Space Stocks Face Resistance in 2026 Amid SpaceX IPO Hype
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: 2d ago
0mins
Should l Buy ASTS?
Source: Benzinga
- IPO Anticipation: SpaceX's potential IPO in 2026, valued at $1.5 trillion, is drawing investor attention while simultaneously causing capital outflows from other space companies, indicating a strong market preference for SpaceX.
- Capital Rotation: As investors shift funds from established public players to SpaceX, many public peers have experienced significant double-digit declines over the past 30 days, reflecting a cautious market sentiment towards emerging space companies.
- Divergent Stock Performance: While AST SpaceMobile has shown resilience due to its satellite-to-phone milestones, hardware and launch providers like Rocket Lab and Sidus Space have suffered greater losses, highlighting varying levels of market confidence among different companies.
- Challenges for Rocket Lab: Rocket Lab is racing to deploy its reusable Neutron rocket, but remains at a disadvantage until it transitions from the expendable Electron model, impacting its competitive position in the market.
Trade with 70% Backtested Accuracy
Stop guessing "Should I Buy ASTS?" and start using high-conviction signals backed by rigorous historical data.
Sign up today to access powerful investing tools and make smarter, data-driven decisions.
Analyst Views on ASTS
Wall Street analysts forecast ASTS stock price to fall over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for ASTS is 74.26 USD with a low forecast of 43.00 USD and a high forecast of 100.00 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
9 Analyst Rating
4 Buy
3 Hold
2 Sell
Hold
Current: 93.270
Low
43.00
Averages
74.26
High
100.00
Current: 93.270
Low
43.00
Averages
74.26
High
100.00
About ASTS
AST SpaceMobile, Inc. is engaged in building a global cellular broadband network in space to operate directly with standard, unmodified mobile devices based on its intellectual property (IP) and patent portfolio and designed for both commercial and government applications. The Company is engaged in designing and developing the constellation of BlueBird (BB) satellites and has planned space-based Cellular Broadband network distributed through a constellation of low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites. Its SpaceMobile Service is being designed to provide high-speed cellular broadband services to end-users who are out of terrestrial cellular coverage using existing mobile devices. The Company intends to continue testing capabilities of the BW3 test satellite, including further testing with cellular service providers and the government. The Company has operations in India, Scotland, Spain, and Israel.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
Defiance ETFs Launches ASTS Inverse ETF for Sophisticated Traders
- New ETF Launch: Defiance ETFs has launched the Defiance Daily Target 2X Short ASTS ETF (Ticker: ASTN), designed to provide sophisticated traders with innovative single-stock leveraged ETFs that aim for -200% daily inverse investment results based on the share price changes of AST SpaceMobile, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASTS).
- Clear Investment Objective: The fund seeks to achieve a -2X investment return daily, emphasizing its suitability only for knowledgeable investors who understand the risks associated with leverage and derivatives, indicating a high-risk profile that could lead to total principal loss within a single day.
- Market Risk Advisory: As the fund obtains inverse exposure through derivatives, investors face risks associated with short selling, including decreased liquidity and increased market volatility, which may lead to significant fluctuations in the fund's value, especially during market turmoil.
- Positive Industry Outlook: AST SpaceMobile is developing a satellite-based cellular network, and successful satellite constellation deployment along with partnerships with mobile network operators could drive its stock price up, potentially negatively impacting the fund, necessitating careful risk assessment by investors.
See More
AST SpaceMobile Shares Experience Increased Volatility
- Increased Volatility: AST SpaceMobile shares rose 4.61% to $97.67 on Friday morning, yet experienced a significant 24% decline earlier in the week due to heavy selling pressure, indicating high market sensitivity to its future performance.
- Valuation Pressure: With a market capitalization of $30 billion and trailing revenue of only $18.5 million over the past year, AST SpaceMobile faces extreme sales and book-value multiples, raising investor concerns about its profitability potential.
- Execution Risk: The stock is priced almost entirely on future execution, meaning any news regarding a SpaceX IPO could trigger significant market sentiment shifts, impacting ASTS's stock performance.
- Neutral Technical Indicators: ASTS's RSI stands at 46.51, indicating a neutral state, while the bearish MACD suggests mixed momentum, implying that the stock may face challenges in the short term despite not being in a strong downtrend.
See More
Defiance ETFs Launches ASTS Short ETF for Traders
- New ETF Launch: Defiance ETFs has launched the Defiance Daily Target 2X Short ASTS ETF (Ticker: ASTN), designed to provide sophisticated traders with innovative single-stock leveraged ETFs that reflect -200% of the daily price change of AST SpaceMobile (Ticker: ASTS).
