Call it the ultimate payoff for conviction investing. Over the past 12 months, Palantir Technologies Inc (NASDAQ:PLTR) has skyrocketed roughly 351%, transforming Cathie Wood's stake into a near half-billion-dollar payday. Her 4.08 million shares, held steady through ups and downs, are now worth around $636 million, up from about $141 million a year ago.
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A Stock Surge For The Ages
From $34.60 on Sep. 9, 2024 to $156.10 on Sep. 8, 2025, Palantir's meteoric rise has turned a significant chunk of Wood's ARK Invest portfolio into pure gold.
For comparison, the company's market cap has swelled to $370 billion, solidifying PLTR's place among the top-performing tech bets in the past year.
Read Also: At $412 Billion, Palantir Is Valued Like It Invented Time Travel
Conviction Investing At Its Finest
Wood, known for her concentrated, high-conviction bets, first started building her Palantir stake back in 2020. Despite swings in the stock and several quarters of buying and selling, the 4.08 million shares she held steady over the last year have quietly generated a $495 million gain – a striking demonstration of patience meeting performance.
What This Means For Investors
For other investors, Palantir's rally underscores the potential rewards of backing companies at the forefront of AI and data analytics. While volatility is part of the story, Wood's result highlights how sticking to a high-conviction thesis can pay off handsomely – especially in a sector where the winners can grow exponentially.
Palantir's last year has been a reminder: in the right market, the payoff for conviction can be staggering. For Cathie Wood, this isn't just a number – it's a testament to her investment style, turning vision into nearly half a billion in real dollars.
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