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

Planet Labs PBC (NYSE:PL) released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday. The company reported ($0.48) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.05) by ($0.43), reports. Planet Labs PBC had a negative net margin of 45.87% and a negative return on equity of 31.01%. The business had revenue of $86.82 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $78.17 million. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 41.1% on a year-over-year basis.

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

Shares of PL traded up $8.24 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $35.20. 18,960,569 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 12,148,397. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $24.95 and a 200 day moving average price of $17.65. The company has a market cap of $11.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -82.32 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 has a 1 year low of $2.79 and a 1 year high of $36.28.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

PL has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Citigroup raised their price target on Planet Labs PBC from $19.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Planet Labs PBC in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Craig Hallum reissued a “buy” rating and set a $30.00 price objective on shares of Planet Labs PBC in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. National Bank Financial set a $12.30 target price on Planet Labs PBC in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Planet Labs PBC from $20.00 to $26.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $24.61.

Insider Activity

In other Planet Labs PBC news, Director Kristen Robinson sold 47,835 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.96, for a total value of $1,289,631.60. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 222,897 shares in the company, valued at $6,009,303.12. This represents a 17.67% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Ashley F. Johnson sold 150,731 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.01, for a total value of $4,071,244.31. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 1,956,101 shares in the company, valued at approximately $52,834,288.01. The trade was a 7.15% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders sold 292,348 shares of company stock worth $7,323,958. Company insiders own 17.53% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust raised its stake in Planet Labs PBC by 92.5% in the fourth quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 1,550 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 745 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in Planet Labs PBC during the third quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Advisory Services Network LLC purchased a new position in Planet Labs PBC in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $56,000. Wexford Capital LP bought a new position in shares of Planet Labs PBC in the 3rd quarter worth $63,000. Finally, Quarry LP bought a new position in shares of Planet Labs PBC in the 3rd quarter worth $66,000. 41.71% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Planet Labs PBC News Roundup

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

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.