AST SpaceMobile (NASDAQ:ASTS) Stock Price Up 5.5% – Here’s What Happened

AST SpaceMobile, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASTS) shares rose 5.5% on Thursday. The company traded as high as $44.94 and last traded at $44.46. 23,026,830 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 37% from the average daily volume of 16,809,533 shares. The stock had previously closed at $42.14.

AST SpaceMobile News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: AST SpaceMobile is advocating for satellite-to-phone access to two mobile spectrum bands ahead of the World Radiocommunication Conference. Vodafone has also questioned aspects of SpaceX’s planned European direct-to-cell expansion, potentially supporting ASTS’s competitive position. Vodafone Questions SpaceX’s Europe Push, AST Presses FCC on Spectrum
• Positive Sentiment: Some analysts and commentators remain constructive, arguing AST SpaceMobile could retain a timing advantage over SpaceX in direct-to-cell services and that the company’s BlueBird satellite network could support its long-term revenue opportunity if deployment milestones are achieved. Clear Street Sees Six-Month Lead Over SpaceX
• Neutral Sentiment: ASTS remains a highly speculative stock: shares are near their 52-week low and well below longer-term moving averages, while the company continues to report substantial losses and negative earnings. The investment case depends heavily on satellite launches, network buildout, and future commercial revenue.
• Negative Sentiment: Piper Sandler downgraded AST SpaceMobile to Neutral and reportedly lowered its price target to $54, citing growing competition from SpaceX’s direct-to-cell plans. The downgrade reinforces concerns that SpaceX could pressure ASTS’s market opportunity and valuation. Piper Sandler Downgrades AST SpaceMobile to Neutral
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst Tim Farrar said AST SpaceMobile may not reach the 60-satellite milestone until 2028, based on the remaining launch schedule. Any delay could push back service availability and management’s revenue targets. Analyst Says 60-Satellite Milestone Could Slip to 2028
• Negative Sentiment: Several law firms publicized a securities class action covering investors who bought ASTS securities from March 4, 2025, through July 15, 2026. The allegations concern statements that existing cash would be sufficient for 12 months despite approximately $3 billion of convertible-note offerings and related dilution. The claims have not been proven, but the litigation adds legal, financing, and reputational risk; investors have until November 13, 2026, to seek lead-plaintiff status. ASTS Securities Class Action Deadline

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Scotiabank raised shares of AST SpaceMobile from a “sector underperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and set a $50.80 price objective for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Berenberg Bank started coverage on shares of AST SpaceMobile in a report on Wednesday, September 2nd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $92.00 price objective on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their price objective on shares of AST SpaceMobile from $80.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of AST SpaceMobile in a research note on Monday, September 21st. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada downgraded AST SpaceMobile to a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 2nd. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $80.18.

AST SpaceMobile Stock Up 5.5%

The company has a current ratio of 13.05, a quick ratio of 12.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24. The firm has a market cap of $17.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -20.78 and a beta of 2.72. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $61.68 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $74.67.

AST SpaceMobile (NASDAQ:ASTS) last issued its earnings results on Monday, August 10th. The company reported ($0.77) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.32) by ($0.45). AST SpaceMobile had a negative net margin of 536.66% and a negative return on equity of 22.88%. The firm had revenue of $31.52 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.53 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted ($0.41) earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that AST SpaceMobile, Inc. will post -1.95 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at AST SpaceMobile

In other news, COO Shanti B. Gupta sold 12,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.89, for a total transaction of $706,680.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 462,980 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,264,892.20. The trade was a 2.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CTO Huiwen Yao sold 40,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $58.93, for a total value of $2,357,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief technology officer directly owned 34,750 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,047,817.50. This represents a 53.51% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 20.89% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AST SpaceMobile

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC lifted its holdings in AST SpaceMobile by 6.6% during the 1st quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 2,638 shares of the company’s stock worth $219,000 after buying an additional 164 shares during the period. Hollencrest Capital Management increased its position in AST SpaceMobile by 11.7% during the 1st quarter. Hollencrest Capital Management now owns 1,592 shares of the company’s stock valued at $132,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares during the period. Byrne Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in AST SpaceMobile by 17.0% in the third quarter. Byrne Asset Management LLC now owns 1,170 shares of the company’s stock valued at $67,000 after buying an additional 170 shares during the period. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. lifted its stake in shares of AST SpaceMobile by 15.5% in the 2nd quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 1,404 shares of the company’s stock valued at $121,000 after purchasing an additional 188 shares during the period. Finally, HHM Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of AST SpaceMobile by 72.2% during the 1st quarter. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 465 shares of the company’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 195 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.95% of the company’s stock.

About AST SpaceMobile

AST SpaceMobile, Inc develops a space-based cellular broadband network designed to connect standard mobile phones directly to satellites without requiring specialized satellite phones or equipment. The company’s objective is to extend mobile connectivity to areas that lack reliable terrestrial cellular coverage, including remote and underserved regions.

Its system is built around the planned SpaceMobile satellite constellation, including BlueBird satellites equipped with large communications arrays.