AST SpaceMobile (NASDAQ:ASTS) Trading 5.8% Higher – What’s Next?
by Michael Walen · The Markets DailyAST SpaceMobile, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASTS – Get Free Report)’s share price traded up 5.8% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $87.78 and last traded at $84.66. 21,922,630 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 42% from the average session volume of 15,491,115 shares. The stock had previously closed at $80.01.
Key Headlines Impacting AST SpaceMobile
Here are the key news stories impacting AST SpaceMobile this week:
- Positive Sentiment: FCC approval gives regulatory validation for SpaceMobile’s tech, reducing a key execution risk and supporting commercialization and carrier partnerships. ASTS gains as FCC approval validates SpaceMobile technology
- Positive Sentiment: Analysts and market commentary note that recent pullbacks may obscure long‑term progress; regulatory wins have improved ASTS’s competitive position — the story now hinges on execution and contract wins. This Space Stock Just Proved the Bears Wrong Again—Here’s What Comes Next
- Neutral Sentiment: Retail/investor pieces highlight ASTS’s strong 1‑year performance (roughly +280% year over year) but also note it’s off its 52‑week high, underscoring volatility and active profit‑taking. AST SpaceMobile Is Impossible to Ignore Right Now. Here’s What to Do With It.
- Neutral Sentiment: Mainstream coverage (WSJ, Yahoo roundups) is keeping ASTS visible to investors, which can amplify moves in either direction. Stocks to Watch: AST SpaceMobile, TopBuild, Marvell
- Neutral Sentiment: Sector news is mixed — an Iridium earnings miss shows satellite names can move on peers’ results, but doesn’t directly alter ASTS’s tech or contracts. Iridium Earnings Miss. CEO Touts Satellite Phone Strategic Fit
- Negative Sentiment: AT&T warned that SpaceX and Amazon could rival ASTS in the satellite connectivity race; that comment sparked premarket selling and renewed investor concern about competition and carrier relationships. ASTS stock slides premarket: AT&T says SpaceX and Amazon could rival AST SpaceMobile in satellite race
- Negative Sentiment: Short‑term profit‑taking and the stock’s high beta amplify downside after recent gains; investors are watching carrier deals and execution timelines closely. AST SpaceMobile Is Impossible to Ignore Right Now. Here’s What to Do With It.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
Several research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $117.00 price target on shares of AST SpaceMobile in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of AST SpaceMobile in a report on Friday, March 27th. Scotiabank lowered shares of AST SpaceMobile from a “sector perform” rating to a “sector underperform” rating and set a $45.60 price objective for the company. in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of AST SpaceMobile from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of AST SpaceMobile from a “sell” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $82.51.
View Our Latest Research Report on ASTS
AST SpaceMobile Stock Performance
The stock has a market cap of $29.19 billion, a P/E ratio of -57.88 and a beta of 2.81. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $87.84 and a 200 day moving average price of $83.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 16.35 and a quick ratio of 16.27.
AST SpaceMobile (NASDAQ:ASTS – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, March 2nd. The company reported ($0.26) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.18) by ($0.08). The business had revenue of $54.31 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $39.53 million. AST SpaceMobile had a negative net margin of 482.16% and a negative return on equity of 23.02%. The business’s revenue was up 2731.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that AST SpaceMobile, Inc. will post -0.99 EPS for the current year.
Insiders Place Their Bets
In other AST SpaceMobile news, major shareholder Hiroshi Mikitani sold 1,350,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $86.22, for a total transaction of $116,397,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 27,980,155 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,412,448,964.10. The trade was a 4.60% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CTO Huiwen Yao sold 40,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $88.88, for a total transaction of $3,555,200.00. Following the sale, the chief technology officer owned 4,750 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $422,180. This trade represents a 89.39% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 3,080,000 shares of company stock valued at $274,452,000 in the last 90 days. 30.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.
Institutional Trading of AST SpaceMobile
A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of ASTS. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its stake in AST SpaceMobile by 11.8% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 34,548 shares of the company’s stock valued at $786,000 after purchasing an additional 3,642 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its stake in AST SpaceMobile by 4.6% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 79,764 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,814,000 after purchasing an additional 3,515 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC increased its stake in AST SpaceMobile by 16.1% during the 1st quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 467,626 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,634,000 after purchasing an additional 64,989 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its stake in AST SpaceMobile by 18.1% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 325,621 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,405,000 after purchasing an additional 49,811 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Strs Ohio bought a new stake in AST SpaceMobile during the 1st quarter valued at $168,000. Institutional investors 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.