AST SpaceMobile (NASDAQ:ASTS) Stock Price Up 10% - Time to Buy?

Key Points

• AST SpaceMobile shares jumped 10% in midday trading, with heavy volume as investors reacted to company updates and renewed enthusiasm ahead of earnings.
• The company said it is accelerating manufacturing, regulatory progress, commercial partnerships, and government programs, and management reiterated that it remains on track with its 2026 outlook. It also raised FY2026 revenue guidance to $150 million-$200 million.
• Despite the upbeat stock move, the latest quarter showed large losses and a revenue miss: EPS came in at a $0.66 loss versus expectations for a smaller loss, and revenue was about $14.7 million versus estimates near $39.0 million. Investors are also watching insider selling and the loss of the BlueBird 7 satellite as execution risks.

AST SpaceMobile, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASTS - Get Free Report)'s share price rose 10% during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $84.94 and last traded at $82.55. Approximately 33,252,142 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 111% from the average daily volume of 15,770,774 shares. The stock had previously closed at $75.05.

AST SpaceMobile News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: The company said it is accelerating manufacturing, regulatory progress, commercial partnerships, and government programs, and management emphasized that it remains on track with its 2026 outlook. AST SpaceMobile Provides Business Update and First Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Investors were encouraged earlier in the day by reported speed breakthroughs and optimism around the company’s space-based cellular broadband network, which helped support the stock ahead of earnings. AST SpaceMobile's stock is on the rise as investors gear up for earnings from the SpaceX rival
• Neutral Sentiment: AST SpaceMobile updated FY 2026 revenue guidance to $150 million-$200 million, compared with consensus near $180.8 million, suggesting the company still expects major top-line growth but is not yet profitable.
• Neutral Sentiment: The company highlighted its long-term goal of building a direct-to-device global cellular broadband network and pointed to its patent portfolio and large addressable market as part of the investment case. AST SpaceMobile (ASTS) Q1 2026 Earnings Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Q1 EPS came in at a loss of $0.66, far worse than the analyst estimate of a $0.21 loss, while revenue of about $14.7 million also missed expectations by a wide margin. AST SpaceMobile shares drop on wider-than-expected first quarter loss
• Negative Sentiment: Investors are also weighing operational setbacks, including the loss of the BlueBird 7 satellite, which adds uncertainty around rollout timing and execution. AST SpaceMobile Weighs FCC Win Against BlueBird 7 Setback And Valuation

Analyst Ratings Changes

ASTS has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of AST SpaceMobile from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of AST SpaceMobile from $43.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of AST SpaceMobile in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of AST SpaceMobile from a "sell" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Finally, B. Riley Financial reduced their target price on shares of AST SpaceMobile from $105.00 to $95.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Reduce" and a consensus price target of $82.51.

AST SpaceMobile Trading Up 10.0%

The business's 50 day moving average price is $85.85 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $82.88. The company has a market capitalization of $31.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -62.54 and a beta of 2.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 16.27 and a current ratio of 16.35.

AST SpaceMobile (NASDAQ:ASTS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 11th. The company reported ($0.66) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.23) by ($0.43). The company had revenue of $14.74 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $39.01 million. AST SpaceMobile had a negative return on equity of 23.02% and a negative net margin of 482.16%. Equities analysts forecast that AST SpaceMobile, Inc. will post -0.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, 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 sale, the insider directly owned 27,980,155 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,412,448,964.10. This represents a 4.60% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CTO Huiwen Yao sold 40,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $88.88, for a total transaction 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 3,080,000 shares of company stock valued at $274,452,000. Company insiders own 20.89% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of AST SpaceMobile

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. raised its holdings in shares of AST SpaceMobile by 48.0% in 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 in the last quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of AST SpaceMobile in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,882,000. KPP Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of AST SpaceMobile in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,649,000. M&T Bank Corp raised its holdings in shares of AST SpaceMobile by 1,062.9% in the 4th quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 77,994 shares of the company's stock worth $5,665,000 after purchasing an additional 71,287 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its holdings in shares of AST SpaceMobile by 28.0% in the 3rd quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 31,580 shares of the company's stock worth $1,550,000 after purchasing an additional 6,901 shares in the last quarter. 60.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.

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