Palantir Technologies Inc. (Nasdaq: PLTR) is having one of those very “Palantir” trading sessions: big headlines, bigger opinions, and a stock move that reminds everyone this name doesn’t do boring. As of 13:14 UTC on Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025, PLTR traded at $177.29, down $10.48 (-5.58%) on the day.
The drop lands after a powerful run in 2025. Investor’s Business Daily recently noted Palantir is still up more than 137% year-to-date despite the latest pullback. [1] MarketWatch data also shows just how wide the battlefield has been: a 52-week range of $63.40 to $207.52, underscoring the stock’s tendency to swing hard when sentiment turns. [2]
So what’s happening now—and what are analysts and forecasters saying as of Dec. 18, 2025?
Why Palantir stock is down on Dec. 18, 2025
Today’s selloff looks less like a single “bad news” catalyst and more like the market re-litigating the same two arguments that constantly hover over PLTR:
- Valuation risk (the “priced for perfection” problem)
- Insider-selling sensitivity (even routine sales can spook a momentum-heavy tape)
Trefis, in an analysis published today, framed the move as a reaction to “renewed concerns” around insider selling and an “extended valuation,” even as it argued the company’s operating profile still looks strong. [3]
On the insider-trading front, Yahoo Finance’s insider-transactions log shows CFO David Alan Glazer reported a sale dated Dec. 12, 2025 (listed value $1,673,190, sale price $185.91). [4] One transaction doesn’t make a trend—but Palantir is a stock where narratives move nearly as fast as numbers, and “insiders selling” is a narrative traders react to quickly.
There’s also a broader backdrop: AI-linked stocks have experienced periodic air pockets when investors get nervous about capex spending and “AI bubble” chatter. Reuters recently described renewed turbulence in the “AI trade” after updates from major tech names reignited overvaluation fears—even while many investors remain bullish long-term. [5] That kind of tape can pull down high-multiple AI favorites like Palantir in sympathy.
The bullish counterweight: Palantir keeps landing big, real-world deployments
While the stock is red today, the news flow that’s supporting the longer-term bull thesis hasn’t exactly been quiet—especially in U.S. defense and industrial AI.
1) U.S. Navy ShipOS partnership: up to $448 million authorized
One of the biggest December catalysts has been ShipOS (Shipbuilding Operating System). In a Dec. 10, 2025 Business Wire release, the U.S. Navy announced a partnership to deploy Palantir’s Foundry and Artificial Intelligence Platform (AIP) across the Maritime Industrial Base, with the initiative authorizing up to $448 million. [6]
The Navy’s own press release (dated Dec. 9, 2025) adds compelling operational color: during pilot deployments, the Navy said submarine schedule planning at General Dynamics Electric Boat was reduced from 160 manual hours to under 10 minutes, and Portsmouth Naval Shipyard cut material review times from weeks to under one hour. [7]
Breaking Defense contextualized ShipOS as an effort to push AI tools through shipyards and suppliers, tied to ambitions like boosting submarine production—exactly the type of “mission-critical” environment Palantir has historically thrived in. [8]
Why investors care: contracts like this do two things at once:
- reinforce Palantir’s government “moat” and credibility in high-security environments, and
- create reference deployments that can be used to sell similar systems across adjacent industrial domains (logistics, manufacturing, critical infrastructure).
2) “Chain Reaction”: Palantir’s play for the AI infrastructure buildout
Palantir is also trying to move up the stack—from analytics provider to “operating system” builder for massive infrastructure programs.
Reuters reported on Dec. 4, 2025 that Palantir, Nvidia, and CenterPoint Energy are developing a new software system called Chain Reaction to accelerate the construction of AI data centers, helping with permitting, supply chain coordination, and construction complexity. [9]
A matching Business Wire announcement calls Chain Reaction “the operating system for American AI infrastructure,” designed to accelerate grid expansion and new compute capacity, with founding partners including CenterPoint and Nvidia. [10]
Why this matters for PLTR stock: if “AI” is increasingly constrained by power, permits, and buildout timelines (not just models and chips), then software that coordinates the industrial choreography becomes valuable—and potentially very sticky.
3) The Nvidia collaboration trendline (logistics → infrastructure)
Chain Reaction builds on prior work between Palantir and Nvidia. Reuters previously reported (Oct. 28, 2025) that Nvidia and Palantir struck a deal to bring Nvidia software to Palantir’s platforms to help customers accelerate decision-making in areas like logistics. [11]
The strategic throughline is clear: start with enterprise decision workflows, then push into bigger, harder, more capital-intensive systems where the switching costs are brutal and the contracts can be massive.
International government business: France’s DGSI renews Palantir for three years
Palantir’s government footprint isn’t just American.
A Business Wire release dated Dec. 15, 2025 states Palantir renewed a three-year contract with the DGSI, France’s domestic intelligence agency, extending a partnership that’s been ongoing for nearly a decade. The agreement covers supply of Palantir’s proprietary platform plus integration, support, and assistance services for deployment and operations. [12]
The release also notes the renewal comes amid heightened national security demands and emphasizes security, confidentiality, and data governance requirements, while also referencing support during major national events such as the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. [13]
Stock relevance: renewals aren’t as flashy as “new wins,” but they’re often more important: they signal stickiness, institutional reliance, and (frequently) expansion opportunities.
Earnings and guidance: the numbers behind the momentum
Palantir’s latest reported quarter (Q3 2025) and forward guidance remain central to the bull/bear debate because the stock’s valuation assumes strong growth can persist.
