Leonteq Securities AG Invests $2.21 Million in AST SpaceMobile, Inc. $ASTS

Key Points

• Leonteq Securities AG disclosed a new stake in AST SpaceMobile, buying 30,445 shares worth about $2.21 million in the fourth quarter.
• Institutional interest remains high, with hedge funds and other investors owning 60.95% of AST SpaceMobile’s stock.
• Wall Street sentiment is mixed: analysts currently have a “Reduce” consensus rating and an average price target of $79.45, even as some firms remain bullish on the company’s satellite-to-phone growth story.

Leonteq Securities AG acquired a new stake in AST SpaceMobile, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASTS - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 30,445 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,211,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. REAP Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of AST SpaceMobile in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Crewe Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of AST SpaceMobile in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of AST SpaceMobile in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Byrne Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of AST SpaceMobile in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd acquired a new position in shares of AST SpaceMobile in the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.95% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. 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. B. Riley Financial upped their price objective on AST SpaceMobile from $75.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. Barclays upped their price objective on AST SpaceMobile from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Zacks Research raised shares of AST SpaceMobile from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Finally, Roth Mkm reissued a "buy" rating and set a $108.00 target price on shares of AST SpaceMobile in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and an average target price of $79.45.

Insider Buying and Selling at AST SpaceMobile

In other AST SpaceMobile news, major shareholder Hiroshi Mikitani sold 1,350,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $86.22, for a total transaction of $116,397,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 27,980,155 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,412,448,964.10. This represents a 4.60% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CTO Huiwen Yao sold 40,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $88.88, for a total value of $3,555,200.00. Following the transaction, the chief technology officer owned 4,750 shares in the company, valued at $422,180. The trade was a 89.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 3,095,000 shares of company stock valued at $275,597,100. 20.89% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Key Stories Impacting AST SpaceMobile

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

• Positive Sentiment: Reports that AT&T and Verizon are backing a $1.2 billion broadband bet in space technology highlight growing carrier support for AST SpaceMobile’s satellite-to-phone model, which could expand future revenue opportunities. AT&T, Verizon back $1.2B broadband bet in space tech leader
• Positive Sentiment: Orange announced new partnerships with AST SpaceMobile to expand direct-to-cell satellite services, including trials in Romania, adding another validation point for the company’s commercial rollout. Orange Satellite And Cyber Moves Add New Angles To Valuation Story
• Positive Sentiment: Technical coverage pointed to a bullish “buy” signal after ASTS cleared a key trendline, suggesting traders are still adding to the recent rally. Satellite Stock 'Buy' Signal Could Mean More Gains
• Neutral Sentiment: AST SpaceMobile presented at J.P. Morgan’s Global Technology, Media and Communications Conference, keeping investor attention on the company’s strategy and execution. AST SpaceMobile, Inc. (ASTS) Presents at J.P. Morgan 54th Annual Global Technology, Media and Communications Conference Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst commentary noted rising satellite-based telecom demand and ASTS’s telecom partnerships, but did not add a fresh catalyst beyond the company’s existing growth narrative. Can Rising Satellite-Based Telecom Services Boost ASTS' Future Profit?
• Negative Sentiment: One valuation-focused article cautioned that ASTS’s strong recent share price run has pushed investors to reexamine whether the stock’s current momentum has already priced in a lot of future growth. A Look At AST SpaceMobile (ASTS) Valuation After Strong Recent Share Price Momentum

AST SpaceMobile Stock Performance

NASDAQ:ASTS opened at $89.58 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $34.22 billion, a PE ratio of -50.33 and a beta of 2.60. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $84.48 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $83.20. 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 fifty-two week low of $22.47 and a fifty-two week high of $129.89.

AST SpaceMobile (NASDAQ:ASTS - Get Free Report) last released its 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 firm had revenue of $14.74 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 revenue for the quarter was up 1952.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted ($0.20) EPS. Research analysts anticipate that AST SpaceMobile, Inc. will post -1.47 earnings per share for the current year.

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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