Palantir Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: PLTR) finished Friday, December 19, 2025, with a strong gain and only a modest change in extended trading. PLTR closed at $193.38, up 4.14%, after trading between $186.73 and $195.00 on heavy volume (about 76.3 million shares). In after-hours trading, shares were last indicated around $193.75 (about +0.19% from the close) as of the early evening update. [1]
One important timing note: because December 20 is a Saturday, U.S. stock markets are closed “tomorrow.” The next regular session for PLTR is Monday, December 22, 2025—and the stock’s setup now heads into a holiday-shortened week that can amplify volatility in both directions.
What moved Palantir today after the bell: it wasn’t just PLTR
Friday’s move in Palantir fits cleanly into the market’s broader story: an AI/tech-led rebound plus “calendar” effects.
1) AI trade showed signs of re-accelerating
A number of AI-linked names climbed Friday as optimism returned to the sector. Investopedia framed the session as a renewed burst of confidence around AI, noting that Palantir was among the AI favorites that moved higher alongside other tech leaders. [2]
2) A tech rally powered the indexes into the close
Reuters reported that U.S. stocks ended higher with technology leading, as enthusiasm around AI-linked demand returned and investors digested inflation data and rate-cut expectations. [3]
3) “Triple witching” supercharged volume
Friday also carried a major mechanical driver: triple witching, the quarterly expiration of stock options, index options, and index futures. Axios cited estimates of roughly $7.1 trillion in equity options expiring—events that can push trading volume sharply higher even when volatility is mixed. [4]
Put simply: Palantir’s jump into the close happened in a market environment primed for big flows, fast rotations, and AI narrative whiplash.
Today’s Palantir-specific headlines investors are still digesting
Even if Friday’s “why” was mostly macro/sector-driven, PLTR hasn’t been trading in a vacuum this month. Several recent company-specific catalysts continue to shape sentiment going into next week.
Accenture and Palantir expanded their partnership
On December 16, Accenture and Palantir announced an expanded relationship and the creation of the Accenture Palantir Business Group, aimed at accelerating delivery of enterprise AI and data solutions. The release highlighted support from Palantir forward-deployed engineers and more than 2,000 Palantir-skilled Accenture professionals, with an emphasis on scaling AI outcomes and complex data-center and AI infrastructure operations. [5]
Why it matters for PLTR: partnerships of this type can (1) widen distribution into large enterprises, (2) shorten time-to-value, and (3) help Palantir land larger multi-year programs—especially if “reinvention” budgets return in 2026.
The U.S. Navy’s ShipOS initiative kept defense momentum in focus
Palantir also remains tied to the defense modernization theme. The U.S. Navy described a $448 million strategic investment in “Ship OS” to accelerate AI and autonomy adoption across shipbuilding, explicitly stating Ship OS will leverage Palantir software and citing early pilot results with sharply reduced planning and review times. [6]
Business Wire’s release similarly framed ShipOS as authorizing up to $448 million and emphasized deploying Palantir Foundry and AIP across the Maritime Industrial Base. [7]
Why it matters for PLTR: investors continue to reward Palantir when contracts reinforce its positioning as an “operational AI” provider—not just analytics—especially in mission-critical environments.
Contract renewal in France added another credibility signal
On December 15, Palantir announced a three-year renewal with France’s DGSI, extending a partnership described as ongoing for nearly a decade. [8]
Why it matters: international government work can be sticky—and renewals tend to support the view that Palantir remains embedded where reliability and security standards are unusually high.
Forecasts and guidance: the numbers investors are anchoring to
When PLTR trades with this much momentum, valuation debates get loud—but guidance and growth rates still anchor the argument.
What Palantir guided for Q4 and FY2025
In its Q3 earnings release filed with the SEC, Palantir guided for Q4 2025 revenue of $1.327–$1.331 billion and raised full-year revenue guidance to $4.396–$4.400 billion, alongside other profitability and cash flow targets. [9]
Those figures are central because PLTR’s premium multiple depends on the market believing:
- growth remains durable (commercial + government),
- margins remain structurally higher than typical software peers,
- and AI platform adoption expands beyond pilots into production-scale deployments.
What “today’s” market commentary emphasized
Investor’s Business Daily’s Palantir piece published today highlighted the stock’s 2025 surge and pointed to a cup-with-handle base with a buy point at 190.39, while also repeating the growth narrative and revenue trajectory investors are watching into year-end. [10]
Analyst targets and forecasts: the split is the story
Here’s what stands out heading into the next session: price targets are all over the map—which is typical when a stock has already had a massive run.
