Capital Wealth Planning LLC Increases Stake in AST SpaceMobile, Inc. $ASTS

Key Points

• Capital Wealth Planning LLC increased its AST SpaceMobile stake by 227.1% in the fourth quarter, ending with 47,397 shares valued at about $3.44 million.
• Several other institutional investors also boosted positions, and overall hedge funds and institutions now own 60.95% of ASTS shares.
• AST SpaceMobile is getting attention for its June 17 launch of BlueBird 8, 9, and 10, but the stock remains highly speculative amid volatility warnings, insider selling, and mixed analyst ratings.

Capital Wealth Planning LLC lifted its holdings in shares of AST SpaceMobile, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASTS - Free Report) by 227.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 47,397 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 32,905 shares during the period. Capital Wealth Planning LLC's holdings in AST SpaceMobile were worth $3,442,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in ASTS. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of AST SpaceMobile by 11.8% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 34,548 shares of the company's stock worth $786,000 after acquiring an additional 3,642 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its position in shares of AST SpaceMobile by 4.6% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 79,764 shares of the company's stock worth $1,814,000 after acquiring an additional 3,515 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC raised its position in shares of AST SpaceMobile by 16.1% during the 1st quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 467,626 shares of the company's stock worth $10,634,000 after acquiring an additional 64,989 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its position in shares of AST SpaceMobile by 18.1% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 325,621 shares of the company's stock worth $7,405,000 after acquiring an additional 49,811 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Strs Ohio acquired a new stake in shares of AST SpaceMobile during the 1st quarter worth about $168,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.95% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines Impacting AST SpaceMobile

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

• Positive Sentiment: AST SpaceMobile confirmed its June 17 launch for BlueBird 8, 9, and 10 satellites, a key step toward expanding its space-based cellular broadband network and advancing its 2026 deployment goals. AST SpaceMobile Announces Launch Date for BlueBird Satellites 8, 9, and 10
• Positive Sentiment: Speculation around a future SpaceX IPO is drawing more attention to space-related stocks, which could keep ASTS in focus as a “space winner” if investor enthusiasm for the sector builds. The SpaceX IPO Is Closer Than You Think. These Are the Stocks That Win When It Happens.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst commentary continues to frame AST SpaceMobile as a high-potential but still speculative connectivity play versus traditional carriers like Verizon, with valuation tied heavily to execution on launches and network expansion. VZ vs. ASTS: Which Connectivity Stock is the Better Buy?
• Neutral Sentiment: The company has also been highlighted for its recent post-earnings share strength and the market’s focus on whether that momentum can continue after the latest results. AST SpaceMobile (ASTS) Up 21.6% Since Last Earnings Report: Can It Continue?
• Negative Sentiment: Near-term pressure is coming from volatility warnings, analyst downgrades, and heavy insider selling, including a recent CTO share sale, which may make investors more cautious after the stock’s sharp pullback from its recent highs. AST SpaceMobile’s SpaceX Catalyst Could Come With a Volatility Warning

Insider Buying and Selling

In other AST SpaceMobile news, major shareholder Hiroshi Mikitani sold 1,690,000 shares of AST SpaceMobile stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.42, for a total value of $154,499,800.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 29,330,155 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,681,362,770.10. This trade represents a 5.45% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Julio A. Torres sold 15,000 shares of AST SpaceMobile stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.34, for a total value of $1,145,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 43,239 shares in the company, valued at $3,300,865.26. This trade represents a 25.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 3,140,000 shares of company stock valued at $279,903,150. Company insiders own 20.89% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on ASTS shares. Weiss Ratings reissued a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of AST SpaceMobile in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Wall Street Zen lowered AST SpaceMobile from a "sell" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. B. Riley Financial raised their target price on AST SpaceMobile from $75.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. William Blair reissued a "market perform" rating on shares of AST SpaceMobile in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Finally, UBS Group cut their target price on AST SpaceMobile from $85.00 to $80.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Reduce" and a consensus price target of $81.33.

AST SpaceMobile Trading Down 1.6%

ASTS opened at $87.32 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $33.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -49.06 and a beta of 2.70. AST SpaceMobile, Inc. has a 52 week low of $35.33 and a 52 week high of $133.86. The business's 50 day moving average is $90.16 and its two-hundred day moving average is $87.64. The company has a quick ratio of 18.37, a current ratio of 18.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11.

AST SpaceMobile (NASDAQ:ASTS - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, May 11th. The company reported ($0.66) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 company had revenue of $14.74 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $39.01 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted ($0.20) earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 1952.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that AST SpaceMobile, Inc. will post -1.47 EPS for the current year.

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.

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