Highland Capital Management LLC Takes $1.16 Million Position in AST SpaceMobile, Inc. $ASTS

Key Points

• In the fourth quarter Highland Capital Management LLC opened a new position in AST SpaceMobile, buying 16,024 shares worth about $1.16 million, as institutional investors now own roughly 60.95% of the stock.
• Company insiders have been heavy sellers recently — CTO Huiwen Yao sold 40,000 shares and major shareholder Hiroshi Mikitani sold 1,350,000 shares, with insiders offloading a total of 3,080,000 shares (~$274.45 million) in the last three months.
• ASTS reported revenue of $54.31 million (up ~2,731% YoY) but missed on EPS (−$0.26 vs. −$0.18 expected) and remains unprofitable, while analysts are mixed (average rating "Reduce" and an average target of $82.51).

Highland Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AST SpaceMobile, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASTS - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 16,024 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,164,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of ASTS. REAP Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of AST SpaceMobile during the third quarter valued at $25,000. Crewe Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in AST SpaceMobile in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in AST SpaceMobile in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Byrne Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in AST SpaceMobile in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd acquired a new stake in AST SpaceMobile in the third quarter worth about $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.95% of the company's stock.

Key AST SpaceMobile News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and screens point to the company having the setup to beat Q1 consensus due to strong revenue momentum and favorable telecom partnerships, which could support the stock if results and guidance impress. AST SpaceMobile, Inc. (ASTS) Expected to Beat Earnings Estimates
• Neutral Sentiment: Some value screens list ASTS among stocks trading materially below calculated intrinsic values, suggesting upside for longer-term, value-oriented investors — but this depends on execution and profitability improving. 3 Stocks Estimated To Be Trading Up To 49.9% Below Intrinsic Value
• Negative Sentiment: Recent proxy disclosures and market commentary have focused investor attention on whether ASTS can meet satellite-to-phone rollout milestones; doubts about execution timing are pressuring the share price. What's Going On With AST SpaceMobile Stock Today?
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling picked up in April, which markets often view as a negative signal for insiders’ near-term confidence and can amplify downside when paired with execution risk. Leading Insider Sales: April Activity Ramps in These Stocks (ASTS)

AST SpaceMobile Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ ASTS opened at $63.87 on Wednesday. AST SpaceMobile, Inc. has a twelve month low of $22.47 and a twelve month high of $129.89. The company has a current ratio of 16.35, a quick ratio of 16.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92. The company has a market capitalization of $24.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -48.39 and a beta of 2.60. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $86.52 and a two-hundred day moving average of $83.14.

AST SpaceMobile (NASDAQ:ASTS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, March 2nd. The company reported ($0.26) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.18) by ($0.08). AST SpaceMobile had a negative net margin of 482.16% and a negative return on equity of 23.02%. The business had revenue of $54.31 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $39.53 million. AST SpaceMobile's revenue for the quarter was up 2731.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that AST SpaceMobile, Inc. will post -0.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently weighed in on ASTS. Scotiabank downgraded shares of AST SpaceMobile from a "sector perform" rating to a "sector underperform" rating and set a $45.60 price objective for the company. in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of AST SpaceMobile in a report on Friday, March 27th. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of AST SpaceMobile from $43.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. New Street Research set a $115.00 price objective on shares of AST SpaceMobile in a report on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on shares of AST SpaceMobile from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Reduce" and an average target price of $82.51.

Insider Transactions at AST SpaceMobile

In other AST SpaceMobile news, CTO Huiwen Yao sold 40,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $88.88, for a total value of $3,555,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief technology officer directly owned 4,750 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $422,180. This represents a 89.39% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Hiroshi Mikitani sold 1,350,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $86.22, for a total transaction of $116,397,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 27,980,155 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,412,448,964.10. The trade was a 4.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 3,080,000 shares of company stock valued at $274,452,000 over the last three months. 30.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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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