Why Palantir Stock Skyrocketed This Past Week
Key Points
Palantir is helping its customers reap the benefits of AI without sacrificing control over their data.
Management says its fast-growing U.S. commercial business has plenty of room for further expansion.
- 10 stocks we like better than Palantir Technologies ›
Shares of Palantir Technologies (NASDAQ: PLTR) rose nearly 40% last week after the data analytics leader reported stunning artificial intelligence (AI)-fueled growth metrics.
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Palantir is expanding at a blistering pace
Palantir's second-quarter revenue soared 93% year over year to $1.9 billion. The gains were driven by a 90% jump in U.S. government revenue to $809 million and a 149% surge in U.S. commercial revenue to $764 million.
"Such an achievement would be cause for astonishment in any business; for one of our size, scale, and consequence, it is simply staggering," CEO Alex Karp said.
Karp said that Palantir serves as a safer alternative to working directly with AI model developers such as OpenAI and Anthropic.
"Our customers trust us to provide them with maximal control over their operations, data, and decisions," Karp said. "Their competitive advantage should never become the training data for future models."
All told, Palantir's adjusted operating income increased 62% to $1.2 billion. And its adjusted earnings per share checked in at $0.41, easily surpassing Wall Street's estimates of $0.35.
This AI-fueled growth story is just getting started
These sterling results prompted Palantir to lift its full-year revenue target to nearly $8.2 billion, driven by U.S. commercial revenue growth of at least 134%. Management also projects adjusted operating income of roughly $4.9 billion in 2026.
"While our U.S. commercial business is on fire, we believe it is nonetheless just nascent," Karp said.
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Joe Tenebruso has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Palantir Technologies. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
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