AST SpaceMobile (NASDAQ:ASTS) Stock Price Up 2.5% After Analyst Upgrade

AST SpaceMobile, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASTS) rose 2.5% during mid-day trading on Wednesday after New Street Research upgraded the stock to a hold rating. The stock traded as high as $77.68 and last traded at $74.81. Approximately 14,848,624 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 7% from the average daily volume of 16,013,395 shares. The stock had previously closed at $72.96.

Several other analysts also recently issued reports on ASTS. Roth Mkm restated a “buy” rating and set a $108.00 price objective on shares of AST SpaceMobile in a report on Tuesday. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of AST SpaceMobile in a report on Friday, March 27th. B. Riley Financial lifted their target price on AST SpaceMobile from $75.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday. UBS Group lowered their target price on AST SpaceMobile from $85.00 to $80.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Zacks Research raised AST SpaceMobile from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, AST SpaceMobile has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $79.45.

Insider Buying and Selling at AST SpaceMobile

In other AST SpaceMobile news, CTO Huiwen Yao sold 40,000 shares of AST SpaceMobile stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $88.88, for a total transaction of $3,555,200.00. Following the transaction, the chief technology officer owned 4,750 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $422,180. The trade was a 89.39% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Hiroshi Mikitani sold 1,690,000 shares of AST SpaceMobile stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.42, for a total value of $154,499,800.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 29,330,155 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,681,362,770.10. This trade represents a 5.45% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 3,095,000 shares of company stock valued at $275,597,100 in the last 90 days. 20.89% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting AST SpaceMobile

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

• Positive Sentiment: AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile announced a satellite-to-phone joint venture to extend coverage in dead zones, which investors may see as validation of AST SpaceMobile’s direct-to-device business model and a sign of growing demand for space-based mobile connectivity. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: AST SpaceMobile publicly welcomed the carriers’ joint venture, reinforcing the idea that its space-based cellular network could become an important part of future mobile coverage efforts. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: New Street Research launched a new space-economy coverage group and included ASTS on its initial list, which can increase investor attention and trading interest in the stock. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst opinion remains cautious overall, with a reported consensus rating of “Reduce,” reflecting mixed views on AST SpaceMobile’s execution and valuation. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Director Julio A. Torres sold 15,000 shares, a move that can weigh on sentiment because insider selling sometimes signals reduced confidence, even though he still holds a meaningful stake. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Recent post-earnings coverage continues to highlight ASTS’s Q1 miss, weaker forecasts, and execution risks, which may limit upside despite the positive carrier news. Article Title

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AST SpaceMobile

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in ASTS. Vodafone Ventures Ltd bought a new stake in shares of AST SpaceMobile in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $397,413,000. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of AST SpaceMobile in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $198,270,000. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of AST SpaceMobile by 13.4% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 19,919,888 shares of the company’s stock valued at $977,668,000 after buying an additional 2,351,539 shares in the last quarter. Clear Street Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of AST SpaceMobile in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $90,129,000. Finally, Morgan Stanley grew its stake in shares of AST SpaceMobile by 44.0% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 4,661,551 shares of the company’s stock valued at $338,569,000 after buying an additional 1,425,199 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 60.95% of the company’s stock.

AST SpaceMobile Trading Up 0.8%

The firm has a market cap of $31.96 billion, a P/E ratio of -47.01 and a beta of 2.60. The company has a 50 day moving average of $85.08 and a 200 day moving average of $82.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 16.27 and a current ratio of 18.47.

AST SpaceMobile (NASDAQ:ASTS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 11th. The company reported ($0.66) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.23) by ($0.43). The firm had revenue of $14.74 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $39.01 million. AST SpaceMobile had a negative net margin of 573.67% and a negative return on equity of 24.87%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 1952.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted ($0.20) EPS. Analysts predict that AST SpaceMobile, Inc. will post -1.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.