NEW YORK, March 25, 2026, 9:59 AM EDT.
Palantir Technologies Inc. (PLTR) picked up roughly 2.8% in early New York trade Wednesday, after Reuters said the company is teaming up with private defense group Anduril to build out software for the Trump administration’s Golden Dome missile shield. Shares touched $159.19 in the morning, moving ahead of the Nasdaq 100.
Why it matters now: Investors are hunting for concrete proof that Palantir’s military AI products will translate into dependable, multi-year government income. This latest step follows just days after the Pentagon named Palantir’s Maven Smart System a program of record—a move that locks in the pathway for extended funding and broader adoption throughout the military ranks.
This isn’t some offshoot: Golden Dome comes with a $185 billion cost estimate over ten years, according to Reuters last week. Lockheed Martin, RTX, and Northrop Grumman are now in as prime contractors, handling the command-and-control system—essentially the software glue for sensors, data feeds and interceptors.
Rosenblatt’s John McPeake reiterated his Buy call on Palantir and left his $200 price target unchanged in a note flagged by TipRanks on Wednesday. He put the potential value of Golden Dome at “many billions of dollars” for the company in phase one, adding that it could drive upside to Wall Street forecasts through 2028. TipRanks
The context isn’t trivial. Back in February, Palantir posted a 70% jump in fourth-quarter revenue to $1.41 billion, compared with the previous year. U.S. government sales climbed 66% to $570 million. Looking ahead, the company projected 2026 revenue between $7.182 billion and $7.198 billion.
Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg, in a letter dated March 9 and seen by Reuters, called for AI-driven decision-making to serve as the “cornerstone of our strategy.” Palantir’s Maven software—used on the battlefield—processes streams of data from satellites, drones, radar, and additional sensors, speeding up the way commanders identify threats and targets. Reuters
Palantir keeps hammering on that point. After February’s earnings, Chief Executive Alex Karp told investors the company was “supporting in a critical manner” some of the U.S. government’s most complex operations. Palantir has also emphasized that people—not its software—are the ones making lethal decisions. Reuters
Plenty of questions hang over Palantir. The Golden Dome project, for instance, hasn’t shown up as a confirmed contract win for the company yet, leaving its involvement unclear. The riskiest parts of the program—those space-based interceptors—are still up in the air. Shares aren’t cheap, either, with the stock trading at roughly 395 times trailing twelve-month earnings. Over in the UK, new concerns have surfaced as lawmakers grilled Palantir about its recent Financial Conduct Authority deal and its expanding presence in government business.
Palantir surged ahead of the Nasdaq 100’s 1% climb in early Wednesday trading, leaving Lockheed, RTX, and Northrop trailing with gains of less than 1%. That spread pointed to a stronger investor appetite for the software player over the old-line defense contractors—at least as the session got underway.
