What was Palantir's compound annual growth rate (CAGR) since 2020?

Palantir's CAGR from 2020 to September 2026 was 64.1% per year. For comparison, the S&P 500 has historically averaged around 10% annually. Palantir significantly outperformed traditional equity markets on an annualized basis.

How does Palantir compare to the S&P 500 since 2020?

The same $1,000 invested in an S&P 500 index fund in 2020 would be worth approximately $2,624.08 today. Palantir outperformed the index by $16,905.92 — 7.44x the return of the S&P 500.

How much of the Palantir gain would you keep after taxes?

Sold today, the $18,530.00 gain would be a long-term capital gain for US federal tax. At the 15% rate most people pay, you'd keep about $16,750.50. At the top rate of 23.8% (20% plus the 3.8% net investment income tax) you'd keep about $15,119.86, and lower incomes pay 0%. State tax is extra, and gains inside a Roth IRA aren't taxed.

What is the inflation-adjusted return on $1,000 in Palantir since 2020?

Adjusted for cumulative US inflation since 2020, the real purchasing-power value of the Palantir position is approximately $15,504.18 in 2020 dollars. Even after inflation, this is an extraordinary real return — inflation only marginally reduces gains of this magnitude.

How did Palantir perform in 2020?

Palantir rose 146% during 2020, from $9.50 on its first trading day to $23.37 at the start of 2021.

What If You Invested $1,000 in Palantir in 2020?

Q: Did Palantir pay dividends?

No. Palantir paid no dividends over this period, so the whole return came from its share price.

Try your own numbers

If I had putintoat the start of…

it would be worth today

$19,530

+$18,530 profit19.5x64.1% a year

The same $1,000 in an S&P 500 index fund: $2,624

Aftertax on the gain, you’d keep$16,751

US federal long-term rates: 15% for most people, 0% on lower incomes, 20% + 3.8% on high incomes. No state tax included; none inside a Roth IRA.

Compare with

Growth Over Time

Performance Metrics

Total Invested

$1,000.00

Current Value

$19,530.00

Total Profit

$18,530.00

Multiplier

19.5x

CAGR

64.1%

Max Drawdown

-81.8%

Inflation-Adjusted

$15,504.18

Benchmark Comparison

How does $1,000.00 invested in 2020 compare across different asset classes?

Asset	Value Today	Return
Palantir	$19,530.00	19.5x
S&P 500	$2,624.08	2.62x
Gold	$2,768.23	2.77x
Savings (2% APY)	$1,126.12	1.13x

Dividends

Palantir paid no dividends over this period, so the whole return came from its share price.

Dividends from Yahoo Finance. Shares today assume every dividend was reinvested.

Back in 2020

In August 2020, Palantir moved its headquarters from Palo Alto, California, to Denver, Colorado, as it prepared to go public. techcrunch.com
In 2020, a gallon of gas averaged $2.17 and the new iPhone 12 Pro started at $999. eia.gov apple.com
From its first trading day to the end of 2020, Palantir rose 146%, #20 of the 103 investments we track. The best was Tesla (+747%); the worst was AMC Entertainment (−73%). Full 2020 results →

$1,000 in Palantir, year by year

Of the 103 investments we track that were available at the start of 2020, Palantir ranks #8 by growth to today, near the top — just behind Cloudflare and ahead of Super Micro Computer. See the full 2020 ranking →

It was worth less than the $1,000 put in at the start of 2023, and has been above it since the start of 2024. Today's $19,530 is more than it was worth at any January since. It rose in 4 of the 6 full years since. It moved ahead of the same $1,000 in the S&P 500 at the start of 2024 and has stayed ahead since. Month by month, the deepest fall ran from Jan 2021 ($3,701) to Dec 2022 ($675.44), a drop of 82%. At its lowest month-end, in Dec 2022, it was worth $675.44.

When	Worth	Change	S&P 500
Sep 30, 2020	$1,000	—	$1,000
Start of 2021	$2,460	+146%	$1,184
Start of 2022	$1,951	−21%	$1,524
Start of 2023	$673	−66%	$1,248
Start of 2024	$1,745	+159%	$1,576
Start of 2025	$7,915	+353%	$1,970
Start of 2026	$17,669	+123%	$2,322
Today	$19,530	+11%	$2,624

Values at the start of each year (first trading day for stocks). The S&P 500 column includes reinvested dividends, like the stock values.

Historical Context

Palantir began trading on September 30, 2020 and closed its first day at $9.50 (adjusted for later splits and dividends). $1,000 would have bought about 105 shares. Palantir builds data-analysis software for governments and companies. It listed in September 2020.

Measured from one January to the next, Palantir's best year since then was 2024 (+353%) and its worst was 2022 (−66%). Holding on wasn't easy: between the start of 2021 and the start of 2023, the position fell 73% from its high.

Frequently Asked Questions

A $1,000 investment in Palantir at the close of its first trading day (September 30, 2020) would be worth approximately $19,530.00 today — a 19.5x return ($18,530.00 profit) over 6.0 years.

Methodology & Sources

Price data: Historical prices are the closing price on the first trading day of each year, adjusted for splits and dividends (so returns assume dividends were reinvested), from Yahoo Finance and MacroTrends. Current prices come from Yahoo Finance and refresh hourly; if that source is unavailable, the last saved price is used.

Calculation: Assumes a single purchase at the start of 2020 (or the first trading day, for companies that listed that year), held until today. No transaction fees, taxes, or slippage are included.

Benchmarks: The S&P 500 comparison uses the S&P 500 Total Return index (dividends reinvested, like an index fund) at the start of2020 and today. Gold uses the price per troy ounce. Savings account assumes a 2% APY compounded annually.

Inflation adjustment: Uses U.S. CPI-U annual averages from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The 2026 CPI value is estimated.

Educational purposes only. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Not financial advice.