Legal & General Group Plc Buys 87,203 Shares of The Trade Desk $TTD

Key Points

• Legal & General Group Plc increased its Trade Desk stake by 3.6% in the fourth quarter, buying 87,203 shares and bringing its total holding to 2.53 million shares worth about $96 million.
• Several other institutional investors also adjusted their positions, and 67.77% of Trade Desk stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutions, underscoring heavy institutional interest in the name.
• Analyst sentiment remains cautious overall: Trade Desk has an average “Hold” rating with a $33.91 average price target, while the company also recently reported earnings that missed EPS estimates even as revenue came in slightly above expectations.

Legal & General Group Plc increased its holdings in The Trade Desk (NASDAQ:TTD - Free Report) by 3.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,529,713 shares of the technology company's stock after acquiring an additional 87,203 shares during the quarter. Legal & General Group Plc owned approximately 0.52% of Trade Desk worth $96,028,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in TTD. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in Trade Desk by 3.8% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 4,586 shares of the technology company's stock worth $539,000 after acquiring an additional 169 shares during the period. Bison Wealth LLC lifted its stake in Trade Desk by 24.3% in the fourth quarter. Bison Wealth LLC now owns 2,480 shares of the technology company's stock worth $291,000 after acquiring an additional 485 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP lifted its stake in Trade Desk by 75.5% in the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 5,275 shares of the technology company's stock worth $289,000 after acquiring an additional 2,269 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC lifted its stake in Trade Desk by 46.6% in the second quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 59,785 shares of the technology company's stock worth $4,304,000 after acquiring an additional 19,015 shares during the period. Finally, AXA S.A. lifted its stake in Trade Desk by 14.7% in the second quarter. AXA S.A. now owns 42,819 shares of the technology company's stock worth $3,083,000 after acquiring an additional 5,487 shares during the period. 67.77% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently weighed in on TTD shares. Wells Fargo & Company set a $20.00 price objective on shares of Trade Desk and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Needham & Company LLC lowered their price objective on shares of Trade Desk from $32.00 to $25.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 8th. UBS Group set a $31.00 price objective on shares of Trade Desk and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Moffett Nathanson reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $32.00 price objective on shares of Trade Desk in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. Finally, Piper Sandler reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $24.00 price target on shares of Trade Desk in a research report on Friday, May 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating, twenty-one have assigned a Hold rating and five have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Trade Desk presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $33.91.

Trade Desk Stock Performance

TTD stock opened at $21.15 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $9.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.03, a PEG ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 1.10. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $22.29 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $29.83. The Trade Desk has a one year low of $19.74 and a one year high of $91.45.

Trade Desk (NASDAQ:TTD - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The technology company reported $0.08 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.32 by ($0.24). The firm had revenue of $688.86 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $678.87 million. Trade Desk had a net margin of 14.57% and a return on equity of 16.91%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 11.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.33 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that The Trade Desk will post 1.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Trade Desk declared that its Board of Directors has approved 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 repurchase up to 2.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often a sign that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

More Trade Desk News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Some coverage argues The Trade Desk still sits in a large long-term digital advertising opportunity, and the stock briefly drew buyers as investors looked for signs the selloff may have gone too far. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: The stock remains a highly discussed name after showing up on trending-stock lists, reflecting elevated investor attention rather than a clear fundamental catalyst. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest data was reported as effectively unchanged, offering little new evidence of either a major bearish build-up or a short-squeeze setup.
• Negative Sentiment: Rothschild & Co Redburn initiated coverage with a sell rating and an $11 price target, implying roughly 48% downside from the recent share price and reinforcing the bearish tone around the stock. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Additional commentary highlighted that The Trade Desk’s “easy-growth” phase may be over, with investors increasingly worried about softer near-term guidance, tougher competition from Amazon, and strained relationships with ad agencies. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Another article warned of a “new reality” for TTD stock, citing the risk that the shares could fall much further if growth slows and valuation compresses. Article Title

Insider Activity at Trade Desk

In other Trade Desk news, Director Kathryn E. Falberg sold 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $30.48, for a total transaction of $1,524,000.00. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 11.41% of the company's stock.

Trade Desk 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.

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