What EMcent said. But to piggyback off of it you don't lose value immediately. So if you had 825,000 shares and there was a 1:10 reverse split at $1 that is 825,000 ÷ 10 = 82,500 shares and they would be worth $10 a piece. So you still have $825,000 since 82,500 is still $825,000.
In most cases a reverse split is bad. Most stocks reverse split in order to stay listed on the NYSE, DJIA, NASDAQ etc. However, in ASTI case a reverse split would be good because they would be up listing. Otherwise there would be no need to reverse split. But where you could lose value is immiedietly afte the split people sell and take profits which drives down the price which then freaks out long investors who think the stock is tanking and in turn sell their shares. Vicious cycle.
However that can be avoided if before reverse split ASTI lets investors know and say, "Hey reverse split is happening but it is for these good reasons xyz". Which they should. That would help mitigate a large sell off. Sure some people will sell regardless and there is no stopping it but with positive news backing the split on a big board investor's won't care and those selling shares will be bought up just as quickly as they were sold and the buyers outweigh the sellers causing a rise in the price.
If there is going to be a split it will be a 1:10 at $1 or 1:15 at 0.75, 1:20 at 0.50. Those seem like the only logical options. With that said, we don't know and ASTI could easily do a buy back (which would be preferred but not likely) and fund a buy back through future contracts, borrowing, and other revenue. That would let investors keep most if not all of their shares and wouldn't come with the negative stink of a reverse split. I think a reverse split is more likely but it wouldn't be bad news. What happens after the split and how the stock does is another question and one can only speculate.
Just have cd to wait and see but as an investor you ought to get out of your head that a reverse split is bad. usually it is but not always l. It all depends on the reasoning for the reverse split. In ASTI's case it is for good reasons if and when a reverse split happens. You don't lose value. You just have a smaller amount of shares worth more. So instead of 825,000 shares at $1 a piece you have 82,500 shares worth $10 a piece. Same value. Reverse Splits are just an accounting trick
