Caxton Associates LLP Reduces Position in AST SpaceMobile, Inc. $ASTS

Caxton Associates LLP trimmed its stake in AST SpaceMobile, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASTS) by 76.3% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,422 shares of the company’s stock after selling 14,236 shares during the quarter. Caxton Associates LLP’s holdings in AST SpaceMobile were worth $366,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Vodafone Ventures Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of AST SpaceMobile during the fourth quarter valued at $397,413,000. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in AST SpaceMobile during the 4th quarter worth about $198,270,000. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in AST SpaceMobile by 7.9% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 21,488,180 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,560,687,000 after purchasing an additional 1,568,292 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley raised its stake in AST SpaceMobile by 44.0% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 4,661,551 shares of the company’s stock valued at $338,569,000 after purchasing an additional 1,425,199 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Focus Partners Wealth lifted its holdings in AST SpaceMobile by 8,016.7% in the 4th quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 1,269,609 shares of the company’s stock valued at $92,000,000 after purchasing an additional 1,253,967 shares in the last quarter. 60.95% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have issued reports on ASTS. Piper Sandler started coverage on shares of AST SpaceMobile in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $100.00 price target on the stock. B. Riley Financial raised shares of AST SpaceMobile from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $85.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of AST SpaceMobile in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. New Street Research set a $106.00 target price on shares of AST SpaceMobile in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered shares of AST SpaceMobile from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $117.00 to $106.00 in a research report on Friday, May 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $86.95.

Key Headlines Impacting AST SpaceMobile

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

• Positive Sentiment: AST SpaceMobile scheduled the launch of BlueBird satellites 11, 12 and 13 for August 5 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 from Florida. The mission would expand the company’s satellite constellation and support progress toward commercial direct-to-device service. AST SpaceMobile Announces Launch Date for BlueBird Satellites 11, 12, and 13
• Positive Sentiment: Vodafone reportedly reaffirmed the value of its AST SpaceMobile partnership and is targeting an early-2027 U.K. beta launch. However, testing would require approximately 45 satellites, making further successful deployments important. ASTS Stock Breaks 3-Day Slide: Vodafone Partnership
• Neutral Sentiment: Management will provide second-quarter 2026 financial and business updates on August 10. Investors may look for details on satellite deployment, funding needs, commercial agreements and the timing of revenue growth. AST SpaceMobile to Host Second Quarter 2026 Business Update Call
• Negative Sentiment: ASTS declined amid a broad-based space-sector correction affecting SpaceX, Rocket Lab and other space names. The selloff indicates investors are reducing exposure to high-volatility, high-valuation companies despite company-specific catalysts. Space Stocks Face Broad Sector Selloff
• Negative Sentiment: Amazon’s proposed 5,105-satellite Amazon Leo constellation raises the risk of intensified competition in direct-to-device connectivity. A well-capitalized entrant could pressure pricing, margins and AST SpaceMobile’s premium valuation. Amazon’s Satellite Push Raises the Stakes
• Negative Sentiment: Pomerantz LLP announced an investigation into potential claims on behalf of ASTS investors. The announcement does not establish wrongdoing, but shareholder litigation headlines can add uncertainty and selling pressure. Pomerantz Investor Alert
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst commentary also questioned whether AST SpaceMobile can keep pace with Starlink’s expanding direct-to-device lead, reinforcing concerns about execution, capital requirements and long-term market share.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Andrew Martin Johnson sold 45,809 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $93.81, for a total transaction of $4,297,342.29. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 503,619 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $47,244,498.39. This represents a 8.34% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Julio A. Torres sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.34, for a total transaction of $1,145,100.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 43,239 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,300,865.26. The trade was a 25.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 105,809 shares of company stock valued at $9,748,492 in the last 90 days. 20.89% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

AST SpaceMobile Stock Performance

AST SpaceMobile stock opened at $56.55 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.95 billion, a P/E ratio of -31.77 and a beta of 2.69. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $83.58 and a 200 day moving average price of $88.08. AST SpaceMobile, Inc. has a 52 week low of $36.08 and a 52 week high of $133.86. The company has a current ratio of 18.47, a quick ratio of 18.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11.

AST SpaceMobile (NASDAQ:ASTS) last released its earnings results on Monday, May 11th. The company reported ($0.66) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.23) by ($0.43). AST SpaceMobile had a negative return on equity of 24.87% and a negative net margin of 573.67%.The business had revenue of $14.73 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $39.01 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted ($0.20) earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 1952.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that AST SpaceMobile, Inc. will post -1.38 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.