Trade Desk (NASDAQ:TTD) Issues Earnings Results

Trade Desk (NASDAQ:TTD) released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday. The technology company reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.18 by $0.16, FiscalAI reports. Trade Desk had a return on equity of 16.91% and a net margin of 14.57%.The firm had revenue of $715.06 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $752.59 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.41 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis.

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

• Revenue growth materially missed expectations: Q2 revenue was $715 million, up just 3% year over year, as macro pressure on CPG and auto advertisers, lower-cost media buying, and internal execution issues weighed on results. Management expects Q3 revenue of at least $650 million, indicating continued near-term weakness.
• Operating expenses rose 6% year over year, or 12% excluding stock-based compensation, driven by platform infrastructure, AI investments, and data and decisioning capabilities. Management said it will apply greater investment discipline and reallocate resources toward the highest-priority growth initiatives.
• Several growth areas remain strong: CTV and audio again grew at double-digit rates, international revenue was supported by nearly 30% year-to-date growth in both EMEA and APAC, and China revenue rose more than 100% year to date. Joint Business Plans increased 38% year over year to 217 clients, with associated revenue growing six times faster than overall revenue.
• The company is emphasizing product upgrades to reignite growth, including the upcoming Zuma usability update, expanded Audience Unlimited data activation, and a new measurement framework focused on incremental business outcomes. Early Audience Unlimited results showed more than 25% reductions in cost per unique household and data CPM for one advertiser.
• Management remains confident in the long-term independent DSP model, arguing that AI increases the value of objective decisioning and trusted data protection. However, executives acknowledged that newly hired leaders and product initiatives will require time to ramp, and provided limited visibility into the timing of a return to stronger growth.

Trade Desk Price Performance

Trade Desk stock traded down $1.29 during trading on Thursday, reaching $17.67. 86,380,604 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 14,520,936. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $18.97 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $22.85. The company has a market capitalization of $8.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.08, a PEG ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 1.04. Trade Desk has a 52-week low of $16.70 and a 52-week high of $91.45.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on TTD shares. Wells Fargo & Company set a $20.00 price target on shares of Trade Desk and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Needham & Company LLC lowered their target price on shares of Trade Desk from $32.00 to $25.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Evercore set a $27.00 price target on shares of Trade Desk in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Rosenblatt Securities lowered their price objective on Trade Desk from $25.00 to $24.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Benchmark restated a “buy” rating on shares of Trade Desk in a report on Monday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating, twenty-one have issued a Hold rating and five have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $31.50.

Insider Transactions at Trade Desk

In related news, Director Samantha Jacobson sold 53,681 shares of Trade Desk stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $21.14, for a total transaction of $1,134,816.34. Following the sale, the director directly owned 13,099 shares in the company, valued at $276,912.86. This trade represents a 80.38% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 11.41% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Trade Desk

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Binnacle Investments Inc acquired a new stake in Trade Desk in the third quarter valued at $37,000. Quarry LP bought a new position in shares of Trade Desk in the fourth quarter valued at $37,000. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC purchased a new position in Trade Desk during the 3rd quarter valued at about $59,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. raised its holdings in shares of Trade Desk by 35.6% during the 3rd quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 1,591 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $78,000 after purchasing an additional 418 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. increased its position in Trade Desk by 71.9% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 2,295 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $87,000 after buying an additional 960 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.77% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Trade Desk

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

• Positive Sentiment: Adjusted earnings of $0.34 per share exceeded the $0.18 consensus estimate cited by several reports. The company also maintained strong customer retention and highlighted continued relationships with major advertising partners. The Trade Desk Stock Slumps After Revenue Misses Forecasts
• Neutral Sentiment: Management discussed its advertising technology platform, partnerships and customer trends during the Q2 earnings call, providing additional context on the company’s strategy as it works through a more difficult operating environment. The Trade Desk Q2 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue increased only 3% year over year to approximately $715.1 million, well below analysts’ estimates of roughly $752.6 million. The shortfall suggests weaker near-term advertising demand, slower growth and possible pressure from customer pricing or market-share challenges. Trade Desk Sinks on Revenue Miss, Margin Pressure
• Negative Sentiment: Third-quarter revenue guidance of about $650 million was significantly below Wall Street expectations, intensifying concerns that growth is decelerating. Reports also cited lower operating profitability, including adjusted EBITDA of approximately $241 million, and weaker margins. The Trade Desk Reports Sales Below Analyst Estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Although adjusted EPS topped one consensus measure, it declined from $0.41 a year earlier. Investors focused more heavily on the revenue miss, subdued outlook and margin pressure, causing the stock to fall sharply as expectations reset. Trade Desk Plummets After Weak Q2 Results

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.