AST SpaceMobile (NASDAQ:ASTS) Shares Up 2.7% – Here’s What Happened

AST SpaceMobile, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASTS)’s share price shot up 2.7% during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $133.86 and last traded at $133.09. 21,072,529 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 23% from the average session volume of 17,186,109 shares. The stock had previously closed at $129.60.

Key AST SpaceMobile News

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

• Negative Sentiment: Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket explosion raised concerns that AST SpaceMobile’s launch schedule could be delayed, which is weighing on sentiment around its 2026 satellite deployment plans. Blue Origin Blast Sends AST SpaceMobile Down 18.5%
• Negative Sentiment: Deutsche Bank downgraded ASTS from Buy to Hold and trimmed its price target, signaling reduced near-term upside after the stock’s sharp run-up. Blue Origin Blast Sends AST SpaceMobile Down 18.5%
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple reports said the rocket failure could disrupt satellite launches and delay AST SpaceMobile’s BlueBird rollout, adding execution risk to an already richly valued stock. AST SpaceMobile Shares Sink After Blue Origin Rocket Explosion
• Negative Sentiment: AST SpaceMobile was also hit by insider-selling news after President Scott Wisniewski sold about $3.3 million of stock, which can add to investor caution even if the sale was relatively small versus his remaining holdings. Insider Selling: AST SpaceMobile (NASDAQ:ASTS) President Sells 25,904 Shares of Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Bullish commentary continues to emphasize ASTS’s direct-to-smartphone satellite technology, strong cash position, and carrier partnerships, but these longer-term positives are being overshadowed today by launch and valuation concerns. AST SpaceMobile’s Next Chapter Changes Everything

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently commented on ASTS. Barclays raised their price target on AST SpaceMobile from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. B. Riley Financial raised their price target on AST SpaceMobile from $75.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. Zacks Research upgraded AST SpaceMobile from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of AST SpaceMobile in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded AST SpaceMobile from a “sell” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, AST SpaceMobile currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $81.33.

AST SpaceMobile Stock Performance

The business has a 50-day moving average of $88.06 and a two-hundred day moving average of $85.25. The company has a market cap of $44.02 billion, a P/E ratio of -63.71 and a beta of 2.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 18.47 and a quick ratio of 18.37.

AST SpaceMobile (NASDAQ:ASTS) last issued its quarterly 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). The business had revenue of $14.74 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $39.01 million. AST SpaceMobile had a negative return on equity of 24.87% and a negative net margin of 573.67%.AST SpaceMobile’s revenue was up 1952.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted ($0.20) EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that AST SpaceMobile, Inc. will post -1.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other AST SpaceMobile news, major shareholder Hiroshi Mikitani sold 1,350,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $86.22, for a total value of $116,397,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 27,980,155 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,412,448,964.10. This trade represents a 4.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Julio A. Torres sold 15,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.34, for a total value of $1,145,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 43,239 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,300,865.26. This represents a 25.76% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 3,100,000 shares of company stock worth $276,048,350 in the last three months. Insiders own 20.89% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AST SpaceMobile

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of AST SpaceMobile by 16,350.0% during the first quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 329 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 327 shares during the period. Crewe Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AST SpaceMobile during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AST SpaceMobile during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Portus Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AST SpaceMobile during the first quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Advocate Investing Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AST SpaceMobile during the first quarter worth about $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.95% of the company’s stock.

AST SpaceMobile Company Profile

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.