Downgrade Drags Inflated Software Stock

Shares of software platform name Palantir Technologies Inc (NYSE:PLTR) are 1.3% lower before the open, following a bear note from Raymond James. The Wall Street analyst downgraded PLTR to "market perform" from "outperform," saying the company needs to "grow into its rich valuation" following the stock's recent surge.

Calling it a surge might be an understatement. Palantir stock has so far added 116.7% since the beginning of 2024, and is up 165.7% over the last 12 months. The equity also won 10 of its last 11 sessions with support from a long-term ascending trendline, and Friday marked its highest close in more than three years at $37.20.

Put traders are likely cheering on the bear note, as they've been more pessimistic than usual of late. This is per PLTR's Schaeffer's put/call open interest ratio (SOIR) of 0.96 that ranks higher than all other readings from the past year.

Echoing this, the stock's 50-day put/call volume ratio at the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Cboe Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX) stands higher than all other readings from the past 12 months. What's more, its 10-day call/put volume ratio at the ISE, CBOE, and PHLX sits in the 98th percentile of annual readings as well.

Traders looking to join in on the action can do so for a bargain, too. This is because Palantir stock's Schaeffer's Volatility Index (SVI) of 40% that ranks higher than just 4% of readings from the last 12 months, indicating the options pits are pricing in lower-than-expected volatility right now.