AST SpaceMobile (NASDAQ:ASTS) Trading Up 7.4% – What’s Next?

AST SpaceMobile, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASTS)’s share price traded up 7.4% during trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $97.65 and last traded at $96.23. 24,244,237 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 47% from the average session volume of 16,481,650 shares. The stock had previously closed at $89.58.

Key Stories Impacting AST SpaceMobile

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

• Positive Sentiment: Defiance launched the Defiance Daily Target 2X Long ASTS ETF (ASTY), giving traders a new leveraged product tied directly to AST SpaceMobile and signaling rising speculative interest in the name. Defiance Launches ASTY: The 2X Long ETF for AST SpaceMobile, Inc.
• Positive Sentiment: Orange announced new partnerships with AST SpaceMobile to expand direct-to-cell satellite services and run trials in Romania, reinforcing commercialization progress and international expansion potential. Orange Satellite And Cyber Moves Add New Angles To Valuation Story
• Positive Sentiment: Reports highlighted FCC approval for AST SpaceMobile to provide commercial direct-to-device service in the U.S., a key regulatory milestone that supports the company’s growth narrative. Forget SpaceX. These 2 Space Stocks Could Be the Real Winners Of the Coming IPO Frenzy
• Positive Sentiment: Commentary around ASTS’s strong recent share-price momentum and technical breakout suggests traders may be chasing further upside. A Look At AST SpaceMobile (ASTS) Valuation After Strong Recent Share Price Momentum
• Neutral Sentiment: AST SpaceMobile presented at J.P. Morgan’s global technology conference, which keeps the company in front of investors but did not include a clearly market-moving new announcement. AST SpaceMobile, Inc. (ASTS) Presents at J.P. Morgan 54th Annual Global Technology, Media and Communications Conference Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles framed ASTS as a rising satellite-communications winner, but these were largely commentary pieces reinforcing the bullish narrative rather than new fundamental developments. Why AST SpaceMobile Is the Bigger Winner of the AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon Joint Venture

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of AST SpaceMobile from $85.00 to $80.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. New Street Research assumed coverage on shares of AST SpaceMobile in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $80.00 price objective for the company. B. Riley Financial increased their price objective on shares of AST SpaceMobile from $75.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $117.00 price objective on AST SpaceMobile in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. Finally, Zacks Research raised AST SpaceMobile from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $79.45.

AST SpaceMobile Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $36.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -54.06 and a beta of 2.60. The company’s 50 day moving average is $84.48 and its 200-day moving average is $83.20. The company has a current ratio of 18.47, a quick ratio of 18.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11.

AST SpaceMobile (NASDAQ:ASTS) last issued its earnings results on Monday, May 11th. The company reported ($0.66) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.23) by ($0.43). AST SpaceMobile had a negative net margin of 573.67% and a negative return on equity of 24.87%. The firm had revenue of $14.74 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $39.01 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted ($0.20) earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 1952.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that AST SpaceMobile, Inc. will post -1.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at AST SpaceMobile

In other AST SpaceMobile news, Director Julio A. Torres sold 15,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.34, for a total transaction of $1,145,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 43,239 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,300,865.26. This trade represents a 25.76% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CTO Huiwen Yao sold 40,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $88.88, for a total value of $3,555,200.00. Following the sale, the chief technology officer directly owned 4,750 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $422,180. This represents a 89.39% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 3,095,000 shares of company stock worth $275,597,100. Insiders own 20.89% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AST SpaceMobile

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Western Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in AST SpaceMobile by 105.3% during the 1st quarter. Western Wealth Management LLC now owns 9,961 shares of the company’s stock valued at $825,000 after purchasing an additional 5,108 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its position in AST SpaceMobile by 140.3% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,644,246 shares of the company’s stock worth $136,259,000 after acquiring an additional 960,045 shares during the last quarter. Amundi lifted its position in AST SpaceMobile by 79.7% during the first quarter. Amundi now owns 223,765 shares of the company’s stock worth $18,543,000 after acquiring an additional 99,236 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in AST SpaceMobile by 251.7% during the first quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 721 shares of the company’s stock worth $60,000 after acquiring an additional 516 shares during the last quarter. Finally, California State Teachers Retirement System lifted its position in AST SpaceMobile by 26.5% during the first quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 261,676 shares of the company’s stock worth $21,685,000 after acquiring an additional 54,887 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.