Planet Labs PBC (NYSE:PL) Posts Earnings Results, Misses Estimates By $0.43 EPS

20 Mar 2026, 16:20 by Danessa Lincoln · The Markets Daily

Planet Labs PBC (NYSE:PL – Get Free Report) announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday. The company reported ($0.48) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.05) by ($0.43), reports. The company had revenue of $86.82 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $78.17 million. Planet Labs PBC had a negative net margin of 45.87% and a negative return on equity of 31.01%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 41.1% compared to the same quarter last year.

Here are the key takeaways from Planet Labs PBC’s conference call:

Planet reported a standout fiscal 2026 with record $308M revenue (≈26% YoY), Q4 revenue of $86.8M (+41% YoY), $15.5M Adjusted EBITDA, and its first full-year positive free cash flow (~$52.9M).
Visibility into future revenue strengthened — end-of-period backlog is ~$900M (≈79% YoY) and RPOs ~$852M (+106% YoY), and management raised FY27 revenue guidance to $415–$440M while targeting Rule of 40.
Momentum in satellite services and sovereign demand accelerated with large wins (EUR 240M Germany deal and a nine‑figure Sweden contract), multiple Pelican launches planned, and manufacturing expansion in San Francisco and Berlin to scale deliveries quickly.
Company is investing heavily in AI and next‑generation fleets, leading to near-term margin and cash pressure — Q1 FY27 gross margin guided to 49–51%, Q1 Adjusted EBITDA guided to –$6M to –$3M, and FY27 CapEx planned at $80–$95M; quarter-to-quarter cash flow and execution risk remain.

Planet Labs PBC Trading Up 31.4%

Shares of PL stock traded up $8.47 on Friday, reaching $35.43. 24,545,363 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 12,220,076. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28, a current ratio of 4.00 and a quick ratio of 4.00. Planet Labs PBC has a one year low of $2.79 and a one year high of $36.28. The stock has a market cap of $11.11 billion, a PE ratio of -84.42 and a beta of 1.95. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $24.95 and a 200 day moving average price of $17.65.

Key Headlines Impacting Planet Labs PBC

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

Positive Sentiment: Q4 revenue beat and strong guidance — Planet reported Q4 revenue well above estimates and issued FY2027 guidance that topped Street forecasts, which is the principal catalyst for the rally. TipRanks Q4 Coverage
Positive Sentiment: High FY27 revenue midpoint — Management guided to a FY2027 revenue midpoint (~$427.5M) implying ~39% growth, well above consensus (~$380M), which shifts the story from one-off beats to multi‑year growth expectations. Press Release
Positive Sentiment: Profitability and cash-flow progress — For FY2026 Planet reported positive adjusted EBITDA and free cash flow (first time at scale), and a growing $900M backlog, supporting the investment case even as the company scales. Earnings Summary / Slide Deck
Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades / price-target lifts — Several firms (e.g., Wedbush, Needham) raised targets to $40 and reiterated outperform/buy ratings, amplifying institutional support and helping buyer momentum. Benzinga: Analyst Moves TickerReport
Neutral Sentiment: AI & partner narrative — Management highlighted AI integration (Google partnership; NVIDIA in‑orbit AI interest) as a potential demand multiplier for civil/commercial markets, a longer-term positive but with execution risk. Yahoo Finance: AI / NVIDIA
Neutral Sentiment: Operational expansion and technical setup — The company launched satellites and plans to double manufacturing capacity; technical analysts are watching for a breakout above key resistance. FXEmpire: Technical Outlook
Negative Sentiment: Earnings-per-share confusion / accounting misses — Some reports showed an EPS miss (company-level or GAAP measures diverging from adjusted results), which can unsettle fundamentals-focused investors. Earnings Details
Negative Sentiment: Valuation and near-term profitability tradeoffs — Market cap now exceeds $10B and forward multiples are rich; management expects FY2027 adjusted EBITDA to be lower (near $0–$10M) as it invests to fulfill a multi-year backlog, creating execution and valuation risk if growth slips. Invezz: Valuation / Strategy

Insider Transactions at Planet Labs PBC

In other Planet Labs PBC news, CFO Ashley F. Johnson sold 150,731 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.01, for a total transaction of $4,071,244.31. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Kristen Robinson sold 47,835 shares of Planet Labs PBC stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.96, for a total transaction of $1,289,631.60. Following the sale, the director owned 222,897 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,009,303.12. This represents a 17.67% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 292,348 shares of company stock valued at $7,323,958 in the last three months. Company insiders own 17.53% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in PL. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Planet Labs PBC by 320.3% during the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 7,678,938 shares of the company’s stock valued at $151,429,000 after purchasing an additional 5,851,758 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 2,506,595 shares in the last quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP raised its holdings in 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 buying an additional 1,701,535 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP raised its holdings in Planet Labs PBC by 10,305.7% during the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,509,248 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,206,000 after buying an additional 1,494,744 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE lifted its stake in Planet Labs PBC by 477.9% in the second quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,349,603 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,233,000 after buying an additional 1,116,055 shares in the last quarter. 41.71% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. Northland Securities set a $28.00 price target on shares of Planet Labs PBC in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on Planet Labs PBC from $16.00 to $17.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Craig Hallum restated a “buy” rating and set a $30.00 target price on shares of Planet Labs PBC in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Planet Labs PBC from $20.00 to $26.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Planet Labs PBC from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Planet Labs PBC presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $26.43.

Get Our Latest Analysis on Planet Labs PBC

About Planet Labs PBC

(Get Free Report)

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.