AST SpaceMobile (NASDAQ:ASTS) Sees Large Volume Increase – Should You Buy?

AST SpaceMobile, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASTS) shares saw strong trading volume on Friday . 10,248,007 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 42% from the previous session’s volume of 17,706,641 shares.The stock last traded at $87.5710 and had previously closed at $97.56.

Trending Headlines about AST SpaceMobile

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

• Positive Sentiment: Some commentary remains constructive on AST SpaceMobile’s long-term potential, highlighting its direct-to-smartphone satellite connectivity model, nearly 60 mobile network operator partners, and a large deployment pipeline that could support a move toward $150 by 2027. Prediction: Can AST SpaceMobile Soar to $150 by 2027?
• Positive Sentiment: Earlier in the week, ASTS also benefited from bullish sector momentum after BlueBird launch timing was confirmed for June 17, reinforcing the view that near-term catalysts still exist despite Friday’s pullback. AST SpaceMobile Stock Climbs Ahead of SpaceX IPO As BlueBird Launch Date Confirmed for June 17
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and market commentary are framing the move as largely sentiment-driven rather than based on fresh company-specific operating news, with SpaceX IPO excitement lifting and then pressuring comparable space stocks throughout the session. SpaceX, Tesla, EchoStar, and More Stocks That Explain Today’s Market
• Negative Sentiment: AST SpaceMobile shares are being hit in a broad space-sector reset, with one report describing the stock as down sharply alongside Virgin Galactic and Rocket Lab as investors reassess valuations after the SpaceX debut. Virgin Galactic Craters 24%, Rocket Lab Drops 8%, AST SpaceMobile Falls 10% as SpaceX Hype Triggers a Space-Stock Shakeout
• Negative Sentiment: Short-seller criticism of space stocks is adding pressure to ASTS by reinforcing concerns that many of the sector’s growth expectations are too speculative in the wake of SpaceX’s public trading debut. Space Stocks Get Torched: Short Seller Calls Them ‘Sci-Fi Wishes’

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently commented on the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of AST SpaceMobile in a research report on Friday, March 27th. UBS Group decreased their target price on AST SpaceMobile from $85.00 to $80.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Wall Street Zen cut AST SpaceMobile from a “sell” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut AST SpaceMobile from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $117.00 to $106.00 in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Finally, Zacks Research raised AST SpaceMobile from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $81.33.

AST SpaceMobile Trading Down 15.5%

The stock has a market cap of $31.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -46.30 and a beta of 2.70. The company has a quick ratio of 18.37, a current ratio of 18.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11. The business has a 50-day moving average of $90.42 and a 200-day moving average of $87.92.

AST SpaceMobile (NASDAQ:ASTS) last announced 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). AST SpaceMobile had a negative return on equity of 24.87% and a negative net margin of 573.67%.The company had revenue of $14.74 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $39.01 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned ($0.20) EPS. AST SpaceMobile’s quarterly revenue was up 1952.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts forecast that AST SpaceMobile, Inc. will post -1.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other AST SpaceMobile news, CFO Andrew Martin Johnson sold 45,809 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $93.81, for a total value of $4,297,342.29. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 503,619 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $47,244,498.39. The trade was a 8.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Julio A. Torres sold 15,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.34, for a total value of $1,145,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 43,239 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,300,865.26. This represents a 25.76% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 3,185,809 shares of company stock worth $284,200,492 over the last ninety days. 20.89% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AST SpaceMobile

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in ASTS. Vodafone Ventures Ltd bought a new position in shares of AST SpaceMobile in the fourth quarter worth about $397,413,000. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of AST SpaceMobile in the fourth quarter worth about $198,270,000. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of AST SpaceMobile by 13.4% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 19,919,888 shares of the company’s stock worth $977,668,000 after purchasing an additional 2,351,539 shares during the period. Clear Street Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of AST SpaceMobile in the third quarter worth about $90,129,000. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased its stake in shares of AST SpaceMobile by 44.0% in 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 period. 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.