Palantir Technologies (NASDAQ:PLTR) Stock Price Down 2.3% After Insider Selling

Palantir Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ:PLTR) shares fell 2.3% during mid-day trading on Monday after an insider sold shares in the company. The company traded as low as $171.31 and last traded at $175.89. 34,666,225 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 25% from the average daily volume of 46,377,508 shares. The stock had previously closed at $179.94.

Specifically, insider Alexander C. Karp sold 492,348 shares of Palantir Technologies stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $174.79, for a total transaction of $86,057,506.92. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 6,432,258 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,124,294,375.82. The trade was a 7.11% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through 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. Also, insider Jeffrey Buckley sold 1,250 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $174.29, for a total value of $217,862.50. Following the transaction, the insider owned 56,921 shares in the company, valued at $9,920,761.09. This trade represents a 2.15% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 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. In other news, insider Jeffrey Buckley sold 2,055 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $174.83, for a total value of $359,275.65. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 58,171 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,170,035.93. This represents a 3.41% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 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.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Zacks Research upgraded Palantir Technologies from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Mizuho raised their price objective on Palantir Technologies from $185.00 to $215.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. President Capital upgraded shares of Palantir Technologies from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $25.50 to $133.00 in a report on Monday, June 29th. BNP Paribas Exane initiated coverage on shares of Palantir Technologies in a research report on Tuesday, June 16th. They issued an “underperform” rating on the stock. Finally, Argus upgraded shares of Palantir Technologies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $190.00 price target for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $192.19.

Key Palantir Technologies News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Palantir’s Maven AI defense platform has been designated an official Pentagon “program of record.” The status could provide more predictable, long-term budget support and help expand Maven’s use across all branches of the U.S. military. Palantir’s Maven Is Now an Official Pentagon Program of Record
• Positive Sentiment: Truist reiterated a Buy rating and a $223 price target, citing Palantir’s strong earnings, accelerating U.S. commercial revenue, government relationships and modular sales model. Other bullish coverage argues that the company’s AI demand and profitability could support further upside. Truist Sees More Upside
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO Alex Karp said companies need greater control and “sovereignty” over their AI systems, reinforcing Palantir’s positioning as a secure, enterprise-focused alternative to centralized technology providers. The comments support the long-term strategy but do not represent a new contract or financial forecast. Palantir CEO Discusses AI Sovereignty
• Negative Sentiment: Investors continue to question Palantir’s valuation, with the stock trading at roughly 148 times earnings and a PEG ratio above 2.5. Peter Thiel has sold shares over time, Cathie Wood’s firm recently trimmed its position and Michael Burry reportedly bought Palantir puts, highlighting profit-taking and skepticism after the rally. Peter Thiel’s Palantir Selling Pattern
• Negative Sentiment: Recent insider sales, including CEO Alex Karp’s approximately $86 million transaction, may weigh on sentiment even though the trades were conducted under pre-arranged plans and partly covered tax obligations. Rising Treasury yields also make high-multiple growth stocks less attractive. Alex Karp Insider Sale
• Negative Sentiment: Coverage of Palantir’s loss of an $875 million contract has renewed concerns about competition and the company’s ability to sustain its exceptional growth. A French rival, ChapsVision, is also pursuing European government and defense contracts, adding a competitive risk. Palantir Lost an $875 Million Contract

Palantir Technologies Price Performance

The stock’s 50-day moving average is $140.52 and its two-hundred day moving average is $141.05. The company has a market cap of $415.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 147.63, a P/E/G ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 1.59.

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Palantir Technologies

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in PLTR. Basepoint Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Palantir Technologies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Ballast Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Palantir Technologies during the first quarter worth approximately $29,000. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Palantir Technologies during the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new position in Palantir Technologies in the first quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in Palantir Technologies during the fourth quarter valued at about $35,000. 45.65% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Palantir Technologies

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.