Inc. has a 52-week low of $2.24 and a 52-week high of $6.23. The stock has a market cap of $262.01 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -5.89 and a beta of 2.76.

Aquestive Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AQST) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, March 5th. The company reported ($0.19) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.14) by ($0.05). The company had revenue of $11.87 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.11 million. On average, analysts predict that Aquestive Therapeutics, Inc. will post -0.46 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently commented on AQST shares. Cantor Fitzgerald started coverage on Aquestive Therapeutics in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $17.00 price target for the company. Lake Street Capital lowered their price target on Aquestive Therapeutics from $10.00 to $8.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Finally, HC Wainwright reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $10.00 price target on shares of Aquestive Therapeutics in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Aquestive Therapeutics has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $10.57.

About Aquestive Therapeutics

Aquestive Therapeutics, Inc operates as a pharmaceutical company in the United States and internationally. The company markets Sympazan, an oral soluble film formulation of clobazam for the treatment of lennox-gastaut syndrome; Suboxone, a sublingual film formulation of buprenorphine and naloxone for the treatment of opioid dependence; Zuplenz, an oral soluble film formulation of ondansetron for the treatment of nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy and post-operative recovery; and Azstarys, a once-daily product for the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.