James Shelton Purchases 5,000 Shares of Duolingo (NASDAQ:DUOL) Stock

Duolingo, Inc. (NASDAQ:DUOL) Director James Shelton purchased 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 3rd. The stock was bought at an average cost of $99.76 per share, for a total transaction of $498,800.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 9,632 shares in the company, valued at approximately $960,888.32. This trade represents a 107.94% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink.

Duolingo Stock Performance

NASDAQ:DUOL opened at $101.54 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 2.82 and a current ratio of 2.61. Duolingo, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $91.99 and a fifty-two week high of $544.93. The firm has a market cap of $4.69 billion, a PE ratio of 11.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 0.90. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $137.97 and a 200-day moving average price of $218.22.

Duolingo (NASDAQ:DUOL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $0.91 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.79 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $282.87 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $275.95 million. Duolingo had a net margin of 39.91% and a return on equity of 14.88%. Duolingo’s quarterly revenue was up 35.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Duolingo, Inc. will post 2.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on DUOL shares. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price target on Duolingo from $250.00 to $105.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday. DA Davidson cut their price objective on Duolingo from $170.00 to $85.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Citigroup restated a “neutral” rating and set a $101.00 target price (down from $270.00) on shares of Duolingo in a report on Friday, February 27th. Barclays dropped their price target on Duolingo from $230.00 to $110.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Finally, Citizens Jmp downgraded shares of Duolingo from a “market outperform” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 6th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $206.32.

Duolingo News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Duolingo this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Director James H. Shelton purchased 5,000 Duolingo shares at about $99.76, a meaningful insider buy that signals management confidence and likely supported the stock move. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Recent quarterly results beat expectations (EPS and revenue) and showed strong margins and double‑digit top‑line growth, underpinning the thesis that Duolingo can grow users and monetize more effectively. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Valuation looks inexpensive on near‑term metrics (low P/E, PEG ~0.7) and institutional ownership remains very high (around ~90%), which can support price stability as long as fundamentals hold. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Short‑interest data in the feed shows zero shares / 0 days‑to‑cover — likely a reporting anomaly and not a meaningful market signal. (No linked article.)
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst commentary highlights a transition year (FY2026) where management prioritizes free‑user engagement and DAU growth toward a 2028 DAU goal; this may pressure near‑term earnings but could support a rebound later — watch execution and guidance. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Two law firms (Pomerantz and Faruqi & Faruqi) announced investigations into Duolingo on March 5 — potential class‑action activity raises regulatory/legal risk and could pressure sentiment if filings follow. Article Title Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks downgraded Duolingo to “strong sell,” which can weigh on short‑term sentiment and attract more bearish coverage. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Third‑party criticism and user defections (example: a Lifehacker piece describing a switch to competitor Babbel) highlight product/engagement risks that could slow DAU growth if widespread. Article Title

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Duolingo

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. lifted its position in Duolingo by 3.5% during the second quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 940 shares of the company’s stock valued at $385,000 after buying an additional 32 shares during the period. Evergreen Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Duolingo by 5.0% in the 2nd quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC now owns 818 shares of the company’s stock worth $335,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Generali Investments Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych lifted its position in Duolingo by 22.2% during the 3rd quarter. Generali Investments Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych now owns 220 shares of the company’s stock valued at $71,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the period. True Wealth Design LLC boosted its stake in Duolingo by 38.6% during the second quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 176 shares of the company’s stock worth $72,000 after acquiring an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Atria Investments Inc boosted its stake in Duolingo by 5.7% during the second quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 929 shares of the company’s stock worth $381,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. 91.59% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Duolingo Company Profile

Duolingo, Inc (NASDAQ:DUOL) is a technology-driven education company that operates a widely used language-learning platform. Founded in 2011 by Luis von Ahn and Severin Hacker, Duolingo offers a freemium service featuring bite-sized lessons, gamified exercises and adaptive learning algorithms. The company’s core product is its mobile and web application, which supports instruction in more than 40 languages, ranging from widely spoken tongues such as English and Spanish to lesser-taught options including Irish and Swahili.

In addition to its flagship language courses, Duolingo has expanded its product suite to include the Duolingo English Test, an on-demand, computer-based English proficiency exam designed for academic and professional admissions.