Is Palantir Stock a Buy After Yet Another Blowout Quarter?

Palantir Technologies PLTR delivered another exceptional quarter, with second-quarter 2026 results comfortably surpassing Wall Street expectations as artificial intelligence adoption continued to drive commercial and government demand. The software company reported record revenue growth, expanding profitability, rising cash generation and stronger bookings while lifting its full-year outlook for the second consecutive quarter.

Revenues reached $1.94 billion, increasing 92.8% year over year and 19% sequentially, while beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.81 billion by 7.2%.

                                                                                       Image Source: PLTR

Earnings per share came in at 41 cents, up from 16 cents a year ago, representing 156.3% year-over-year growth, while rising from the previous quarter's 34 cents (20.6% sequential growth). EPS also exceeded the consensus estimate of 35 cents by 17.1%.

The latest results demonstrate that Palantir continues to translate accelerating enterprise AI adoption into both top-line expansion and improving profitability.

Commercial Business Remains PLTR’s Primary Growth Engine

Commercial revenue climbed to $945 million, increasing 109.7% year over year and accounting for nearly 49% of total quarterly revenue. Government revenue reached $990 million, rising 79% from the prior-year quarter and representing about 51% of total sales.

The company's U.S. operations remained the biggest contributor to growth. U.S. revenues totaled $1.57 billion, representing more than 81% of company-wide revenue, reflecting exceptionally strong customer demand for enterprise AI deployments.

Palantir also continued expanding its customer base. Total customers stood at 1,049, although slightly below analysts' expectations of 1,059. Despite the modest miss, customer expansion was accompanied by significantly higher deal sizes, indicating that existing clients continue increasing spending on Palantir's software platforms.

                                                                                       Image Source: PLTR

Large contract activity remained particularly robust. During the quarter, the company closed 220 deals worth at least $1 million, reflecting increasing adoption of its Artificial Intelligence Platform across commercial enterprises and government agencies.

Margins and Cash Flow Highlight PLTR’s Operational Strength

The company's rapid revenue expansion was accompanied by outstanding profitability. Adjusted gross margin remained exceptionally high at 86%, highlighting the scalability of Palantir's software platform. Adjusted operating margin expanded to 62%, among the highest across enterprise software companies.

Cash generation remained equally impressive. Cash from operations totaled $1.216 billion, while adjusted free cash flow reached approximately $1.22 billion during the quarter. These figures translate into an adjusted free cash flow margin of roughly 63%, illustrating Palantir's ability to convert revenue growth into substantial cash generation.

                                                                                     Image Source: PLTR

The company ended the quarter with $9.2 billion in cash, cash equivalents, and short-term U.S. Treasury securities, providing considerable financial flexibility to fund product development and future expansion initiatives.

While management acknowledged that gross margin experienced modest pressure from assuming cloud-hosting responsibilities for a government customer, executives indicated that the move should improve implementation speed and strengthen long-term customer relationships.

Bookings Show Demand Remains Exceptionally Strong

Beyond reported revenue, forward-looking indicators also strengthened. Total contract value bookings reached $3.4 billion, reflecting another record quarter for customer commitments.

Net dollar retention stood at 157%, demonstrating that existing customers continue expanding their usage significantly after initial deployments.

Total remaining deal value increased to $13.1 billion, while remaining performance obligations reached $4.9 billion, providing strong visibility into future revenue growth.

These metrics suggest that Palantir's current momentum is not solely driven by recent contract wins but is increasingly supported by long-term customer expansion.

Management Raises Guidance Again

Perhaps the most significant takeaway from the quarter was management's increased confidence in future growth. For the third quarter of 2026, Palantir expects revenues between $2.16 billion and $2.164 billion, implying another sequential increase of roughly 12% from the second quarter. Adjusted income from operations is projected between $1.292 billion and $1.296 billion.

