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Duolingo on pace for worst day since February

Language-learning app Duolingo is on track for its worst day since late February. There was little substantive news on the company, which reports Q2 numbers on August 6.

But analysts at Citizens JMP did cut their price target on the stock to $450 from $475, according to The Fly on the Wall, citing still soft numbers on the app’s new user growth. Analysts said that daily active user growth has decelerated from 53% in March to 37% in June.

Other analysts have spotted similar dynamics in recent weeks, saying the decline may in part be related to a LinkedIn post from Duolingo CEO Luis von Ahn that talked up the company’s plans to be an AI-first organization and mentioned in passing that it would be letting go of some contractors as a result. Cue social media backlash.

Von Ahn subsequently clarified the company’s position, stressing that he sees AI as a tool for humans to use at the company, not a replacement for them. And most analysts seem to think that over the long term, Duolingo remains a good bet. (That’s also the case with Citizens JMP, which has kept its “outperform” rating on the shares.)

But the price target downgrade does represent a crack in the view represented in the consensus price target of $492 a share for the stock. (It’s currently about 45% lower, at $337.)

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SpaceX gets a wave of bullish ratings from Wall Street analysts

SpaceX received more than a dozen positive analyst calls on Tuesday — including from major Wall Street banks — as they initiate coverage on Elon Musk’s space and AI company.

SpaceX went public on June 12 at a $2.2 trillion valuation, the largest debut in history. While the company hasn’t yet posted a profit, it seems to have convinced Wall Street that it will get there and grow its valuation on the way.

Of the at least 17 analysts that gave a rating on Tuesday, all but one gave it a “buy” or “outperform” rating. MoffettNathanson was "neutral."

The ratings come as SpaceX joined the Nasdaq 100 index, a benchmark tech-heavy basket of companies that underpins millions of portfolios. The inclusion adds built-in demand for the stock from index funds and ETFs.

Still, SpaceX fell more than 5% on Tuesday amid a broader sell-off, and is currently effectively flat from its opening price of $150 a share.

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Nike sinks to lowest level since 2014 after warning of “challenged” sales environment in Q4 report

Did Nike do it?

Investors had a mixed reaction after the global sports apparel company reported its fourth quarter earnings on Tuesday after the bell. Shares initially rose 5% as Nike beat out Wall Street expectations amid a hefty tariff refund bonus. However, the stock then sank to its lowest level since August 2014 in postmarket trading.

Here are the Q4 numbers:

  • Revenue of $11.0 billion (estimate: $10.8 billion).

  • Adjusted earnings per share of $0.20 (estimate: $0.12).

Ahead of this report, Nike warned that results would be flattered by a one-time tariff refund (now estimated at roughly $0.52 per share for the bottom line). That gave the company an extra cushion in snapping its streak of seven quarters of year-over-year profit declines.

Over the past year, the company had been punished by tariffs on imported goods, stagnant consumer spending, and increasing competition from other footwear brands like New Balance, Adidas, and Hoka.

Outgoing CFO Matthew Friend deemed it an “increasingly challenging operating environment, where sell-through remains challenged.”

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