AST SpaceMobile Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NASDAQ:ASTS)

Key Points

• Traders purchased an unusually large number of call options — about 172,934 calls on Friday, roughly 39% above typical volume — suggesting elevated bullish speculation or hedging activity.
• Major insider selling: billionaire shareholder Hiroshi Mikitani sold 1,350,000 shares (≈$116.4M) and insiders have sold about 3,080,000 shares in the past 90 days, while insiders still own ~30.9% of the company.
• An operational catalyst and mixed market backdrop: the BlueBird‑7 launch (April 19) could validate ASTS technology, and large institutions (Vanguard, Morgan Stanley) have been accumulating shares even as analysts on average rate the stock "Reduce" with a consensus target of $77.10 and note competitive/ downgrade risks.

AST SpaceMobile, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASTS - Get Free Report) was the target of some unusual options trading activity on Friday. Traders acquired 172,934 call options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 39% compared to the typical volume of 124,620 call options.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, major shareholder Hiroshi Mikitani sold 1,350,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 15th. The stock was 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 directly owned 27,980,155 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,412,448,964.10. This represents a 4.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 firm's 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 sale, the chief technology officer directly owned 4,750 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $422,180. This trade represents a 89.39% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 3,080,000 shares of company stock valued at $274,452,000 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 30.90% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AST SpaceMobile

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of AST SpaceMobile by 7.9% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 21,488,180 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,560,687,000 after acquiring an additional 1,568,292 shares during the last quarter. Vodafone Ventures Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of AST SpaceMobile in the fourth quarter worth approximately $397,413,000. Morgan Stanley increased its position in AST SpaceMobile by 44.0% during the fourth 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. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in AST SpaceMobile by 9.8% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,522,549 shares of the company's stock worth $328,749,000 after purchasing an additional 402,505 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp raised its stake in AST SpaceMobile by 9.7% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 3,951,685 shares of the company's stock worth $287,011,000 after purchasing an additional 350,690 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.95% of the company's stock.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have commented on ASTS shares. B. Riley Financial dropped their price target 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. Weiss Ratings reissued a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of AST SpaceMobile in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Wall Street Zen downgraded AST SpaceMobile from a "sell" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Wednesday. Barclays increased their price target on AST SpaceMobile from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Scotiabank downgraded AST SpaceMobile from a "sector perform" rating to a "sector underperform" rating and set a $45.60 price objective for the company. in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, AST SpaceMobile has an average rating of "Reduce" and a consensus target price of $77.10.

AST SpaceMobile Stock Performance

NASDAQ:ASTS traded down $5.41 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $85.53. 19,783,751 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 15,026,604. The company has a quick ratio of 16.27, a current ratio of 16.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92. AST SpaceMobile has a 1 year low of $20.26 and a 1 year high of $129.89. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $89.22 and a 200-day simple moving average of $82.85. The stock has a market capitalization 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 released its earnings results on Monday, March 2nd. The company reported ($0.26) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 business had revenue of $54.31 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $39.53 million. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 2731.3% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that AST SpaceMobile will post -0.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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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