AST SpaceMobile (NASDAQ:ASTS) Stock Price Down 15.2% – Here’s What Happened

AST SpaceMobile, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASTS) traded down 15.2% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $79.89 and last traded at $82.22. 30,093,297 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 73% from the average session volume of 17,425,555 shares. The stock had previously closed at $96.92.

Key Headlines Impacting AST SpaceMobile

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

• Positive Sentiment: Successful BlueBird 6 deployment validates AST’s large-aperture Block?2 satellite design and supports the company’s path to commercial service and contracted revenue—this removes a major technical risk and is a core long-term positive for revenue potential. BlueBird 6 Unfolds (BusinessWire)
• Positive Sentiment: Inclusion in the MSCI World/Global index increases the likelihood of passive fund buying into Feb. 27 rebalancing, offering a near-term demand tailwind for the stock. MSCI adds AST SpaceMobile (Investing.com)
• Neutral Sentiment: Company priced repurchases of about $300M of convertible senior notes — reducing some debt burden — but the mechanics and funding raise questions about net shareholder impact. Repurchases Priced (Seeking Alpha)
• Negative Sentiment: AST announced a proposed private offering of $1.0B in convertible senior notes due 2036 — investors view this as meaningful additional leverage and potential future dilution if converted. $1B Convertible Offering (BusinessWire)
• Negative Sentiment: Repurchase program will be funded in part by concurrent registered direct offerings of Class A common stock — a structure that can be dilutive and is a likely reason retail/institutional sellers reacted negatively. Repurchases Funded by Registered Direct Offerings (BusinessWire)
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling and analyst estimate cuts (2025/2026 EPS loss revisions) increase caution among investors about near-term profitability and valuation. Insider Selling (Yahoo Finance)
• Negative Sentiment: Media/retail chatter spiked around the fundraising plan, amplifying volatility and prompting some premarket selling pressure. Retail Chatter (MSN)

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have commented on ASTS. Zacks Research downgraded shares of AST SpaceMobile from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Friday, January 9th. B. Riley Financial cut AST SpaceMobile from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of AST SpaceMobile in a report on Monday, December 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “buy” rating on shares of AST SpaceMobile in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, Scotiabank cut 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 research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $45.66.

AST SpaceMobile Trading Down 15.2%

The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $91.19 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $69.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 9.56 and a quick ratio of 9.48. The firm has a market capitalization of $30.18 billion, a P/E ratio of -66.31 and a beta of 2.70.

AST SpaceMobile (NASDAQ:ASTS) last released its earnings results on Monday, November 10th. The company reported ($0.45) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.18) by ($0.27). The firm had revenue of $14.74 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.04 million. AST SpaceMobile had a negative net margin of 1,639.59% and a negative return on equity of 27.76%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 1236.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted ($1.10) EPS. Equities research analysts expect that AST SpaceMobile, Inc. will post -0.4 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, COO Shanti B. Gupta sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.34, for a total value of $773,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 382,375 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $29,572,882.50. This represents a 2.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Andrew Martin Johnson sold 10,000 shares of AST SpaceMobile stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $56.00, for a total value of $560,000.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 387,485 shares in the company, valued at $21,699,160. This trade represents a 2.52% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders bought 2,765 shares of company stock valued at $187,236 and sold 2,354,621 shares valued at $164,348,075. Insiders own 30.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in ASTS. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. increased its position in AST SpaceMobile by 48.0% during the 3rd quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 532,960 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,158,000 after purchasing an additional 172,759 shares during the period. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System boosted its stake in shares of AST SpaceMobile by 342.2% in the second quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System now owns 132,087 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,172,000 after buying an additional 102,217 shares in the last quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of AST SpaceMobile in the second quarter valued at approximately $21,754,000. Yarbrough Capital LLC grew its holdings in AST SpaceMobile by 28.0% during the third quarter. Yarbrough Capital LLC now owns 99,372 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,877,000 after acquiring an additional 21,739 shares during the period. Finally, State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D raised its position in AST SpaceMobile by 14.0% in the second quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 77,159 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,606,000 after acquiring an additional 9,448 shares in the last quarter. 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.