Seek Returns

PLTR vs. WMT: Palantir vs. Walmart Stock Comparison

How do Palantir (PLTR) and Walmart (WMT) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Palantir (PLTR) is classified in the Information Technology sector (Software & Services), whereas Walmart (WMT) belongs to Consumer Staples (Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail) — their GICS classifications point to very different parts of the market.

Walmart (WMT) has more than two decades of public-market history since August 25, 1972, whereas Palantir (PLTR) listed on September 30, 2020 and has a much shorter record to draw on.

Company profile comparison for Palantir (PLTR) and Walmart (WMT)
Profile ItemPLTRWMT
NamePalantir Technologies Inc. Class A Common StockWalmart Inc.
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorInformation TechnologyConsumer Staples
GICS Industry GroupSoftware & ServicesConsumer Staples Distribution & Retail
GICS IndustrySoftwareConsumer Staples Distribution & Retail
GICS Sub-IndustryApplication SoftwareConsumer Staples Merchandise Retail
Market Capitalization386.44 billion USD998.90 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNasdaqNasdaq
Listing DateSeptember 30, 2020August 25, 1972
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

PLTR
WMT
GSPC
Loading price history…
Palantir (PLTR) vs. Walmart (WMT), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

Loading price history…
Trailing total returns for Palantir (PLTR) and Walmart (WMT). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

Loading price history…
Calendar-year total returns for Palantir (PLTR) and Walmart (WMT). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Palantir (PLTR) and Walmart (WMT)
MetricPLTRWMT
Total Return (1Y)-4.94%23.19%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)109.97%33.27%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)47.47%21.72%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

PLTR
WMT
GSPC
Loading price history…
Palantir (PLTR) vs. Walmart (WMT), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

Loading price history…
Distribution of monthly total returns for Palantir (PLTR) and Walmart (WMT). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Palantir (PLTR) has an aggressive beta of 1.63, indicating higher sensitivity to broad-market moves, while Walmart (WMT) is defensive at 0.52 and tends to be less market-sensitive — they sit on opposite ends of the beta spectrum.

Risk profile metrics for Palantir (PLTR) and Walmart (WMT)
MetricPLTRWMT
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)60.50%26.96%
Beta (5Y)1.630.52
Max Drawdown (5Y)-75.26%-25.74%
Avg. Volume (3M)27.20M23.66M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

Loading chart…
PLTR and WMT are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. Each dashed Capital Allocation Line uses that stock's own industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Palantir (PLTR) and Walmart (WMT)
MetricPLTRWMT
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)-0.150.70
Sortino Ratio (1Y)-0.241.00

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Palantir (PLTR) at 40.91% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Walmart (WMT) at 22.31% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for PLTR.

PLTR

Software & Services industry group

40.91%

Max
53.85%
PLTR
40.91%
Q3
17.90%
Median
6.59%
Q1
-9.59%
Min
-50.52%

WMT

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

22.31%

Max
33.48%
WMT
22.31%
Q3
22.31%
Median
15.57%
Q1
7.66%
Min
-2.27%
Loading chart…
Palantir (PLTR) vs. Walmart (WMT): A comparison of their ROE against their respective Software & Services and Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group benchmarks.

Net Margin (TTM)

Palantir (PLTR) at 50.34% converts revenue to bottom-line profit above its industry’s benchmark range, while Walmart (WMT) at 3.00% keeps roughly the typical share for its industry.

PLTR

Software & Services industry group

50.34%

PLTR
50.34%
Max
41.17%
Q3
15.28%
Median
4.63%
Q1
-5.42%
Min
-33.17%

WMT

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

3.00%

Max
5.45%
Q3
3.42%
WMT
3.00%
Median
2.44%
Q1
1.86%
Min
-0.06%
Loading chart…
Palantir (PLTR) vs. Walmart (WMT): A comparison of their net margin against their respective Software & Services and Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group benchmarks.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Palantir (PLTR) at 46.89% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Walmart (WMT) at 3.45%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

PLTR

Software & Services industry group

46.89%

PLTR
46.89%
Max
46.89%
Q3
17.64%
Median
8.73%
Q1
-2.13%
Min
-30.45%

WMT

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

3.45%

Max
6.81%
Q3
5.49%
Median
3.84%
WMT
3.45%
Q1
2.00%
Min
0.97%
Loading chart…
Palantir (PLTR) vs. Walmart (WMT): A comparison of their operating margin against their respective Software & Services and Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group benchmarks.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Palantir (PLTR) and Walmart (WMT)
MetricPLTRWMT
ROE (TTM)40.91%22.31%
ROA (TTM)19.31%6.41%
Net Margin (TTM)50.34%3.00%
Operating Margin (TTM)46.89%3.45%
Gross Margin (TTM)84.74%24.84%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Palantir (PLTR) at 56.18% clears its industry range for revenue growth, far stronger top-line momentum than Walmart (WMT) at 4.73%, which is closer to a typical peer reading.