Management also substantially increased full-year guidance. Revenues are now expected between $8.15 billion and $8.158 billion, up from the previous outlook of $7.65$7.662 billion. The midpoint of the guidance therefore increased by nearly $500 million, representing one of the company's largest upward revisions. The company also lifted its U.S. commercial revenue forecast to more than $3.424 billion compared with the earlier expectation exceeding $3.224 billion.

Adjusted operating income guidance increased to $4.889-$4.897 billion, while adjusted free cash flow guidance rose to $4.5-$4.7 billion, reinforcing management's confidence that profitability will continue improving alongside revenue growth.

AI Platform Expands PLTR’s Competitive Position

Palantir's product strategy increasingly revolves around enabling enterprises to deploy AI models while maintaining full ownership over their data, workflows and operational knowledge.

Management emphasized that customers increasingly prioritize flexibility, allowing organizations to benchmark different AI models and replace them whenever necessary without becoming dependent on a single provider.

This positioning appears to resonate strongly with enterprises seeking greater control over rapidly evolving AI technologies. Rather than competing directly on foundation models, Palantir continues focusing on the software layer that integrates, manages and operationalizes AI across organizations.

Management also highlighted growing demand from customers that initially adopted Foundry but are now expanding toward broader AI deployments across multiple business functions.

Risks Still Deserve Attention

Despite outstanding execution, investors should recognize that expectations surrounding Palantir remain elevated.

Management expects operating expenses to increase during the third quarter because of seasonal hiring, product investments and expanded marketing initiatives. Higher investments could temporarily limit additional margin expansion.

Cloud-hosting costs associated with certain government contracts may also weigh modestly on gross margins before productivity benefits materialize.

The company also continues operating in an intensely competitive AI software landscape where technology evolves rapidly. Maintaining current growth rates will require continued innovation and successful execution as enterprise AI spending matures.

PLTR is a Buy After Earnings

Palantir's latest quarter reinforces the view that the company is emerging as one of the biggest beneficiaries of enterprise artificial intelligence adoption. Revenue growth continues accelerating, profitability remains exceptional, cash generation is expanding rapidly, and customer demand shows little sign of slowing. The substantial increase in full-year guidance further strengthens confidence that management is executing well against a large market opportunity. Although expectations remain high and competition is intense, the company's differentiated software platform, expanding customer relationships, and disciplined execution support a favorable long-term investment case. Palantir stock remains a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) for investors seeking exposure to durable AI-driven growth. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Recent Earnings Snapshots

Trane Technologies TT reported impressive second-quarter 2026 results. TT’s adjusted earnings of $4.31 per share outpaced the consensus mark by 0.9% and rose 11.1% from the year-ago quarter’s actual. TT’s total revenues of $6.35 billion surpassed the consensus mark by 2.9% and increased 6.4% year over year.

Rollins ROL posted unimpressive second-quarter 2026 results. ROL’s adjusted earnings of 32 cents per share missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 5.9% but rose 6.7% year over year. Total revenues of $1.08 billion fell short of the consensus estimate by 1.7% but increased 7.9% from the year-ago quarter.

Verisk VRSK reported second-quarter 2026 diluted adjusted earnings of $1.98 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.94 by 2.1%. The figure increased 5.3% from the year-ago quarter. Revenues of $806.3 million topped the consensus mark of $802.4 million by 0.5% and rose 4.3% year over year.

Research Chief Names "Single Best Pick to Double"

From thousands of stocks, 5 Zacks experts each have chosen their favorite to skyrocket +100% or more in months to come. From those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian hand-picks one to have the most explosive upside of all.

This company targets millennial and Gen Z audiences, generating nearly $1 billion in revenue last quarter alone. A recent pullback makes now an ideal time to jump aboard. Of course, all our elite picks aren’t winners but this one could far surpass earlier Zacks’ Stocks Set to Double like Nano-X Imaging which shot up +129.6% in little more than 9 months.

Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report

This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

Zacks Investment Research