Planet Labs PBC (NYSE:PL) Trading Down 6.5% Following Insider Selling

Key Points

• Insider selling drove a roughly 6.5% intraday drop after founder Robert H. Schingler sold 73,683 shares (~$2.58M) under a Rule 10b5‑1 plan and CFO Ashley F. Johnson sold 200,000 shares (~$7.02M).
• Positive operational and guidance updates — Planet raised Q1 and FY‑2027 revenue guidance and reported on‑orbit AI progress and additional Pelican satellite shipments, prompting several analyst target increases (e.g., Wedbush to $40.00).
• Profitability still a concern — the company beat revenue ($86.82M) but missed EPS (reported -$0.48 vs. -$0.05 est.), showing wide negative margins (net margin -80.22%) despite 41% revenue growth year‑over‑year.

Planet Labs PBC (NYSE:PL - Get Free Report)'s share price traded down 6.5% during trading on Thursday following insider selling activity. The stock traded as low as $33.94 and last traded at $34.17. 11,225,421 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 20% from the average session volume of 14,082,354 shares. The stock had previously closed at $36.55.

Specifically, insider Robert H. Schingler sold 73,683 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.07, for a total transaction of $2,584,062.81. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 256,488 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,995,034.16. This represents a 22.32% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Ashley F. Johnson sold 200,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.10, for a total transaction of $7,020,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 1,895,162 shares of the company's stock, valued at $66,520,186.20. This represents a 9.55% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Zacks Research raised Planet Labs PBC from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Wedbush lifted their target price on Planet Labs PBC from $30.00 to $40.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, March 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $16.40 target price on shares of Planet Labs PBC in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Northland Securities set a $28.00 price target on Planet Labs PBC in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Planet Labs PBC from $26.00 to $35.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 25th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $27.70.

Planet Labs PBC News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Planet Labs PBC this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Company raised revenue guidance for Q1 2027 ($87M–$91M vs. $83.2M consensus) and FY 2027 ($415M–$440M vs. $377.3M consensus), signaling stronger top‑line growth expectations that support the rally.
• Positive Sentiment: Bullish media/analyst attention — Jim Cramer publicly said he would “stay long” and several analysts have been raising targets or reiterating buys, which can fuel investor demand. Jim Cramer on Planet Labs
• Positive Sentiment: Operational progress: on‑orbit AI demo (Pelican‑4) and additional Pelican satellites shipped to Vandenberg — technical milestones that strengthen product differentiation and future premium analytics revenue. Planet Successfully Runs AI in Space Planet Ships Three Additional Pelicans
• Positive Sentiment: Sector tailwinds: Zacks highlights satellite/communications peers (including PL) as beneficiaries of growing global connectivity, supporting upside narrative. Zacks: 3 Stocks to Watch
• Positive Sentiment: Derivative sentiment: Planet’s equity warrant (PL.WS) price target was raised, which can boost investor optimism about upside. Warrant Target Increase
• Neutral Sentiment: Positive industry narratives (e.g., “Going Dark” coverage highlighting government reliance on Planet/peers) are boosting sentiment but don’t directly change near‑term fundamentals. Going Dark: A Strange Buy Signal from the Stars
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling headlines: founding insider Robert H. Schingler sold 73,683 shares under a Rule 10b5‑1 plan (~$2.58M) and the CFO recently sold shares (~$7M reported earlier). Large, public insider sales can damp investor sentiment even when executed under pre‑arranged plans. Insider Trades - Schingler
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory/operational risk: Planet agreed to withhold imagery of Iran and parts of the Middle East at the U.S. government’s request — this creates potential revenue/product availability headwinds for some customers and increases geopolitically driven operational risk. Reuters: Withhold Iran Images
• Negative Sentiment: Recent EPS miss: Planet’s March quarter showed a sizable EPS shortfall despite revenue beat, reminding investors profitability is still an issue (negative margins/return on equity remain). This keeps longer‑term upside dependent on margin improvement and execution.

Planet Labs PBC Trading Down 6.5%

The stock has a market cap of $11.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -43.81 and a beta of 1.83. The business's 50 day moving average is $26.70 and its 200 day moving average is $20.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.37, a current ratio of 1.65 and a quick ratio of 1.64.

Planet Labs PBC (NYSE:PL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 19th. The company reported ($0.48) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.05) by ($0.43). The business had revenue of $86.82 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $78.17 million. Planet Labs PBC had a negative net margin of 80.22% and a negative return on equity of 69.61%. The business's revenue was up 41.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts expect that Planet Labs PBC will post -0.37 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Planet Labs PBC

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Planet Labs PBC by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 19,358,515 shares of the company's stock valued at $381,750,000 after purchasing an additional 806,818 shares during the last quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board lifted its position in shares of Planet Labs PBC by 0.3% during the 2nd quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 7,820,400 shares of the company's stock worth $47,704,000 after buying an additional 20,400 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Planet Labs PBC by 320.3% in the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 7,678,938 shares of the company's stock valued at $151,429,000 after buying an additional 5,851,758 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Planet Labs PBC by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,702,642 shares of the company's stock valued at $112,475,000 after buying an additional 71,381 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Planet Labs PBC by 7.9% in the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 4,137,871 shares of the company's stock valued at $81,599,000 after buying an additional 301,757 shares during the last quarter. 41.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Planet Labs PBC

Planet Labs PBC is a public benefit corporation that operates one of the largest fleets of Earth-imaging satellites, providing high-frequency, high-resolution imagery and data analytics to a broad range of industries. The company's multi-spectral satellite constellation captures daily snapshots of the planet, enabling clients to monitor changes in agriculture, forestry, urban development, energy infrastructure and environmental conditions. Planet's imagery platform is designed to support timely decision-making by transforming raw satellite data into actionable insights for business and government users.

Founded in 2010 by former NASA scientists Will Marshall, Robbie Schingler and Chris Boshuizen, Planet Labs grew from a small startup into a key provider in the satellite imaging sector.

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