Go Big With Palantir or Bet Small With BigBear.ai?

Palantir Technologies Inc. PLTR and BigBear.ai Holdings, Inc. BBAI are both capitalizing on the growing artificial intelligence (AI) software solution market, with both stocks gaining more than 300% in the past year. Therefore, let’s see how one should allocate funds between Palantir and BigBear.ai to maximize returns while minimizing risks. 

Palantir Reports a Phenomenal Q2, Raises Guidance 

Palantir’s CEO, Alex Karp, must be over the moon after the company posted a stellar second-quarter performance. Palantir’s revenues in the U.S. business increased 68% year over year, with commercial and government revenues growing 93% and 53%, respectively, according to investors.palantir.com. 

Even more impressive was Palantir’s ability to secure 157 deals in the second quarter, each worth at least $1 million, with 66 deals valued at a minimum of $5 million. Additionally, the total contract value closed at a record $2.27 billion, representing a 140% year-over-year increase. This suggests that Palantir’s Artificial Intelligence Platform (AIP) has gained significant popularity in commercial and government sectors. 

Furthermore, Palantir is optimistic about increasing business from existing clients and expects net income to improve throughout the year. The company has also raised its full-year 2025 revenue guidance to $4.142-$4.150 billion, with third-quarter revenues projected between $1.083 and $1.087 billion. 

BigBear.ai Posts Dismal Q2 and Continues to Be Unprofitable 

Unlike Palantir, BigBear.ai’s second-quarter performance was disappointing. This is primarily due to a sharp decline in revenues, as its products failed to make an impression on the U.S. government, including the Army. Revenues for the quarter totaled $32.5 million, down 18% from $39.8 million in the same period last year, according to ir.bigbear.ai. 

BigBear.ai’s revenue growth has been weakening for several quarters, and now management expects full-year revenues to be between $125 million and $140 million, down from the prior forecast of $160 million to $180 million. This revision was mainly due to delays in contract approvals by the U.S. government. 

BigBear.ai had a backlog of $380 million as of June 30, 2025. However, only 4% of this sizable backlog is secured and authorized, per SEC filings. Most contracts are with the U.S. government, which could lead to lengthy and complicated approval processes. 

Finally, BigBear.ai incurred losses in the second quarter due to increased research and development expenses and low gross margins. The company reported a non-GAAP adjusted EBITDA loss of $8.5 million, significantly higher than the $3.7 million loss a year earlier. 

Here’s How to Trade Palantir & BigBear.ai Stock Now 

Perceptive investors may choose to invest heavily in Palantir stock, given its strong growth prospects. Palantir’s management has raised both revenue and income forecasts, driven by increasing demand for its AIP platform. 

Moreover, Palantir’s forward price-to-sales (P/S) ratio is 103.27, far above the Internet - Software industry’s 6.28. This high valuation suggests that investors have high expectations for Palantir’s future growth. 

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However, the same cannot be said for BigBear.ai stock. Unlike Palantir, BigBear.ai is struggling to build a strong customer base, while its dependency on government contracts hinders growth. Its business remains unprofitable, raising concerns about the long-term sustainability of its business model.  

But its recent partnership with the U.S. Navy and deployment of its advanced passenger processing solution at the Nashville International Airport and an expanding AI software platform market may improve its prospects in the near future. As a result, investors may allocate a small portion of their portfolio to BigBear.ai stock. 

For now, both Palantir and BigBear.ai stock has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) stocks here.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

Zacks Investment Research