Presidential Praise and ARK Invest Spark Palantir (PLTR) Stock Rally

Key Takeaways

Table of Contents

Shares of Palantir climbed 2.3% in pre-market hours to $131.05 on Monday, April 13.
Former President Trump endorsed the company via Truth Social, highlighting its defense capabilities.
ARK Invest, led by Cathie Wood, acquired 85,485 shares of PLTR distributed across five ETFs, totaling approximately $10.95–$11.15 million.
ARKK accounted for the largest purchase at 46,455 shares, while ARKQ, ARKW, ARKF, and ARKX also increased their holdings.
Year-to-date, PLTR remains down 28% in 2026 and currently trades at 99 times projected 2026 earnings.

Monday morning brought renewed momentum to Palantir shares, driven by two significant catalysts: an endorsement from former President Trump and substantial buying activity from renowned investor Cathie Wood.

In pre-market trading, the stock advanced 2.3% to reach $131.05 before regular market hours began. This uptick occurred despite broader market weakness — S&P 500 futures declined 0.6% as geopolitical tensions intensified following Trump’s directive for a U.S. Navy blockade in the Strait of Hormuz.

Palantir Technologies Inc., PLTR

Late last week, Trump took to Truth Social to commend the data analytics firm: “Palantir Technologies (PLTR) has proven to have great war fighting capabilities and equipment. Just ask our enemies!!!” This public endorsement provided support to PLTR shares during a trading session already impacted by concerns surrounding Anthropic’s newest AI model release.

This isn’t the inaugural instance of Trump’s commentary influencing the stock’s trajectory, and market watchers expect similar occurrences going forward.

Cathie Wood’s ARK Invest Increases Palantir Holdings

According to ARK Invest’s official trading disclosure for April 11, the investment firm accumulated 85,485 Palantir shares distributed among five of its exchange-traded funds. Based on varying price points, the aggregate purchase value ranged between $10.95 million and $11.15 million.

ARKK led the buying spree with an acquisition of 46,455 shares. Meanwhile, ARKQ contributed 15,127 shares, ARKW acquired 11,865, ARKF purchased 5,973, and ARKX added 6,065 shares to their respective portfolios.

Wood has maintained a bullish stance on Palantir for an extended period. Given the stock’s significant decline from recent peaks, this transaction appears to represent ARK capitalizing on weakened prices to strengthen an existing high-conviction holding.

Conversely, ARK divested 44,446 AMD shares valued at approximately $10.52 million across the same suite of ETFs. Additionally, the firm liquidated 75,389 shares of Strata Critical Medical (SRTA) for roughly $305,000, extending a pattern of reducing exposure to that position.

Valuation Concerns Persist

Despite Monday’s positive developments, Palantir continues facing substantial headwinds throughout 2026. Year-to-date performance shows a 28% decline, marking a significant retreat from the elevated levels achieved in late 2024.

The central debate among market participants centers on valuation metrics. Trading at 99 times anticipated 2026 earnings, the market is embedding aggressive growth expectations into the current share price. Critics question whether Palantir can sustain sufficient expansion velocity — particularly as artificial intelligence transforms the competitive software environment where the company operates.

This dynamic between robust government and defense sector demand and premium valuation multiples has characterized PLTR’s investment narrative throughout the current year.

Monday’s pre-market trading positioned PLTR near $131.05. ARK’s share accumulation occurred at Friday’s closing price, which hovered around $128.

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