AST SpaceMobile (NASDAQ:ASTS) Shares Gap Up – Still a Buy?

Shares of AST SpaceMobile, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASTS) gapped up prior to trading on Wednesday . The stock had previously closed at $80.01, but opened at $84.66. AST SpaceMobile shares last traded at $84.91, with a volume of 7,563,124 shares changing hands.

Trending Headlines about AST SpaceMobile

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

• Positive Sentiment: FCC grants commercial authority to operate SpaceMobile’s NGSO direct-to-device system across the U.S., clearing the way for up to 248 satellites and validating AST’s business model and addressable market. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Market commentators note the FCC approval is driving a rebound in the stock, framing the regulatory win as a material de-risking of AST’s permission to scale commercial service. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Long-term performance context: one analysis highlights AST’s strong 1-year gain (~280%) but also shows the stock remains well below its 52-week high, signaling both momentum and recent volatility. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and commentators emphasize the company has cleared regulatory hurdles but that execution (satellite build, launches, and in-orbit performance) will determine whether the opportunity converts to revenue and profits. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Sector note: peers like Iridium recently missed earnings, underscoring crowded dynamics and that satellite businesses can show volatile near-term financials even as strategic narratives evolve. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Blue Origin launch failure (loss/incorrect orbit of BlueBird 7) materially raised execution risk and previously knocked the stock lower, reminding investors that launch and deployment setbacks can sharply delay commercial rollouts. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Carrier concern: AT&T warned that large players like SpaceX and Amazon could become rivals in the satellite-to-phone race, highlighting competitive risk from better-capitalized tech incumbents. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Near-term share pressure reflects the tug-of-war between the regulatory win and tangible operational risks; investors should watch upcoming launch schedules, Blue Origin recovery plans, and AST’s execution guidance for catalysts. Read More.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Barclays boosted their price target on AST SpaceMobile from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $117.00 price target on AST SpaceMobile in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of AST SpaceMobile in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Wall Street Zen lowered AST SpaceMobile from a “sell” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Finally, Zacks Research raised AST SpaceMobile from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Two 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’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $82.51.

AST SpaceMobile Trading Down 7.0%

The business has a fifty day moving average of $87.84 and a 200-day moving average of $83.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 16.27 and a current ratio of 16.35. The company has a market capitalization of $30.08 billion, a P/E ratio of -59.66 and a beta of 2.81.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.18) by ($0.08). AST SpaceMobile had a negative return on equity of 23.02% and a negative net margin of 482.16%.The firm had revenue of $54.31 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $39.53 million. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2731.3% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that AST SpaceMobile, Inc. will post -0.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CTO Huiwen Yao sold 40,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $88.88, for a total value of $3,555,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief technology officer directly owned 4,750 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $422,180. This represents a 89.39% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Hiroshi Mikitani sold 1,350,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $86.22, for a total value of $116,397,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 27,980,155 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,412,448,964.10. The trade was a 4.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 3,080,000 shares of company stock valued at $274,452,000 over the last three months. 30.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AST SpaceMobile

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. increased its position in shares of AST SpaceMobile by 48.0% during the 3rd quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 532,960 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,158,000 after purchasing an additional 172,759 shares during the last quarter. Yarbrough Capital LLC increased its position in shares of AST SpaceMobile by 28.0% during the 3rd quarter. Yarbrough Capital LLC now owns 99,372 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,877,000 after purchasing an additional 21,739 shares during the last quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AST SpaceMobile during the 3rd quarter valued at $1,882,000. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al increased its position in shares of AST SpaceMobile by 28.5% during the 3rd quarter. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al now owns 27,500 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,350,000 after purchasing an additional 6,100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its position in shares of AST SpaceMobile by 28.0% during the 3rd quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 31,580 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,550,000 after purchasing an additional 6,901 shares during the last quarter. 60.95% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.