AST SpaceMobile (NASDAQ:ASTS) Shares Down 8.5% Following Insider Selling

AST SpaceMobile, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASTS) shares traded down 8.5% on Thursday after an insider sold shares in the company. The company traded as low as $87.20 and last traded at $87.86. 13,104,530 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 12% from the average session volume of 14,935,596 shares. The stock had previously closed at $96.06.

Specifically, CTO Huiwen Yao sold 40,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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. The trade was a 89.39% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently weighed in on ASTS. Zacks Research raised shares of AST SpaceMobile from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of AST SpaceMobile in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Scotiabank downgraded shares of AST SpaceMobile from a “sector perform” rating to a “sector underperform” rating and set a $45.60 price target on the stock. in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of AST SpaceMobile from $43.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Finally, B. Riley Financial lowered their price objective on shares of AST SpaceMobile from $105.00 to $95.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $63.77.

Trending Headlines about AST SpaceMobile

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

• Positive Sentiment: Broader-space rally: Reports that SpaceX may file a large IPO lifted demand for space and satellite names, providing a sector-wide tailwind for ASTS. Space stocks rally on reports of SpaceX’s imminent IPO filing
• Positive Sentiment: Operational progress & revenue beat: ASTS reported stronger-than-expected Q4 revenue and gave updates on the BlueBird program (BlueBird‑7), which investors view as the key near-term commercial catalyst if launches and operator hookups proceed. Q4 revenue beat and BlueBird 7 launch update
• Neutral Sentiment: Technical/volume context: The name has shown big intraday moves after a recent breakout attempt near $100 and elevated volume — this amplifies volatility and makes profit-taking more likely after rallies. Trading and volatility context
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: CTO Huiwen Yao sold 40,000 shares (~$3.56M) on March 23, materially reducing his stake — a notable disposal that can spook some investors even if it’s routine. CTO insider sale filing
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst/valuation headwinds: Broker consensus has shifted toward a “Reduce” view and several analysts warn the stock may be priced for perfection — ASTS still posts negative margins, missed EPS vs. consensus, and execution/monetization risks that could trigger downside if launches or operator deals slip. Consensus “Reduce” report
• Negative Sentiment: Profit-taking after rally: After multi-day gains tied to sector hype and positive company updates, some investors appear to be locking in gains, contributing to today’s pullback. Zacks on today’s dip

AST SpaceMobile Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of $33.56 billion, a P/E ratio of -66.56 and a beta of 2.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 16.35 and a quick ratio of 16.27. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $95.72 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $78.11.

AST SpaceMobile (NASDAQ:ASTS) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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). The company had revenue of $54.31 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $39.53 million. AST SpaceMobile had a negative return on equity of 23.02% and a negative net margin of 482.16%.AST SpaceMobile’s revenue for the quarter was up 2731.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that AST SpaceMobile, Inc. will post -0.4 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AST SpaceMobile

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of AST SpaceMobile by 11.8% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 34,548 shares of the company’s stock worth $786,000 after acquiring an additional 3,642 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of AST SpaceMobile by 4.6% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 79,764 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,814,000 after acquiring an additional 3,515 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of AST SpaceMobile by 16.1% in the 1st quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 467,626 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,634,000 after acquiring an additional 64,989 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its position in shares of AST SpaceMobile by 18.1% in the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 325,621 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,405,000 after acquiring an additional 49,811 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Strs Ohio acquired a new position in shares of AST SpaceMobile during the 1st quarter worth approximately $168,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.95% of the company’s stock.

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.