AST SpaceMobile (NASDAQ:ASTS) Rating Increased to Hold at Zacks Research

Zacks Research upgraded shares of AST SpaceMobile (NASDAQ:ASTS) from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a research report released on Wednesday morning,Zacks.com reports.

Several other brokerages have also commented on ASTS. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of AST SpaceMobile from $43.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of AST SpaceMobile in a report on Monday, December 29th. B. Riley Financial cut their target price on AST SpaceMobile from $105.00 to $95.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 13th. Scotiabank cut 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. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “buy” rating on shares of AST SpaceMobile in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $63.77.

AST SpaceMobile Stock Performance

Shares of ASTS stock opened at $89.88 on Wednesday. AST SpaceMobile has a fifty-two week low of $18.22 and a fifty-two week high of $129.89. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $94.71 and its two-hundred day moving average is $73.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 16.35 and a quick ratio of 9.48. The firm has a market cap of $32.99 billion, a P/E ratio of -68.09 and a beta of 2.77.

AST SpaceMobile (NASDAQ:ASTS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, March 2nd. The company reported ($0.26) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.18) by ($0.08). The firm had revenue of $54.31 million during 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%. AST SpaceMobile’s revenue for the quarter was up 2731.3% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that AST SpaceMobile will post -0.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling 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 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 is accessible through this link. Also, COO Shanti B. Gupta sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.34, for a total value of $773,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 382,375 shares in the company, valued at $29,572,882.50. This trade represents a 2.55% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders bought 2,015 shares of company stock worth $149,144 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 30.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of AST SpaceMobile by 11.8% in the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 34,548 shares of the company’s stock worth $786,000 after acquiring an additional 3,642 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its position in AST SpaceMobile by 4.6% in the 1st 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 during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC grew its position in AST SpaceMobile by 16.1% in the 1st quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 467,626 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,634,000 after purchasing an additional 64,989 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its holdings 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 period. Finally, Strs Ohio acquired a new position in shares of AST SpaceMobile during the first quarter valued at about $168,000. 60.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting AST SpaceMobile

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

• Positive Sentiment: TELUS commercial agreement to deliver space-based cellular broadband across Canada — expands ASTS’s carrier footprint, validates the business model and likely drives near-term commercial revenue expectations. TELUS and AST SpaceMobile Partner to Bring Space-Based Cellular Broadband Connectivity to Every Corner of Canada
• Positive Sentiment: Orange added AST SpaceMobile to its satellite roster and scheduled Europe direct-to-cell trials for late 2026 — another major carrier validating trials and potential commercial rollout in Europe. Orange Adds AST SpaceMobile to its Satellite Roster
• Positive Sentiment: Operator sign-ups expand: additional Canadian MNOs and a growing partner backlog (reported >$1.2B contracted backlog) and 2025 revenue of ~$70.9M show the company has moved past pre-revenue. AST plans 45–60 satellites by end-2026 to enable continuous coverage. AST SpaceMobile: A Bold Bet On Space Networks
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst coverage: Zacks upgraded ASTS from “strong sell” to “hold” (marginally positive signal) and other media noted analyst upgrades that helped drive intraday moves. Zacks.com
• Neutral Sentiment: UBS raised its price target to $85 but maintained a “neutral” rating — this is an upward PT revision but implies limited upside from current levels. UBS price target update
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage pieces highlight ASTS as a Starlink competitor; competition remains a market watch item rather than an immediate negative. AST SpaceMobile Is Taking on Starlink
• Negative Sentiment: Recent quarterly EPS missed estimates (reported -$0.26 vs. -$0.18) and the company still posts large negative margins and a negative P/E — execution risk and capital needs remain meaningful headwinds. (Company Q1 results, March 2 release)

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.