AST SpaceMobile Inc (NASDAQ:ASTS) shares are trading lower Friday morning as traders digest fresh proxy disclosures that tie CEO pay to satellite-to-phone execution milestones, keeping attention on whether the company can hit its orbital rollout targets. Here’s what investors need to know.
- AST SpaceMobile shares are experiencing downward pressure. What’s pulling ASTS shares down?
What Are AST SpaceMobile’s Key Execution Milestones?
New proxy details show CEO Abel Avellan has taken $0 in base salary since 2021, with his 2025 compensation totaling $14.2 million entirely in stock and tied to execution milestones.
One key goal, "Number of satellites in orbit" by the end of February 2026, was marked "Not Achieved," reducing that portion of the payout to zero, while a connectivity-standards goal earned a 75% payout and a revenue goal paid out at 95% after $70.9 million came in just under a $75 million target.
AST SpaceMobile also has a fresh regulatory tailwind after the FCC granted authorization on April 22 to deploy and operate a constellation of up to 248 satellites, a key gating item for scaling direct-to-device coverage using low-band spectrum.
ASTS Stock: Critical Levels To Watch
ASTS is testing the long-term trend line after a sharp run-up, sitting in the lower half of its 52-week range ($22.07 to $129.89), which fits a stock still working through a correction. The stock is trading 14.3% below its 20-day simple moving average (SMA) and 17.7% below its 100-day SMA, a setup that leans toward sellers controlling the short-to-intermediate trend.
The moving average convergence divergence (MACD), a trend/momentum measure, has the MACD line below the signal line with a negative histogram, which keeps downside momentum in control for now. With the 20-day SMA below the 50-day SMA (bearish) but the golden cross from June 2025 still in place, the chart is sending mixed signals: weak near-term pressure inside a longer-term uptrend that's being stress-tested near the 200-day.
Over the past 12 months, the stock is up 217.90%, which shows the longer-term tape has been powerful even with the current drawdown. With a recent swing high in February and a swing low in April, the current zone looks like a "decision area" where buyers need to defend key levels to avoid another leg lower.
- Key Resistance: $84.00 — where rebounds have recently stalled.
- Key Support: $72.00 — where buyers have tended to show up.
What Is AST SpaceMobile’s Business Model?
AST SpaceMobile is building a space-based cellular broadband network using a constellation of low Earth orbit BlueBird satellites, designed to connect directly to standard, unmodified mobile phones. The pitch is straightforward: close coverage gaps for mobile subscribers who move outside terrestrial networks, without requiring specialized devices.
That's why the proxy disclosures matter to traders right now. Management compensation is explicitly tied to "satellite-to-phone" execution milestones, including getting satellites into orbit and meeting connectivity standards. When those milestones slip, it can quickly reshape expectations around rollout timing, partner adoption and how soon the business can scale beyond early-stage revenue.
ASTS Earnings Preview: What Analysts Expect
The countdown is on: AST SpaceMobile is set to report earnings on May 11.
- EPS Estimate: Loss of 21 cents (Down from loss of 20 cents YoY)
- Revenue Estimate: $36.91 million (Up from 72 cents million YoY)
Analyst Consensus & Recent Actions: The stock carries a Hold rating with an average price target of $75.52. Recent analyst moves include:
- Barclays: Underweight (Raises Target to $65.00) (April 9)
- UBS: Neutral (Raises Target to $85.00) (March 4)
- B. Riley Securities: Neutral (Lowers Target to $95.00) (Feb. 13)
ASTS Stock Price Activity On Friday
ASTS Stock Price Activity: AST SpaceMobile shares were down 3.26% at $71.49 at the time of publication on Friday, according to Benzinga Pro data.
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