Stocks

Palantir Technologies Surges After Army-Navy Game and Key Figures' Appearance

Published December 16, 2024

Palantir Technologies Inc. (PLTR) experienced a notable increase of over 3% in overnight trading on Robinhood, following the company's significant visibility at the recent Army-Navy football game. The presence of Palantir's executives alongside prominent political figures contributed to this boost in the company's stock.

Stock Performance: The data analytics firm’s shares closed at $76.07 on Friday, after a 3.92% rise during regular trading hours. The positive trend continued into the evening as images from the event, showcasing Palantir executives like Chief Technology Officer Shyam Sankar and co-founder Joe Lonsdale, circulated widely on social media.

The event gained further traction when Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla Inc., reacted to a post featuring President-elect Donald Trump and other notable attendees at the game, where Palantir's logo was visibly displayed, by posting an American flag emoji.

This surge in stock price reflects an impressive string of favorable news for Palantir. The company is set to join the Nasdaq 100 index, effective December 23, which is expected to enhance its visibility in the financial markets. Additionally, Palantir has been expanding its government contracts, an area essential to its business strategy.

The market valuation of Palantir has notably outstripped that of traditional defense contractor Lockheed Martin Corp., reaching approximately $173 billion.

Significance of Recent Developments: According to Dan Ives, Managing Director at Wedbush Securities, Palantir is being hailed as the "Messi of AI," with predictions that 2025 will be a game-changing year for the company's artificial intelligence platform. The firm recently secured a substantial $36.8 million contract extension with U.S. Special Operations Command and achieved FedRAMP High Authorization for its Federal Cloud Service.

Additionally, reports suggest that Sankar is being considered for a senior research and engineering position in the upcoming Pentagon administration. This potential hire underscores Palantir's ongoing efforts to reinforce its relationships with government entities, particularly through significant contracts with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Leadership Vision: Palantir's CEO Alex Karp has consistently voiced a commitment to supporting government clients, emphasizing in company statements that they stand by these relationships whether convenient or not.

This upward movement in Palantir's stock demonstrates the positive impact of high-profile appearances and strategic partnerships in the realm of government contracts.

Palantir, Stock, ElonMusk