AST SpaceMobile (NASDAQ:ASTS) Shares Up 11% – Here’s Why

AST SpaceMobile, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASTSGet Free Report)’s share price rose 11% on Thursday . The company traded as high as $84.51 and last traded at $83.01. Approximately 27,002,444 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 67% from the average daily volume of 16,148,940 shares. The stock had previously closed at $74.81.

Key Stories Impacting AST SpaceMobile

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

  • Positive Sentiment: AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile announced a satellite-to-phone joint venture aimed at eliminating coverage dead zones, which could strengthen the market outlook for AST SpaceMobile’s direct-to-device broadband model. Article Title
  • Positive Sentiment: AST SpaceMobile publicly welcomed the carrier collaboration, reinforcing investor confidence that its technology could benefit from broader industry adoption of satellite connectivity. Article Title
  • Positive Sentiment: New Street Research launched space-sector coverage and included AST SpaceMobile among the names under review, which is adding attention to the stock alongside the sector-wide optimism. Article Title
  • Neutral Sentiment: Analyst commentary remains mixed, with some recent coverage noting that AST SpaceMobile’s post-earnings outlook has weakened somewhat after its latest quarterly miss. Article Title
  • Negative Sentiment: Recent reports also highlight execution and competition risks after ASTS’s Q1 earnings miss, reminding investors that the company still needs to prove commercial momentum. Article Title

Analyst Ratings Changes

ASTS has been the subject of a number of research reports. New Street Research initiated coverage on shares of AST SpaceMobile in a report on Wednesday. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $80.00 price target for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $117.00 price target on shares of AST SpaceMobile in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. Barclays raised their price target on shares of AST SpaceMobile from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of AST SpaceMobile from $85.00 to $80.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of AST SpaceMobile in a report on Friday, March 27th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $79.45.

Check Out Our Latest Research Report on AST SpaceMobile

AST SpaceMobile Trading Up 11.0%

The stock has a market capitalization of $31.71 billion, a P/E ratio of -46.63 and a beta of 2.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 18.47 and a quick ratio of 16.27. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $85.27 and its 200-day simple moving average is $82.89.

AST SpaceMobile (NASDAQ:ASTSGet Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 11th. The company reported ($0.66) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 business had revenue of $14.74 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $39.01 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted ($0.20) earnings per share. AST SpaceMobile’s revenue was up 1952.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast that AST SpaceMobile, Inc. will post -0.99 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other AST SpaceMobile news, major shareholder Hiroshi Mikitani sold 1,690,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.42, for a total value of $154,499,800.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 29,330,155 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,681,362,770.10. This trade represents a 5.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CTO Huiwen Yao sold 40,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $88.88, for a total transaction of $3,555,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief technology officer directly owned 4,750 shares in the company, valued at approximately $422,180. The trade was a 89.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 3,080,000 shares of company stock worth $274,452,000. Insiders own 20.89% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AST SpaceMobile

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. REAP Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of AST SpaceMobile during the third quarter worth $25,000. Crewe Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of AST SpaceMobile during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of AST SpaceMobile during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC boosted its position in shares of AST SpaceMobile by 16,350.0% during the first quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 329 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 327 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Byrne Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of AST SpaceMobile during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. 60.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

AST SpaceMobile Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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.

Further Reading

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