Blue Jean Financial LLC Buys New Position in Duolingo, Inc. $DUOL

Key Points

• Blue Jean Financial LLC initiated a Duolingo position of 20,989 shares worth approximately $2.99 million in the third quarter, representing about 1.8% of its holdings. Institutional investors collectively own 91.59% of the company.
• Duolingo insiders sold 250,740 shares worth roughly $37.7 million over the past 90 days, including sizable sales by the CEO and general counsel under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plans.
• Analysts maintain a consensus “Hold” rating with a $125.31 price target, while recent securities-class-action notices allege risks tied to Duolingo’s monetization, Energy system and AI-generated lessons; the allegations remain unproven.

Blue Jean Financial LLC bought a new stake in Duolingo, Inc. (NASDAQ:DUOL - Free Report) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 20,989 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,989,000. Duolingo comprises about 1.8% of Blue Jean Financial LLC's holdings, making the stock its 23rd biggest position.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Root Financial Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Duolingo by 194.1% in the first quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 250 shares of the company's stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 165 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its position in Duolingo by 73.4% during the third quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 267 shares of the company's stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 113 shares during the period. FNY Investment Advisers LLC bought a new position in Duolingo during the second quarter worth $34,000. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise raised its stake in Duolingo by 51.1% during the 1st quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise now owns 340 shares of the company's stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new position in Duolingo during the 4th quarter valued at $73,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.59% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Duolingo

In related news, CEO Luis van Ahn sold 110,046 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $151.70, for a total value of $16,693,978.20. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 110,046 shares of the company's stock, valued at $16,693,978.20. The trade was a 50.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, General Counsel Stephen C. Chen sold 8,072 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $149.33, for a total transaction of $1,205,391.76. Following the completion of the transaction, the general counsel directly owned 43,769 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,536,024.77. This trade represents a 15.57% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 250,740 shares of company stock worth $37,685,893 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 16.62% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have weighed in on DUOL. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on shares of Duolingo from $95.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Duolingo from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on shares of Duolingo in a report on Tuesday, August 18th. They set an "overweight" rating on the stock. Evercore set a $105.00 price objective on shares of Duolingo in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $145.00 target price on shares of Duolingo in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $125.31.

Key Headlines Impacting Duolingo

Here are the key news stories impacting Duolingo this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Duolingo continues to benefit from brand visibility through a marketing collaboration involving its mascot and Angry Birds in connection with Kelly Clarkson’s “bird saga.” The campaign could support user engagement, although its direct financial impact is unclear. Angry Birds, Duolingo ‘chirp in’ on Kelly Clarkson’s bird saga
• Neutral Sentiment: One market report highlighted that DUOL fell even as the overall market gained, indicating company-specific selling pressure. The report did not identify a new earnings warning or guidance revision. Duolingo stock sinks as market gains
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple law firms announced or promoted a securities class action covering investors who purchased Duolingo shares between May 2, 2025, and February 26, 2026. The filings allege that Duolingo misrepresented or failed to disclose risks involving its monetization and growth strategies, including ad-heavy monetization, the Energy system that replaced Hearts, and mass-produced AI-generated lessons. The allegations have not been proven, but the repeated notices increase legal, reputational and investor-confidence risks. Investors have until December 7, 2026 to seek lead-plaintiff status. Duolingo class action investor alert DUOL securities fraud lawsuit notice

Duolingo Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:DUOL opened at $139.58 on Wednesday. Duolingo, Inc. has a 1-year low of $87.89 and a 1-year high of $325.93. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.53 billion, a PE ratio of 16.54, a PEG ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 1.05. The business's 50 day moving average is $145.72 and its 200-day moving average is $126.72. The company has a current ratio of 2.72, a quick ratio of 2.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06.

Duolingo (NASDAQ:DUOL - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.60 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $298.45 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $295.58 million. Duolingo had a return on equity of 12.10% and a net margin of 35.88%. Duolingo's quarterly revenue was up 18.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.91 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Duolingo, Inc. will post 2.62 earnings per share for the current year.

About Duolingo

Duolingo, Inc develops technology-based learning products designed to make education accessible and engaging. Its flagship Duolingo mobile and web platform offers gamified courses in languages including Spanish, English, French, German and Japanese, among others. Lessons incorporate interactive exercises, personalized practice and achievement-based features intended to support regular learning.

The company also operates the Duolingo English Test, an online English-proficiency assessment that can be taken remotely and is accepted by educational institutions and other organizations.

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