We recently published a list of Why These 15 Industrial Stocks Are Skyrocketing So Far In 2025. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Planet Labs (NYSE:PL) stands against other industrial stocks that are skyrocketing so far in 2025.
The industrial sector has gotten a lot of attention in the past few years from the government due to the U.S. focusing on onshoring manufacturing, and it is likely that it will get even more attention as tariffs start to increase. Moreover, industrial companies are rushing to integrate AI and automation, which could increase margins by a lot in the long run.
As such, it’s a good idea to look into industrial stocks that benefit from these trends. This includes those that have been performing very well so far this year. Companies that adapt to new techs and capitalize from the Trump administration’s policies could deliver the most growth in the coming years.
Methodology
For this article, I screened the top-performing industrial stocks year-to-date. Stocks that I have covered recently will be excluded from this list.
I will also mention the number of hedge fund investors in these stocks. Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds invest in? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 275% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 150 percentage points. (see more details here).
A satellite in orbit against a blue sky, displaying the power of the company’s space-based systems.
Planet Labs (NYSE:PL)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders In Q3 2024: 8
Planet Labs (NYSE:PL) operates Earth-imaging satellites that capture daily global data. The satellites are high-resolution and can be used for agriculture, defense, and many more purposes.
The stock has surged significantly so far in 2025 due to a deal in January that allowed Planet to secure its largest contract to date. It is a multi-year agreement to build and operate pelican satellites for an Asia-Pacific partner. This includes data cess priority for the partner and expanded capacity for Planet’s government/commercial clients. Analysts think this deal could drive a lot of long-term cash flow in the coming years. It also is collaborating with Nvidia.
In addition, Q3 FY2025 revenue climbed 11% year-over-year to $61.3 million. GAAP gross margins are up 47% year-over-year to 61%. Net losses also narrowed to $20.1 million and adjusted EBITDA loss improved to $200,000. In comparison, the net loss was $38 million and the EBITDA loss was $12 million the year before.
The cash position is at $242 million with no debt.
The consensus price target of $5.23 implies 14.21% downside risk.
PL stock is up 53.65% year-to-date.
Overall, PL ranks 4th on our list of industrial stocks that are skyrocketing so far in 2025. While we acknowledge the potential of PL as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and doing so within a shorter time frame. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than PL but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.
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Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.
