AST SpaceMobile (NASDAQ:ASTS) Stock Price Down 5.9% Following Insider Selling

Key Points

• AST SpaceMobile shares fell 5.9% on Friday to as low as $84.91, with volume of about 19.77 million shares (up ~32% vs. average), after reports of insider selling.
• Billionaire major shareholder Hiroshi Mikitani sold a combined 3.04 million shares on April 14–15 for roughly $271 million (at ~ $91.42 and $86.22), materially reducing his stake and likely adding near‑term selling pressure.
• Analyst views are mixed—MarketBeat shows a consensus rating of “Reduce” with a $77.10 target—while near‑term catalysts like the upcoming BlueBird‑7 launch and institutional accumulation compete with competitive/regulatory risks (e.g., Amazon/Globalstar) and recent downgrades.

AST SpaceMobile, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASTS - Get Free Report)'s share price was down 5.9% during trading on Friday following insider selling activity. The stock traded as low as $84.91 and last traded at $85.53. Approximately 19,771,437 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 32% from the average daily volume of 15,026,604 shares. The stock had previously closed at $90.94.

Specifically, major shareholder Hiroshi Mikitani sold 1,350,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the insider owned 27,980,155 shares in the company, valued at $2,412,448,964.10. This represents a 4.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Hiroshi Mikitani sold 1,690,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.42, for a total transaction of $154,499,800.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 29,330,155 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,681,362,770.10. The trade was a 5.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on ASTS. Barclays upped their target price on shares of AST SpaceMobile from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Wall Street Zen lowered AST SpaceMobile from a "sell" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Wednesday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $117.00 price objective on AST SpaceMobile in a research report on Wednesday. UBS Group lifted their target price on AST SpaceMobile from $43.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of AST SpaceMobile in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Reduce" and a consensus price target of $77.10.

Key Stories Impacting AST SpaceMobile

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

• Positive Sentiment: BlueBird‑7 launch scheduled for April 19 — a proximate operational catalyst that could validate ASTS technology and reduce execution uncertainty if successful; company invited qualified retail shareholders to attend the live launch. AST SpaceMobile Announces BlueBird 7 Launch Date
• Positive Sentiment: High‑profile endorsement — Jim Cramer spoke favorably about ASTS on Mad Money ("Let's own this one"), which can stimulate retail buying and short‑term momentum. Jim Cramer on AST SpaceMobile: “Let’s Own This One”
• Positive Sentiment: Improved commercial outlook and liquidity cited — analysis highlights FY25 revenue growth, FY26 guidance ($150–$200M) and a path to $1B by FY27, plus a $1.2B contracted backlog and ~$3.9B in liquidity, which reduces near‑term dilution risk. AST SpaceMobile: From Cash Burn To Dominance
• Positive Sentiment: Institutional accumulation reported — recent filings show large asset managers (Vanguard, Morgan Stanley, State Street) increasing positions, which supports longer‑term demand for shares. MarketBeat ASTS profile
• Neutral Sentiment: Unusual options activity — call open interest spiked (~172,934 calls bought, ~39% above average), indicating elevated bullish speculation or hedging but not guaranteeing directional follow‑through. (no direct article link)
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are re‑pricing the sector after Amazon’s Globalstar deal; some early buying as the market digests competitive implications and what it means for spectrum value and partner strategies. AST SpaceMobile shares climb as investors digest Amazon's Globalstar deal
• Negative Sentiment: Major insider selling — billionaire shareholder Hiroshi Mikitani disclosed multi‑day sales totaling several million shares (sales at avg. ~$86–$91), a meaningful reduction in his stake that can create selling pressure and signal liquidity needs. SEC ownership filing
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst downgrade / negative notes — at least one downgrade and critical takes on competitive/regulatory risk have been published, which can prompt short‑term selling and tighten margin for error ahead of the launch. AST SpaceMobile Trading Down After Analyst Downgrade
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive risk from Amazon/Globalstar — a deep‑pocketed entrant and spectrum consolidation raise the stakes for market share and spectrum access, a structural headwind for ASTS if competition intensifies. Why AST SpaceMobile Stock Is Retreating After Amazon's Globalstar Deal

AST SpaceMobile Price Performance

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 fifty day moving average price of $89.22 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $82.85. The company has a market cap of $32.67 billion, a P/E ratio of -64.79 and a beta of 2.81.

AST SpaceMobile (NASDAQ:ASTS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, March 2nd. The company reported ($0.26) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.18) by ($0.08). The company had revenue of $54.31 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $39.53 million. AST SpaceMobile had a negative net margin of 482.16% and a negative return on equity of 23.02%. AST SpaceMobile's revenue was up 2731.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that AST SpaceMobile, Inc. will post -0.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AST SpaceMobile

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vodafone Ventures Ltd acquired a new position in AST SpaceMobile during the fourth quarter worth $397,413,000. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of AST SpaceMobile in the 4th quarter valued at about $198,270,000. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of AST SpaceMobile by 13.4% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 19,919,888 shares of the company's stock valued at $977,668,000 after acquiring an additional 2,351,539 shares during the period. Clear Street Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of AST SpaceMobile during the 3rd quarter worth about $90,129,000. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased its stake in shares of AST SpaceMobile by 44.0% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 4,661,551 shares of the company's stock worth $338,569,000 after purchasing an additional 1,425,199 shares during the last quarter. 60.95% of the stock is owned by 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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.