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Matt Phillips7/28/25

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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Tasha Matsumoto, Luke Kawa

S&P 500 just barely notches third consecutive all-time high in record day for call volumes

The S&P 500 just barely managed to pull off a three-peat, despite five of the Mag 7 stocks trading lower.

Chicago Bulls players Dennis Rodman (L), Scottie Pippen (C) and Michael Jordan (R) hold three of the team's four recent Larry O'Brien trophies 18 June at a rally for the team in Grant Park in Chicago.

3h

3h

Automakers spike on report that Trump administration is considering tariff relief

The Trump administration is considering significant tariff relief for many major automakers, according to reporting by Reuters.

“The signal to the car companies around the world is, look, you have final assembly in the US, we’re going to reward you,” Ohio Republican Senator Bernie Moreno told Reuters. “For Ford, for Toyota, for Honda, for Tesla, for GM, those are the almost in order the top five domestic content vehicle producers — they’ll be immune to tariffs.”

The senator told Reuters that President Trump could potentially extend the higher levels of tariff offsets announced by the Commerce Department in June.

According to the White House, Moreno’s comments should be considered “speculative,” but shares of vehicle makers including Ford, GM, Toyota, Honda, and Stellantis all rose after the report came out.

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Matt Phillips3h

Palantir disputes report of flaws in Army product

Palantir says security vulnerabilities with a prototype battlefield communications product highlighted in a September 5 Army memorandum have already been addressed, according to a Bloomberg report.

The company said any conclusions that the product was seriously flawed, drawn from reports in Reuters and an online publication known as Breaking Defense, were “out of date and inaccurate.”

Separately, Army officials also told Breaking Defense that deficiencies with the battlefield communication product were “mitigated immediately.”

Going into the last hour of trading, Palantir shares were on track for their worst day since August in the wake of the reports.

Palantir Rebuts Claims of Security Flaws After Stock Falls

Palantir Rebuts Claims of Security Flaws After Stock Falls

Separately, Army officials also told Breaking Defense that deficiencies with the battlefield communication product were “mitigated immediately.”

Going into the last hour of trading, Palantir shares were on track for their worst day since August in the wake of the reports.

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J. Edward Moreno5h

Novo says it will offer weight-loss pill via telehealth, Bloomberg reports

Hims & Hers slipped after Novo Nordisk’s US head, David Moore, told Bloomberg that the company plans to sell its upcoming weight-loss pill through its current telehealth partners.

The company’s weight-loss pill recently reported encouraging results in a late-stage trial.

Novo currently has partnerships with Hims competitors like Ro and Weight Watchers. Hims had a deal with Novo earlier this year, which blew up epically in less than two months.

Novo Plans to Make Obesity Pill Available Online Once Approved

Novo Plans to Make Obesity Pill Available Online Once Approved

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Shopify soars after Rothschild Redburn hikes price target to $200

Shopify popped nearly 7% Friday afternoon after Rothschild Redburn reiterated its “buy” rating and raised its price target to $200 from $180, tying the highest on Wall Street and about 23% above current levels.

The firm pointed to Shopify’s new partnership with OpenAI’s ChatGPT as a key growth driver, saying it opens up a fresh sales channel that, for now, only Shopify and Etsy merchants can tap into.

Analysts also highlighted that unlike the Magnificent 7 tech names, Shopify can fold AI revenue into its model without heavy capital spending, meaning those contributions could offer a quick boost to free cash flow.

On that note, the firm also bumped its 2025 to 2027 earnings estimates by about 6% to 8%. Shopify shares have already more than doubled over the past year and are up roughly 50% year to date.

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