Citigroup Inc. Acquires 62,614 Shares of Duolingo, Inc. $DUOL

Citigroup Inc. boosted its holdings in Duolingo, Inc. (NASDAQ:DUOL) by 31.8% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 259,666 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 62,614 shares during the quarter. Citigroup Inc.’s holdings in Duolingo were worth $83,571,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in DUOL. Tredje AP fonden boosted its position in shares of Duolingo by 2,584.0% in the 3rd quarter. Tredje AP fonden now owns 55,908 shares of the company’s stock worth $17,993,000 after purchasing an additional 53,825 shares in the last quarter. BIT Capital GmbH raised its stake in Duolingo by 434.1% during the third quarter. BIT Capital GmbH now owns 134,367 shares of the company’s stock valued at $43,245,000 after buying an additional 109,211 shares during the last quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC boosted its stake in Duolingo by 86,600.0% in the 3rd quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 867 shares of the company’s stock worth $279,000 after purchasing an additional 866 shares in the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Investment Management Company LLC boosted its stake in Duolingo by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Investment Management Company LLC now owns 8,848 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,848,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Smithfield Trust Co raised its stake in shares of Duolingo by 35.4% in the third quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 237 shares of the company’s stock worth $76,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. 91.59% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Duolingo News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Duolingo this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Value/turnaround narrative: Coverage arguing Duolingo looks attractive after a ~75% share-price decline may draw value investors looking for a rebound. Is Duolingo (DUOL) Attractive After A 75% Share Price Slide And Mixed Valuation Signals
• Positive Sentiment: Brand/PR support: Features highlighting Duolingo as “America’s favorite online learning platform” and pieces contemplating it as a top money-making pick can sustain user growth narratives and retail interest. Duolingo: America’s favorite online learning platform Is Duolingo, Inc. (DUOL) the best money-making stock to buy right now?
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest reporting appears anomalous (entries show 0 shares / NaN increases). Current published short-interest ratios read as 0.0 days — likely a data/reporting glitch rather than a market signal. (No article link)
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: Multiple insiders, including the CFO Matthew Skaruppa, General Counsel Stephen Chen and other officers (Natalie Glance, Robert Meese), sold blocks of shares on Feb 17–18. Sales reduced individual holdings (one file shows an ~11% drop for the CFO). Insider selling at these levels is typically seen as a negative signal for near-term sentiment. SEC Form 4 (example: CFO Matthew Skaruppa)
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst/earnings caution: A Zacks preview warns Duolingo lacks the setup for an earnings beat in the upcoming report, tempering expectations and increasing the risk of downside if guidance or metrics disappoint. Duolingo (DUOL) Earnings Expected to Grow: What to Know Ahead of Next Week’s Release
• Negative Sentiment: Recent price weakness: Coverage noted a recent >1% intraday decline versus the prior day, reflecting short-term weakness that could persist if the above negative signals continue. Duolingo (DUOL) Suffers a Larger Drop Than the General Market

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Duolingo news, insider Natalie Glance sold 3,545 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.51, for a total value of $402,392.95. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 115,380 shares in the company, valued at $13,096,783.80. This represents a 2.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, General Counsel Stephen C. Chen sold 1,901 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.26, for a total transaction of $215,307.26. Following the completion of the sale, the general counsel directly owned 30,545 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,459,526.70. This trade represents a 5.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders have sold 14,939 shares of company stock worth $1,676,291. Corporate insiders own 18.30% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

DUOL has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Bank of America upgraded shares of Duolingo from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $301.00 to $250.00 in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of Duolingo from $210.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Citigroup reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Duolingo in a report on Monday, January 12th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Duolingo in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, DA Davidson reduced their price objective on Duolingo from $205.00 to $170.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $292.37.

Duolingo Trading Up 1.6%

NASDAQ:DUOL opened at $112.94 on Monday. Duolingo, Inc. has a one year low of $107.16 and a one year high of $544.93. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $152.08 and a 200-day moving average price of $231.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.60 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 2.82 and a quick ratio of 2.82.

About Duolingo

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.