AST SpaceMobile (NASDAQ:ASTS) Trading 10.4% Higher – Still a Buy?

AST SpaceMobile, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASTS) shares rose 10.4% during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $98.51 and last traded at $96.06. Approximately 17,948,624 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 20% from the average daily volume of 14,966,493 shares. The stock had previously closed at $86.98.

AST SpaceMobile News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Broader-space rally: Reports that SpaceX may file a large IPO lifted demand for space and satellite names, providing a sector-wide tailwind for ASTS. Space stocks rally on reports of SpaceX’s imminent IPO filing
• Positive Sentiment: Operational progress & revenue beat: ASTS reported stronger-than-expected Q4 revenue and gave updates on the BlueBird program (BlueBird‑7), which investors view as the key near-term commercial catalyst if launches and operator hookups proceed. Q4 revenue beat and BlueBird 7 launch update
• Neutral Sentiment: Technical/volume context: The name has shown big intraday moves after a recent breakout attempt near $100 and elevated volume — this amplifies volatility and makes profit-taking more likely after rallies. Trading and volatility context
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: CTO Huiwen Yao sold 40,000 shares (~$3.56M) on March 23, materially reducing his stake — a notable disposal that can spook some investors even if it’s routine. CTO insider sale filing
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst/valuation headwinds: Broker consensus has shifted toward a “Reduce” view and several analysts warn the stock may be priced for perfection — ASTS still posts negative margins, missed EPS vs. consensus, and execution/monetization risks that could trigger downside if launches or operator deals slip. Consensus “Reduce” report
• Negative Sentiment: Profit-taking after rally: After multi-day gains tied to sector hype and positive company updates, some investors appear to be locking in gains, contributing to today’s pullback. Zacks on today’s dip

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ASTS has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. UBS Group raised their target price on AST SpaceMobile from $43.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a “neutral” 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 objective for the company. in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “buy” rating on shares of AST SpaceMobile in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of AST SpaceMobile in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, B. Riley Financial reduced their target price on shares of AST SpaceMobile from $105.00 to $95.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AST SpaceMobile has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $63.77.

AST SpaceMobile Trading Down 8.5%

The stock has a market cap of $33.56 billion, a PE ratio of -66.56 and a beta of 2.77. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $95.72 and a 200-day moving average price of $78.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 16.27 and a current ratio of 16.35.

AST SpaceMobile (NASDAQ:ASTS) last issued its earnings results on Monday, March 2nd. The company reported ($0.26) earnings per share (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 return on equity of 23.02% and a negative net margin of 482.16%.The company’s revenue was up 2731.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that AST SpaceMobile, Inc. will post -0.4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at AST SpaceMobile

In other news, CTO Huiwen Yao sold 40,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $88.88, for a total transaction of $3,555,200.00. Following the sale, the chief technology officer owned 4,750 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $422,180. This trade represents a 89.39% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 30.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of AST SpaceMobile by 11.8% in the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 34,548 shares of the company’s stock worth $786,000 after buying an additional 3,642 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its position in 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 valued at $1,814,000 after acquiring an additional 3,515 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC lifted its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 64,989 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its holdings in AST SpaceMobile by 18.1% in the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 325,621 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,405,000 after acquiring an additional 49,811 shares during the period. Finally, Strs Ohio purchased a new position in AST SpaceMobile in the first quarter worth about $168,000. Institutional investors own 60.95% of the company’s stock.

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.