KBC Group NV Acquires 16,918 Shares of AST SpaceMobile, Inc. $ASTS

KBC Group NV boosted its holdings in shares of AST SpaceMobile, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASTS) by 259.5% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 23,438 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 16,918 shares during the period. KBC Group NV’s holdings in AST SpaceMobile were worth $1,942,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Calton & Associates Inc. grew its position in shares of AST SpaceMobile by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Calton & Associates Inc. now owns 13,579 shares of the company’s stock worth $986,000 after buying an additional 104 shares during the last quarter. Investmark Advisory Group LLC increased its stake in shares of AST SpaceMobile by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. Investmark Advisory Group LLC now owns 4,645 shares of the company’s stock valued at $337,000 after buying an additional 120 shares during the period. ORG Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of AST SpaceMobile by 4.2% during the fourth quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 3,283 shares of the company’s stock valued at $238,000 after acquiring an additional 133 shares in the last quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp raised its holdings in shares of AST SpaceMobile by 18.2% during the fourth quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 923 shares of the company’s stock valued at $67,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in AST SpaceMobile by 39.0% in the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 513 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 144 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 60.95% of the company’s stock.

AST SpaceMobile News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Some analysts and commentators continue to argue that the recent pullback is a buying opportunity, saying AST SpaceMobile’s long-term direct-to-device satellite connectivity story remains intact and that launch-vehicle issues, not lost demand, are behind recent volatility.
• Positive Sentiment: There is speculation that the new $1 billion note proceeds could support a launch-provider acquisition, which may help AST SpaceMobile reduce long-term reliance on SpaceX and Blue Origin and improve vertical integration. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest data showed no meaningful change in available figures, so it does not appear to be a major fresh driver for the stock today.
• Negative Sentiment: The $1 billion convertible note deal is the clearest near-term negative, as investors may view it as a potential source of future share dilution and added balance-sheet complexity. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: A law firm investigation into claims on behalf of ASTS investors adds legal uncertainty and can weigh on sentiment. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Shares have also been under pressure from a broader risk-off move in launch and space-related stocks, reflecting investor caution ahead of a key test flight and ongoing volatility in the sector.

AST SpaceMobile Stock Down 5.0%

NASDAQ:ASTS opened at $56.20 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 18.47 and a quick ratio of 18.37. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $84.79 and its 200-day moving average price is $88.58. The company has a market capitalization of $21.81 billion, a PE ratio of -31.57 and a beta of 2.69. AST SpaceMobile, Inc. has a 1-year low of $36.08 and a 1-year high of $133.86.

AST SpaceMobile (NASDAQ:ASTS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 11th. The company reported ($0.66) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.23) by ($0.43). The business had revenue of $14.73 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $39.01 million. AST SpaceMobile had a negative net margin of 573.67% and a negative return on equity of 24.87%. The company’s revenue was up 1952.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned ($0.20) earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that AST SpaceMobile, Inc. will post -1.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ASTS has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. B. Riley Financial upgraded shares of AST SpaceMobile from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $85.00 price target on the stock in a report on Friday, July 17th. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of AST SpaceMobile from $85.00 to $80.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. William Blair reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of AST SpaceMobile in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Roth Capital restated a “buy” rating and issued a $108.00 price objective on shares of AST SpaceMobile in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of AST SpaceMobile in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $86.95.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Andrew Martin Johnson sold 45,809 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $93.81, for a total value of $4,297,342.29. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 503,619 shares in the company, valued at $47,244,498.39. This represents a 8.34% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 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 transaction, the director directly owned 43,239 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,300,865.26. This trade represents a 25.76% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 105,809 shares of company stock worth $9,748,492. Insiders own 20.89% of the company’s stock.

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.