Palantir Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: PLTR) is ending Thursday, December 18, 2025, with a notable rebound—and a quieter, slightly softer tape in extended trading.
In regular hours, Palantir closed around $185.67, up about 4.7% on the day, after swinging between roughly $181.51 and $187.33. After the closing bell, PLTR ticked modestly lower to about $185.07 in after-hours trading (as of the early evening snapshot), a small move that typically reflects thinner liquidity rather than a new fundamental shock. [1]
The bigger story for tonight isn’t a single Palantir-specific headline—it’s the intersection of macro news (inflation), AI/tech risk appetite, and Palantir’s still-sky-high valuation heading into Friday, December 19, which also happens to be a key derivatives expiration day.
Palantir stock price after the bell: the numbers investors are watching tonight
Here’s the clean “where are we now?” picture for PLTR heading into tomorrow’s session:
- Regular-session close: about $185.67 (+4.73%) [2]
- After-hours quote: about $185.07 (down roughly 0.3% from the close in early evening trading) [3]
- Day’s range: roughly $181.51 to $187.33 (PLTR finished near the upper end of the day’s range) [4]
- 52-week range: about $63.40 to $207.52 (still below the year’s peak) [5]
- Volume: roughly 40 million shares traded (below some “hot AI stock” days, but still active)
Extended-hours trading can change quickly, so what matters most into Friday morning is whether PLTR holds near these levels in premarket—especially with several macro and positioning catalysts lining up.
Why Palantir rose today: the market’s inflation narrative powered a tech rebound
Palantir’s Thursday move fits neatly into what happened across broader markets:
1) The inflation report was “better than feared,” even with a big asterisk
U.S. inflation data released Thursday pointed to 2.7% year-over-year CPI (with core CPI at 2.9% y/y, according to Reuters), cooler than many economists expected. Markets took that as supportive for risk assets, and major indexes rose (Nasdaq leading). [6]
But there’s an important caveat: because of the 43-day U.S. government shutdown, the inflation report came with data limitations—most notably, it lacked the usual month-to-month changes and raised questions about data quality. [7]
For a high-multiple stock like Palantir, the market’s first reaction often matters more than the footnotes—at least in the short run. Softer inflation generally means lower pressure on yields, which can lift richly valued growth and AI stocks.
2) AI sentiment steadied, with chip earnings helping the tone
Tech and AI-related names broadly bounced Thursday, helped by strong corporate earnings signals in the sector—AP highlighted Micron’s upbeat results/AI-related outlook as part of what stabilized AI stocks after recent volatility. [8]
When the market’s mood shifts from “AI is overcrowded” to “AI demand is still real,” Palantir often trades like a sentiment barometer—moving with the group, not just on company-specific news.
3) Bonds and global central bank expectations stayed in focus
Thursday’s cross-asset picture mattered too: Reuters described a “risk-on” shift with stocks and bonds rising as investors digested inflation and looked ahead to major policy events abroad. [9]
That matters for PLTR because its valuation leaves little room for a rate-driven de-rating if yields pop higher again.
Today’s Palantir headlines: filings, positioning signals, and “high valuation” debates
Even on a macro-driven day, a few Palantir-specific items hit the tape Thursday and are worth knowing before Friday’s open.
Institutional filing: Oak Thistle trimmed its stake sharply (Q3)
MarketBeat reported that Oak Thistle LLC cut its Palantir position by about 87.4% during Q3, citing its SEC filing. The same report also summarized insider selling activity in recent months. [10]
To be clear: a single fund trimming doesn’t “predict” tomorrow’s price action. But in a stock where sentiment is a major driver, investors often track institutional flows for clues about positioning.
Congressional trade disclosure: Rep. Cisneros reported a Palantir purchase
Also from MarketBeat: Rep. Gilbert Ray Cisneros, Jr. disclosed a purchase of Palantir stock (reported as between $1,001 and $15,000) tied to a Nov. 7 transaction, disclosed in mid-December.
These disclosures can generate headlines and social-media chatter, even when the dollar amounts are relatively small.
New bullish-but-cautious forecast: Trefis points to $233—but calls it “Attractive but Volatile”
A Trefis analysis published today argued that “a price of $233 may not be out of reach,” while simultaneously stressing that Palantir’s valuation is very high and the stock is “Attractive but Volatile.”
Notably, Trefis flagged valuation multiples that remain the core debate around PLTR—roughly 112.7x price-to-sales and ~400x price-to-earnings, alongside strong growth and profitability metrics.
Technical traders are watching reversal behavior near resistance
In today’s technical commentary universe, Palantir has also been highlighted as a name showing a potential reversal signal near resistance amid broader Nasdaq volatility. [11]
Whether you trade technically or not, it matters because Palantir is heavily owned and traded—when technical levels break, flows can amplify the move.
Analyst targets vs. valuation reality: what “the Street” is signaling tonight
One reason Palantir remains a magnet for clicks—and volatility—is that targets and fundamentals often tell two different stories.
