NEW YORK, January 3, 2026, 06:35 ET — Market closed
- Palantir shares slid on the first U.S. trading day of 2026, tracking a pullback in some high-priced tech names.
- A company director filed an SEC notice tied to a potential share sale.
- Attention turns to Monday’s trading levels, next week’s macro data, and the timing of Palantir’s next earnings report.
Palantir Technologies Inc. shares fell 5.6% on Friday, Jan. 2, to $167.86, marking a weak start to 2026 for the data-analytics software maker. The stock swung between $182.93 and $166.38 in the session, with about 60.6 million shares changing hands.
The move matters now because Palantir has become a high-beta proxy for investor appetite for “AI” trades — and those trades can unwind fast when the market shifts its focus from growth stories to valuations and rates.
The drop also put fresh emphasis on near-term positioning. When a stock finishes near its lows early in the year, traders tend to test whether dip-buyers show up quickly or step back and wait for a clearer catalyst.
A regulatory filing released after the close showed director Alexander D. Moore filed a Form 144 notice to sell 40,000 Palantir shares, with an aggregate market value listed at about $7.11 million. The notice said the shares could be sold over the next 90 days through J.P. Morgan Securities and referenced a trading plan adopted on Nov. 22, 2024; it also listed two prior sales of 20,000 shares each in November and December.
A Form 144 is a notice insiders file when they intend to sell restricted or “control” stock under SEC Rule 144. It flags intent, not execution, and sales can still change or be delayed.
The selloff in Palantir came as U.S. markets sent mixed signals, with the S&P 500 and Dow ending higher while the Nasdaq finished lower, according to Reuters. “Top performers could take a breath,” said Joe Mazzola, head trading and derivatives strategist at Charles Schwab, pointing to stretched valuations in popular AI-linked names. Reuters
A separate commentary published by Nasdaq.com said there was no company-specific announcement behind the day’s slide, and framed the move as part of a broader pullback in software shares at the start of the year.
Palantir sells data-analysis software used by governments and companies and has drawn heavy interest from investors looking for exposure to AI deployment inside large organizations. Analysts have also repeatedly flagged the stock’s premium valuation versus enterprise-software peers such as Snowflake and Salesforce, a backdrop that can make the shares more sensitive to sentiment swings.
Insider sale plans are common, especially after large rallies and under prearranged plans. But they tend to get more attention when a stock is already sliding and investors are looking for a reason to lock in gains or cut risk.
Before Monday’s open, traders are likely to watch whether Palantir can hold above Friday’s low near $166 and reclaim the $170 handle quickly. A bounce toward the $180 area would push the stock back toward the levels seen early in Friday’s session.
Macro catalysts sit alongside the stock-specific tape. High-growth tech shares often react sharply to shifts in rate expectations, and investors are likely to stay sensitive to next week’s U.S. data that could reset the outlook for interest rates.
