What happened
There is opportunity in distress, at least as far as Palantir Technologies (PLTR -3.19%) is concerned. On Tuesday, a Bank of America Securities analyst pointed out that the next-generation data analytics company stands to benefit mightily from increasing worries about user-privacy rights from an emerging technology.
This argument very much landed with investors, who promptly bid the company stock up by nearly 9% on the day.
So what
In a new research note, BofA prognosticator Mariana Pérez Mora wrote about the growing controversy over how websites and other entities use facial recognition technology (FRT) data. As with other types of data, many are concerned with potential bad actors misusing their digital likenesses for nefarious ends. That concern is only going to grow as FRT becomes more accessible and, therefore, commonplace.
"We see the government's focus on managing FRT data usage as one area of opportunity for Palantir," Pérez Mora wrote in her latest Palantir analysis. "The company's Foundry software enables granular access controls, oversight of data usage, and secure cross-agency collaboration."
The analyst is cheered by Palantir's public commitment to safeguarding the privacy rights of users. She pointed out that the company expressly pledged to do so in writing in its 2021 10-K annual report filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Now what
In making this argument, Pérez Mora is reiterating her rather bullish stance on Palantir Technologies. She's maintaining her unambiguous buy recommendation on the specialty tech company, and her $13 per share price target. Even after Tuesday's pop, the latter still implies nearly 30% upside from the stock's current level.
