AST SpaceMobile (NASDAQ:ASTS) Hits New 52-Week High – Should You Buy?

AST SpaceMobile, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASTS) shares reached a new 52-week high on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $129.97 and last traded at $128.4180, with a volume of 22674277 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $119.70.

Key Headlines Impacting AST SpaceMobile

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

• Positive Sentiment: SpaceX’s public IPO filing has lifted sentiment across the space sector, with ASTS benefiting from the broad “space stocks” rally. Space stocks surge after SpaceX IPO S-1 filing
• Positive Sentiment: ASTS is being viewed as a leading pure-play on direct-to-cell satellite connectivity, and recent coverage highlighted its partnerships with major carriers plus a planned mid-June satellite launch as tangible growth catalysts. AST SpaceMobile’s June Launch Plan Puts Its 2026 Satellite Goal Back in Focus
• Positive Sentiment: Momentum traders and Reddit-focused investors are also crowding into the name, amplifying the move in a stock that already has elevated short interest. Social Buzz: Wallstreetbets Stocks Mostly Advancing Pre-Bell Wednesday; Intuitive Machines, Rocket Lab to Open Higher

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have commented on ASTS. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of AST SpaceMobile in a report on Friday, March 27th. Roth Mkm reissued a “buy” rating and set a $108.00 target price on shares of AST SpaceMobile in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. Wall Street Zen downgraded AST SpaceMobile from a “sell” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $117.00 price objective on shares of AST SpaceMobile in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Finally, B. Riley Financial boosted their target price on shares of AST SpaceMobile from $75.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. Two equities research 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’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $79.45.

AST SpaceMobile Stock Up 8.3%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 18.47 and a quick ratio of 18.37. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $86.05 and its 200 day simple moving average is $84.15. The firm has a market cap of $50.33 billion, a P/E ratio of -72.86 and a beta of 2.60.

AST SpaceMobile (NASDAQ:ASTS) last announced its earnings results on Monday, May 11th. The company reported ($0.66) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $39.01 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted ($0.20) earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 1952.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that AST SpaceMobile, Inc. will post -1.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Andrew Martin Johnson sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.25, for a total value of $451,250.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 565,805 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $51,063,901.25. This trade represents a 0.88% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Julio A. Torres sold 15,000 shares of AST SpaceMobile stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the director owned 43,239 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,300,865.26. This trade represents a 25.76% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have sold 3,100,000 shares of company stock valued at $276,048,350. 20.89% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AST SpaceMobile

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in ASTS. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted 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 purchasing an additional 3,642 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its stake in AST SpaceMobile by 4.6% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 79,764 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,814,000 after purchasing an additional 3,515 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC lifted its stake in AST SpaceMobile by 16.1% in the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 467,626 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,634,000 after purchasing an additional 64,989 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its position in shares of AST SpaceMobile by 18.1% during 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 buying an additional 49,811 shares during the period. Finally, Strs Ohio purchased a new position in shares of AST SpaceMobile during the first quarter valued at approximately $168,000. Institutional investors own 60.95% of the company’s stock.

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.