AST SpaceMobile (NASDAQ:ASTS) Shares Up 4.1% – Here’s What Happened

Shares of AST SpaceMobile, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASTS) were up 4.1% during trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $87.74 and last traded at $85.76. Approximately 9,236,836 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 41% from the average daily volume of 15,639,140 shares. The stock had previously closed at $82.36.

Trending Headlines about AST SpaceMobile

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

• Positive Sentiment: ASTS secured a roughly $30 million SDA prime contract to deploy BlueBird LEO satellites, bringing the company into U.S. national?security / dual?use communications work — a material new revenue channel and credibility boost for government business. AST SpaceMobile’s SDA Contract Shifts Story Toward Defense And Dual Use
• Positive Sentiment: Market reaction: coverage and the contract announcement drove a notable intraday jump after the government award was disclosed, supporting today’s share strength. AST SpaceMobile Jumps 9% After Government Contract Announcement
• Neutral Sentiment: Upcoming catalyst: ASTS reports Q4 results after the close on March 2 — investors are positioning ahead of the print, so short?term moves may be driven by expectations for new-launch timing, subscriber/site updates or further contract details. Satellite Stock Needs a Post-Earnings Pop to Stop the Slide
• Neutral Sentiment: Short interest data shown recently is inconsistent (reported as zero shares / NaN changes) — unclear signal; not currently a reliable driver of price moves. (Data entries 2/25–2/26)
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and analyst caution: some coverage flags a high market cap versus limited current revenue and substantial cash burn; at least one Wall Street note cited a “Reduce” rating and estimate cuts — these raise downside risk if earnings or launch execution miss expectations. How Should You Play ASTS Stock Ahead of Q4 Earnings Release?
• Negative Sentiment: Sentiment and fundamentals warning: independent commentary highlights a disconnect between a multibillion market cap and modest recent revenue plus sizable operating cash outflows — a reminder that the rally is priced for successful launches and commercialization execution. ASTS Trades at $30 Billion While Reddit Turns Sharply Bearish

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of AST SpaceMobile in a report on Monday, December 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of AST SpaceMobile in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. B. Riley Financial dropped their price objective on AST SpaceMobile from $105.00 to $95.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 13th. Zacks Research lowered AST SpaceMobile from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Friday, January 9th. Finally, Scotiabank downgraded shares of AST SpaceMobile from a “sector perform” rating to a “sector underperform” rating and set a $45.60 price target on the stock. in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AST SpaceMobile presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $52.94.

AST SpaceMobile Price Performance

The business’s fifty day moving average price is $93.22 and its 200-day moving average price is $72.05. The company has a market capitalization of $31.48 billion, a P/E ratio of -69.16 and a beta of 2.70. The company has a current ratio of 9.56, a quick ratio of 9.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43.

Insider Buying and Selling

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 shares were bought at an average price of $80.00 per share, for a total transaction of $50,000.00. Following the transaction, 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 purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Tower Corp /Ma/ American sold 2,288,621 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $69.75, for a total value of $159,631,314.75. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 211,379 shares in the company, valued at $14,743,685.25. This trade represents a 91.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders have bought 2,015 shares of company stock worth $149,144 and have sold 2,344,621 shares worth $163,788,075. Company insiders own 30.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of AST SpaceMobile

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Crewe Advisors LLC bought a new stake in AST SpaceMobile during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of AST SpaceMobile during the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Byrne Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AST SpaceMobile during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Acumen Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of AST SpaceMobile in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in AST SpaceMobile during the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.95% of the company’s stock.

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.