- MarketWatch shows an average analyst target around $189.40 (with a larger analyst set). [11]
- MarketBeat lists a consensus view of “Hold” and an average target price around $172.28 (implying downside from Friday’s close). [12]
- Investing.com shows a wide range (example: high estimate $255 and low estimate $50) and an average target near the mid-$180s—again underscoring dispersion more than conviction. [13]
What this means for Monday:
- If PLTR keeps running, it may do so despite the “average target,” powered more by positioning, momentum, and incremental contract wins than by traditional multiple-based valuation comfort.
- If sentiment wobbles, the same dispersion makes it easier for bears to argue that the stock is priced for perfection.
Technical and positioning snapshot into the next open
PLTR heads into next week with several clear reference levels investors are likely to watch:
- $190 area: psychologically important and near the buy-point discussion in today’s technical commentary. [14]
- $195: Friday’s intraday high zone (near-term resistance reference). [15]
- Mid-$180s: the prior day’s close region (potential support if the move fades). [16]
For traders who track common indicators, Investing.com’s technical dashboard showed PLTR with a mid-60s RSI and moving averages pointing to a “buy”-leaning technical posture at the time of publication. [17]
And don’t ignore the tape: Friday’s very high volume occurred on a triple witching day—so part of what you saw may have been forced flows rather than “pure” discretionary conviction. [18]
What to know before the market opens “tomorrow”: weekend reality and the holiday-week schedule
Because “tomorrow” is Saturday, the practical question becomes: what could matter between now and Monday’s open?
1) The AI narrative can swing on headlines
Friday’s rally was tied to renewed confidence around AI-linked names, but Reuters also noted the market has been sensitive to valuation concerns and shifting rate-cut expectations. Any weekend headline around AI infrastructure funding, chip restrictions, or major enterprise spend can show up in Monday’s premarket. [19]
2) Post-expiration positioning can create Monday gaps
After triple witching, dealers and large funds have reset exposures. Sometimes that reduces pinning pressure; sometimes it reveals what was being hedged. Either way, Monday can look “cleaner”—or more jumpy—than Friday. [20]
3) Know the holiday trading calendar—liquidity matters
Next week is not a normal week for U.S. equities:
- Nasdaq’s official schedule shows an early close on Wednesday, Dec. 24 (1:00 p.m. ET) and Christmas Day closed. [21]
- Reuters reported today that major U.S. exchanges said they will remain open on Dec. 24 and Dec. 26 (following normal schedules), despite a presidential directive affecting federal offices. [22]
Lower liquidity sessions can exaggerate PLTR moves—especially for a high-beta, narrative-driven stock.
4) Watch for contract/partnership follow-through
Palantir’s recent headlines (Accenture partnership expansion; Navy ShipOS; DGSI renewal) are the kind that can spawn follow-on commentary or additional customer announcements. If any new deal hits the wire over the weekend, PLTR can react fast Monday. [23]
Bottom line for PLTR heading into Monday
Palantir ended Dec. 19 with momentum: a strong close, a quiet after-hours tape, and a market backdrop that turned friendlier to AI exposure again. But the setup into the next open is not just about Palantir—it’s about AI sentiment, rates, holiday liquidity, and whether recent enterprise/defense headlines translate into additional commercial traction (or simply justify an already-premium valuation).
If you’re watching PLTR into Monday, the practical checklist is:
- Did any weekend news change the AI narrative?
- Does PLTR hold around the $190–$195 reference zone early in the week?
- Do we see “normal” volume return after triple witching—or does liquidity thin out and amplify swings?
References
1. stockanalysis.com, 2. www.investopedia.com, 3. www.reuters.com, 4. www.axios.com, 5. newsroom.accenture.com, 6. www.navy.mil, 7. www.businesswire.com, 8. www.businesswire.com, 9. www.sec.gov, 10. www.investors.com, 11. www.marketwatch.com, 12. www.marketbeat.com, 13. www.investing.com, 14. www.investors.com, 15. stockanalysis.com, 16. stockanalysis.com, 17. www.investing.com, 18. www.axios.com, 19. www.reuters.com, 20. www.axios.com, 21. www.nasdaq.com, 22. www.reuters.com, 23. newsroom.accenture.com
