Planet Labs PBC (NYSE:PL) Issues Earnings Results, Meets Estimates

Planet Labs PBC (NYSE:PL) announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday. The company reported ($0.03) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.03), FiscalAI reports. The firm had revenue of $94.15 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $90.00 million. Planet Labs PBC had a negative return on equity of 69.61% and a negative net margin of 80.22%.Planet Labs PBC’s revenue for the quarter was up 42.1% compared to the same quarter last year.

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

• Planet reported record first-quarter revenue of $94 million, up about 42% year over year, and said it achieved Rule of 40 for the third straight quarter.
• Defense and intelligence remained the main growth engine, with revenue up more than 65% year over year, helped by new U.S. government wins including Navy and NGA contract extensions and a new NGA award.
• Backlog and RPO continued to expand sharply, with backlog at about $906 million and RPO at about $816 million, giving management confidence in the year’s revenue outlook.
• Planet raised full-year fiscal 2027 guidance to $425 million-$441 million in revenue and said it expects to be free cash flow positive again on an annual basis, while maintaining a breakeven to $10 million adjusted EBITDA outlook.
• The company highlighted continued investment in AI and new satellite capabilities, including early access to its natural-language AI app, SuperRes, and the upcoming Gen 2 Pelican tech demo, but these initiatives also imply higher CapEx and some near-term margin pressure.

Planet Labs PBC Price Performance

PL stock opened at $43.45 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $15.04 billion, a P/E ratio of -55.70 and a beta of 1.99. Planet Labs PBC has a twelve month low of $4.90 and a twelve month high of $51.76. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $38.85 and a 200-day simple moving average of $27.60. The company has a current ratio of 1.65, a quick ratio of 1.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.37.

Insider Buying and Selling at Planet Labs PBC

In related news, CFO Ashley F. Johnson sold 200,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.10, for a total transaction of $7,020,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 1,895,162 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $66,520,186.20. This trade represents a 9.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Robert H. Schingler sold 73,683 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, April 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.07, for a total value of $2,584,062.81. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 256,488 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,995,034.16. This represents a 22.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 16.42% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Planet Labs PBC

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board lifted its holdings 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 during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its holdings 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 during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its holdings 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 during the period. Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Planet Labs PBC by 265.6% during the third 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 during the period. Finally, Nuveen LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Planet Labs PBC by 48.6% during the fourth quarter. Nuveen LLC now owns 3,021,366 shares of the company’s stock worth $59,581,000 after purchasing an additional 987,479 shares during the period. 41.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting Planet Labs PBC

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

• Positive Sentiment: Planet announced an 8-figure NGA contract extension for maritime surveillance and a new crisis-response monitoring award, reinforcing demand for its satellite imagery and government services business. Planet Secures 8-Figure NGA Contract Extension for Maritime Surveillance and New Award for Crisis Response Monitoring
• Positive Sentiment: The company posted first-quarter fiscal 2027 revenue of $94.15 million, above estimates, and guided second-quarter revenue to $102 million-$107 million, topping consensus. Planet Reports Financial Results for First Quarter of Fiscal Year 2027
• Positive Sentiment: Planet also raised FY2027 revenue guidance to $425 million-$441 million, signaling management confidence in sustained growth and progress toward its Rule of 40 goals. Planet forecasts FY2027 revenue of $425M-$441M as it targets Rule of 40
• Neutral Sentiment: Management’s earnings call and presentation likely added more detail on strategy, margins, and contract momentum, but the main investor takeaway remains the same: revenue growth is accelerating while profitability is still a work in progress. Planet Labs PBC (PL) Q1 2027 Earnings Call Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Despite the strong report, the stock has been noted as slipping in some coverage, suggesting investors may be focused on valuation or the company’s still-negative margins rather than just top-line beats. Planet Labs stock slips despite strong Q1 earnings: Details
• Negative Sentiment: Planet remains unprofitable, reporting a $0.03 EPS loss and continued negative margins, which may limit upside if investors want clearer evidence of earnings leverage. Planet Labs PBC (PL) Reports Q1 Loss, Beats Revenue Estimates

Analyst Ratings Changes

PL has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $38.00 price objective on Planet Labs PBC and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on Planet Labs PBC from $18.00 to $20.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Planet Labs PBC from a “sell (d-)” rating to a “sell (e+)” rating in a report on Monday. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Planet Labs PBC from $26.00 to $35.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 25th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC increased their price objective on Planet Labs PBC to $40.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 20th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Planet Labs PBC has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $30.61.

About Planet Labs PBC

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.