Trade Desk (NASDAQ:TTD) Shares Down 2.6% - Time to Sell?

Key Points

• Trade Desk shares fell 2.6% to $84.71, marking a significant decrease in trading volume, down 72% from the average.
• Analysts have mixed opinions on Trade Desk, with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a target price of approximately $100.09 despite one sell rating among several buy ratings.
• CEO Jeffrey Terry Green sold 26,684 shares of the company, which represented a 61% decrease in his ownership, raising concerns among investors.

Shares of The Trade Desk (NASDAQ:TTD - Get Free Report) dropped 2.6% during trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $81.87 and last traded at $84.71. Approximately 2,838,239 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 72% from the average daily volume of 10,067,825 shares. The stock had previously closed at $86.96.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Wedbush reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $86.00 target price on shares of Trade Desk in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. DA Davidson cut their target price on Trade Desk from $103.00 to $92.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Oppenheimer raised their price objective on Trade Desk from $80.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on Trade Desk from $85.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Citizens Jmp decreased their target price on Trade Desk from $115.00 to $100.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and twenty-six have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Trade Desk presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $100.09.

Trade Desk Stock Performance

The stock has a 50 day moving average of $75.38 and a two-hundred day moving average of $74.97. The firm has a market capitalization of $42.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 104.46, a P/E/G ratio of 3.93 and a beta of 1.36.

Trade Desk (NASDAQ:TTD - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The technology company reported $0.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.26 by $0.07. Trade Desk had a net margin of 16.04% and a return on equity of 15.41%. The business had revenue of $616.02 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $575.62 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.26 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 25.4% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that The Trade Desk will post 1.06 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Jeffrey Terry Green sold 26,684 shares of Trade Desk stock in a transaction on Monday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.03, for a total transaction of $2,135,520.52. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 17,018 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,361,950.54. This trade represents a 61.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director David B. Wells sold 28,638 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $79.88, for a total value of $2,287,603.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 66,985 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,350,761.80. This trade represents a 29.95% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 10.00% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Trade Desk

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cornerstone Wealth Group LLC grew its stake in Trade Desk by 2.8% in the second quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Group LLC now owns 4,457 shares of the technology company's stock worth $321,000 after purchasing an additional 122 shares during the period. Mutual Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Trade Desk by 3.5% in the second quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC now owns 4,239 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $305,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC raised its position in shares of Trade Desk by 2.6% during the 1st quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC now owns 5,760 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $315,000 after purchasing an additional 144 shares during the period. Anchor Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of Trade Desk by 17.2% during the fourth quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 1,020 shares of the technology company's stock worth $120,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tradition Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Trade Desk by 2.4% during the first quarter. Tradition Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,349 shares of the technology company's stock worth $347,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.77% of the company's stock.

About Trade Desk

The Trade Desk, Inc operates as a technology company in the United States and internationally. The company offers a self-service cloud-based platform that allows buyers to plan, manage, optimize, and measure data-driven digital advertising campaigns across various ad formats and channels, including video, display, audio, digital-out-of-home, native, and social on various devices, such as computers, mobile devices, televisions, and streaming devices.

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