Palantir Technologies (NASDAQ:PLTR) Stock Bumped Up to "Strong-Buy" by Barclays

Key Points

• Barclays upgraded Palantir to “Strong Buy,” adding to growing bullish analyst sentiment. Goldman Sachs also upgraded the stock to Buy with a $230 price target, while the broader analyst consensus remains “Moderate Buy” with an average target of $198.75.
• Palantir reported strong operating momentum in its latest quarter, with revenue rising 92.8% year over year to $1.94 billion and EPS of $0.41, exceeding estimates. The stock opened at $209.05, near its 52-week high, but trades at a very elevated P/E ratio of 178.68.
• Despite institutional buying and strong growth expectations, valuation and insider selling remain key risks. Insiders sold approximately $93.1 million of stock over the past 90 days, and analysts warn that the stock’s sharp rally could leave it vulnerable to a correction if growth or guidance disappoints.

Palantir Technologies (NASDAQ:PLTR - Get Free Report) was upgraded by Barclays to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note issued on Friday, Zacks reports.

Other analysts also recently issued reports about the company. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Palantir Technologies from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $230.00 price target for the company in a research note on Thursday. Piper Sandler reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $230.00 price objective on shares of Palantir Technologies in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. BTIG Research downgraded Palantir Technologies to a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 16th. Citigroup cut shares of Palantir Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, Roth Capital assumed coverage on shares of Palantir Technologies in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. They issued a "buy" rating on the stock. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have assigned a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Palantir Technologies currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $198.75.

Palantir Technologies Stock Performance

Shares of PLTR stock opened at $209.05 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $502.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 178.68, a PEG ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 1.60. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $178.00 and a 200 day simple moving average of $150.29. Palantir Technologies has a 52 week low of $106.37 and a 52 week high of $209.58.

Palantir Technologies (NASDAQ:PLTR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 3rd. The company reported $0.41 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.34 by $0.07. Palantir Technologies had a net margin of 49.01% and a return on equity of 30.57%. The firm had revenue of $1.94 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.81 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.16 EPS. The business's revenue was up 92.8% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Palantir Technologies will post 1.28 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Lauren Friedman Stat sold 1,337 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $189.95, for a total value of $253,963.15. Following the transaction, the director owned 51,428 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,768,748.60. This trade represents a 2.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Jeffrey Buckley sold 1,250 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $174.29, for a total value of $217,862.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 56,921 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $9,920,761.09. This trade represents a 2.15% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 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 the last 90 days, insiders sold 536,364 shares of company stock valued at $93,083,303. Company insiders own 9.53% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Palantir Technologies

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in PLTR. Taylor & Morgan Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Palantir Technologies in the third quarter valued at approximately $267,000. Oak Grove Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Palantir Technologies during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $465,000. jvl associates llc acquired a new position in Palantir Technologies during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $205,000. Friday Financial increased its position in Palantir Technologies by 33.3% during the 3rd quarter. Friday Financial now owns 2,192 shares of the company's stock worth $417,000 after purchasing an additional 548 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Castleview Partners LLC bought a new position in Palantir Technologies in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $297,000. Institutional investors own 45.65% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Palantir Technologies

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

• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs upgraded Palantir to Buy from Neutral and set a $230 price target, citing expanding demand for sovereign AI, customized applications and specialized industry software. The firm believes Palantir’s addressable market and competitive advantages can support further outperformance into 2027. Goldman Sachs Upgrades Palantir to Buy
• Positive Sentiment: Barclays initiated coverage at Overweight with a $265 target, adding another bullish analyst signal. The recommendation suggests Palantir’s accelerating commercial adoption and government relationships may justify continued premium growth expectations. Barclays Starts Palantir Coverage
• Positive Sentiment: Investor enthusiasm is also being supported by Palantir’s reported operating momentum: revenue growth was approximately 93% year over year in the latest quarter, while 2026 guidance and U.S. commercial demand have been raised sharply. Commentary around expanding contracts, 157% net dollar retention and potential 2027 revenue well above consensus is strengthening the long-term bull case. Palantir The Next One Trillion Dollar Company
• Neutral Sentiment: Palantir’s rally has pushed the stock near its 52-week high ahead of the expected November 2 earnings report. Investors are increasingly focused on whether management can deliver another strong quarter and sustain its aggressive guidance trajectory.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst comparisons with ServiceNow and CrowdStrike highlight Palantir’s faster AI growth and government-driven advantages, but also emphasize that its valuation is substantially richer than many enterprise-software peers.
• Negative Sentiment: Several analysts warn that the stock is overbought after a roughly 60% rally since the August earnings release. With a very high earnings multiple, even a modest slowdown, disappointing guidance or weaker contract activity could trigger a correction. Palantir Correction Risk
• Negative Sentiment: Reported insider activity has consisted entirely of sales over the past six months, including transactions by senior executives. While these sales may be scheduled or compensation-related, they add a cautionary signal at elevated prices. Zacks also moved its stance to Hold, underscoring the valuation debate.

About Palantir Technologies

Palantir Technologies Inc NASDAQ: PLTR develops software platforms that help organizations integrate, analyze and act on large and complex datasets. Its principal platforms include Gotham, which is designed primarily for government and defense applications; Foundry, which supports commercial and institutional data operations; Apollo, which helps deploy and manage software across diverse environments; and the Artificial Intelligence Platform (AIP), which connects large language models and other AI tools with an organization's data and workflows.

The company serves government agencies, defense and intelligence organizations, and commercial businesses in industries such as manufacturing, healthcare, energy and financial services.

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