We recently published a list of 10 AI Stocks to Watch for the Rest of 2024. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Palantir Technologies Inc (NYSE:PLTR) stands against other AI stocks to watch for the rest of 2024.
Talking about the latest market situation during a program on CNBC, Julian Emanuel, Evercore ISI senior managing director, said that despite the ups and downs that have happened since the pandemic, the US remains an economy that is “envy of the world.” The analyst urged investors to pile into stocks that have historically performed well after the Fed started cutting rates and hinted at the expected “turbulence” related to US elections.
“We love what we call the Fed rate cut playbook. You go back to 1970, you look at all the rate cutting cycles, there’s a very pronounced outperformance in the year after the Fed starts cutting from info tech, surprise surprise. Small caps, which might be a bit counterintuitive considering how much they took it on the chin today, but also, barbelled by the more defensive sectors, consumer staples and health care. So, to us, that’s sort of the sensible way that will help you ride out if you get some turbulence, which, obvious, if there’s a contested outcome, you’re likely going to get some turbulence.”
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Pointing to market volatility, Emanuel said that the “wall of worry” is still strong.
“The wall of worry is still very, very intact. And if you think about it, yeah, the VIX is low compared to maybe longer run history, but actually, if you think about the inertia of the markets the last several weeks, the VIX is high, and it should be, in front of probably one of the biggest unknowns we’ve been facing, certainly in the last four years, if not longer.”
For this article we picked 10 AI stocks trending based on latest news. With each company we have mentioned the number of hedge fund investors. Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 275% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 150 percentage points (see more details here).
A software engineer manipulating a vast network of code on virtual monitors.
Palantir Tech Inc (NASDAQ:PLTR)
Number of Hedge Fund Investors: 44
While talking about Mizuho’s latest rating action on Palantir Tech Inc (NASDAQ:PLTR), Jim Cramer said the following in a latest program:
“In their brief mention of Palantir, they say, “We remain concerned by the lack of visibility in its business and find the current valuation indefensible,” and they raise the price target from 30 to 24. You have someone who doesn’t like the stock, and it won’t stop. They have software, and they have Alex Karp, who is one of those CEOs that we dream of, right?”
Mizuho maintained a Sell rating on Palantir Tech Inc (NASDAQ:PLTR) in a latest note but increased its price target to $30.
What makes Palantir Technologies Inc (NYSE:PLTR) one of the top AI stocks? Its technologies are actually solving the problems of businesses. Palantir’s data technology Ontology is solving the famous hallucination problem for AI systems, thanks to the company’s years of experience with military and defense systems. Earlier this year at an event with customers, Palantir Technologies Inc (NYSE:PLTR) shared some specifics on how its customers are being able to reduce costs and increase profits due to its artificial intelligence platform (AIP) that was launched about a year ago.
Airbus accelerated A350 production by 33%, BP reduced costs per barrel by 60%, and Jacobs Connect cut power usage by 30%. Panasonic decreased waste by 12%, ESI Group sped up ERP harmonization by 70%, and PG&E reduced transformer ignitions by 65%. Eaton boosted productivity by 25%, while Tyson Foods achieved $200 million in cost savings.
However, Palantir Technologies Inc (NYSE:PLTR) stock’s valuation has been a concern for many.
The stock is trading at about 21.2 times the next 12 months (NTM) revenue. For fiscal year 2024, Palantir expects revenue growth of 24% year-over-year (YoY) to $2.746 billion, with an adjusted operating income of $970 million, representing a 35.3% margin. However, revenue growth is expected to slow over the next two years, with estimates suggesting a 22% YoY growth rate, potentially bringing revenues to around $4 billion by fiscal 2026. If Palantir Technologies Inc (NYSE:PLTR) can improve margins by 100 basis points annually, it would be able to generate about $1.5 billion in adjusted operating income by FY26, with a present value of $1.3 billion when discounted at 8%. Applying an S&P 500-like growth multiple of 2.5 to 2.75 times earnings, Palantir Technologies Inc (NYSE:PLTR) would have a P/E of 46, translating to a price target of $27.
Carillon Scout Mid Cap Fund stated the following regarding Palantir Technologies Inc. (NYSE:PLTR) in its first quarter 2024 investor letter:
“The top contributor to return for the quarter was Palantir Technologies Inc. (NYSE:PLTR). Sentiment improved on Palantir after it reported stronger than expected commercial customer revenue and free cash flow. U.S. commercial growth was especially encouraging, as U.S. commercial revenue was up by a large percentage year over year for the fourth quarter and U.S. commercial customer count grew nearly as much. We expect Palantir to become one of the premier artificial intelligence (AI) software providers, built on its Foundry and AIP platforms.”
Overall, PLTR ranks 8th on our list of AI stocks to watch for the rest of 2024. While we acknowledge the potential of PLTR, our conviction lies in the belief that under the radar AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns, and doing so within a shorter timeframe. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than PLTR but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.
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Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.