Empowered Funds LLC Makes New Investment in AST SpaceMobile, Inc. $ASTS

Key Points

• Empowered Funds LLC initiated a 7,490-share AST SpaceMobile position worth approximately $621,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 60.95% of the company.
• AST SpaceMobile raised its 2026 revenue outlook to $150 million–$200 million and reported a backlog of roughly $1.3 billion, supported by continued BlueBird satellite deployments and mobile-operator testing.
• Near-term results were weaker than expected: the company posted a $0.77 per-share loss and $31.52 million in revenue, below consensus estimates. The stock opened at $68.76, while analysts maintain a consensus “Hold” rating and an $87.60 price target.

Empowered Funds LLC bought a new stake in shares of AST SpaceMobile, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASTS - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 7,490 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $621,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of ASTS. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of AST SpaceMobile in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC grew its position in shares of AST SpaceMobile by 16,350.0% during the 1st quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 329 shares of the company's stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 327 shares during the last quarter. Acumen Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in AST SpaceMobile during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd acquired a new stake in AST SpaceMobile during the third quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Portus Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in AST SpaceMobile in the first quarter worth about $30,000. 60.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at AST SpaceMobile

In related news, CTO Huiwen Yao sold 40,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.37, for a total value of $3,854,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief technology officer directly owned 34,750 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,348,857.50. This represents a 53.51% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Julio A. Torres sold 15,000 shares of the firm's 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 sale, the director owned 43,239 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,300,865.26. This 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 three months, insiders sold 105,809 shares of company stock worth $9,748,492. Company insiders own 20.89% of the company's stock.

Key Stories Impacting AST SpaceMobile

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

• Positive Sentiment: AST SpaceMobile raised its 2026 revenue outlook to $150 million-$200 million, a range that brackets the roughly $167.8 million analyst consensus. The company also said its backlog grew to approximately $1.3 billion, supporting the long-term commercial opportunity for its direct-to-smartphone satellite service. AST SpaceMobile Raises Revenue Outlook as Satellite Network Expands
• Positive Sentiment: The company highlighted continued network development, including the successful deployment of BlueBird 11, 12 and 13 satellites and expanded testing and integration efforts with mobile operators in Europe. These milestones could broaden coverage and improve the path toward commercial service revenue. Can ASTS' Satellite Connectivity Rollout Across Europe Lift Shares?
• Neutral Sentiment: AST SpaceMobile is positioning its network for both commercial and government applications, with a partner-led strategy involving mobile network operators. Investor enthusiasm has also benefited from broader interest in space and satellite companies, although sector sentiment remains volatile. SpaceX and AST SpaceMobile Spark Fresh Momentum Across Space Group
• Negative Sentiment: Second-quarter adjusted results were materially weaker than expected: AST SpaceMobile reported a $0.77 per-share loss versus the anticipated $0.32 loss, while revenue of $31.52 million trailed the $34.98 million consensus. Reports attributed the loss in part to the BB7 incident, increasing concern about near-term execution and costs. AST SpaceMobile Posts Q2 Misses, Backlog Grows to $1.3 Billion
• Negative Sentiment: The earnings miss overshadowed the improved revenue outlook, and AST SpaceMobile continues to report substantial losses, including a negative net margin. The stock’s elevated valuation and high volatility make investors particularly sensitive to delays, satellite deployment costs and the timing of commercial revenue.

AST SpaceMobile Trading Down 4.4%

Shares of NASDAQ:ASTS opened at $68.76 on Tuesday. 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 50-day moving average price is $75.22 and its 200 day moving average price is $85.69. The company has a market cap of $26.69 billion, a PE ratio of -38.63 and a beta of 2.76. AST SpaceMobile, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $36.08 and a fifty-two week high of $133.86.

AST SpaceMobile (NASDAQ:ASTS - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, August 10th. The company reported ($0.77) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.32) by ($0.45). AST SpaceMobile had a negative return on equity of 24.87% and a negative net margin of 573.67%.The firm had revenue of $31.52 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.98 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted ($0.41) EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that AST SpaceMobile, Inc. will post -1.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have commented on the company. Piper Sandler assumed coverage on AST SpaceMobile in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $100.00 target price for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut AST SpaceMobile from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $117.00 to $106.00 in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of AST SpaceMobile in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Scotiabank upgraded AST SpaceMobile from a "sector underperform" rating to a "sector perform" rating and set a $50.80 price objective for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, UBS Group lowered their price objective on AST SpaceMobile from $85.00 to $80.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $87.60.

AST SpaceMobile Company 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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