Jim Cramer Says Palantir (PLTR) Will ‘Stay Expensive’ Due to Pentagon Deals, ‘Rabid Fans’

We recently published a list of Jim Cramer Latest Portfolio Update: Top 10 Stocks. Since Palantir Technologies Inc (NYSE:PLTR) ranks 8th on the list, it deserves a deeper look.

Jim Cramer during his October 14 program on CNBC looked excited as he celebrated the rebound of major tech stocks, saying these companies are showing their “staying power” despite the odds.

“We’re back. That’s right. Whatever you want to call them, these big tech plays are demonstrating their staying power no matter what happens.”

Cramer said that the latest earnings season would be critical for the overall market and investor portfolios. He also pointed out the broadening of the rally, saying other groups besides the tech industry are also rebounding.

“This rally is not a zero-sum equation where the rest of the market does nothing. Other groups can work, too, in this market. There’s a lot of money going around, and we know there’s a lot of money coming into the market. The Fed is cutting rates, and friendly cash won’t be worth as much as it was. But the staying power of the Magnificent 7 is truly unbelievable.”

For this article we watched several latest programs of Jim Cramer aired on CNBC and picked 10 important stocks he’s talking about. 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 medical professional demonstrating the use of a Software-Based Prescription Digital Therapeutics Platform for treating Type 2 Diabetes.

Palantir Technologies Inc (NYSE:PLTR)

Number of Hedge Fund Investors: 44

Jim Cramer in a latest program on CNBC called Palantir Technologies Inc. (NYSE:PLTR) one of the “craziest” stocks and reiterated his view that it is a “cold” stock. Cramer said Palantir is expensive and will stay expensive.

“The stock’s real expensive, but it’s going to stay expensive because Palantir Technologies Inc (NYSE:PLTR) software is apparently beloved by the Pentagon as well as its rabid fans. Would I buy it up 439% in the last two years? No. But I definitely wouldn’t short it.”

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, significantly down from its current price of $42.

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, Palantir Technologies Inc (NYSE:PLTR) ranks 8th on Insider Monkey’s list titled Jim Cramer Latest Portfolio Update: Top 10 Stocks. While we acknowledge the potential of Palantir Technologies Inc (NYSE:PLTR), our conviction lies in the belief that 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.

READ NEXT: Analyst Sees a New $25 Billion “Opportunity” for NVIDIA and Jim Cramer is Recommending These Stocks.

Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.