Duolingo, Inc. (NASDAQ:DUOL) Sees Large Growth in Short Interest

Duolingo, Inc. (NASDAQ:DUOL - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in the month of April. As of April 30th, there was short interest totalling 3,070,000 shares, a growth of 70.6% from the April 15th total of 1,800,000 shares. Currently, 8.5% of the company's stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 782,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.9 days.

Duolingo Stock Performance

Shares of DUOL stock traded down $12.46 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $188.12. 1,873,968 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,190,351. Duolingo has a fifty-two week low of $121.89 and a fifty-two week high of $251.30. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $219.48 and a 200-day moving average price of $207.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 193.94 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a quick ratio of 3.24, a current ratio of 3.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03.

Duolingo (NASDAQ:DUOL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 8th. The company reported $0.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.30 by $0.27. The firm had revenue of $167.70 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $165.60 million. Duolingo had a return on equity of 7.33% and a net margin of 7.82%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 44.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted ($0.06) earnings per share. Analysts predict that Duolingo will post 1.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have issued reports on DUOL. Needham & Company LLC lifted their target price on shares of Duolingo from $241.00 to $267.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of Duolingo from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a "sell" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on Duolingo in a research report on Monday, March 11th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $270.00 price target for the company. Barclays lowered their price objective on Duolingo from $243.00 to $230.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Finally, Piper Sandler restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $265.00 target price (down from $282.00) on shares of Duolingo in a report on Friday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $244.63.

Insider Activity at Duolingo

In other news, insider Natalie Glance sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $247.82, for a total value of $371,730.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 123,005 shares of the company's stock, valued at $30,483,099.10. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other Duolingo news, CEO Ahn Luis Von sold 13,600 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $208.34, for a total value of $2,833,424.00. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Natalie Glance sold 1,500 shares of Duolingo stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $247.82, for a total value of $371,730.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 123,005 shares of the company's stock, valued at $30,483,099.10. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 123,223 shares of company stock valued at $26,893,230. Company insiders own 19.85% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Duolingo

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Discovery Value Fund bought a new stake in Duolingo in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Bamco Inc. NY acquired a new position in shares of Duolingo in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $39,000. FSC Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Duolingo during the 4th quarter worth approximately $39,000. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S acquired a new stake in Duolingo in the 4th quarter valued at $73,000. Finally, Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd bought a new stake in Duolingo in the fourth quarter valued at $92,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.59% of the company's stock.

Duolingo Company Profile

Duolingo, Inc operates as a mobile learning platform in the United States, the United Kingdom, and internationally. The company offers courses in 40 different languages, including Spanish, English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Japanese, and Chinese through its Duolingo app. It also provides a digital English language proficiency assessment exam.