Stock Movers: AST SpaceMobile Surges, Elf Beauty Rises, FICO Falls on Price War

AST SpaceMobile's Record Surge

• 🚀 AST SpaceMobile shares reached their highest intraday level on record, surging as much as 22%.
• 🤝 This surge follows an agreement with Verizon to provide direct-to-cellular connectivity starting in 2026.
• 🛰️ William Blair views the Verizon deal as a competitive win for AST SpaceMobile over SpaceX's Starlink in the space-based cell phone connectivity market.
• 📈 The stock has seen a remarkable 290% gain year-to-date, indicating strong investor confidence in its future.

Elf Beauty's Growth and Brand Strength

• ✨ Elf Beauty shares gained after Morgan Stanley raised its price target to a Wall Street high.
• 💄 The firm highlighted the success of the Rhode brand (owned by Hailey Bieber) at Sephora as a key driver.
• 📊 Solid US scanner data for Elf's core business and the strong performance of the Rhode launch contribute to an above-consensus FY27 view.

FICO Faces Price Competition

• 📉 Fair Isaac (FICO) shares fell over 5% due to a price war in the credit score market.
• 💰 Equifax announced its VantageScore 4.0 service will offer mortgage credit scores at $4.50 through 2027.
• ⚖️ This move positions VantageScore as significantly cheaper, potentially 50% less expensive than FICO's current offerings.
• ⚔️ This represents a direct battle between FICO and VantageScore (backed by Equifax and Experian) for customer appeal.