Wall Street ratings are clustered in “Neutral/Hold”
Investing.com’s analyst breakdown shows a Neutral consensus (more Holds than Buys), with an average 12‑month target around $184.65—roughly flat to slightly below tonight’s post-close level. [12]
At the same time, the distribution matters:
- Some analysts remain constructive—example: BofA reiterated Buy with a $255 target in mid-December. [13]
- Other firms sit in the “Hold/Neutral” camp with materially lower targets. [14]
MarketBeat’s compiled consensus is even more conservative, listing a “Hold” consensus and an average target near $172.28. [15]
Different data vendors can produce different consensus numbers depending on which firms they include and how recently updates are captured—but both views underline the same point: the Street is not unanimously bullish at these prices.
The valuation is still the headline risk (and headline fuel)
Tonight’s most “load-bearing” fact for tomorrow is that Palantir’s multiples remain extreme compared with typical software peers:
- Investing.com shows roughly 404x P/E, about 113.6x price-to-sales, and about 67x price-to-book. [16]
- Trefis independently framed a similar picture—roughly 112.7x P/S and ~400.8x P/E—while calling out strong growth and profitability alongside “Very High” valuation.
This is why macro data (rates, inflation surprises, bond yields) can push PLTR disproportionately: when valuation is the debate, discount rates become the trigger.
What to know before the market opens tomorrow (Friday, Dec. 19, 2025)
Here are the biggest catalysts and “watch items” for PLTR into Friday’s open—especially for readers trying to plan a morning game plan.
1) Friday is Triple Witching (big options/futures expiration)
December 19, 2025 is a triple witching day—when stock options, index options, and index futures expire together. These days can bring higher volume and sometimes sharper intraday moves, especially in heavily traded, high-beta names. [17]
For Palantir traders, that can mean:
- Faster moves around key price levels
- More whipsaws late in the session (“witching hour”)
- Short-term price action that looks “news-driven” even when it’s mostly positioning
2) Global macro risk: the Bank of Japan decision can ripple into U.S. risk appetite
Overnight into Friday, markets are also bracing for the Bank of Japan, where expectations have centered on a rate hike to 0.75% (a multi-decade high), with potential spillover effects on global yields and risk positioning. [18]
Why PLTR investors should care: if global yields jump or the yen strengthens sharply, it can tighten financial conditions and pressure high-multiple U.S. growth names—sometimes abruptly.
3) Inflation data confidence: the shutdown “data asterisk” may keep volatility elevated
Today’s inflation relief rally came with an unusual caveat—shutdown disruptions, missing month-to-month figures, and questions about distortion. That means Friday could bring second thoughts as traders reassess what the report really said (and how reliable it was). [19]
If yields rise back up on skepticism, Palantir is the kind of stock that can feel it quickly.
4) Palantir’s next major catalyst isn’t tomorrow morning—so headlines and flows matter more
Investing.com lists Palantir’s next earnings report date as Feb. 18, 2026. [20]
So between now and then, traders often key off:
- Contract/partnership headlines
- Government and defense-tech spending signals
- Sector sentiment (chips, cloud, “AI infrastructure”)
Recent narrative drivers still in the background include Palantir’s AI data-center software effort with Nvidia and CenterPoint (“Chain Reaction”) reported earlier this month and other government-related wins.
5) Levels the market is likely to talk about on Friday
Without making this a “buy/sell call,” two widely watched reference points stand out:
- $190-ish area: IBD recently highlighted a buy point around $190.39 on a “cup base” setup (published Dec. 17), making this a likely psychological/technical battleground if momentum continues.
- $207.52: the 52‑week high shown on Investing.com remains the obvious “big level” on any renewed breakout attempt. [21]
Bottom line for Palantir (PLTR) heading into Friday
Palantir is closing December 18 with a strong rebound that looks primarily tied to macro relief (inflation) and a tech/AI bid, not a single, definitive company announcement. [22]
For Friday morning, the setup is straightforward:
- Bull case into the open: cooling-inflation narrative holds, yields stay contained, AI sentiment remains supported, and PLTR builds on today’s momentum despite its rich valuation. [23]
- Bear case into the open: the market re-litigates inflation data quality, global rates move higher on BOJ-related ripple effects, and triple-witching flows amplify volatility in a stock priced for near-perfect execution. 0
References
1. www.investing.com, 2. www.investing.com, 3. www.investing.com, 4. www.investing.com, 5. www.investing.com, 6. www.reuters.com, 7. www.reuters.com, 8. apnews.com, 9. www.reuters.com, 10. www.marketbeat.com, 11. www.forex.com, 12. www.investing.com, 13. www.investing.com, 14. www.investing.com, 15. www.marketbeat.com, 16. www.investing.com, 17. www.tastylive.com, 18. www.reuters.com, 19. www.reuters.com, 20. www.investing.com, 21. www.investing.com, 22. www.reuters.com, 23. www.reuters.com
