Should You Buy Palantir Before Nov. 3?

Palantir Technologies (NASDAQ: PLTR) has been scoring win after win for investors over the past few years. The technology company has delivered double-digit revenue growth and quadruple-digit stock price gains -- and all of this is thanks to demand for its artificial intelligence (AI)-driven software. Government and commercial customers have piled into Palantir's Artificial Intelligence Platform (AIP), as this system allows them to immediately use AI to tackle their problems and come up with game-changing solutions.

If you've already invested in Palantir, you're benefiting from this fantastic momentum. But if you haven't yet bought the shares, you might be looking at a particular date with some interest. That date is Nov. 3, a moment that could represent a catalyst for the stock. Should you buy Palantir shares -- or add to your current holding -- before then? Let's find out.

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A 20-year-old company

Before considering what's set to unfold early next month, though, let's take a quick look at the Palantir story so far. This tech company has seen earnings and stock performance take off in recent times, but this player actually has been in business for more than 20 years. Palantir initially served mainly government customers with its software, but over the past several quarters, it's seen its number of commercial customers explode higher -- from 14 a few years ago to hundreds today.

The reason for these gains? Palantir's focus on AI. The company launched AIP two years ago, and companies and organizations, seeking to benefit from AI, flocked to it. Palantir's software systems allow customers to aggregate their disparate data and use it -- and AIP relies on the power of AI to make this happen.

The tech player introduces potential customers to AIP through AIP boot camps, sessions that help them go from nothing to a use case in just a few days. Boot camps have proven their strength as they've helped Palantir quickly win major deals -- for example, in the recent quarter, a healthcare company signed on for an $88 million deal with Palantir a month after its boot camp.

All of this has helped Palantir report double-digit gains in commercial customer revenue and government revenue quarter after quarter. The value of deals also is climbing, with the company closing a record total contract value of $2.27 billion in the latest quarter -- that's a 140% increase year over year.

What's happening on Nov. 3

Now, let's consider what's unfolding on Nov. 3, and that is the company's next earnings report. Palantir is scheduled to report third-quarter earnings on that day, after U.S. markets close. Investors have reason to be optimistic as the company has established a positive track record: It's surpassed analysts' estimates for at least the past four quarters.

The demand Palantir has spoken of as well as its growth in earlier quarters this year also suggest the company may continue to wow investors with its progress. In the second quarter, Palantir raised full-year guidance for total revenue, U.S. commercial revenue, adjusted income from operations, and adjusted free cash flow. And the company said it expects GAAP operating income and net income every quarter in 2025.

So, with this in mind, should you rush to get in on Palantir shares before its upcoming earnings report? After all, if it delivers more good news, the stock could advance.

A high valuation

I consider Palantir a great long-term stock to buy due to the points I've mentioned above. And even the company's enormous valuation -- it trades at 276x forward earnings estimates -- hasn't changed my mind. This is because this valuation metric takes into account earnings estimates for next year but doesn't consider growth farther down the road. So, if you intend to hold onto Palantir for five years or more, you could generate significant gains even if you've invested at the current price.

Even though I consider this stock a buy, I won't tell you to rush to get in before Nov. 3. When you hold onto a stock for a number of years, near-term fluctuations in the price won't have much impact on your returns. This is great news because it means you don't have to worry about tackling the tough -- and useless -- task of timing the market. Instead, you can take your time and buy Palantir now -- or after Nov. 3.

Adria Cimino 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.