Rakuten Mobile Initiates Plan to Sell Half Its AST SpaceMobile Stake, Sells $440M in Shares

summarizeSummary

Rakuten Mobile, a major institutional investor and former affiliate, has established a trading plan to sell up to 15.5 million shares, representing approximately half of its holdings, and has already sold $440.8 million worth of shares.

check_boxKey Events

• Trading Plan Established

  Rakuten Mobile entered into a trading plan to sell up to 15,510,077 shares of Class A Common Stock, representing approximately 5.3% of outstanding shares and half of its total holdings.

• Significant Share Sales

  Rakuten Mobile sold 4,940,000 shares for a total of approximately $440.8 million between April 14-16, 2026, as part of the new trading plan.

• Reduced Ownership Stake

  Following these sales, Rakuten Mobile's beneficial ownership stands at 26,080,155 shares, or 8.9% of Class A Common Stock.

• Former Board Member's Affiliation

  Hiroshi Mikitani, founder and CEO of Rakuten Group, resigned from AST SpaceMobile's Board of Directors on January 13, 2026, preceding this significant divestment plan.

auto_awesomeAnalysis

Rakuten Mobile, along with Rakuten Group and Hiroshi Mikitani (who resigned from AST SpaceMobile's board in January), has initiated a significant reduction in its stake in AST SpaceMobile. The establishment of a trading plan to sell up to 15.5 million shares, representing 5.3% of outstanding Class A Common Stock and roughly half of Rakuten's total holdings, signals a strategic re-evaluation by a key early investor. The reported sales of approximately $440.8 million over three days further confirm this divestment. This move by a major institutional holder, especially following Mikitani's board resignation, could be interpreted as a lack of conviction in the long-term prospects or a strategic rebalancing of their portfolio, despite recent positive operational news regarding satellite launches and successful capital raises.