Peter Thiel Plans $280M Palantir Stock Sale Amid Best Winning Streak In Months: Retail Sentiment Ticks Up On Defense Rally

War-driven demand and Wall Street upgrades have buoyed PLTR stock.

• Last week, Rosenblatt initiated with a 'Buy' rating and $150 target, while UBS upgraded to 'Buy' with a $180 target.
• PLTR shares have been on the climb after U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran lifted military-linked names.
• The debate unfolds amid a broader U.S. defense AI shake-up, including a Pentagon drone swarm challenge that did not select Anthropic.

Peter Thiel, co-founder of Palantir Technologies, Inc. (PLTR), plans to sell roughly $280 million worth of stock in the data analytics company, a regulatory filing shows, amid the stock’s best streak in nearly three months.

Thiel Files $280M Sale Of PLTR

A new regulatory filing shows that Thiel plans to sell up to 2 million Class A shares through Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith, valued at $280 million on Tuesday. According to SEC filings, Thiel last shed stake in Palantir in October 2024. 

Thiel, however, has remained one of the company’s largest individual shareholders and its chairman since the company's incorporation in 2003.

Palantir Gains On Defence AI Demand Surge

Shares of Palantir have risen for four straight sessions, their longest winning streak since early December, after the U.S. and Israel launched strikes on Iran, lifting defense names on concerns the conflict could drag on for weeks. With longstanding ties to U.S. defense and intelligence agencies, including a $10 billion Army contract and a $448 million Navy deal, Palantir was among the top gainers in the S&P 500 on Monday.

The company’s appeal lies in its dual role as both a defense contractor and an AI software provider. Bob Lang, founder of trading platform Explosive Options, noted, “They do not build weapons, missiles or planes," and added that "the big contracts for Palantir are important but likely already in the price of the stock," according to a report by Dow Jones.

Michael Burry’s Latest Attack On PLTR

The planned sale comes a day after Burry weighed in on the U.S. government’s decision to grant a six-month phase-out period for Anthropic’s Claude AI, even after designating the company a supply-chain risk. He said the episode “shows the stickiness is Claude’s tech, not Palantir’s,” suggesting the underlying AI model may be more central to defense workflows than the software layer hosting it.

Burry disclosed a short position in Palantir last year and has repeatedly criticized the company’s valuation and accounting practices. Recently, he argued that accounts receivable have grown faster than revenue in the most recent quarters, a pattern he said can sometimes signal aggressive revenue recognition. He has also highlighted rising spending tied to CEO Alex Karp’s personal jet.

Wall Street Sees ‘Attractive’ Entry Point For PLTR

Palantir’s stock has surged more than 1,400% since its debut on the NYSE in September 2020. The shares currently trade at about 110 times forward earnings and at a forward revenue multiple of more than 46.

Last week, Rosenblatt initiated coverage of Palantir with a ‘Buy’ rating and a $150 price target, calling the company a “market-disrupting, uniquely positioned AI software leader.” The brokerage said Palantir has a sustainable growth trajectory and margin leverage, and views the recent pullback, with shares down about 33% from their October high, as an attractive entry point. UBS also upgraded Palantir to ‘Buy’ from Neutral with a $180 price target, and called it a “premier growth story” positioned at the intersection of AI and data spending, and said its recent channel checks point to a strong demand backdrop. 

Anthropic Sidelined Amid Trump AI Crackdown

Anthropic has faced mounting scrutiny from the Trump administration over military AI use and was reportedly not selected for a $100 million Pentagon drone swarm challenge, with bids tied to SpaceX and OpenAI advancing instead.  Meanwhile, consumer demand for Claude has surged, with free active users up over 60% since January and daily signups quadrupling, prompting Anthropic to expand features to retain new users.

How Did PLTR Stocktwits Followers React?

On Stocktwits, retail sentiment for PLTR was ‘neutral’, improving from ‘bearish’ a day ago, amid ‘normal’ message volume.

"Peter Thiel's sale of ~2 million shares of Palantir Technologies was part of a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan," posted one bullish user. "So this was a structured, planned sale — not a sudden discretionary move based on new inside knowledge."

"PLTR should continue higher into the 50/200...but once the Iran thing is done, down she goes. $115 by April, possible," posted another user, citing technical levels.

PLTR stock has declined 18% year-to-date, underperforming the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq.

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