Trade Desk (NASDAQ:TTD) Releases Quarterly Earnings Results, Misses Expectations By $0.24 EPS

Trade Desk (NASDAQ:TTD) issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The technology company reported $0.08 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.32 by ($0.24), Zacks reports. The company had revenue of $688.86 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $678.87 million. Trade Desk had a return on equity of 16.91% and a net margin of 14.57%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.33 EPS.

Here are the key takeaways from Trade Desk’s conference call:

• Q1 revenue of $689 million (+12% YoY) with $206 million adjusted EBITDA (30% margin); company guides Q2 revenue ?$750 million and expects full?year adjusted EBITDA margin of at least 40%.
• Product and channel momentum — video/CTV was a low?50s% share, audio was the fastest?growing channel, and the new Audience Unlimited test showed materially better economics (lower CPMs and data costs, 75% more efficient CPA and 2.7x conversion rate); Trade Desk also claims retail data coverage of >80% of top U.S. retailers vs Amazon <15%.
• Management flagged near?term headwinds that drove a softer Q2 outlook — geopolitical uncertainty, tariffs, and category weakness (notably CPG, home & garden, food & drink) plus high U.S. concentration (~82% of revenue) may pressure near?term growth.
• Strategic positioning emphasizes agentic AI, partnerships (Stagwell, Netflix, Disney, Spotify), and platform initiatives (OpenPath/OpenTTD) while remaining an independent, objective DSP — management views this as a durable competitive advantage for long?term TAM capture.

Trade Desk Trading Up 7.7%

Shares of TTD stock opened at $23.22 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $10.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.39, a P/E/G ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 1.10. Trade Desk has a 12 month low of $19.74 and a 12 month high of $91.45. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $22.25 and a two-hundred day moving average of $29.53.

Trade Desk announced that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, February 25th that authorizes the company to repurchase $350.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the technology company to reacquire up to 2.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Benchmark dropped their price target on shares of Trade Desk from $40.00 to $30.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Loop Capital downgraded Trade Desk from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $75.00 to $25.00 in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. New Street Research lowered Trade Desk from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and set a $17.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. Arete Research raised Trade Desk from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $25.00 price target for the company in a research note on Monday, March 16th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reduced their price target on Trade Desk from $32.00 to $25.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating, twenty-one have issued a Hold rating and five have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $33.91.

Key Stories Impacting Trade Desk

Here are the key news stories impacting Trade Desk this week:

• Positive Sentiment: The Trade Desk announced Nate Olmstead as its new Chief Financial Officer, effective July 9, 2026. A new CFO can be viewed as a sign the company is preparing for its next growth phase and tighter execution. The Trade Desk Announces Nate Olmstead as Chief Financial Officer
• Positive Sentiment: The Trade Desk and Agoda announced a partnership to help brands reach high-intent travelers across APAC using Agoda’s first-party data, which could strengthen The Trade Desk’s advertising inventory and expand its travel-advertising reach. Agoda and The Trade Desk Partner to Help Brands Reach High-Intent Travelers Across APAC
• Positive Sentiment: Recent commentary suggests traders are rotating back into higher-beta tech stocks, and TTD has been noted as benefiting from that move as investors look for rebound names after a long pullback. The Trade Desk Stock Is On The Move: The Chart Tells An Interesting Story
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple reports point to mixed Wall Street views, with an average brokerage rating of “Hold,” while one recent sell target highlighted competition concerns. That keeps sentiment cautious even as the stock rebounds. The Trade Desk (NASDAQ:TTD) Given Average Rating of “Hold” by Brokerages
• Negative Sentiment: Director Samantha Jacobson sold 53,681 shares, which may weigh on investor sentiment because insider selling can be interpreted as reduced confidence or portfolio rebalancing. SEC Form 4 filing for Samantha Jacobson

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Samantha Jacobson sold 53,681 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $21.14, for a total value of $1,134,816.34. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 13,099 shares in the company, valued at approximately $276,912.86. This represents a 80.38% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Kathryn E. Falberg sold 50,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $30.48, for a total transaction of $1,524,000.00. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 206,509 shares of company stock worth $5,789,929 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 11.41% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Trade Desk

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC increased its position in shares of Trade Desk by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 4,586 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $539,000 after purchasing an additional 169 shares in the last quarter. Bison Wealth LLC grew its stake in Trade Desk by 24.3% during the fourth quarter. Bison Wealth LLC now owns 2,480 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $291,000 after buying an additional 485 shares during the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP increased its holdings in shares of Trade Desk by 75.5% during the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 5,275 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $289,000 after buying an additional 2,269 shares in the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Trade Desk by 46.6% during the second quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 59,785 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $4,304,000 after buying an additional 19,015 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AXA S.A. raised its stake in shares of Trade Desk by 14.7% in the second quarter. AXA S.A. now owns 42,819 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $3,083,000 after acquiring an additional 5,487 shares during the last quarter. 67.77% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Trade Desk Company Profile

The Trade Desk, Inc (NASDAQ: TTD) is a technology company that provides a demand-side platform (DSP) for programmatic digital advertising. Its platform enables advertisers, agencies and other buyers to plan, purchase and measure ad inventory across digital channels, including display, video, mobile, audio, native and connected TV. By centralizing real?time bidding, audience targeting and inventory access, the company aims to help clients optimize media spend and reach audiences at scale across publishers and ad exchanges.

Founded in 2009 by Jeff Green and Dave Pickles, The Trade Desk grew from a focus on programmatic display into a global ad?tech provider.