Many likely thought analyst Stephen Guilfoyle was off-the-mark when he bought $Palantir Technologies(PLTR)$ stock earlier this year.
Previously, shares had fallen significantly because of worry that a recession would dent corporate demand and fear that government contracts wouldn't materialize because of Congressional wrangling over the debt ceiling.
However, Guilfoyle saw potential where others saw risk.
In April, he bought Palantir's stock for Real Money Pro's Stocks Under $10 portfolio, only weeks before shares skyrocketed because of better-than-expected earnings, a debt ceiling deal, and optimism over surging AI spending.
Guilfoyle recently updated his thoughts on Palantir's stock. Given the timing of his buy, investors should pay attention to what he has to say.
Palantir Has A Big Runway in AI
When Guilfoyle bought Palantir stock in April, he cited many reasons, including a solid, debt-free balance sheet, eight consecutive quarters of free cash flow, and a path to profitability. However, the big reason he bought shares was Palantir's push into artificial intelligence, a market worth up to $800 billion, according to Wedbush Securities.
Palantir's decision to launch its own AI platform for corporate and government use was well-timed. Interest in AI has surged since OpenAI launched ChatGPT, a generative AI application, in December. Since then, companies worldwide have announced plans to accelerate the use of AI in their business, sparking a wave of investment likely to benefit Palantir, given it already works with most Fortune 500 companies.
At the time, Guilfoyle was ahead of the curve in recognizing the potential tailwind for Palantir from AI. Now, that tailwind has become a mainstream thesis among Wall Street pros.
For example, Wedbush's highly-regarded technology analyst Dan Ives, recently referred to Palantir as the "Messi of AI" because of the strength of its AI offering and its status within key government and enterprise accounts.
When he bought shares in April, Guilfoyle's initial target for Palantir's stock was $12. Now that Palantir's stock is testing $20, is he selling?
Nope. Guilfoyle had already bumped his Palantir price target to $18 in early June and $20 in mid-July. Following Ives' upgrade, he increased it again to $22.
"It's hard not to like a balance sheet that runs with a current ratio of more than 5," writes Guilfoyle. "This firm can weather the storms it has faced and still faces as it works toward what we see as a broad future."
Palantir is scheduled to release its second-quarter earnings on Aug. 7. Wall Street analysts expect the company's revenue and earnings per share to clock in at $532.7 million and 5 cents, respectively.
Given Guilfoyle's optimism over Palantir's AI opportunity, investors will want to pay close attention to what CEO Alex Karp says during the company's second-quarter conference call.
