ASTS News & Events

The major averages closed fractionally lower as escalating tensions with Iran, including the seizure of an Iranian-flagged cargo ship and renewed threats from President Trump, raised concerns ahead of an expiring ceasefire. Iran's refusal to participate in peace talks further heightened geopolitical uncertainty and weighed on market sentiment, though the pullback was fairly muted. Of note, Trump said in a phone interview with Bloomberg that it is "highly unlikely" the two week ceasefire with Iran will be extended if a deal is not reached before it ends on Wednesday.Get caught up quickly on the top news and calls moving stocks with these five Top Five lists.1. STOCK NEWS:QXOTopBuildfor $17B in a cash and stock transactionEli LillyKelonia Therapeutics, with Kelonia to receive up to $7B in cashAmerican Airlinessaid it isin any merger talks with United AirlinesAST SpaceMobileslipped after Blue Origin's flagship New Glenn rocket failed to place one of its satellitesPresident Trump signed an executive order toto the substances used outside the U.S to treat post-traumatic stress disorder2. WALL STREET CALLS:Wells FargoBiogento Overweight on pipeline outside Alzheimer'sBarclaysAvis Budgetto sell after "sharp short squeeze"Ulta Beautyto Buy at JefferiesMizuhoQorvoto Underperform on handset weaknessOktato Overweight at Barclays3. AROUND THE WEB:A tornado damaged part of Rivian's (RIVN) central Illinois plant over the weekend, CNBC reportsJersey Mike's Subs, Blackstone-backedsandwich chain with more than 3,000 locations, submitted a confidential filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for its initial public offering, Bloomberg saysThe family that owns Brown-Forman, the maker of Jack Daniel's whiskey, favors a potential sale to the French distiller Pernod Ricardover an alternative proposal from privately-held American rival Sazerac, Bloomberg reportsThe National Security Agency is using Anthropic's advanced "Mythos Preview" model even as Department of Defense officials have labeled the company a potential supply chain risk, highlighting internal tensions over AI adoption and security concerns, Axios saysPeruvian officials looking to purchase new fighter jets concluded buying aircraft from Lockheed Martinwould be in the nation's best interest due to its price and in hopes the U.S. could become a major defense ally, Bloomberg reports4. MOVERS:Nektargained afterfrom its Phase 2b REZOLVE-AA studySila Realty Trustrose after announcing it will befor $30.38 per shareUSA Rare Earthincreased after announcing an agreement toAgiosfell after Novo NordiskreportedFermiclosed lower after announcing the exits of its CEO and CFO5. EARNINGS/GUIDANCE:Nano-X Imagingand reaffirmed its guidance for FY26Dynex Capital, with EPS missing consensusBank of Hawaii, with CEO Jim Polk commenting that the bank "began the year on firm footing"Cleveland-Cliffs, with EPS and revenue beating consensusSurf Air Mobilityreaffirmed itsINDEXES:The Dow fell 4.87, or 0.0098%, to 49,442.56, the Nasdaq lost 64.09, or 0.26%, to 24,404.39, and the S&P 500 declined 16.92, or 0.24%, to 7,109.14.

