Forensic Analysis · Communication Services / Telecom · as of Jun 27, 2026
Planet Labs PBC (PL)
A forensic read on Planet Labs PBC built from its complete SEC filings — financial-health screens, earnings quality, red flags and a price-aware rating. Reproducible math, not opinion.
D · Weak — demands caution
Forensic grade
Distress
Financial health
-2.7
Altman Z-score
Clean
Earnings quality
4
Forensic signals
-105.3%
ROE
$9.6B
Market cap
Planet Labs PBC earns a D (Weak — demands caution) forensic quality grade, and its Altman Z-score is -2.7, placing it in the Distress zone. 4 forensic signals were flagged in its latest SEC filings, led by receivables vs revenue.
What the filings flag
99d DSOReceivables vs revenue.Days sales outstanding moved from 83 to 99 days FY2025→FY2026 (receivables +50% vs revenue +26%). Receivables are outrunning sales — a flag for aggressive revenue recognition or slipping collections.
-17%Return on invested capital.Return on invested capital is -17% and rising from -31% — well below its ~8% cost of capital, so reinvested dollars may be destroying value, not building it.
+5.1%/yrShare-count dilution.Diluted share count changed +15% over the last 3 years to FY2026 (+5.1%/yr). The count is GROWING — existing holders are being diluted. That's ~5.1% shaved off per-share growth every year — total profit has to grow that much just to keep earnings-per-share flat, and a stake held since FY2023 has been diluted ~15%.
18% of revStock-based comp load.Stock-based compensation ran 18% of revenue and 95% of free cash flow in FY2026 — about $0.18 per diluted share. Heavy — a large slice of 'free cash flow' is really being paid out in stock, so the true owner cash per share is well below the headline.
Key fundamentals
Net Margin-80.2%
Free Cash Flow$57.6M
Latest Revenue$307.7M
Return on Equity-131.0%
Revenue Growth YoY+25.9%
Go deeper — free with an account
The forensic grade and screens above are free — no account needed. An account adds the full interactive deep-dive on Planet Labs PBC:
🔒The written investment read — what the numbers mean, in plain English
🔒Ask anything about PL's filings — AI Q&A across the 10-K, 10-Qs & 8-Ks
🔒Interactive valuation — reverse-DCF sliders, Monte Carlo & scenario stress
🔒Calibrated 12-month price forecast, with the math shown