AST SpaceMobile Shares Rise As Investors Weigh Launch Timeline Against Earnings Miss

AST SpaceMobile Inc (NASDAQ:ASTS) shares are edging higher Thursday morning as traders recalibrate expectations after the company's recent quarterly results. Here’s what investors need to know. AST SpaceMobile stock is among today’s top performers. Why is ASTS stock up today? What To Watch After AST SpaceMobile’s Earnings Miss The latest repositioning follows first-quarter earnings miss, where the company posted a loss of 66 cents per share on $14.74 million in revenue versus expectations for a loss of 23 cents per share on $37.63 million. Management also reiterated execution focus, with CEO Abel Avellan pointing to "accelerating manufacturing" and targeting BlueBird 8, 9 and 10 launches in mid-June. AST SpaceMobile ended the quarter with about $3.5 billion in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash as of March 31, but investors are still keying on the pace of operating spend after total operating expenses hit $164.1 million. The cost line included $73 million tied to depreciation and amortization and stock-based compensation, which helps explain why the miss refocused attention on burn even with a large cash cushion. AST SpaceMobile's post-earnings tape has also been influenced by the fading "overhang cleared" narrative tied to Rakuten's sale of roughly 4.5 million shares at $65.32 to $76.30, even as the holder still owns about a 5.3% stake, or roughly 15.5 million shares. That supply dynamic remains a benchmark for ASTS because secondary selling can cap rallies even when the fundamental story hasn't changed. ASTS Critical Levels To Watch With the stock at $77.87, ASTS is trading 2.6% above its 20-day SMA ($75.74) and 4.5% above its 200-day SMA ($74.38), but it remains 7.8% below its 50-day SMA ($84.35) and 12.4% below its 100-day SMA ($88.76). That mix keeps the chart in a "decision zone" where bulls want to defend the low-to-mid $70s while bears will point to overhead supply near the low-to-mid $80s. Momentum is best framed by RSI, which is neutral at 47.47—basically saying the stock isn't stretched enough to force a snapback, but it's also not washed out. Trend-wise, the 20-day SMA sitting below the 50-day SMA is a near-term bearish tell, while the golden cross from June 2025 (50-day above 200-day) still supports the longer-term uptrend narrative. Key Resistance: $84.00 — a round-number area that lines up near the 50-day moving average zone, where rebounds can run into supply Key Support: $73.50 — a nearby pivot that sits close to the 200-day SMA/EMA area, where trend-focused buyers often defend How AST SpaceMobile Connects Users Through Space AST SpaceMobile is building a cellular broadband network in space, designed to connect directly to standard, unmodified mobile devices using a constellation of low Earth orbit BlueBird satellites. The pitch is straightforward: close coverage gaps for mobile subscribers when they're outside terrestrial network reach, without requiring specialized hardware. That business model makes timing and execution especially important, which is why the market reaction has been so sensitive to manufacturing pace, launch schedules, and cash burn. In this setup, even small shifts in expectations around deployment milestones can move the stock quickly as investors reprice the path to commercial scale. ASTS Stock Edges Higher Thursday Morning ASTS Stock Price Activity: AST SpaceMobile shares were up 0.59% at $75.26 Thursday morning, according to Benzinga Pro data. Read Also: Versant Shares Rally After Reporting Better-Than-Expected Q1 Results Image: Shutterstock