AST SpaceMobile (NASDAQ:ASTS) Trading 3.6% Higher – Still a Buy?

AST SpaceMobile, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASTS)’s stock price was up 3.6% during trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $95.50 and last traded at $94.0350. Approximately 10,175,303 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 32% from the average daily volume of 15,015,099 shares. The stock had previously closed at $90.74.

Key Headlines Impacting AST SpaceMobile

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

• Positive Sentiment: Seeking Alpha upgraded ASTS to a Buy, highlighting a $1.2B contracted backlog and calling 2026 potentially “game‑changing” if planned satellite launches succeed — a reminder of the company’s constructive growth story if execution continues. This Is A Game Changing Year (Rating Upgrade)
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported short‑interest data in mid‑March is inconsistent in public feeds (shows 0 shares/NaN changes), so there’s no clear evidence of heavy short pressure or an imminent short squeeze from the available data; treat the short‑interest print as unreliable until corrected by exchanges or regulators.
• Neutral Sentiment: Market writeups (Zacks/Yahoo) provide context on the intraday drop and positioning versus the broader market rather than identifying fresh company‑specific news. These pieces are useful for framing sentiment but do not add new fundamental catalysts. Why AST SpaceMobile Dipped More Than Broader Market Today
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: President Scott Wisniewski sold 47,000 shares (~$4.45M at the reported price), reducing his stake by ~6.6%. Even routine or pre‑planned insider sales can trigger investor caution and contribute to near‑term downside. Insider Selling: AST SpaceMobile President Sells 47,000 Shares
• Negative Sentiment: Relative‑value pressure: recent analyst pieces compare ASTS unfavorably to Viasat (VSAT), arguing VSAT is a stronger satellite pick on valuation and stability — this kind of peer rotation can weigh on ASTS as investors shift to cheaper/more mature names. ASTS vs. VSAT: Which Satellite Stock is the Better Buy Today?

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently commented on ASTS. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of AST SpaceMobile from $43.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Zacks Research raised AST SpaceMobile from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Scotiabank downgraded AST SpaceMobile from a “sector perform” rating to a “sector underperform” rating and set a $45.60 price target for the company. in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. B. Riley Financial reduced their target price on AST SpaceMobile from $105.00 to $95.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of AST SpaceMobile in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $63.77.

AST SpaceMobile Trading Up 3.6%

The firm has a market cap of $34.51 billion, a P/E ratio of -71.24 and a beta of 2.77. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $96.37 and a 200-day simple moving average of $76.45. The company has a current ratio of 16.35, a quick ratio of 16.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92.

AST SpaceMobile (NASDAQ:ASTS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, March 2nd. The company reported ($0.26) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.18) by ($0.08). The firm had revenue of $54.31 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $39.53 million. AST SpaceMobile had a negative net margin of 482.16% and a negative return on equity of 23.02%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2731.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that AST SpaceMobile, Inc. will post -0.4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at AST SpaceMobile

In other AST SpaceMobile news, Director Keith R. Larson bought 625 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 24th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $80.00 per share, for a total transaction of $50,000.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 2,015 shares in the company, valued at $161,200. This trade represents a 44.96% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 30.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AST SpaceMobile

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its position in AST SpaceMobile by 11.8% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 34,548 shares of the company’s stock valued at $786,000 after buying an additional 3,642 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its position in shares of AST SpaceMobile by 4.6% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 79,764 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,814,000 after purchasing an additional 3,515 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of AST SpaceMobile by 16.1% in the first 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 shares of 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 worth $7,405,000 after purchasing an additional 49,811 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Strs Ohio bought a new position in AST SpaceMobile in the 1st quarter valued at about $168,000. 60.95% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About AST SpaceMobile

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.