Planet Labs PBC (PL)
Planet Labs operates a massive fleet of small satellites that take daily photos of the entire Earth to help businesses and governments track changes.
Is Planet Labs PBC a good stock for a UK beginner?
The honest version: There's no rating here and nothing for sale. In its favour: Unique, proprietary data set that is hard to replicate. Worth weighing: Currently losing money on every pound of revenue.
Is this normal for this company?
Each figure against the range this same company has produced recently. Neither end of a range is the good end.
Profit as a share of sales, from the company's own quarterly statements. The range covers the 5 quarters we hold, and the figure shown is its most recent one.
How these ranges are built
Every number here is the company's own reported figure, not a comparison with other companies. The ranges come from this company's own results and its share price. Where it reports in a different currency from the one its shares trade in, the price-to-earnings range is left out rather than mixing the two.
What does Planet Labs PBC do?
Think of Planet Labs as a high-tech photographer for the planet, using hundreds of small satellites to capture images of the Earth every single day. The money comes from selling subscriptions to this data, allowing customers to monitor things like deforestation, crop health, or urban growth. Keep an eye on whether they can turn their rapid revenue growth: How fast the company's sales grew versus a year ago. into actual profit, as they currently spend much more than they bring in.
On our factor screen it looks strongest on growth and momentum, and weakest on income.
- !Pays no dividend - the whole return rides on the share price
- ✓Growing - revenue up about 42% over the year
- Growth screens high
- Value screens low
- Quality screens low
- Income screens low
Does Planet Labs PBC pay a dividend?
No - Planet Labs PBC doesn't currently pay a dividend, so the whole return would rest on the share price. Plenty of growing companies reinvest their profits instead of paying them out - neither approach is better or worse, they're just different.
Does Planet Labs PBC have more cash or more debt?
It holds about $730.84M in cash against about $488.04M of debt - so it has net cash of about $242.80M. More cash than debt is a cushion: it does not need to borrow just to cover what it owes.
From the latest reported balance sheet. Cash and debt levels change, and some borrowing is normal - this is context, not a judgment.
What do Planet Labs PBC's numbers mean?
How has it performed?
Growth of £1,000, the worst fall, and year by year
Over about 2 years to 2026-09-11. This is the share price only; any dividends would add to it. And it's the USD return - as a UK investor your actual £ return also moves with the exchange rate. Past performance is not a guide to the future, and it could just as easily have fallen.
How much has Planet Labs PBC actually fallen?
Over the last 2 years of daily prices, Planet Labs PBC fell as much as −68% from a high to a later low. Falls like this are normal when you own a share.
Past falls are not a forecast - it can fall further, or recover.
How has it done year by year?
Calendar-year total return - the share price with dividends reinvested - from adjusted closing prices. The current year is only part-complete. Past returns are not a guide to the future.
A closer look at the numbers
Ownership, earnings history, where the money goes, and the outlook range
Does the share price tell you if it's cheap or expensive?
Who owns Planet Labs PBC?
About 80% of Planet Labs PBC, or about 80 in every 100 shares, is held by big institutions such as pension and index funds, and company insiders hold about 1%. The rest, roughly 19%, is held by the public and smaller investors.
What this does and doesn't tell you
This is a recent snapshot of the share register, and it moves. We don't read anything into who owns what - a high institutional share is common for any large listed company and is not a signal about it.
Based on beta - how much the price swings versus the whole market. Bumpier isn't bad; it just means a rougher ride, which matters more the sooner you might need the money.
Prices move on results, news and the mood of the whole market - no single headline explains a day, and a quiet week is usually just noise, not a signal.
How much money does Planet Labs PBC make?
Revenue and profit by quarter, and how much of each sale turns into profit.
When does Planet Labs PBC report earnings, and how did recent quarters go?
Planet Labs PBC is next scheduled to report on about 2026-12-09 - dates can move, and we don't predict results; this just tells you when to look.
‘Beat’ and ‘missed’ are against what analysts expected, not whether the business is doing well.
| Reported | Expected EPS: The earnings per share analysts expected for the quarter - the average of their forecasts. 'Beating' or 'missing' is measured against this number. | Actual EPS | vs expected |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-09-03 | $-0.02 | $0.02 | Beat +194% |
| 2026-06-04 | $-0.04 | $-0.03 | Beat +29% |
| 2025-09-08 | $-0.05 | $-0.03 | Beat +34% |
| 2025-03-20 | $-0.02 | $-0.08 | Missed -244% |
| 2024-12-09 | $-0.04 | $-0.02 | Beat +50% |
| 2024-09-05 | $-0.06 | $-0.06 | Beat +5% |
Across the last 6 quarters here, Planet Labs PBC came in ahead of what analysts expected 5 times. One quarter is noise, not a trend.
See who else reports over the next two weeks →
Where these figures come from
Each quarter a company reports its results against a consensus of analyst forecasts. The figures here are reported versus expected earnings per share from published results; the expectation is that analyst consensus, not our view. Report dates are estimates and can move.
What are the scenarios for Planet Labs PBC?
An illustrative range for the year ahead — not a prediction or a price target.
What are the pros, cons and common questions?
The case each way, and the questions people ask
The company becomes the standard for global environmental monitoring.
Technological obsolescence or failure to scale.
What are the pros and cons of Planet Labs PBC?
A balance check, not a score or verdict.
- Unique, proprietary data set that is hard to replicate
- Strong year-on-year revenue growth: How fast the company's sales grew versus a year ago.
- High gross margins suggest a scalable business model
- Currently losing money on every pound of revenue
- Very high valuation multiples compared to sales
- No dividend payments for shareholders
- High share price volatility
- Significant cash burn rate
- Technical risks associated with satellite maintenance and launches
The write-up's own warning lights — if these start happening, the case above changes.
- The company achieves consistent net profitability
- A major competitor launches a cheaper, superior satellite network
Common questions about Planet Labs PBC
Does Planet Labs PBC pay a dividend?
No - Planet Labs PBC does not currently pay a dividend, so the return would rest on the share price. Many growing companies reinvest profits instead of paying them out.
When does Planet Labs PBC report earnings next?
Planet Labs PBC is next scheduled to report results on about 2026-12-09. Report dates are estimates and can move; this is a diary note for when to look, not a forecast of the outcome.
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easyJet plcBuilt from public filings & market prices, checked for an education-only tone, and never a price target. How we make these →
This plain-English summary was auto-generated on 2026-08-02 from public data and checked for an education-only, no-advice tone (the figures above carry their own, usually fresher, 'as of' date). It's information, never a recommendation.