AST SpaceMobile (NASDAQ:ASTS) Shares Climb 1.8% – What’s Next?

Shares of AST SpaceMobile, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASTS – Get Free Report) traded up 1.8% during mid-day trading on Thursday. The stock traded as high as $44.85 and last traded at $43.07. 12,424,787 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 25% from the average session volume of 16,655,033 shares. The stock had previously closed at $42.30.

Key Headlines Impacting AST SpaceMobile

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ASTS has been the subject of several recent research reports. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their price objective on AST SpaceMobile from $80.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Piper Sandler lowered shares of AST SpaceMobile from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $98.00 to $54.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 13th. UBS Group began coverage on shares of AST SpaceMobile in a report on Wednesday, September 2nd. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Berenberg Bank initiated coverage on AST SpaceMobile in a report on Wednesday, September 2nd. They set a “buy” rating and a $92.00 target price on the stock. Finally, B. Riley Financial lowered AST SpaceMobile from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $85.00 to $65.00 in a research note on Friday, October 2nd. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $80.67.

Read Our Latest Research Report on ASTS

AST SpaceMobile Stock Up 1.8%

The stock has a market capitalization of $16.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -20.13 and a beta of 2.72. The business has a 50-day moving average of $55.97 and a 200-day moving average of $78.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 12.90 and a current ratio of 13.05.

AST SpaceMobile (NASDAQ:ASTS – Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, August 10th. The company reported ($0.77) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.32) by ($0.45). AST SpaceMobile had a negative net margin of 536.66% and a negative return on equity of 22.88%. The firm had revenue of $31.52 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $34.53 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned ($0.41) EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that AST SpaceMobile, Inc. will post -1.91 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, COO Shanti B. Gupta sold 12,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $58.89, for a total transaction of $706,680.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 462,980 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,264,892.20. The trade was a 2.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Adriana Cisneros purchased 10,822 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 31st. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $57.22 per share, with a total value of $619,234.84. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 797,023 shares in the company, valued at $45,605,656.06. The trade was a 1.38% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 20.89% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. ABN Amro Investment Solutions acquired a new position in shares of AST SpaceMobile in the 1st quarter valued at $996,000. KBC Group NV increased its position in AST SpaceMobile by 259.5% in the 1st quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 23,438 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,942,000 after acquiring an additional 16,918 shares during the period. Bank of Nova Scotia acquired a new position in AST SpaceMobile in the 1st quarter valued at about $1,329,000. Sanders Morris Harris LLC purchased a new position in shares of AST SpaceMobile in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $1,020,000. Finally, Swedbank AB acquired a new position in shares of AST SpaceMobile in the first quarter valued at approximately $3,399,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.95% of the company’s stock.

About AST SpaceMobile

(Get Free Report)

AST SpaceMobile, Inc is a space-based communications company developing a global cellular broadband network designed to connect directly with standard, unmodified mobile phones. Its technology is intended to extend wireless coverage beyond traditional terrestrial networks, including in rural, remote and underserved areas.

The company is building and deploying a constellation of large low Earth orbit satellites, known as the BlueBird satellite system. AST SpaceMobile plans to provide voice, messaging, data and broadband services through partnerships with mobile network operators, allowing subscribers to remain connected outside the reach of conventional cellular towers.

Founded in 2017 and headquartered in Midland, Texas, AST SpaceMobile was established by Abel Avellan, who serves as its chairman and chief executive officer.

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