On September 1, Duolingo, Inc. rose 7.85% in regular trading, trading at $159.2/share, with turnover of $33.42 million. The surge was driven by Evercore ISI upgrading the stock from In Line to Outperform, with the target price doubling from $105 to $210.
According to reports, Evercore ISI's bullish thesis is grounded in proprietary survey research, product iteration analysis, and recent daily active user tracking data. A core argument of the report is that the market may have exaggerated the competitive threat posed by ChatGPT to Duolingo's business. The firm also raised its EPS estimates for fiscal years 2027 and 2028.
The upgrade comes amid a wave of positive analyst sentiment. In recent weeks, D.A. Davidson upgraded the stock to Buy with a $160 target, JPMorgan raised its target to $135, Wedbush lifted its target to $150 while maintaining a Neutral rating, and UBS raised its target to $150 with a Buy rating. The broader AI application software sector has also strengthened recently, providing additional tailwinds. Additionally, the company recently completed its acquisition of UK animation studio Animade, aimed at bolstering its design capabilities and product differentiation.
(The above content is based on publicly available market information, generated by a program or algorithm, and is intended solely as a stock movement alert. It does not constitute investment advice or a basis for trading decisions.)