Palantir Technologies Inc. (PLTR) Stock Price & How to Invest

Last updated October 2026

Short answer

You can invest in Palantir (PLTR) by buying shares or fractional shares at any major broker, through an ETF that holds it, or as one holding in a thematic basket. Palantir provides data-integration, analytics, and AI software through Gotham (government), Foundry (commercial), Apollo (deployment), and the newer Artificial Intelligence Platform (AIP). As of October 16, 2026 the stock closed near $188, worth about $452 billion, up roughly 12% this year after a 42% run over the past three months. It pairs a durable, hard-to-replicate US defense and intelligence franchise with fast-growing AIP-driven commercial revenue, so PLTR is a high-conviction, narrative-driven AI software name carrying one of the richest valuations in software (about 162x trailing and 80x forward earnings).

PLTR stock price

As of 2026-10-23, Palantir Technologies Inc. (PLTR) last closed at $196.75, up 6.6% over the past year. Over the past 52 weeks it has traded between $107.27 and $209.05.

PLTR last close
$196.75
1 day
+0.29%
1 month
+2.59%
1 year
+6.56%
52-week range
$107.27 to $209.05
Last close
2026-10-23

Prices are daily closing prices from Yahoo Finance and may be delayed. For the live quote, check your broker or Palantir Technologies Inc.'s investor relations page. Walnut is informational, not investment advice.

What does Palantir Technologies Inc. (PLTR) do?

Palantir Technologies provides data integration, analytics, and AI software to government and commercial customers. The company organizes around three main platforms. Gotham is the original government-focused platform used for intelligence, defense, and law enforcement analytics. Foundry is the commercial counterpart used for enterprise data integration and analytics. Apollo is the deployment platform that ships the above to customers' environments (cloud or on-premises). The newer Artificial Intelligence Platform (AIP) layers generative AI workflows on top of Gotham and Foundry data, allowing customers to build AI agents on their own proprietary data.

Government revenue (primarily US Department of Defense and intelligence community) was historically the larger segment. Commercial revenue has grown faster recently driven by AIP. Total revenue reached about $6.2 billion over the trailing twelve months to June 2026, up from $4.48 billion in calendar 2025 and $2.87 billion in 2024, and the company now earns roughly $3 billion a year in net income. Founded in 2003 by Peter Thiel, Alex Karp, Stephen Cohen, Joe Lonsdale, and Nathan Gettings. Co-headquartered in Denver, Colorado and Washington, DC. Alex Karp is CEO. Palantir has about 4,400 employees.

What's driving Palantir Technologies Inc. (PLTR)?

1. AIP-driven commercial expansion.

The Artificial Intelligence Platform (AIP) has driven faster commercial customer acquisition than Palantir achieved through Foundry alone. AIP's value proposition is that customers can deploy AI workflows on their proprietary data without rebuilding infrastructure. Growth has accelerated through 2026 rather than slowing: quarterly revenue went from $1.18 billion in Q3 2025 to $1.41 billion, $1.63 billion and then $1.94 billion in Q2 2026. Analysts expect about $2.18 billion for the September quarter (up roughly 96%) and about $8.2 billion for full-year 2026.

2. US government and defense.

Palantir is one of the larger software vendors to the US Department of Defense and intelligence community. The relationship is multi-decade and difficult for competitors to replicate. Defense modernization spending is a structural tailwind. The flip side is political exposure: in October 2026 Bloomberg reported Palantir among the large tech names bracing for scrutiny if Democrats gain leverage in Washington.

3. International government and sovereign AI.

Palantir has been actively expanding government relationships internationally, including UK NHS contracts and various NATO and allied defense customers. International government revenue is smaller than US but growing. In October 2026 Palantir and Ondas launched Regna AI, a joint offering aimed at sovereign AI deployments, an extension of the same government franchise into partner-led channels.

4. Founder-led, long-time-horizon management.

Alex Karp and Peter Thiel have been involved since the founding. Management decisions tend to be long-horizon, occasionally controversial, and aligned with the founders' strategic worldview. That suits long-term shareholders but creates governance risk if the founders' priorities diverge from public-market interests.

What are the risks to Palantir Technologies Inc. (PLTR)?

The valuation reflects extraordinary expectations for AIP-driven growth and is among the highest in software: about 162x trailing earnings, 80x forward earnings and 73x sales as of mid-October 2026. Consensus already assumes roughly 45% revenue growth in 2027, so any AIP customer acquisition deceleration would compress the multiple sharply. The stock is volatile: its 52-week range runs from about $106 to $213, and despite the recent rally it is up only about 6% over the past year. Government revenue concentration with the DoD creates contract renewal and political risk.