- Clear Investment Objective: The fund aims for daily -2X investment results, emphasizing its short-term use and risks, making it suitable only for knowledgeable investors who understand the potential consequences of leverage and derivatives, with the risk of losing the entire principal within a single day.
- Market Risk Warning: Due to the fund's leveraged nature, investors face risks including increased market volatility, liquidity issues, and single issuer risks, which may lead to significant fluctuations in fund value, particularly during periods of high volatility.
- Non-Diversified Investment: As a non-diversified fund, it may invest a larger percentage of its assets in a single issuer, and poor performance of that issuer could lead to a more significant decline in overall value, necessitating careful risk assessment by investors.
See More
Space Economy Set for Strong Growth Cycle
- Optimistic Market Outlook: According to McKinsey, the global space economy is projected to reach $1.8 trillion by 2035, indicating strong growth potential that attracts investor interest.
- Rocket Lab's Competitiveness: Rocket Lab has achieved 81 launches in the U.S., making it the second-largest launch company after SpaceX, and its upcoming Neutron rocket aims to carry payloads 40 times larger than its current Electron rocket, enhancing profit margins and market competitiveness.
- AST SpaceMobile's Strategic Partnerships: AST SpaceMobile has secured significant agreements with telecom giants like AT&T and Verizon to provide broadband coverage through its satellite network, with revenue expected to grow from $57 million in 2025 to $1.94 billion by 2028, showcasing its market potential.
- Divergent Profitability Expectations: While both companies are currently unprofitable, analysts project Rocket Lab will achieve profitability by 2027, whereas AST SpaceMobile is expected to reach it by 2028, reflecting differing market perceptions of their future developments.
See More
Will SpaceX Compete with AST SpaceMobile to Achieve Its 2026 Launch Goals?
Company Performance: AST Space Mobile has seen a significant increase in its stock, climbing over 240% since 2025, with shares up 24% year-to-date despite some volatility and setbacks in its launch schedule.
Government Contracts: The company was awarded a government contract for its scalable homeland defense services, which is expected to bolster its operations and credibility in the space communications sector.
Upcoming Launches: AST Space Mobile is preparing for the launch of its Bluebird 7 satellite, which is set to transport its next-generation technology into low Earth orbit, aiming to meet ambitious launch targets by the end of 2026.
Market Position and Challenges: Despite its growth, analysts express skepticism about AST's ability to meet its launch goals, with concerns about its current pace and the potential for missing targets, which could impact its long-term market position against competitors like SpaceX.
See More
Space Stocks Face Resistance in 2026 Amid SpaceX IPO Hype
- IPO Anticipation: SpaceX's potential IPO in 2026, valued at $1.5 trillion, is drawing investor attention while simultaneously causing capital outflows from other space companies, indicating a strong market preference for SpaceX.
- Capital Rotation: As investors shift funds from established public players to SpaceX, many public peers have experienced significant double-digit declines over the past 30 days, reflecting a cautious market sentiment towards emerging space companies.
- Divergent Stock Performance: While AST SpaceMobile has shown resilience due to its satellite-to-phone milestones, hardware and launch providers like Rocket Lab and Sidus Space have suffered greater losses, highlighting varying levels of market confidence among different companies.
- Challenges for Rocket Lab: Rocket Lab is racing to deploy its reusable Neutron rocket, but remains at a disadvantage until it transitions from the expendable Electron model, impacting its competitive position in the market.
See More
Defiance ETFs Launches ASTS Inverse ETF for Sophisticated Traders
- New ETF Launch: Defiance ETFs has launched the Defiance Daily Target 2X Short ASTS ETF (Ticker: ASTN), designed to provide sophisticated traders with innovative single-stock leveraged ETFs that aim for -200% daily inverse investment results based on the share price changes of AST SpaceMobile, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASTS).
- Clear Investment Objective: The fund seeks to achieve a -2X investment return daily, emphasizing its suitability only for knowledgeable investors who understand the risks associated with leverage and derivatives, indicating a high-risk profile that could lead to total principal loss within a single day.
- Market Risk Advisory: As the fund obtains inverse exposure through derivatives, investors face risks associated with short selling, including decreased liquidity and increased market volatility, which may lead to significant fluctuations in the fund's value, especially during market turmoil.
- Positive Industry Outlook: AST SpaceMobile is developing a satellite-based cellular network, and successful satellite constellation deployment along with partnerships with mobile network operators could drive its stock price up, potentially negatively impacting the fund, necessitating careful risk assessment by investors.
