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Duolingo posts record Q4 revenue as demand for digital language learning soars

Shares dipped slightly after-hours despite results and an upbeat forecast.

Duo’s back on the map.

The company’s fourth-quarter revenue came in at an all-time high of $209.6 million, easily topping Wall Street’s estimates of $205.3 million. Daily active users also landed in line with expectations, hitting a record 40.5 million. Meanwhile, subscription bookings soared 50% from the same quarter last year, reaching $236.5 million for the first time.

Earnings per share weren’t disclosed, but are likely to land in a securities filing on Friday.

Go deeper: Our interview with Duolingo CEO Luis von Ahn.

Still, shares were down nearly 3% in after-hours trading. The dip comes after a strong 13% gain over the past month.

Duolingo offers both free and paid premium-tier accounts, with 40 languages to learn, including Korean, French, German, and even fictional languages like High Valyrian from “Game of Thrones.” The company highlighted its new video call feature as a key driver of success for its paid premium tier, since it helps bridge a critical gap of practicing speaking skills.

Duolingo’s popularity has soared in recent years thanks in part to its viral fame on TikTok, where it has nearly 17 million followers.

The company has also heavily leaned into AI, beefing up its premium subscriptions with new ChatGPT-powered features like personalized language lessons, real-time translations, and interactive chatbots. The effort is paying off: Duolingos paid subscribers have more than quadrupled since 2021.

Looking ahead, Duolingo expects first-quarter revenue to range between $220.5 million and $223.5 million, slightly above analysts’ estimates of $220.8 million.

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Lululemon’s stretch getting tested: Stock plunges after after outlook is cut

Lululemon shares are down double digits in premarket trading after the company cut its full-year sales and profit outlook, overshadowing a Q1 beat and raising fresh concerns about the brand’s turnaround efforts.

The company now expects fiscal 2026 revenue to be flat to down 1%, compared with its prior forecast for 2% to 4% growth. Guidance for full-year diluted earnings per share was dragged down to a range of $10.95 to $11.15, below the company’s previous guidance of $12.10 to $12.30 and well below Wall Street’s estimate of $13.26.

Key numbers for Q1:

  • EPS of $1.69 vs. the $1.68 expected.

  • Revenue of $2.47 billion vs. the $2.43 billion expected.

The modest top-line beat masked a widening divergence between Lululemons geographic markets. While international revenue rose 22% overall with a 30% increase in Mainland China, the bigger problem remains North America, where revenue fell 5%.

Interim co-CEO and CFO Meghan Frank acknowledged during the earnings call that recent product rollouts underperformed. A highly anticipated yoga campaign failed to generate its expected halo effect across broader product lines.

Profitability metrics took a major hit, with gross margins contracting by 410 basis points to 54.2% due to mounting tariff costs and promotional markdowns. Operating income consequently fell 37% year over year to $276.9 million.

“We experienced spikes of negative commentary in the media and on social channels with regard to our brand, which had an impact on traffic and overall top-line performance,” Frank said during the earnings call. “And second, not all of our product launches have met our expectations. While we have had several successful launches so far this year, we have seen others as we start Q2 not generate the anticipated guest response.”

Lululemons valuation has already been steadily compressing for years. While it was once one of retails richly valued stocks, investors have been questioning whether the company can return to the double-digit growth era.

The results also arrive during a leadership transition. Lululemon announced back in April that former Nike executive Heidi ONeill is set to take over as CEO in September, with investors looking to her to revive growth in North America and restore the brands growth.

As Lululemon faces both macroeconomic pressure and brand-specific challenges, its stock has dropped around 40% year to date.

markets

US job growth skyrocketed in May, blasting past expectations

The US economy added 172,000 jobs in the month of May, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday, sending 10-year Treasury yields higher.

The strong May job market surprised economists. Experts had predicted only 85,000 new jobs — just half the reported number. The unemployment rate held steady at 4.3%, as expected.

The job growth story is a hopeful spot for the economy as consumers continue to feel inflationary pressure from the Iran war.

Job gains were buoyed by the leisure and hospitality sector, which added 70,000 jobs, as well as local government, healthcare, and education.

Both the March and April jobs reports were revised upward, making them collectively 93,000 higher than previously reported.

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