Jim Cramer: 'Go For' AST SpaceMobile, Power Plant Maker 'Too Speculative'

Medline is set to report Q2 results on Aug. 5, with analyst expectations of EPS of 32c on revenue of $7.52B. AST SpaceMobile is targeted to launch BlueBird satellites 11–13 in the first half of August, but the stock fell 3.1% to $86.10 as Cramer reiterated it as a “great speculative” two-year bet. NuScale Power also reports Aug. 5, with analysts expecting a quarterly loss of 13c on $14.71M revenue; shares rose 1.2% to $10.15 ahead of the print.

Analysis

ASTS is the only item here with real second-order torque: the market is not paying for the satellites, it is paying for proof that launch cadence can convert into a credible commercialization path without a fresh financing overhang. That makes the stock more sensitive to telemetry, schedule integrity, and partner updates over the next 1-3 weeks than to the launch itself; a clean event can force a quick de-risking rally, while another delay or anomaly would likely hit the shares harder than the index would imply.

SMR remains a classic "story versus cash" setup. In the next 1-3 months, the key variable is not the earnings line but whether management can narrow the gap between enthusiasm and actual funded work; if cash burn or dilution rhetoric persists, the multiple can compress even if the long-term nuclear thesis stays intact. MDLN looks more like a steady-operator read-through: the market should focus on volume mix and gross margin quality, because a small EPS beat there is unlikely to matter unless it comes with pricing power or resilient utilization.

Contrarian view: consensus is probably over-weighting the calendar and under-weighting balance-sheet risk. ASTS can still be a two-year winner, but one successful launch does not eliminate execution risk or the need for repeated capital-efficient milestones; the stock can be over-owned relative to verifiable revenue. On SMR, the market may keep paying for duration longer than skeptics expect, but that works until funding conditions tighten or guidance implies slower conversion; that is the main falsifier for a bearish stance.

Key Decisions for Investors

• ASTS: wait for launch confirmation and first telemetry before adding; if successful, buy any post-event pullback for a 1-3 month trade. Falsify if the launch slips again or management signals incremental financing needs before revenue inflects.
• SMR: tactically fade strength into earnings or on any post-print rally if cash burn/dilution language remains unchanged. Horizon 1-2 months; cover if backlog conversion improves materially or if management de-risks funding.
• Relative value: long ASTS / short SMR as a high-beta pair only for event-driven accounts. The long leg has a concrete near-term de-risking catalyst; the short leg still depends on future capital markets access. Break the pair if ASTS delays and SMR shows improving cash runway.
• MDLN: no pre-earnings position; treat as a watch item. Only get involved if management commentary on pricing or utilization suggests margin surprise, in which case it becomes a low-volatility healthcare long for 1-2 quarters.