AST SpaceMobile (NASDAQ:ASTS) Stock Price Up 6.4% – Here’s What Happened

Shares of AST SpaceMobile, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASTS) traded up 6.4% during mid-day trading on Tuesday. The company traded as high as $43.43 and last traded at $41.96. Approximately 15,206,355 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 9% from the average session volume of 16,701,490 shares. The stock had previously closed at $39.45.

Key Stories Impacting AST SpaceMobile

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

• Positive Sentiment: Brazil expansion advances: Brazil’s telecom regulator approved AST SpaceMobile’s access to S-band spectrum and secondary use of the 700 MHz band. The company also reached agreements with four regional operators and plans ground infrastructure, supporting its goal of providing satellite-enabled voice, internet and video directly to smartphones in areas lacking coverage. AST SpaceMobile Brazil expansion announcement
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrade: Scotiabank upgraded AST SpaceMobile to “Sector Outperform” from “Sector Perform,” providing a potential sentiment boost amid the stock’s recent weakness. Scotiabank upgrade
• Neutral Sentiment: Upcoming business update: AST SpaceMobile will report third-quarter 2026 results and provide a business update on November 9. Investors will likely focus on commercial-service timing, satellite deployment, partnerships, funding needs and operating losses. AST SpaceMobile third-quarter business update
• Negative Sentiment: Launch and competitive risks: Coverage highlights possible satellite launch delays and increased competition from SpaceX as AST SpaceMobile works toward commercial service. A market commentator also questioned the company’s valuation, citing an enterprise value of roughly 140 times trailing revenue and substantial EBITDA losses. AST SpaceMobile launch and competition risks
• Negative Sentiment: Litigation and dilution concerns: Several law firms are soliciting investors for a securities class action alleging that AST SpaceMobile’s disclosures understated adoption risks and the dilution associated with three $1 billion convertible-note offerings. The allegations have not been proven, but the publicity adds an overhang and reinforces concerns about financing and shareholder dilution. The lead-plaintiff deadline is November 13, 2026. AST SpaceMobile shareholder litigation alert

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded AST SpaceMobile from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $93.00 price target on the stock in a report on Monday, October 12th. B. Riley Financial cut AST SpaceMobile from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $85.00 to $65.00 in a report on Friday, October 2nd. UBS Group initiated coverage on AST SpaceMobile in a research report on Wednesday, September 2nd. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. William Blair reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of AST SpaceMobile in a report on Monday, October 5th. Finally, Piper Sandler cut AST SpaceMobile from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price target for the company from $98.00 to $54.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 13th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, AST SpaceMobile currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $80.67.

AST SpaceMobile Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $16.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -19.61 and a beta of 2.72. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $57.05 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $78.76. The company has a quick ratio of 12.90, a current ratio of 13.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24.

AST SpaceMobile (NASDAQ:ASTS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 10th. The company reported ($0.77) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.32) by ($0.45). The company had revenue of $31.52 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $34.53 million. AST SpaceMobile had a negative net margin of 536.66% and a negative return on equity of 22.88%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned ($0.41) earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that AST SpaceMobile, Inc. will post -1.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at AST SpaceMobile

In other AST SpaceMobile news, CTO Huiwen Yao sold 40,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $58.93, for a total transaction of $2,357,200.00. Following the sale, the chief technology officer directly owned 34,750 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,047,817.50. This trade represents a 53.51% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Adriana Cisneros purchased 10,822 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 31st. The shares were purchased at an average price of $57.22 per share, with a total value of $619,234.84. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 797,023 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $45,605,656.06. This represents a 1.38% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. 20.89% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AST SpaceMobile

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of ASTS. Tidal Investments LLC boosted its position in AST SpaceMobile by 9,876.8% during the second quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 1,049,061 shares of the company’s stock worth $93,220,000 after acquiring an additional 1,038,546 shares during the last quarter. Tema ETFs LLC raised its holdings in AST SpaceMobile by 109,486.8% in the 2nd quarter. Tema ETFs LLC now owns 1,003,815 shares of the company’s stock valued at $89,199,000 after acquiring an additional 1,002,899 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its stake in shares of AST SpaceMobile by 140.3% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,644,246 shares of the company’s stock worth $136,259,000 after purchasing an additional 960,045 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new position in shares of AST SpaceMobile during the 2nd quarter worth $67,907,000. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of AST SpaceMobile during the 1st quarter worth $34,627,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.95% of the company’s stock.

About AST SpaceMobile

AST SpaceMobile, Inc is a space-based communications company developing a global cellular broadband network designed to connect directly with standard, unmodified mobile phones. Its technology is intended to extend wireless coverage beyond traditional terrestrial networks, including in rural, remote and underserved areas.

The company is building and deploying a constellation of large low Earth orbit satellites, known as the BlueBird satellite system. AST SpaceMobile plans to provide voice, messaging, data and broadband services through partnerships with mobile network operators, allowing subscribers to remain connected outside the reach of conventional cellular towers.

Founded in 2017 and headquartered in Midland, Texas, AST SpaceMobile was established by Abel Avellan, who serves as its chairman and chief executive officer.