Alexander Karp Sells 492,348 Shares of Palantir Technologies (NASDAQ:PLTR) Stock

Palantir Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ:PLTR) insider Alexander Karp sold 492,348 shares of Palantir Technologies stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $174.79, for a total value of $86,057,506.92. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 6,432,258 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,124,294,375.82. The trade was a 7.11% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards.

Palantir Technologies Trading Down 1.8%

Shares of Palantir Technologies stock opened at $172.73 on Wednesday. Palantir Technologies Inc. has a 12-month low of $106.37 and a 12-month high of $207.52. The company has a market cap of $415.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 147.63, a PEG ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 1.59. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $140.52 and its 200-day moving average price is $141.05.

Palantir Technologies (NASDAQ:PLTR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 3rd. The company reported $0.41 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.34 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $1.94 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.81 billion. Palantir Technologies had a net margin of 49.01% and a return on equity of 30.57%. Palantir Technologies’s revenue was up 92.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.16 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Palantir Technologies Inc. will post 1.27 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on PLTR. Oppenheimer cut shares of Palantir Technologies from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “underperform” rating and set a $90.00 price objective on shares of Palantir Technologies in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Palantir Technologies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $200.00 target price for the company in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Needham & Company LLC set a $215.00 target price on Palantir Technologies in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, Citigroup cut Palantir Technologies from a “buy” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have issued a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $192.19.

Key Headlines Impacting Palantir Technologies

Here are the key news stories impacting Palantir Technologies this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Truist Securities reiterated a Buy rating and a $223 price target, citing Palantir’s strong artificial-intelligence demand and continued growth potential. The company’s latest quarter included revenue of $1.94 billion, up nearly 93% year over year, and earnings above analysts’ expectations. Palantir Stock Has Rallied 40% Over the Past Month
• Positive Sentiment: Palantir’s Maven AI platform has reportedly become an official Pentagon “program of record.” That status could support recurring, long-term budget allocations and broaden adoption across U.S. military branches. Palantir’s Maven Is Now an Official Pentagon Program of Record
• Positive Sentiment: Recent bullish coverage highlights strong U.S. commercial and government demand, Palantir’s modular sales model and robust profitability. These factors have helped drive a gain of more than 40% over the past month. What’s Fueling Palantir’s Rally
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst opinion remains generally favorable, with a reported consensus rating of Moderate Buy, but price targets vary widely. Investors are increasingly debating whether Palantir’s rapid growth can justify its valuation, which is above 140 times earnings. The Real Question Behind Palantir’s High Price
• Negative Sentiment: A reported loss of an $875 million contract has renewed concerns about competition, customer concentration and whether Palantir can sustain its growth rate. The development is particularly important because the stock’s valuation assumes continued execution. Palantir Lost an $875 Million Contract
• Negative Sentiment: Insiders, including CEO Alexander Karp, disclosed sales conducted under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plans. Cathie Wood’s firm also reportedly sold approximately $27.2 million of PLTR after the rally, adding to near-term profit-taking pressure. Monster Insider Trading Alert for Palantir
• Negative Sentiment: Higher Treasury yields are weighing on expensive growth stocks by reducing the present value of future profits. Additional bearish commentary, including Michael Burry’s reported Palantir put positions, underscores concerns that the shares may be overvalued. Treasury Yields Are Surging Again

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Palantir Technologies

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Basepoint Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Palantir Technologies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Ballast Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Palantir Technologies in the first quarter worth $29,000. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Palantir Technologies in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Palantir Technologies during the 1st quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in Palantir Technologies during the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. 45.65% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Palantir Technologies Company Profile

Palantir Technologies is a software company that develops data integration, analytics and operational decision-making platforms for government and commercial customers. Founded in 2003 by a team that included Alex Karp and Peter Thiel, Palantir has grown into a provider of enterprise-scale software designed to help organizations integrate disparate data sources, build analytic models and drive operational workflows. The company went public in 2020 and continues to position its products around large, complex data projects where security, provenance and real-time collaboration are important.

Palantir’s product portfolio centers on a small number of core platforms.