See More
AST SpaceMobile Shares Experience Increased Volatility
- Increased Volatility: AST SpaceMobile shares rose 4.61% to $97.67 on Friday morning, yet experienced a significant 24% decline earlier in the week due to heavy selling pressure, indicating high market sensitivity to its future performance.
- Valuation Pressure: With a market capitalization of $30 billion and trailing revenue of only $18.5 million over the past year, AST SpaceMobile faces extreme sales and book-value multiples, raising investor concerns about its profitability potential.
- Execution Risk: The stock is priced almost entirely on future execution, meaning any news regarding a SpaceX IPO could trigger significant market sentiment shifts, impacting ASTS's stock performance.
- Neutral Technical Indicators: ASTS's RSI stands at 46.51, indicating a neutral state, while the bearish MACD suggests mixed momentum, implying that the stock may face challenges in the short term despite not being in a strong downtrend.
See More
Defiance ETFs Launches ASTS Short ETF for Traders
- New ETF Launch: Defiance ETFs has launched the Defiance Daily Target 2X Short ASTS ETF (Ticker: ASTN), designed to provide sophisticated traders with innovative single-stock leveraged ETFs that reflect -200% of the daily price change of AST SpaceMobile (Ticker: ASTS).
- Clear Investment Objective: The fund aims for daily -2X investment results, emphasizing its short-term use and risks, making it suitable only for knowledgeable investors who understand the potential consequences of leverage and derivatives, with the risk of losing the entire principal within a single day.
- Market Risk Warning: Due to the fund's leveraged nature, investors face risks including increased market volatility, liquidity issues, and single issuer risks, which may lead to significant fluctuations in fund value, particularly during periods of high volatility.
- Non-Diversified Investment: As a non-diversified fund, it may invest a larger percentage of its assets in a single issuer, and poor performance of that issuer could lead to a more significant decline in overall value, necessitating careful risk assessment by investors.
See More
Space Economy Set for Strong Growth Cycle
- Optimistic Market Outlook: According to McKinsey, the global space economy is projected to reach $1.8 trillion by 2035, indicating strong growth potential that attracts investor interest.
- Rocket Lab's Competitiveness: Rocket Lab has achieved 81 launches in the U.S., making it the second-largest launch company after SpaceX, and its upcoming Neutron rocket aims to carry payloads 40 times larger than its current Electron rocket, enhancing profit margins and market competitiveness.
- AST SpaceMobile's Strategic Partnerships: AST SpaceMobile has secured significant agreements with telecom giants like AT&T and Verizon to provide broadband coverage through its satellite network, with revenue expected to grow from $57 million in 2025 to $1.94 billion by 2028, showcasing its market potential.
- Divergent Profitability Expectations: While both companies are currently unprofitable, analysts project Rocket Lab will achieve profitability by 2027, whereas AST SpaceMobile is expected to reach it by 2028, reflecting differing market perceptions of their future developments.
See More
Will SpaceX Compete with AST SpaceMobile to Achieve Its 2026 Launch Goals?
Company Performance: AST Space Mobile has seen a significant increase in its stock, climbing over 240% since 2025, with shares up 24% year-to-date despite some volatility and setbacks in its launch schedule.
Government Contracts: The company was awarded a government contract for its scalable homeland defense services, which is expected to bolster its operations and credibility in the space communications sector.
Upcoming Launches: AST Space Mobile is preparing for the launch of its Bluebird 7 satellite, which is set to transport its next-generation technology into low Earth orbit, aiming to meet ambitious launch targets by the end of 2026.
Market Position and Challenges: Despite its growth, analysts express skepticism about AST's ability to meet its launch goals, with concerns about its current pace and the potential for missing targets, which could impact its long-term market position against competitors like SpaceX.
See More
Space Stocks Face Resistance in 2026 Amid SpaceX IPO Hype
- IPO Anticipation: SpaceX's potential IPO in 2026, valued at $1.5 trillion, is drawing investor attention while simultaneously causing capital outflows from other space companies, indicating a strong market preference for SpaceX.
- Capital Rotation: As investors shift funds from established public players to SpaceX, many public peers have experienced significant double-digit declines over the past 30 days, reflecting a cautious market sentiment towards emerging space companies.
- Divergent Stock Performance: While AST SpaceMobile has shown resilience due to its satellite-to-phone milestones, hardware and launch providers like Rocket Lab and Sidus Space have suffered greater losses, highlighting varying levels of market confidence among different companies.
- Challenges for Rocket Lab: Rocket Lab is racing to deploy its reusable Neutron rocket, but remains at a disadvantage until it transitions from the expendable Electron model, impacting its competitive position in the market.
See More