Reuters reported that Palantir posted Q3 revenue of $1.18 billion (up about 63% year-over-year) and adjusted EPS of 21 cents versus expectations around 17 cents. [14]
For Q4, Reuters said Palantir forecast revenue of $1.327–$1.331 billion, above analysts’ average estimate cited by LSEG, implying a slight deceleration in growth versus Q3—something that matters when a stock is priced at extreme multiples. [15]
Separately, Palantir’s investor-relations announcement highlighted U.S. commercial revenue growth of 121% year-over-year in Q3 2025, and described raised full-year guidance (including U.S. commercial guidance). [16]
The market’s tug-of-war: Palantir is putting up growth numbers that would make most software CEOs weep with joy—yet the stock can still drop hard because investors debate whether the growth is enough to justify the valuation.
Analyst forecasts and price targets: very wide range, very divided Street
If you’re looking for a clean “Wall Street consensus,” Palantir will disappoint you. This stock is an analyst-separation machine.
Investor’s Business Daily summarized coverage as: 7 buys, 17 holds/neutral, and 3 sells, and cited Mizuho reiterating a neutral stance while raising a price target to $205. [17]
MarketBeat’s roundup of recent analyst notes listed multiple target changes, including (among others) Goldman Sachs raising to $188 (neutral), Daiwa to $200 (neutral), and Jefferies reiterating underperform. [18]
On the forecast aggregator side, the picture shifts depending on the dataset and timestamp:
- The Motley Fool cited a consensus price target of $172.28, implying modest downside from current levels, while also referencing strong expected growth next year. [19]
- TickerNerd reported a median price target of $200 with a very wide $50–$255 range across 29 analysts. [20]
And then you’ve got independent valuation models: Trefis published today arguing $233 “may not be out of reach,” while still flagging volatility risk. [21]
How to read this: The Street isn’t really arguing about whether Palantir is a “real company” anymore—it’s arguing about how much of the future is already priced in.
Valuation: the core reason PLTR trades like a live wire
At today’s price, Palantir’s valuation metrics are attention-grabbing even by hot-AI-stock standards.
Yahoo Finance statistics list Palantir around 115x price-to-sales (ttm), with a trailing P/E north of 400 and a forward P/E in the high double/triple digits (depending on timing and calculation). [22]
Trefis similarly characterized valuation as “very high,” citing price-to-sales above 100 and P/E around 400 in its framework. [23]
Motley Fool commentary published today described Palantir as one of the market’s most expensive stocks, citing triple-digit price-to-sales and very high forward earnings multiples. [24]
Translation: Palantir doesn’t have to “miss” earnings to fall—it just has to be slightly less perfect than the market demanded.
Other current headlines investors are watching
Lawsuit escalation against Percepta
The Wall Street Journal reported that Palantir escalated a legal fight involving Percepta, alleging efforts to poach employees/clients and take confidential data; Percepta denies wrongdoing. [25] Legal disputes like this rarely move long-term fundamentals by themselves, but they can become an overhang if they drag or reveal uncomfortable details.
Stock-split speculation
Stock splits aren’t fundamentals—but they’re catnip for retail momentum. A recent Motley Fool piece argued a split is unlikely unless shares climb well beyond current levels (since the company hasn’t historically split since going public). [26]
What’s next for Palantir stock: the near-term calendar
The next major “scheduled” catalyst is earnings—though dates can change.
- WallStreetHorizon lists Palantir’s next earnings date as unconfirmed but estimated for Monday, Feb. 2, 2026 (after market). [27]
- Nasdaq’s earnings page also shows an estimated earnings date around 02/02/2026, noting the estimate is algorithmic and availability can vary. [28]
- Zacks similarly points to Feb. 2, 2026 based on reporting patterns. [29]
Between now and then, the stock will likely react most to:
- evidence that ShipOS/defense wins translate into measurable revenue and margin durability,
- proof that “Chain Reaction” becomes more than a headline (i.e., real customers, real deployments),
- continued U.S. commercial growth momentum, and
- any shift in AI-sector sentiment around valuation and capex.
Bottom line
On Dec. 18, 2025, Palantir stock is sliding—yet the company’s narrative engine is still running hot: major defense deployments (ShipOS), international renewals (DGSI), and a bold expansion into AI infrastructure coordination (Chain Reaction). [30]
The reason PLTR can drop hard on a day with no single catastrophic headline is the same reason it can rip higher on incremental good news: the stock is priced like a category-defining platform, so expectations are always wearing a tuxedo and a knife.
References
1. www.investors.com, 2. www.marketwatch.com, 3. www.trefis.com, 4. finance.yahoo.com, 5. www.reuters.com, 6. www.businesswire.com, 7. www.navy.mil, 8. breakingdefense.com, 9. www.reuters.com, 10. www.businesswire.com, 11. www.reuters.com, 12. www.businesswire.com, 13. www.businesswire.com, 14. www.reuters.com, 15. www.reuters.com, 16. investors.palantir.com, 17. www.investors.com, 18. www.marketbeat.com, 19. www.fool.com, 20. tickernerd.com, 21. www.trefis.com, 22. finance.yahoo.com, 23. www.trefis.com, 24. www.fool.com, 25. www.wsj.com, 26. www.fool.com, 27. www.wallstreethorizon.com, 28. www.nasdaq.com, 29. www.zacks.com, 30. www.businesswire.com
