AST SpaceMobile (NASDAQ:ASTS) Shares Up 7.1% – Should You Buy?

Shares of AST SpaceMobile, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASTS) were up 7.1% during mid-day trading on Friday. The company traded as high as $33.16 and last traded at $32.33. Approximately 32,370,678 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 93% from the average session volume of 16,753,744 shares. The stock had previously closed at $30.20.

Key AST SpaceMobile News

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

• Positive Sentiment: AST SpaceMobile plans to develop a 20-ton rocket, named Blacklift, to launch its BlueBird satellites, using Miranda and Vira engines from Firefly Aerospace. The move could give ASTS more control over satellite deployment and support its network expansion. AST SpaceMobile rocket announcement
• Positive Sentiment: Firefly’s related engine agreement is valued at more than $1.3 billion over three years and includes engine deliveries, licensed technology and engineering support, making the rocket plan more concrete. The scale of the commitment also underscores the cost and execution involved. Reuters report on Firefly engine deal
• Positive Sentiment: The company also recently disclosed work under a U.S. Space Force contract to advance space-based sensing capabilities, adding a government-development opportunity alongside its commercial plans. Space Force contract announcement
• Neutral Sentiment: ASTS is scheduled to report third-quarter results after the market closes November 9. Analyst estimates cited in coverage call for a $0.42-per-share loss and $45.73 million in revenue; options activity points to expectations of a sizable move around the report. Earnings and options expectations
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple law firms are publicizing a securities class action filed on behalf of investors who bought ASTS securities from March 4, 2025, through July 15, 2026; the lead-plaintiff deadline is November 13. The lawsuit alleges misleading statements, including about competitive positioning and customer adoption. These are allegations, not proven findings, but the litigation adds uncertainty. Class-action deadline notice

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ASTS has been the subject of several research reports. Berenberg Bank started coverage on AST SpaceMobile in a report on Wednesday, September 2nd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $92.00 target price for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of AST SpaceMobile from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $93.00 price target on the stock in a report on Monday, October 12th. UBS Group started coverage on shares of AST SpaceMobile in a research report on Wednesday, September 2nd. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Scotiabank upgraded shares of AST SpaceMobile from a “sector perform” rating to a “sector outperform” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $50.80 to $55.70 in a research note on Friday, October 23rd. Finally, B. Riley Financial lowered AST SpaceMobile from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $85.00 to $65.00 in a report on Friday, October 2nd. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $80.67.

AST SpaceMobile Price Performance

The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $52.75 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $76.41. The stock has a market cap of $12.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -15.11 and a beta of 2.88. The company has a quick ratio of 12.90, a current ratio of 13.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24.

AST SpaceMobile (NASDAQ:ASTS) last issued its earnings results on Monday, August 10th. The company reported ($0.77) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.32) by ($0.45). AST SpaceMobile had a negative return on equity of 22.88% and a negative net margin of 536.66%. The company had revenue of $31.52 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $34.53 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned ($0.41) EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that AST SpaceMobile, Inc. will post -1.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at AST SpaceMobile

In other news, CTO Huiwen Yao sold 40,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.93, for a total value 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 $2,047,817.50. The trade was a 53.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, COO Shanti Gupta sold 12,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.89, for a total transaction of $706,680.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 462,980 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $27,264,892.20. The trade was a 2.53% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 20.89% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AST SpaceMobile

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Compass Financial Management LLC purchased a new position in AST SpaceMobile in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of AST SpaceMobile by 16,350.0% during the 1st quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 329 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 327 shares during the last quarter. Grove Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in shares of AST SpaceMobile in the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Continuum Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AST SpaceMobile in the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, CX Institutional increased its holdings in shares of AST SpaceMobile by 1,256.1% in the third quarter. CX Institutional now owns 556 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 515 shares during the last quarter. 60.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AST SpaceMobile Company Profile

AST SpaceMobile, Inc is a space-based communications company developing a global cellular broadband network designed to connect directly with standard, unmodified mobile phones. Its technology is intended to extend wireless coverage beyond traditional terrestrial networks, including in rural, remote and underserved areas.

The company is building and deploying a constellation of large low Earth orbit satellites, known as the BlueBird satellite system. AST SpaceMobile plans to provide voice, messaging, data and broadband services through partnerships with mobile network operators, allowing subscribers to remain connected outside the reach of conventional cellular towers.

Founded in 2017 and headquartered in Midland, Texas, AST SpaceMobile was established by Abel Avellan, who serves as its chairman and chief executive officer.