What is the Palantir Technologies Inc. (PLTR) forecast?

26 analysts publish price targets on PLTR, averaging $206.43 against a $186.03 price as of October 2026, or +11.0%. The published targets run from $80.00 to $265.00, a wide spread, and the ratings split 21 buy, 8 hold, 3 sell. Over the last six months there have been 8 raises and 0 cuts among the published actions. A price target is what an analyst published on a date, not a prediction, and sell-side ratings skew positive across the whole market.

Read the full PLTR forecast and price target for the target table, the recent rating actions by firm, and how the consensus has shifted.

Is PLTR a buy or a sell?

We give no verdict on Palantir Technologies Inc.. Both cases are real, which is why the question is contested at all, so here is the strongest version of each.

The case for buying. AIP-driven commercial expansion. The Artificial Intelligence Platform (AIP) has driven faster commercial customer acquisition than Palantir achieved through Foundry alone. The most optimistic published target, $265.00, assumes this works close to its best case.

The case against. The valuation reflects extraordinary expectations for AIP-driven growth and is among the highest in software: about 162x trailing earnings, 80x forward earnings and 73x sales as of mid-October 2026. The most pessimistic target, $80.00, is roughly what PLTR is worth if this bites instead.

Read the full bull and bear case on PLTR, including what would have to change to break either one. Walnut is not an investment adviser.

Has Palantir Technologies Inc. (PLTR) split its stock?

No. Palantir Technologies Inc. (PLTR) has not split its stock in the last 10 years. That is a statement about the window we check rather than about the company’s entire history, so an older split is possible. It also matters less than it once did: fractional shares mean a high price per share no longer keeps smaller investors out, which removed most of the practical reason to split.

How is Palantir Technologies Inc. (PLTR) valued? (approximate, October 2026)

A simple financial snapshot. These are approximations and refresh quarterly; for current figures see Palantir Technologies Inc.'s investor relations page or your broker.

  • Revenue (TTM): ~$6.2 billion
  • Revenue growth (latest quarter): ~93% year over year (Q2 2026)
  • Operating margin: ~47%; profit margin ~49%
  • Net income (TTM): ~$3.0 billion (GAAP)
  • EPS (TTM / forward): ~$1.16 / ~$2.34
  • P/E (trailing / forward): ~162x / ~80x
  • Price to sales: ~73x
  • Market cap: ~$452 billion
  • Free cash flow (TTM): ~$2.2 billion
  • Dividend yield: None

Palantir still trades at one of the highest valuations in software, though the multiple has come down from roughly 300x trailing earnings early in 2026 as profits nearly tripled. The premium rests on revenue growth that accelerated to about 93% in the June quarter, a balance sheet with about $9.4 billion of cash against little debt, and the durable government base. The multiple remains acutely sensitive to any growth slowdown, and the November 2 report is the next checkpoint.

Which ETFs hold Palantir Technologies Inc. (PLTR)?

If you want PLTR exposure as part of a larger bundle rather than directly, these ETFs hold it meaningfully. Weights are approximate and refresh quarterly.

ETFName% in PLTRExpense ratio
BULZMicroSectors Solactive FANG Innovation 3X Leveraged ETNs6.93%0.95%
AIQGlobal X Artificial Intelligence & Technology ETF4.08%0.68%
IGViShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF8.99%0.39%
VGTVanguard Information Technology ETF1.61%0.09%
ARKFARK Blockchain & Fintech Innovation ETF4.5%0.75%
FTECFidelity MSCI Information Technology Index ETF1.6%0.08%
SHLDGlobal X Defense Tech ETF11.79%0.50%
TECLDirexion Daily Technology Bull 3X SharesApproximately 3%Approximately 0.94% (the latest annual report lists 0.87% net)
ARKQARK Autonomous Technology & Robotics ETF4.9%0.75%
QTUMDefiance Quantum ETF1.66%0.40%

What themes does Palantir Technologies Inc. (PLTR) fit?

Who competes with Palantir Technologies Inc. (PLTR)?

Enterprise data platforms

Snowflake competes in cloud data warehousing and analytics, though with a different architectural model (Snowflake is data infrastructure; Palantir bundles infrastructure with applications and AI). Databricks competes more directly in data + AI platforms, particularly in commercial markets.

Government and defense software

Booz Allen Hamilton, Lockheed Martin (Sikorsky and broader software), Raytheon, and other defense primes provide overlapping software services. SAIC and General Dynamics offer government IT services. Direct competition for Gotham specifically is limited.