The major averages were broadly lower near noon as escalating tensions with Iran, including the seizure of an Iranian-flagged cargo ship and renewed threats from President Trump, raised concerns ahead of an expiring ceasefire. Iran's refusal to participate in peace talks further heightened geopolitical uncertainty and weighed on market sentiment, though the pullback has been fairly muted so far.Get caught up quickly on the top news and calls moving stocks with these five Top Five lists.1. STOCK NEWS:QXOTopBuildfor $17B in a cash and stock transactionEli LillyKelonia Therapeutics, with Kelonia to receive up to $7B in cashAmerican Airlinessaid it isin any merger talks with United AirlinesAST SpaceMobilewas slipping after Blue Origin's flagship New Glenn rocket failed to place one of its satellitesPresident Trump signed an executive order toto the substances used outside the U.S to treat post-traumatic stress disorder2. WALL STREET CALLS:Wells FargoBiogento Overweight on pipeline outside Alzheimer'sBarclaysAvis Budgetto sell after "sharp short squeeze"Ulta Beautyto Buy at JefferiesMizuhoQorvoto Underperform on handset weaknessOktato Overweight at Barclays3. AROUND THE WEB:Jersey Mike's Subs, Blackstone-backedsandwich chain with more than 3,000 locations, submitted a confidential filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for its initial public offering, Bloomberg saysThe family that owns Brown-Forman, the maker of Jack Daniel's whiskey, favors a potential sale to the French distiller Pernod Ricardover an alternative proposal from privately-held American rival Sazerac, Bloomberg reportsGooglehas formed a specialized team of researchers and engineers to enhance its AI coding models, aiming to increase automation in software development and AI research, The Information saysThe National Security Agency is using Anthropic's advanced "Mythos Preview" model even as Department of Defense officials have labeled the company a potential supply chain risk, highlighting internal tensions over AI adoption and security concerns, Axios saysPeruvian officials looking to purchase new fighter jets concluded buying aircraft from Lockheed Martinwould be in the nation's best interest due to its price and in hopes the U.S. could become a major defense ally, Bloomberg reports4. MOVERS:Nektarhigher afterfrom its Phase 2b REZOLVE-AA studySila Realty Trustgains after announcing it will beaffiliates for $30.38 per shareUSA Rare Earthincreases after announcing an100% of Serra Verde GroupAgiosfalls after Novo Nordiskin sickle cell diseaseFermilower afterit was short on the company5. EARNINGS/GUIDANCE:Nano-X Imagingand reaffirmed its guidance for FY26Dynex Capital, with EPS missing consensusBank of Hawaii, with CEO Jim Polk commenting that the bank "began the year on firm footing"Cleveland-Cliffs, with EPS and revenue beating consensusSurf Air Mobility (SRFM)for FY26INDEXES:Near midday, the Dow was down 0.12%, or 57.71, to 49,389.72, the Nasdaq was down 0.68%, or 165.54, to 24,302.94, and the S&P 500 was down 0.42%, or 29.79, to 7,096.27.

AST SpaceMobileis trading lower on Monday after Blue Origin's flagship New Glenn rocket failed to place one of its satellites into the intended orbit. During the New Glenn 3 mission, the BlueBird 7 satellite was deployed into a lower than planned orbit by the rocket's upper stage. The company said the altitude is too low for its on board thrusters to sustain operations, and the satellite will be de-orbited.While the satellite cost is expected to be covered by insurance, Clear Street told investors that it now anticipates delays to AST's 45 to 60 satellite target by year-end 2026.BLUEBIRD 7 DO DE-ORBIT:AST SpaceMobile addressed the orbital launch of BlueBird 7 on the New Glenn launch vehicle. During the New Glenn 3 mission, BlueBird 7 was placed into a lower than planned orbit by the upper stage of the launch vehicle. While the satellite separated from the launch vehicle and powered on, the altitude is too low to sustain operations with its on-board thruster technology and will de-orbited. The cost of the satellite is expected to be recovered under the company's insurance policy. BlueBird 7 would have been AST SpaceMobile's eighth deployed into low Earth orbit and is one of many planned for its space-based cellular broadband network. The company is currently in production through BlueBird 32, with BlueBird 8 to 10 expected to be ready to ship in approximately 30 days. The company continues to expect an orbital launch every one to two months on average during 2026, supported by agreements with multiple launch providers, and it continues to target approximately 45 satellites in orbit by the end of 2026.DELAYS TO YEAR-END TARGET:Clear Street lowered the firm's price target on AST SpaceMobile to $115 from $137 and keeps a Buy rating on the shares after Blue Origin's New Glenn 3 mission experienced a second stage malfunction, resulting in AST's BlueBird 7 satellite being deployed into a lower-than-planned orbit. While the roughly $23M satellite cost is expected to be covered by insurance, the firm now anticipates delays to AST's 45 to 60 satellite target by year-end 2026.THE BEAT GOES ON:Following the events over the weekend, William Blair told investors that even though shares of AST SpaceMobile will likely be under pressure on Monday, "the beat goes on." The company gained experience integrating its satellite with New Glenn and working with the Blue Origin team. This experience will be integral for future missions, the firm argued. The silver lining, in William Blair's opinion, is that there was only one satellite on board, whereas future New Glenn launches may have as many as eight of AST's BlueBirds. AST expects to ship its next group of satellites in the next 30 days.The firm continues to believe that many of AST's mobile network operator partners will likely begin customer trials later this year when the company's network reaches approximately 25 satellites. William Blair has a Market Perform rating on the shares.PRICE ACTION:In morning trading, shares of AST have dropped about 8% to $78.64.