Why AST SpaceMobile (ASTS) Stock Is Flat Despite Recent Defense Win

AST SpaceMobile Inc (NASDAQ:ASTS) shares are trading flat on Tuesday, pulling back following recent strength, as the company has secured a prime position on the U.S. Missile Defense Agency’s SHIELD program. The broader market is experiencing a downturn, with the Nasdaq-100 down 1.53% and the S&P 500 down 1.46%.

Stocks across sectors are trading lower Tuesday amid overall market weakness after President Donald Trump posted on social media that, starting February 1st, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands and Finland will be charged a 10% tariff on all goods sent to the US.

President Trump has recently escalated rhetoric about making Greenland a US territory.

• AST SpaceMobile stock is showing upward bias recently. Where are ASTS shares going?

AST SpaceMobile’s Defense Positioning

AST SpaceMobile has been awarded a prime position on the U.S. Missile Defense Agency’s Scalable Homeland Innovative Enterprise Layered Defense (SHIELD) program, which could lead to future task orders.

This contract allows the company to compete for work related to research, development, engineering and operational support tied to U.S. missile defense modernization.

The SHIELD program is part of a broader initiative known as “Golden Dome,” which aims to enhance defense against various threats. Chief Commercial Officer Chris Ivory emphasized that being selected for this program validates AST SpaceMobile’s unique technology and growing capabilities within the defense sector.

Short-Term Weakness Raises Caution Flags

The stock is currently trading 3.5% below its 20-day simple moving average (SMA) and 5.7% below its 100-day SMA, suggesting some short-term weakness. Shares have increased approximately 390.48% over the past 12 months and are currently positioned closer to their 52-week highs than lows, reflecting a strong longer-term trend.

The RSI is not available for analysis, indicating neutral momentum, while MACD data is also not provided. The lack of these indicators means traders should be cautious as they assess the stock’s momentum.

• Key Resistance: $120.00
• Key Support: $110.00

Revenue Growth Amidst Projected Losses

Investors are looking ahead to the next earnings report on March 2.

• EPS Estimate: Loss of 19 cents (Down from Loss of 18 cents YoY)
• Revenue Estimate: $39.03 million (Up from $1.92 million YoY)

Analyst Consensus & Recent Actions: The stock carries a Hold Rating with an average price target of $61.08. Recent analyst moves include:

• B. Riley Securities: Upgraded to Neutral (Raised Target to $105.00) (Jan. 13)
• Scotiabank: Upgraded to Sector Underperform (Target $45.60) (Jan. 7)
• Scotiabank: Upgraded to Sector Perform (Target $45.60) (Nov. 25, 2025)

Benzinga Edge Rankings

Below is the Benzinga Edge scorecard for AST SpaceMobile, highlighting its strengths and weaknesses compared to the broader market:

• Momentum: Bullish (Score: 99.05/100) — Stock is outperforming the broader market.

The Verdict: AST SpaceMobile’s Benzinga Edge signal reveals a classic ‘High-Flyer’ setup. While the Momentum score confirms the strong trend, investors should remain cautious given the mixed technical indicators.

Top ETF Exposure

• First Trust Indxx Aerospace & Defense ETF (NYSE:MISL): 4.27% Weight
• Defiance Connective Technologies ETF (NASDAQ:SIXG): 3.48% Weight
• Tradr 2X Long ASTS Daily ETF (NASDAQ:ASTX): 120.88% Weight

Significance: Because ASTS carries such a heavy weight in these funds, any significant inflows or outflows for these ETFs will likely force automatic buying or selling of the stock.

ASTS Shares Fall Tuesday

ASTS Price Action: AST SpaceMobile shares were down 0.35% at $115.31 at the time of publication on Tuesday, according to Benzinga Pro data.

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