Insider Buys The Dip After BlueBird Deployments, Japan Win

• The purchases were made through family and trust-linked accounts at prices ranging from $57 to $58.87.

• BlueBirds 12 and 13 are fully deployed, while a new satellite gateway has opened in New Zealand.

• US Mobile plans to introduce AST SpaceMobile coverage on its Verizon-based Warp network in the fourth quarter.

Shares of AST SpaceMobile (ASTS) fell to their lowest level in more than a month on Tuesday, but a newly disclosed insider purchase offered investors a potential vote of confidence as the space firm racks up deployment and commercial milestones.

ASTS stock slid 6% on Tuesday to finish at $55.80.

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ASTS Insider-Linked Accounts Buy $619K In Stock

Fresh regulatory filings from late Tuesday showed that AST SpaceMobile director Adriana Cisneros disclosed open-market purchases totaling 10,822 shares worth about $619,200. The shares were purchased on Monday at prices ranging from $57 to $58.87 through accounts belonging to Cisneros’ spouse and adult child, as well as an investment entity related to a trust of which she is a beneficiary. Cisneros reported indirect beneficial ownership of 797,023 shares after the transactions.

ASTS BlueBird Rollout Gains Momentum

The insider-linked buying comes after the full deployment of BlueBird satellites 12 and 13 and the opening of a new satellite gateway in New Zealand. Launched alongside BlueBird 11 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 last month, the next-gen satellites carry 2,400-square-foot communications arrays that can deliver voice, data and text directly to standard smartphones. They are expected to support peak speeds approaching 200 Mbps, nearly double the 98.9 Mbps previously demonstrated.

BlueBird 14 is complete, while BlueBirds 15 and 16 are nearing completion. Production is advancing through BlueBird 48 as AST SpaceMobile targets 45 satellites in orbit by early 2027 and a manufacturing cadence of six per month.

In the U.S., US Mobile plans to introduce AST SpaceMobile-powered coverage on Warp, its Verizon-based network, during the fourth quarter. “On direct-to-cell specifically, AST SpaceMobile is coming to Warp and is currently slated for Q4,” CEO Ahmed Khattak said recently on Reddit. Verizon is an investor and commercial partner in AST SpaceMobile.

Japan Backs AST SpaceMobile’s 700 MHz System 

Additionally, Japan’s Radio Regulatory Council recently endorsed a framework for 700 MHz satellite-to-phone communications that specifically identifies AST SpaceMobile’s BlueBird system.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications rejected a request to replace the BlueBird name with broader language, explaining that the standards were based on spectrum-sharing studies using BlueBird’s radio specifications. It also clarified that the framework was not intended to cover every non-geostationary satellite system operating in the band.

Rakuten plans to establish an equally owned satellite venture with AST SpaceMobile in 2026, begin a phased rollout late this year, and target nationwide Japanese coverage in fiscal 2027. BlueBird’s compatibility with Rakuten’s 700 MHz spectrum is key to its effort to compete with Starlink-backed services from Japan’s larger wireless carriers.

How Do Retail Traders Feel About ASTS?

On Stocktwits, retail sentiment for ASTS was ‘bearish’ amid a 14% rise in 24-hour message volumes.

One user said, “$ASTS I gotta have more insiders-buying-shares wedge. You’re gonna want to own those ASTS shares.”

Another user said, “$ASTS Adriana buys more, I buy more.”

ASTS stock has risen 14% over the past year.

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Deepti Sri has no position in any of the stocks mentioned in this article. StockTwits’ news team content is for informational purposes only and is not intended as investment advice. For more, see our editorial policy. This article was originally published on StockTwits.

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