AST SpaceMobile (NASDAQ:ASTS) Shares Down 8.5% – Here’s Why

AST SpaceMobile, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASTS)’s stock price was down 8.5% during mid-day trading on Tuesday. The stock traded as low as $46.23 and last traded at $47.07. 22,924,993 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 37% from the average daily volume of 16,722,135 shares. The stock had previously closed at $51.46.

Key Headlines Impacting AST SpaceMobile

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of AST SpaceMobile in a research report on Monday, September 21st. William Blair reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of AST SpaceMobile in a research report on Monday, October 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of AST SpaceMobile from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $93.00 price target for the company in a research report on Monday. Piper Sandler downgraded AST SpaceMobile from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $98.00 to $54.00 in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Scotiabank raised AST SpaceMobile from a “sector underperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and set a $50.80 price target on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AST SpaceMobile has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $80.18.

AST SpaceMobile Stock Up 5.7%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24, a current ratio of 13.05 and a quick ratio of 12.90. The firm has a market cap of $17.34 billion, a P/E ratio of -20.93 and a beta of 2.72. The stock’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 announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 10th. The company reported ($0.77) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.32) by ($0.45). The firm had revenue of $31.52 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $34.53 million. AST SpaceMobile had a negative net margin of 536.66% and a negative return on equity of 22.88%. During the same period last year, the company posted ($0.41) earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that AST SpaceMobile, Inc. will post -1.95 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at AST SpaceMobile

In other AST SpaceMobile news, CTO Huiwen Yao sold 40,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $58.93, for a total transaction of $2,357,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief technology officer directly owned 34,750 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,047,817.50. The trade was a 53.51% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Adriana Cisneros purchased 10,822 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 31st. The shares were purchased at an average price of $57.22 per share, with a total value of $619,234.84. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 797,023 shares in the company, valued at approximately $45,605,656.06. This trade represents a 1.38% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 20.89% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AST SpaceMobile

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Bank of America Corp DE raised its position in shares of AST SpaceMobile by 140.3% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,644,246 shares of the company’s stock valued at $136,259,000 after buying an additional 960,045 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP grew its position in AST SpaceMobile by 14.3% in the first quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,316,852 shares of the company’s stock worth $109,128,000 after acquiring an additional 164,303 shares during the period. Tidal Investments LLC grew its holdings in shares of AST SpaceMobile by 9,876.8% during the 2nd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 1,049,061 shares of the company’s stock worth $93,220,000 after purchasing an additional 1,038,546 shares during the period. Tema ETFs LLC raised its holdings in AST SpaceMobile by 109,486.8% in the 2nd quarter. Tema ETFs LLC now owns 1,003,815 shares of the company’s stock valued at $89,199,000 after buying an additional 1,002,899 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its stake in AST SpaceMobile by 21.5% during the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 837,559 shares of the company’s stock worth $69,409,000 after buying an additional 148,464 shares during the period. 60.95% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AST SpaceMobile Company Profile

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.