AST SpaceMobile Ends Week Down 13% After FCC Clears SpaceX Direct-to-Phone Rival; Three More BlueBirds Reach Cape Canaveral

ASTS shares fell 10% on Friday to close at $50.97, a 13% loss for the week, after the Federal Communications Commission cleared SpaceX for direct-to-phone satellite service. Simply Wall St framed the ruling as a challenge to AST's model, which sells coverage through mobile carriers rather than directly to consumers. SentiSense data showed Friday's volume at 54.38 million shares, about 3.7 times the 14.67 million average.

On the operating side, AST has shipped three more BlueBird satellites, numbers 14 to 16, to Cape Canaveral, with no launch date announced. It has 13 satellites in orbit after launching BlueBirds 11 to 13 in August, and now aims for about 45 by early 2027, a goal previously set for the end of 2026. Two items circulating this weekend are older news: integration testing with Vodafone, Deutsche Telekom and Orange in Europe was announced on August 6, and the "imminent" UK service traces to an August FCC filing rather than a new regulatory approval.

Wall Street is split. Of 14 analysts tracked by MarketBeat, seven rate the stock a hold, five a buy and two a sell, with an average 12-month target of $84.58; RBC and B. Riley both downgraded the stock on October 2, with B. Riley cutting its target to $65 from $85. A shareholder law firm is also soliciting investors to lead a securities class action. Watch for a launch date for BlueBirds 14 to 16, commercial launch dates from European carriers, and how SpaceX prices its direct-to-phone offering.