Andrew Martin Johnson Sells 5,000 Shares of AST SpaceMobile (NASDAQ:ASTS) Stock

Key Points

• CFO Andrew Martin Johnson sold 5,000 shares of AST SpaceMobile at an average price of $90.25, totaling about $451,250. After the sale, he still held 565,805 shares valued at roughly $51.1 million.
• ASTS stock rose sharply in Thursday trading, up $6.65 to $96.23 on heavier-than-average volume, while the shares remain volatile with a 52-week range of $22.47 to $129.89.
• Recent earnings missed expectations, with AST SpaceMobile reporting a loss of $0.66 per share and revenue of $14.74 million versus analysts’ estimates. Despite the miss, the stock has drawn attention from institutional investors and positive news around satellite-service partnerships and FCC approval.

AST SpaceMobile, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASTS - Get Free Report) CFO Andrew Martin Johnson sold 5,000 shares of AST SpaceMobile stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.25, for a total value of $451,250.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 565,805 shares in the company, valued at approximately $51,063,901.25. This trade represents a 0.88% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website.

AST SpaceMobile Stock Performance

Shares of ASTS traded up $6.65 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $96.23. 24,664,059 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 16,485,932. The business's 50-day moving average price is $84.48 and its 200-day moving average price is $83.20. The stock has a market capitalization of $36.76 billion, a P/E ratio of -54.06 and a beta of 2.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 18.37 and a current ratio of 18.47. AST SpaceMobile, Inc. has a 12 month low of $22.47 and a 12 month high of $129.89.

AST SpaceMobile (NASDAQ:ASTS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results 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). The business had revenue of $14.74 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $39.01 million. AST SpaceMobile had a negative net margin of 573.67% and a negative return on equity of 24.87%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 1952.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted ($0.20) EPS. Equities analysts predict that AST SpaceMobile, Inc. will post -1.47 earnings per share for the current year.

AST SpaceMobile News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Defiance launched the Defiance Daily Target 2X Long ASTS ETF (ASTY), giving traders a new leveraged vehicle to bet on AST SpaceMobile’s upside and adding visible market interest in the name. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Orange announced new partnerships with AST SpaceMobile to expand direct-to-cell satellite services, including trials in Romania, reinforcing commercial momentum and potential international adoption. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: The company also received more investor attention after reports highlighted FCC approval for commercial direct-to-device service in the U.S., which supports the case that ASTS is moving from concept toward real revenue opportunities. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple commentary pieces on AST SpaceMobile’s recent momentum, valuation, and technical breakout have kept the stock in focus, but these are mainly sentiment-driven rather than new fundamental developments. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: AST SpaceMobile’s presentation at the J.P. Morgan Global Technology, Media and Communications Conference kept the company on the radar, though no major new operational update was included in the transcript summary. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Some articles continue to frame ASTS as a high-valuation momentum trade after a sharp multi-month run, which could raise concerns about volatility or overextension if enthusiasm cools. Article Title

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AST SpaceMobile

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in AST SpaceMobile by 7.9% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 21,488,180 shares of the company's stock worth $1,560,687,000 after acquiring an additional 1,568,292 shares in the last quarter. Vodafone Ventures Ltd bought a new stake in AST SpaceMobile in the fourth quarter worth about $397,413,000. Morgan Stanley raised its position in AST SpaceMobile by 44.0% in the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 4,661,551 shares of the company's stock worth $338,569,000 after acquiring an additional 1,425,199 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in AST SpaceMobile by 9.8% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,522,549 shares of the company's stock worth $328,749,000 after acquiring an additional 402,505 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp raised its position in AST SpaceMobile by 9.7% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 3,951,685 shares of the company's stock worth $287,011,000 after acquiring an additional 350,690 shares in the last quarter. 60.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. New Street Research assumed coverage on shares of AST SpaceMobile in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $80.00 price objective on the stock. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of AST SpaceMobile from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of AST SpaceMobile from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of AST SpaceMobile from a "sell" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $117.00 price target on shares of AST SpaceMobile in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, AST SpaceMobile currently has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and an average price target of $79.45.

About AST SpaceMobile

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.

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