Planet Labs PBC (NYSE:PL) Trading Up 1.4% – Still a Buy?
by Danessa Lincoln · The Markets DailyPlanet Labs PBC (NYSE:PL – Get Free Report) shares were up 1.4% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $36.39 and last traded at $34.6990. Approximately 9,364,562 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 33% from the average daily volume of 14,014,277 shares. The stock had previously closed at $34.23.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on PL shares. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Planet Labs PBC in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Cantor Fitzgerald upped their price objective on shares of Planet Labs PBC from $20.00 to $40.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, March 20th. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Planet Labs PBC from $30.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $16.40 price objective on shares of Planet Labs PBC in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Planet Labs PBC from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $29.61.
Get Our Latest Analysis on Planet Labs PBC
Planet Labs PBC Price Performance
The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $26.86 and its 200 day simple moving average is $20.19. The company has a quick ratio of 1.64, a current ratio of 1.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.37. The company has a market cap of $12.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -44.49 and a beta of 1.83.
Planet Labs PBC (NYSE:PL – Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, March 19th. The company reported ($0.48) 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 69.61%. The company had revenue of $86.82 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $78.17 million. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 41.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Planet Labs PBC will post -0.37 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Insider Activity at Planet Labs PBC
In other news, Director Kristen Robinson sold 47,835 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 21st. The shares were 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Vijaya Gadde sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.77, for a total transaction of $535,400.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 250,169 shares in the company, valued at $6,697,024.13. This represents a 7.40% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 492,249 shares of company stock worth $15,500,339. 17.53% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.
Institutional Trading of Planet Labs PBC
Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Planet Labs PBC by 4.3% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 19,358,515 shares of the company’s stock worth $381,750,000 after purchasing an additional 806,818 shares in the last quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board lifted its position in shares of Planet Labs PBC by 0.3% during the second quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 7,820,400 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,704,000 after purchasing an additional 20,400 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its position in shares of 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 worth $151,429,000 after purchasing an additional 5,851,758 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Planet Labs PBC by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,702,642 shares of the company’s stock worth $112,475,000 after purchasing an additional 71,381 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Planet Labs PBC by 7.9% during the fourth quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 4,137,871 shares of the company’s stock worth $81,599,000 after purchasing an additional 301,757 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 41.71% of the company’s stock.
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.