Palantir (PLTR 4.30%) stock is moving lower again in Wednesday’s trading. The company’s share price was down 4.5% as of 2:50 p.m. ET despite a bullish backdrop for the broader market. The S&P 500 was up 0.7% at the same point in the session, and the Nasdaq Composite was up 1.4%.
Stocks are rebounding after big sell-offs in yesterday’s trading, but Palantir isn’t taking part in the relief rally. While there doesn’t appear to be any fresh business-specific news dragging the company’s valuation lower, the stock has been under pressure lately.
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What’s driving Palantir’s pullback?
Palantir published its first-quarter results on May 4 and served up sales and earnings for the period that came in significantly better than Wall Street’s forecasts. The company also issued very strong forward guidance, but the impressive quarterly report wasn’t enough to prevent another round of sell-offs for the stock. The company’s share price is now down roughly 27% year to date.
Palantir’s highly growth-dependent valuation is likely a big factor in the company’s valuation pullback. Beyond general valuation concerns, some investors are likely concerned that the company is facing rising challenges from Anthropic and its advanced artificial intelligence (AI) models. Additionally, there has been a general rotation out of tech-focused defense stocks in recent months.
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What’s next for Palantir?
Even after some big sell-offs, the company is still valued at roughly 89 times this year’s expected earnings and 40 times expected sales. With some very strong growth already priced into the stock, there’s a risk that shares will continue to face pressures even if the business continues to deliver great results. On the other hand, the company has been posting incredible sales growth and margins — and the stock could still surge over the long term if Palantir retains its strong competitive positioning.
Keith Noonan 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.
