Principal Financial Group Inc. Grows Position in AST SpaceMobile, Inc. $ASTS

Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of AST SpaceMobile, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASTS) by 1,025.9% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 52,161 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 47,528 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in AST SpaceMobile were worth $4,323,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ASTS. Crewe Advisors LLC purchased a new position in AST SpaceMobile during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of AST SpaceMobile in the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Acumen Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AST SpaceMobile in the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of AST SpaceMobile in the third quarter worth $29,000. Finally, Portus Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of AST SpaceMobile during the 1st quarter valued at $30,000. 60.95% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have issued reports on ASTS. New Street Research set a $106.00 price target on AST SpaceMobile in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Piper Sandler started coverage on AST SpaceMobile in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $100.00 price objective on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered AST SpaceMobile from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $117.00 to $106.00 in a research note on Friday, May 29th. UBS Group cut their target price on AST SpaceMobile from $85.00 to $80.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Finally, B. Riley Financial raised AST SpaceMobile from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $85.00 price target on the stock in a report on Friday, July 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $86.95.

Key Headlines Impacting AST SpaceMobile

Here are the key news stories impacting AST SpaceMobile this week:

• Positive Sentiment: AST SpaceMobile scheduled the launch of BlueBird satellites 11, 12 and 13 for August 5 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 from Florida. The mission would expand the company’s satellite constellation and support progress toward commercial direct-to-device service. AST SpaceMobile Announces Launch Date for BlueBird Satellites 11, 12, and 13
• Positive Sentiment: Vodafone reportedly reaffirmed the value of its AST SpaceMobile partnership and is targeting an early-2027 U.K. beta launch. However, testing would require approximately 45 satellites, making further successful deployments important. ASTS Stock Breaks 3-Day Slide: Vodafone Partnership
• Neutral Sentiment: Management will provide second-quarter 2026 financial and business updates on August 10. Investors may look for details on satellite deployment, funding needs, commercial agreements and the timing of revenue growth. AST SpaceMobile to Host Second Quarter 2026 Business Update Call
• Negative Sentiment: ASTS declined amid a broad-based space-sector correction affecting SpaceX, Rocket Lab and other space names. The selloff indicates investors are reducing exposure to high-volatility, high-valuation companies despite company-specific catalysts. Space Stocks Face Broad Sector Selloff
• Negative Sentiment: Amazon’s proposed 5,105-satellite Amazon Leo constellation raises the risk of intensified competition in direct-to-device connectivity. A well-capitalized entrant could pressure pricing, margins and AST SpaceMobile’s premium valuation. Amazon’s Satellite Push Raises the Stakes
• Negative Sentiment: Pomerantz LLP announced an investigation into potential claims on behalf of ASTS investors. The announcement does not establish wrongdoing, but shareholder litigation headlines can add uncertainty and selling pressure. Pomerantz Investor Alert
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst commentary also questioned whether AST SpaceMobile can keep pace with Starlink’s expanding direct-to-device lead, reinforcing concerns about execution, capital requirements and long-term market share.

AST SpaceMobile Stock Down 3.0%

Shares of ASTS stock opened at $56.55 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $21.95 billion, a P/E ratio of -31.77 and a beta of 2.69. AST SpaceMobile, Inc. has a 52 week low of $36.08 and a 52 week high of $133.86. The company has a quick ratio of 18.37, a current ratio of 18.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $83.58 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $88.08.

AST SpaceMobile (NASDAQ:ASTS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 11th. The company reported ($0.66) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.23) by ($0.43). AST SpaceMobile had a negative net margin of 573.67% and a negative return on equity of 24.87%. The firm had revenue of $14.73 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $39.01 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned ($0.20) EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 1952.2% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that AST SpaceMobile, Inc. will post -1.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at AST SpaceMobile

In related news, Director Julio A. Torres sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.34, for a total transaction of $1,145,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 43,239 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,300,865.26. This represents a 25.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Andrew Martin Johnson sold 45,809 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $93.81, for a total value of $4,297,342.29. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 503,619 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $47,244,498.39. This represents a 8.34% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders sold 105,809 shares of company stock valued at $9,748,492. Insiders own 20.89% of the company’s stock.

AST SpaceMobile Profile

AST SpaceMobile is a U.S.-based aerospace company developing a space-based cellular broadband network designed to connect standard mobile phones and other devices directly to satellites. The company’s core proposition is “space-to-cell” service: operating a constellation of low-Earth-orbit (LEO) satellites equipped with large, high-power phased-array antennas to provide wide-area mobile broadband without requiring users to buy specialized terminals or handset modifications.

AST SpaceMobile designs, builds and operates satellite payloads and supporting ground infrastructure.