Generative AI platforms

Microsoft (Azure AI, Copilot Studio), Google Cloud (Vertex AI), AWS (Bedrock), and various AI infrastructure platforms compete for AI workflow deployment. Palantir's differentiator is its embedded position in customer data infrastructure, particularly in government.

What stocks are similar to Palantir Technologies Inc. (PLTR)?

Other names that sit close to PLTR: same theme, named as a direct competitor, or held beside it in the same funds. Each entry says which. Worth a look if you are thinking about diversification within a thesis rather than concentration on one ticker.

How to invest in Palantir Technologies Inc. (PLTR)

There are three common ways to get PLTR exposure. Buy shares (or fractional shares) directly at any major broker. Hold an ETF that includes it (BULZ, AIQ, IGV), which spreads the position across many companies. Or build it into a focused thematic portfolio, so PLTR sits alongside other stocks that express the same thesis.

Walnut takes the portfolio route. Describe a thesis where PLTR fits (for example “AI infrastructure” or “dividend-growth large-caps”) and the AI proposes 5 to 6 constituents with target weights. You review the plan and fund it through your own broker when you're ready.

New to this? Start with how to invest in stocks, see how to analyze a stock with AI, or compare the best AI stock analyzers.

The bottom line on Palantir Technologies Inc. (PLTR)

Palantir (PLTR) blends a multi-decade US government and defense base with AIP-driven growth that has accelerated sharply: revenue rose about 93% year over year in the June 2026 quarter to ~$1.94 billion, and EPS of $0.41 beat the $0.35 consensus. Founder-led management and rule-of-40 financials (operating margin near 47%) round out the case. In a portfolio it behaves as a high-multiple, high-volatility AI-software and defense-modernization position where the extreme valuation (around 73x sales) makes shares acutely sensitive to any AIP growth deceleration, so position sizing matters. The next test is the Q3 report on November 2, 2026.

More on Palantir Technologies Inc. (PLTR)

Whether PLTR is worth buying today depends more on your time horizon and what you already hold than on any single call. We walk through valuation, what would have to go right, and the risks in is PLTR a buy or a sell?, and where the stock could go from here in the PLTR stock forecast.

For income investors, whether PLTR pays a dividend and how the payout looks is covered in does PLTR pay a dividend? And to weigh PLTR against a peer, read the full side-by-side comparisons: PLTR vs MSFT and PLTR vs GOOGL.

Wondering how PLTR fits the portfolio you already own? Walnut is an AI investing app that connects your brokerage read-only and answers questions like that about your actual holdings: overlap, concentration, and how each position tracks the S&P 500. Compare the best AI portfolio analyzers or see the best AI investing apps in 2026.

Investing in Palantir Technologies Inc. with AI

Connect the broker you already use and ask Walnut's AI how PLTR fits what you actually hold: whether you own it already through a fund, what it would do to your concentration, and how it has tracked the S&P 500. Read-only by default, and you approve anything before it reaches your broker.

FAQ

What is Palantir's ticker symbol?

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PLTR, listed on Nasdaq. Officially Palantir Technologies Inc. Founded 2003 by Peter Thiel, Alex Karp, Stephen Cohen, Joe Lonsdale, and Nathan Gettings. Co-headquartered in Denver, Colorado and Washington, DC. Went public via direct listing in 2020.

Who are Palantir's competitors?

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By segment. Enterprise data platforms: Snowflake (data infrastructure), Databricks (data + AI). Government and defense software: Booz Allen, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, SAIC. Generative AI platforms: Microsoft Azure AI, Google Cloud Vertex AI, AWS Bedrock. Palantir's differentiator is its embedded position in customer data infrastructure, particularly in government.

Why is Palantir's stock so expensive?

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Premium reflects extraordinary revenue growth driven by the Artificial Intelligence Platform (AIP), about 93% year over year in the June 2026 quarter, the durable US government revenue base, and a rule-of-40 profile far above the threshold (revenue growth plus an operating margin near 47%). At about 73x sales and 80x forward earnings in October 2026, the valuation embeds high expectations for AIP momentum to continue; any deceleration would compress the multiple sharply.

What is Palantir's P/E ratio?

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Approximately 162x trailing twelve months GAAP earnings and about 80x forward earnings as of mid-October 2026, down from roughly 300x trailing early in the year because earnings grew faster than the share price. By traditional valuation metrics, Palantir is still among the most expensive large-cap software stocks. Bull case is that AIP-driven growth justifies the multiple over time; bear case is that the multiple must compress at some point.

