Quick Overview
- Rakuten’s Hiroshi Mikitani offloaded approximately $154.5M worth of ASTS shares, contributing to ~$274M in total insider sales during the previous quarter
- The BlueBird 7 satellite mission has been postponed to April 19, launching from Kennedy Space Center
- Deutsche Bank lowered its price objective from $139 down to $117, referencing Amazon’s Globalstar acquisition
- Short positions reached their highest level in eight months amid growing bearish sentiment
- Major institutional players like Vanguard and Invesco expanded their holdings despite recent volatility
AST SpaceMobile (ASTS) experienced significant turbulence this week. Shares declined approximately 6% as the company faced a perfect storm of substantial insider transactions, a postponed satellite mission, and revised analyst expectations.
The most significant development involved Rakuten’s billionaire founder Hiroshi Mikitani divesting 1.69 million shares on April 14 at an average transaction price of $91.42, generating approximately $154.5 million. This substantial sale created immediate market concern. Looking at the broader picture, company insiders collectively sold roughly 3.08 million shares during the last quarter, representing about $274 million in total value. Current insider ownership stands at approximately 30.9%.
The company’s CTO also participated in the selling activity. Huiwen Yao offloaded 40,000 shares on March 23 at $88.88 per share, reducing his stake by almost 90%. Following this transaction, he retained only 4,750 shares.
BlueBird 7 Mission Postponement
The BlueBird 7 satellite, initially scheduled for an earlier date, has been rescheduled for April 19. The mission will depart from Kennedy Space Center aboard Blue Origin’s New Glenn-3 rocket, with a launch window opening between 6:45 a.m. and 8:45 a.m. EDT.
This satellite features a sophisticated phased-array antenna spanning approximately 2,400 square feet and is engineered to provide direct-to-device broadband connectivity to conventional smartphones, achieving peak transmission rates exceeding 120 Mbps with both 4G and 5G compatibility.
A successful deployment would represent a critical achievement for the company’s technological demonstration. ASTS maintains partnerships with more than 50 mobile network operators worldwide, representing nearly 3 billion aggregate subscribers. Strategic partners include AT&T, Verizon, Vodafone, and Google.
The postponement contributed to mounting investor concerns. Short positions increased to their highest level in eight months as market participants adopted defensive strategies ahead of the launch.
Wall Street Reevaluation
Deutsche Bank reduced its price objective from $139 to $117, highlighting intensified competition following Amazon’s announcement of its Globalstar acquisition. This development sparked concerns regarding ASTS’s competitive positioning within the satellite communications sector.
Scotiabank adopted a more pessimistic stance, downgrading ASTS to “sector underperform” with a $45.60 price objective. B. Riley lowered its target from $105 to $95 while maintaining a neutral position. The consensus rating currently stands at “Reduce” with an average price objective of $77.10, significantly below present trading levels.
However, bearish sentiment isn’t universal. Deutsche Bank maintains its $117 target despite the reduction. Jim Cramer offered supportive commentary about the stock during Mad Money. Additionally, Barclays increased its target to $65 from $60 following the successful BlueBird 6 deployment with ISRO, although maintaining an Underweight rating.
Regarding institutional activity, Vanguard expanded its position by 13.4% in Q3 to approximately 20 million shares. Invesco increased its holdings by over 600%, while VanEck more than doubled its stake. Total institutional ownership currently represents around 61%.
ASTS disclosed Q4 2025 financial results on March 2, reporting revenue of $54.31 million, significantly surpassing the $39.53 million analyst consensus. EPS registered at -$0.26, falling short of the -$0.18 estimate. The company projected 2026 revenue between $150 million and $200 million.
The stock commenced trading Friday at $85.53, positioned between its 50-day moving average of $88.90 and its 200-day moving average of $83.34. The 12-month trading range extends from $20.26 to $129.89.
