AST SpaceMobile (NASDAQ:ASTS) CTO Huiwen Yao Sells 40,000 Shares

AST SpaceMobile, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASTS) CTO Huiwen Yao sold 40,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.93, for a total value of $2,357,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief technology officer owned 34,750 shares in the company, valued at $2,047,817.50. This represents a 53.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

AST SpaceMobile Price Performance

NASDAQ:ASTS traded up $3.44 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $62.71. The stock had a trading volume of 9,189,513 shares, compared to its average volume of 16,814,629. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 12.90 and a current ratio of 13.05. AST SpaceMobile, Inc. has a 52 week low of $40.15 and a 52 week high of $133.86. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $63.55 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $79.24. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.40 billion, a PE ratio of -29.30 and a beta of 2.74.

AST SpaceMobile (NASDAQ:ASTS) last posted its earnings results on Monday, August 10th. The company reported ($0.77) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.32) by ($0.45). AST SpaceMobile had a negative net margin of 536.66% and a negative return on equity of 22.88%. The firm had revenue of $31.52 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.53 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted ($0.41) earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that AST SpaceMobile, Inc. will post -1.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AST SpaceMobile

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of AST SpaceMobile by 9.8% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,522,549 shares of the company’s stock valued at $328,749,000 after buying an additional 402,505 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in AST SpaceMobile in the 4th quarter valued at $198,270,000. Bank of America Corp DE grew its position in AST SpaceMobile by 140.3% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,644,246 shares of the company’s stock valued at $136,259,000 after acquiring an additional 960,045 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP increased its stake in AST SpaceMobile by 14.3% in the first quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,316,852 shares of the company’s stock worth $109,128,000 after purchasing an additional 164,303 shares during the period. Finally, Focus Partners Wealth increased its stake in AST SpaceMobile by 8,016.7% in the fourth quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 1,269,609 shares of the company’s stock worth $92,000,000 after purchasing an additional 1,253,967 shares during the period. 60.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ASTS has been the topic of a number of research reports. Piper Sandler reduced their target price on shares of AST SpaceMobile from $100.00 to $98.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. New Street Research set a $106.00 price target on AST SpaceMobile in a research report on Friday, May 29th. William Blair reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of AST SpaceMobile in a research note on Friday, May 29th. B. Riley Financial upgraded AST SpaceMobile from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $85.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Finally, UBS Group assumed coverage on AST SpaceMobile in a research note on Wednesday, September 2nd. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, AST SpaceMobile has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $86.58.

AST SpaceMobile News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: AST SpaceMobile’s patent strategy is receiving attention as it seeks to protect its large-array, direct-to-unmodified-smartphone approach while competing with SpaceX’s Starlink in satellite-to-cellular services. This reinforces the company’s potential competitive differentiation. AST SpaceMobile patent coverage
• Positive Sentiment: Retail investors continue to emphasize the company’s long-term opportunity despite uncertainty about the timing of the BlueBird 14–16 satellites. That support may be helping cushion sentiment while the market awaits shipment, arrival, and launch updates. ASTS retail sentiment and BlueBird coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts have a consensus “Hold” recommendation, indicating that the company’s growth potential is balanced by substantial execution, profitability, and valuation risks. AST SpaceMobile analyst recommendation
• Negative Sentiment: Several law firms announced or promoted securities-fraud class actions against AST SpaceMobile and certain officers. The lawsuits generally allege that the company misrepresented its competitive position and user adoption in the United States and Japan; some filings also allege that executives overstated capital sufficiency while selling more than $18 million of stock. These are allegations, not established findings, but they create legal costs, reputational risk, and potential investor uncertainty. ASTS class action announcement ASTS shareholder alert
• Negative Sentiment: The lack of a confirmed shipment or launch schedule for BlueBird 14–16 is fueling concerns about execution and the timing of network expansion. AST SpaceMobile also remains unprofitable, increasing investor sensitivity to delays and financing-related risks. BlueBird satellite timing coverage

About AST SpaceMobile

AST SpaceMobile, Inc develops a space-based cellular broadband network designed to connect standard, unmodified mobile phones directly to satellites. Its planned service is intended to extend mobile connectivity beyond the coverage of traditional terrestrial wireless networks, including in rural, remote and underserved areas.

The company’s primary technology platform consists of large, low-Earth-orbit satellites known as BlueBirds. AST SpaceMobile is developing these satellites to provide voice, messaging and broadband data services through partnerships with mobile network operators, using existing cellular devices and spectrum where permitted.

Founded in 2017 and headquartered in Midland, Texas, AST SpaceMobile was established by Abel Avellan, who serves as its chairman and chief executive officer.