What does Palantir do?

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Palantir provides data integration, analytics, and AI software to government and commercial customers. Three main platforms: Gotham (government), Foundry (commercial), and Apollo (deployment). The newer Artificial Intelligence Platform (AIP) layers generative AI workflows on top, allowing customers to build AI agents on proprietary data.

Who owns the most Palantir stock?

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Co-founders Peter Thiel and Alex Karp retain meaningful personal stakes. Institutional holders include Vanguard, BlackRock, and various AI-focused funds; the iShares Expanded Tech-Software ETF (IGV) added about $42.7 million of PLTR on October 14, 2026. Insider ownership is meaningful, particularly through founder shareholdings, which is unusual for a company of Palantir's size.

Is Palantir an AI stock?

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Yes, prominently. The Artificial Intelligence Platform (AIP) is the central growth driver, and total revenue grew about 93% year over year in the June 2026 quarter. PLTR has been one of the most-bought 'AI software' names by retail investors since 2024. The narrative-driven valuation reflects extraordinary expectations for AI agent deployment in enterprise and government.

Which ETFs have the most Palantir exposure?

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VGT (Vanguard Information Technology) and XLK (Technology Select Sector SPDR) hold PLTR at meaningful weight as one of the largest US software companies by market cap. QQQ and VOO hold it as well, at weights that move with its market cap. IGV (software-specific) holds PLTR at higher concentration. AI-themed ETFs like BOTZ and ROBO hold PLTR at meaningful weights.

Which thematic baskets typically include Palantir?

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Two themes on Walnut. Enterprise software (data and AI platform; rule-of-40 profile) and Defense and modernization (one of the largest software vendors to the US DoD and intelligence community). PLTR's dual exposure makes it a common position in both AI-focused and defense-focused baskets.

How much of QQQ is Palantir?

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Roughly 1.5% in early 2026, when Palantir was worth about $200 billion. Its market cap has since grown to about $452 billion, so its weight in QQQ (which tracks the Nasdaq-100) has likely risen with it; check the fund's current holdings for the exact figure. PLTR was added to the Nasdaq-100 in December 2024 after meaningful market cap growth. Index weights move every day with the share price.

Is Palantir in the S&P 500?

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Yes. PLTR was added to the S&P 500 in September 2024 after meaningful market cap growth and improved profitability. With a market cap around $452 billion in October 2026 it is one of the larger index members, having been one of the largest recent additions to the index.

What is Palantir's market cap?

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Approximately $452 billion as of October 16, 2026, with shares near $188. Market cap has grown by more than an order of magnitude from 2022 lows on the AIP-driven re-rating and addition to the S&P 500 and Nasdaq-100. PLTR is now one of the larger US software companies by market cap despite being much smaller by revenue (about $6.2 billion TTM) than peers.

Does Palantir pay a dividend?

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No. Palantir has not paid a dividend historically. Capital has been prioritized for continued investment in product development plus opportunistic share buybacks, and the company holds about $9.4 billion of cash. Given the growth-focused capital allocation, dividend initiation is unlikely in the near term.

Should I own Palantir directly or through an AI ETF?

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Direct PLTR gives concentrated exposure to AIP commercial growth and the government revenue durability. AI-themed ETFs (BOTZ, ROBO) include PLTR at meaningful weights but bundle it with many other AI exposures. Many Walnut users hold PLTR directly given the conviction-driven nature of the position; the high multiple makes position sizing important.

How did Palantir do in its latest quarter?

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In the June 2026 quarter Palantir reported revenue of about $1.94 billion, up roughly 93% year over year, and net income of about $1.06 billion. EPS of $0.41 beat the $0.35 consensus, its fourth straight beat. The next report is due November 2, 2026, with consensus at about $2.18 billion of revenue and $0.41 of EPS.

How has PLTR stock performed in 2026?

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As of the October 16, 2026 close near $188, PLTR was up about 12% year to date and about 6% over the past year, after a roughly 42% rally over the prior three months. The 52-week range is about $106 to $213, so the stock remains volatile. The average analyst price target is about $206 across 26 analysts. Walnut is descriptive, not an investment adviser.

Guides that feature PLTR

PLTR is one of the names covered in these guides. Each one puts the stock next to its peers so you can see where it fits rather than judging it alone.

Walnut is informational, not investment advice. Financial figures on this page are approximations; always verify current numbers with Palantir Technologies Inc.'s investor relations page or your broker before making investment decisions.