Loading chart…
Palantir (PLTR) vs. Walmart (WMT): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Palantir (PLTR) at 231.06% clears its industry range for EPS growth, a much stronger earnings trajectory than Walmart (WMT) at 13.28%, which is closer to a typical peer reading.

Loading chart…
Palantir (PLTR) vs. Walmart (WMT): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Palantir (PLTR) and Walmart (WMT)
MetricPLTRWMT
Revenue Growth (YoY)56.18%4.73%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)32.92%5.27%
EPS Growth (YoY)231.06%13.28%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)--24.25%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Palantir (PLTR) at 7.10 carries current ratio above its industry’s typical mid-range, while Walmart (WMT) at 0.77 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — different working-capital profiles, both worth examining.

PLTR

Software & Services industry group

7.10

PLTR
7.10
Max
5.11
Q3
2.77
Median
1.67
Q1
1.01
Min
0.03

WMT

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

0.77

Max
2.04
Q3
1.45
Median
1.17
Q1
1.00
WMT
0.77
Min
0.69
Loading chart…
Palantir (PLTR) vs. Walmart (WMT): A comparison of their current ratio against their respective Software & Services and Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group benchmarks.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Palantir (PLTR) at 0.02 keeps leverage in the lower industry quartile, while Walmart (WMT) at 0.72 runs a more typical debt-to-equity mix.

PLTR

Software & Services industry group

0.02

Max
2.52
Q3
1.13
Median
0.40
Q1
0.07
PLTR
0.02
Min
0.00

WMT

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

0.72

Max
2.59
Q3
1.83
Median
1.24
WMT
0.72
Q1
0.63
Min
0.01
Loading chart…
Palantir (PLTR) vs. Walmart (WMT): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against their respective Software & Services and Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group benchmarks.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Palantir (PLTR) and Walmart (WMT)
MetricPLTRWMT
Current Ratio (MRQ)7.100.77
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.020.72
Net Debt / EBITDA-3.081.44

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Palantir (PLTR) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Walmart (WMT) reports a yield of 0.76%, ranking against industry peers normally.

PLTR

Software & Services industry group

0.00%

PLTR
0.00%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

WMT

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

0.76%

Max
2.90%
Q3
1.72%
WMT
0.76%
Median
0.43%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
Loading chart…
Palantir (PLTR) vs. Walmart (WMT): A comparison of their dividend yield against their respective Software & Services and Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group benchmarks.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Palantir (PLTR) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Walmart (WMT) reports a payout of 34.96%, ranking against industry peers normally.

PLTR

Software & Services industry group

0.00%

PLTR
0.00%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

WMT

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

34.96%

Max
57.98%
WMT
34.96%
Q3
30.05%
Median
11.72%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
Loading chart…
Palantir (PLTR) vs. Walmart (WMT): A comparison of their payout ratio against their respective Software & Services and Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group benchmarks.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Palantir (PLTR) and Walmart (WMT)
MetricPLTRWMT
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.00%0.76%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)0.00%34.96%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Palantir (PLTR) at 112.94 and Walmart (WMT) at 45.48 sit in the richer earnings-multiple quartile for P/E ratio, so investors are paying more for TTM earnings than they pay for typical peers.

PLTR

Software & Services industry group

112.94

PLTR
112.94
Max
112.94
Q3
60.32
Median
32.91
Q1
18.77
Min
6.69

WMT

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

45.48

Max
50.75
WMT
45.48
Q3
33.64
Median
22.19
Q1
16.09
Min
9.28
Loading chart…
Palantir (PLTR) vs. Walmart (WMT): A comparison of their P/E ratio against their respective Software & Services and Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group benchmarks.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Both look expensive on sales: Walmart (WMT) at 1.36 sits in the upper P/S ratio quartile, and Palantir (PLTR) at 53.02 prices even higher, above its industry range.

PLTR

Software & Services industry group

53.02

PLTR
53.02
Max
17.91
Q3
8.78
Median
4.25
Q1
2.23
Min
0.02

WMT

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

1.36

Max
1.54
WMT
1.36
Q3
0.81
Median
0.47
Q1
0.26
Min
0.02
Loading chart…
Palantir (PLTR) vs. Walmart (WMT): A comparison of their P/S ratio against their respective Software & Services and Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group benchmarks.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Both look rich against book: Walmart (WMT) at 10.15 sits in the upper P/B ratio quartile, and Palantir (PLTR) at 34.41 prices even higher, above its industry range.

PLTR

Software & Services industry group

34.41

PLTR
34.41
Max
16.63
Q3
8.50
Median
4.30
Q1
1.92
Min
-3.90

WMT

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

10.15

WMT
10.15
Max
10.15
Q3
6.27
Median
3.70
Q1
1.85
Min
0.93
Loading chart…
Palantir (PLTR) vs. Walmart (WMT): A comparison of their P/B ratio against their respective Software & Services and Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group benchmarks.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Palantir (PLTR) and Walmart (WMT)
MetricPLTRWMT
P/E Ratio (TTM)112.9445.48
P/S Ratio (TTM)53.021.36
P/B Ratio (MRQ)34.4110.15
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)0.69%0.71%