1 Unstoppable AI Stock That Could Soar 186% to Join the $1 Trillion Club, According to 1 Wall Street Analyst

Palantir Technologies (NASDAQ: PLTR) has been one of the most polarizing stocks on Wall Street for years. But even the skeptics are having trouble ignoring the numbers. Last quarter, revenue grew 70% year over year to $1.4 billion as its U.S. commercial revenue skyrocketed.

And the company's Rule of 40 score -- an important metric in the world of enterprise software that combines sales growth and profit margin -- came in at 127%. That's an incredible figure. Most companies would be ecstatic with half of that.

The stock closed Friday's session trading at around $146, giving Palantir a market cap of roughly $350 billion. To join the $1 trillion club, it would need to reach approximately $418 per share -- a 186% move from here. That sounds ambitious -- and it is -- but at least one prominent Wall Street analyst thinks it's realistic within the next few years.

Image source: Getty Images.

Wall Street is betting big on Palantir's AI future

Wedbush analyst Dan Ives, one of the most vocal Palantir bulls, has publicly stated he sees the company reaching a $1 trillion valuation within two to three years, driven by accelerating commercial adoption of its Artificial Intelligence Platform (AIP).

As for the current year, much of Wall Street is bullish. Here's a snapshot of what a few key players following the stock expect to see in the next 12 months or so:

Data source: TipRanks.

The average target among Wall Street analysts covering the stock sits just above $185, implying a 26% upside. I should note there are some serious bears, however. Jefferies expects the stock to fall to just $70.

What makes Palantir different from the typical AI hype

A few dynamics separate Palantir from the typical overhyped AI stock.

First, the company is genuinely entrenched and has a wide moat within the U.S. federal government. Palantir's Gotham platform is the backbone of intelligence analysis for the Pentagon and is used heavily by the CIA, NSA, and other agencies.

Second, AIP has unlocked enterprise AI adoption like never before. The platform leverages generative AI to, among other things, make interacting with Palantir's systems natural and much more accessible to managers and executives whose expertise is nontechnical.

It also means selling Palantir's products is much easier. The company now has a "boot camp" model under which companies can get systems up and running to test AIP in real-world applications within days. Decision-makers can see Palantir's products at work on their own data and systems. That pitch is a whole lot more powerful than something theoretical or generic.

And finally, Palantir's financials are in great shape. The company's free cash flow margins are above 50%, and it ended 2025 with over $7 billion in cash and little debt to speak of.

The valuation risk investors can't ignore

It's obvious the company is doing something right. But even a great company can be a bad investment if the stock is too expensive.

Palantir trades at nearly 80 times trailing sales and over 230 times trailing earnings. Even when measured by its forward P/E of over 110, this is an incredibly expensive stock.

And that means there is basically no room for error. If anything challenges the growth narrative -- or if the market at large takes a dive -- Palantir shares would get hit hard.

And the stock has already shown it can fall fast: Just recently, it dropped from $207 to $130 in a two-month span.

So is Palantir a buy?

Palantir is doing things in enterprise AI that no other public company can match right now, and its path to $1 trillion is certainly plausible if the company sustains its current growth rate over the next two to three years.

But the market is already paying a steep premium that bakes that anticipated future growth into the share price, and then some. This is a stock for investors who fundamentally believe AI adoption is still in its early innings and who can stomach the risk that comes with paying 200 times earnings for a stock.

Citigroup is an advertising partner of Motley Fool Money. Johnny Rice has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Goldman Sachs Group, Jefferies Financial Group, and Palantir Technologies. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.