Palantir Technologies (NYSE:PLTR) rose on Wednesday as investment firm RBC upgraded the data analytics software company, citing several reasons, including Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Analyst Rishi Jaluria raised the rating on Palantir (PLTR) to sector perform from underperform and boosted the price target to $12 from $9, noting that federal spending around the world is likely to increase as a result of the war.
"We believe as the war drags on, governments around the world are increasing their defense spending (including against cyber-attacks) and we expect Palantir to be a beneficiary of this trend," Jaluria wrote in a note to clients, though he added it could only be "a short-term tailwind."
Palantir Technologies (PLTR) shares rose more than 1% to $13.05 in premarket trading on Wednesday.
In addition, Jaluria pointed out that Palantir's (PLTR) management team is likely to stop investing in special purpose acquisition companies, or SPACs, going forward, which had proved "controversial" with investors.
Lastly, shares have fallen 48% since RBC downgraded the stock in November 2021, compared to a 15% decline in the Nasdaq, making now a good time for investors "to step to the sidelines."
There are still concerns, such as lower government spending, increased competition and revenue from SPACs increasing as a percentage, but the short-term benefits of the war "does make Palantir a difficult stock to short in the near-term," Jaluria conceded.
On Monday, Palantir Technologies (PLTR) said it extended and expanded its work with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,as the government agency continues to modernize its data management.
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