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

Planet Labs PBC (NYSE:PL) issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday. The company reported ($0.48) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.05) by ($0.43), reports. Planet Labs PBC had a negative return on equity of 60.21% and a negative net margin of 80.22%.The business had revenue of $86.82 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $78.17 million. The company’s 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 Price Performance

PL stock opened at $33.75 on Friday. Planet Labs PBC has a one year low of $2.79 and a one year high of $36.28. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $25.17 and a two-hundred day moving average of $17.84. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.59 billion, a PE ratio of -43.27 and a beta of 1.95. The company has a current ratio of 4.00, a quick ratio of 4.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28.

Planet Labs PBC News Summary

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

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Kristen Robinson sold 47,835 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 in the company, valued at $6,009,303.12. The trade was a 17.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Vijaya Gadde sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.77, for a total transaction of $535,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 250,169 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,697,024.13. This trade represents a 7.40% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 292,348 shares of company stock valued at $7,323,958. 17.53% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Planet Labs PBC

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board raised its position in 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 valued at $47,704,000 after buying an additional 20,400 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its position in 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 worth $151,429,000 after acquiring an additional 5,851,758 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its position in Planet Labs PBC by 7.9% during the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 4,137,871 shares of the company’s stock worth $81,599,000 after acquiring an additional 301,757 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. grew 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 valued at $44,787,000 after acquiring an additional 2,506,595 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nuveen LLC grew its stake in Planet Labs PBC by 48.6% during the 4th quarter. Nuveen LLC now owns 3,021,366 shares of the company’s stock valued at $59,581,000 after acquiring an additional 987,479 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 41.71% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

PL has been the topic of several recent research reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Planet Labs PBC in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Wedbush increased their target price on shares of Planet Labs PBC from $30.00 to $40.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Planet Labs PBC from $19.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price target on Planet Labs PBC from $16.00 to $17.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC increased their price objective on Planet Labs PBC to $40.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Six 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. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $26.43.

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.