Stock Traders Buy Large Volume of Call Options on Planet Labs PBC (NYSE:PL)

Planet Labs PBC (NYSE:PL) saw unusually large options trading on Friday. Stock investors purchased 23,282 call options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 52% compared to the average daily volume of 15,366 call options.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Wedbush upped their target price on Planet Labs PBC from $30.00 to $40.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday. National Bank Financial set a $12.30 price target on shares of Planet Labs PBC in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. Needham & Company LLC upped their price objective on shares of Planet Labs PBC to $40.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $16.40 price objective on shares of Planet Labs PBC in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Planet Labs PBC from $19.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Planet Labs PBC currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $26.43.

Planet Labs PBC Stock Up 25.2%

Planet Labs PBC stock opened at $33.75 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $25.17 and its 200 day moving average price is $17.84. The company has a quick ratio of 4.00, a current ratio of 4.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28. The firm has a market cap of $10.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -43.27 and a beta of 1.95. Planet Labs PBC has a 52 week low of $2.79 and a 52 week high of $36.28.

Planet Labs PBC (NYSE:PL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 19th. The company reported ($0.48) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.05) by ($0.43). Planet Labs PBC had a negative net margin of 80.22% and a negative return on equity of 60.21%. The company had revenue of $86.82 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $78.17 million. Planet Labs PBC’s revenue was up 41.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Planet Labs PBC will post -0.37 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Planet Labs PBC

In other news, insider Robert H. Schingler sold 73,782 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.35, for a total value of $1,427,681.70. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 1,164,729 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $22,537,506.15. This represents a 5.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Ashley F. Johnson sold 150,731 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.01, for a total value of $4,071,244.31. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 1,956,101 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $52,834,288.01. The trade was a 7.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders sold 292,348 shares of company stock worth $7,323,958. 17.53% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Planet Labs PBC

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its position in Planet Labs PBC by 320.3% during the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 7,678,938 shares of the company’s stock valued at $151,429,000 after buying an additional 5,851,758 shares during the period. Barclays PLC raised its position in shares of Planet Labs PBC by 758.1% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 3,727,743 shares of the company’s stock worth $48,386,000 after acquiring an additional 3,293,333 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Planet Labs PBC by 265.6% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,450,479 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,787,000 after acquiring an additional 2,506,595 shares in the last quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP boosted its stake in shares of Planet Labs PBC by 257.5% during the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 2,362,275 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,662,000 after acquiring an additional 1,701,535 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Planet Labs PBC by 9.7% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 18,551,697 shares of the company’s stock valued at $240,801,000 after acquiring an additional 1,637,880 shares during the period. 41.71% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Planet Labs PBC

Here are the key news stories impacting Planet Labs PBC this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 revenue beat and stronger FY27 guidance — Planet reported Q4 revenue of $86.8M (above estimates) and issued FY2027 revenue guidance well above Street expectations, underpinning investor optimism about faster growth next year. Press Release
• Positive Sentiment: Stronger govt. demand and expanding backlog — Management highlighted robust government and defense demand (backlog up materially), and governments seeking greater satellite access, which supports recurring revenue visibility. WSJ Coverage
• Positive Sentiment: AI and partner initiatives — Planet emphasized AI-driven product opportunities and partnerships (including work tied to Google/NVIDIA in‑orbit AI themes) that could meaningfully expand civil and commercial demand. MarketWatch
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrade momentum — Multiple firms raised ratings/targets (e.g., Wedbush, Cantor Fitzgerald, Needham boosted PTs toward $40) after the results, adding buy-side validation to the move. Proactive
• Neutral Sentiment: Strong market reaction / option activity — Heavy after‑hours buying and elevated call option volume show speculative and institutional interest, amplifying intraday price moves but not changing fundamentals by itself. Invezz
• Negative Sentiment: Mixed earnings metrics — While revenue beat, reported EPS/GAAP metrics were mixed (some sources note an EPS miss), creating ambiguity between GAAP results and adjusted metrics investors are using to value the story. MarketBeat
• Negative Sentiment: Profitability outlook and heavy investment needs — Management expects to invest (e.g., ramp satellite manufacturing) to fulfill backlog; FY27 adjusted EBITDA guidance implies near‑term margin pressure despite positive FCF last year. Press Release
• Negative Sentiment: Rich valuation — The rally leaves PL with a large market cap and elevated forward multiples, increasing sensitivity to execution risk and any guide-downs. Invezz

Planet Labs PBC Company Profile

Planet Labs PBC is a public benefit corporation that operates one of the largest fleets of Earth-imaging satellites, providing high-frequency, high-resolution imagery and data analytics to a broad range of industries. The company’s multi-spectral satellite constellation captures daily snapshots of the planet, enabling clients to monitor changes in agriculture, forestry, urban development, energy infrastructure and environmental conditions. Planet’s imagery platform is designed to support timely decision-making by transforming raw satellite data into actionable insights for business and government users.

Founded in 2010 by former NASA scientists Will Marshall, Robbie Schingler and Chris Boshuizen, Planet Labs grew from a small startup into a key provider in the satellite imaging sector.