Gilder Gagnon Howe & Co LLC Reduces Duolingo Holdings
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: 4 hours ago
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Should l Buy DUOL?
Source: Fool
- Share Reduction Details: According to an SEC filing dated February 17, 2026, Gilder Gagnon Howe & Co LLC sold 66,397 shares of Duolingo during Q4 2025, with an estimated transaction value of $15.65 million, indicating a decline in confidence in the stock.
- Decline in Holding Value: The fund's Duolingo holdings decreased by $95.44 million over the quarter, reflecting not only the share sale but also the impact of stock price fluctuations, suggesting a lack of market confidence in the company.
- Change in Holding Proportion: Following this sale, Duolingo now represents 0.9375% of the fund's 13F reportable assets, indicating a reduced significance in the investment portfolio, which may influence future investment strategies.
- Market Performance Analysis: As of February 13, 2026, Duolingo's share price stood at $112.57, down 73.84% year-over-year, significantly underperforming the S&P 500 by 85.63 percentage points, highlighting the challenges faced by the company and investor concerns.
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Analyst Views on DUOL
Wall Street analysts forecast DUOL stock price to rise
17 Analyst Rating
10 Buy
6 Hold
1 Sell
Moderate Buy
Current: 101.540
Low
160.00
Averages
260.36
High
330.00
Current: 101.540
Low
160.00
Averages
260.36
High
330.00
About DUOL
Duolingo, Inc. is a technology company. The Company is engaged in offering a mobile learning platform, as well as a digital English language proficiency assessment exam. It operates a freemium business model, namely, the app and the Website are accessible free of charge, although Duolingo also offers premium services for a subscription fee. Its solutions consist of the Duolingo App, Super Duolingo, Duolingo Max, Duolingo English Test: AI-Driven Language Assessment, Duolingo for Schools, and Duolingo ABC. The Duolingo App offers courses in over 40 different languages, including Spanish, English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Japanese and Chinese. Duolingo can also be accessed on desktop computers via a Web browser. Its subscription offering, Super Duolingo, offers learners additional features to enhance their learning experience. The Duolingo English Test is an online, on-demand, high-stakes English proficiency assessment. It also operates an animation and motion design studio.
About the author

Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
- Share Reduction Details: According to an SEC filing dated February 17, 2026, Gilder Gagnon Howe & Co LLC sold 66,397 shares of Duolingo during Q4 2025, with an estimated transaction value of $15.65 million, indicating a decline in confidence in the stock.
- Decline in Holding Value: The fund's Duolingo holdings decreased by $95.44 million over the quarter, reflecting not only the share sale but also the impact of stock price fluctuations, suggesting a lack of market confidence in the company.
- Change in Holding Proportion: Following this sale, Duolingo now represents 0.9375% of the fund's 13F reportable assets, indicating a reduced significance in the investment portfolio, which may influence future investment strategies.
- Market Performance Analysis: As of February 13, 2026, Duolingo's share price stood at $112.57, down 73.84% year-over-year, significantly underperforming the S&P 500 by 85.63 percentage points, highlighting the challenges faced by the company and investor concerns.
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- Share Reduction Details: Gilder Gagnon Howe & Co LLC disclosed a sale of 66,397 shares of Duolingo in Q4 2025, with an estimated transaction value of $15.65 million, indicating a diminishing confidence in the stock.
- Decline in Position Value: The fund's Duolingo holdings decreased by $95.44 million at quarter-end, reflecting the adverse effects of trading and stock price movements, suggesting a more cautious market sentiment towards the stock.
- Position Proportion Analysis: Post-sale, Gilder Gagnon's Duolingo stake represents 0.94% of its assets under management, significantly lower than its top five holdings, indicating a reduced significance in the overall investment portfolio.
- Historical Holding Dynamics: Gilder Gagnon has held Duolingo shares since its IPO in 2021, and despite experiencing significant volatility in 2022, it has reduced its holdings by approximately 15%, demonstrating a strategy of gradually taking profits.
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- Legal Investigation Launched: Faruq & Faruqi, LLP is investigating potential claims against Duolingo (NASDAQ:DUOL), indicating that the company may face legal liabilities for significant investor losses.
- Investor Rights Protection: The firm encourages all investors who suffered losses in Duolingo stock or options to contact partner Josh Wilson directly, demonstrating a commitment to safeguarding investor rights.
- Track Record: Since its founding in 1995, Faruq & Faruqi has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors, showcasing its expertise and successful track record in securities law.
- Contact Information Provided: Investors can reach out to Josh Wilson at 877-247-4292 or 212-983-9330 (Ext. 1310) to ensure timely legal consultation and support.
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- Stock Purchase: Duolingo director James H. Shelton purchased 5,000 shares of Class A Common Stock at a weighted average price of $99.7584 on March 3, increasing his direct ownership to 9,632 shares, indicating confidence in the company's future prospects.
- Stock Price Movement: Despite a 45% year-to-date decline in Duolingo's stock, it rose 1.5% in after-hours trading, reflecting some market recognition of its future growth potential.
- User Growth Targets: Duolingo aims for a 20% increase in daily active users and to reach 100 million users by 2028, demonstrating its commitment to accelerating expansion while transitioning profitability.
- Market Challenges: The company anticipates a margin squeeze in 2026, yet remains focused on driving future business growth through user expansion strategies.
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- User Activity Decline: Duolingo reported a drop in monthly active users from 135.3 million to 133.1 million in Q4, although daily active users increased from 50.5 million to 52.7 million, indicating good conversion but raising concerns about new user acquisition and long-term growth.
- Strong Financial Performance: Despite the decline in user numbers, Duolingo's quarterly revenue grew by 35% to $282.9 million, with a net income of $42 million, demonstrating stability in profitability, yet market confidence in future growth has been shaken.
- Stock Buyback Program: The company announced a $400 million share buyback program aimed at leveraging its depressed stock price, reflecting management's confidence in the company's value while potentially boosting market sentiment.
- Guidance Misses Expectations: Duolingo's revenue guidance for Q1 is set at $288.5 million, representing only 2% sequential growth and falling short of the consensus estimate of $291.2 million, with full-year projections also below analyst expectations, indicating uncertainty in growth prospects.
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- User Growth Slowdown: Duolingo reported a decline in monthly active users from 135.3 million to 133.1 million in Q4, although daily active users increased from 50.5 million to 52.7 million, indicating a positive user conversion but raising concerns about long-term growth due to a drying pipeline of new users.
- Strong Financial Performance: Despite the disappointing user metrics, Duolingo's quarterly revenue grew by 35% to $282.9 million, with a net income of $42 million, demonstrating stable profitability; however, the market's expectations for long-term growth are being negatively impacted by user decline.
- Stock Buyback Program: The company announced a $400 million share buyback program aimed at taking advantage of its undervalued stock price, reflecting management's confidence in the company's future value despite the challenges posed by slowing user growth.
- Guidance Misses Expectations: Duolingo's revenue guidance for Q1 is set at $288.5 million, representing only 2% sequential growth and falling short of the consensus estimate of $291.2 million, while the full-year revenue forecast of $1.2 to $1.22 billion also misses the average estimate of $1.26 billion, indicating market skepticism about its growth prospects.
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