Trade Desk (NASDAQ:TTD) Stock Rating Lowered by Robert W. Baird

Key Points

• Robert W. Baird downgraded Trade Desk from “strong buy” to “hold,” following several other rating and price-target cuts. The stock’s consensus rating is “reduce,” with an average target price of $20.85.
• Trade Desk shares opened at $13.80, down sharply and near their 52-week low of $12.83, after the company missed quarterly EPS expectations despite revenue exceeding estimates and rising 11.8% year over year.
• Analysts and investors remain concerned about slowing growth, weaker profit margins, execution issues and cautious forward guidance, while an insider sale of 53,681 shares added to the negative sentiment.

Trade Desk (NASDAQ:TTD - Get Free Report) was downgraded by equities researchers at Robert W. Baird from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report released on Friday,Zacks.com reports.

TTD has been the topic of several other reports. Cantor Fitzgerald cut their price target on shares of Trade Desk from $20.00 to $14.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Raymond James Financial lowered Trade Desk from a "market perform" rating to an "underperform" rating in a research report on Friday. Piper Sandler reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $24.00 target price on shares of Trade Desk in a research note on Friday, May 8th. BMO Capital Markets downgraded Trade Desk from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and set a $15.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Friday. Finally, HSBC raised Trade Desk from a "reduce" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $20.00 price target for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twenty-seven have given a Hold rating and seven have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Reduce" and a consensus target price of $20.85.

Trade Desk Stock Down 21.9%

Shares of TTD opened at $13.80 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $18.82 and a 200 day moving average of $22.79. The company has a market cap of $6.49 billion, a PE ratio of 16.43, a P/E/G ratio of 0.85 and a beta of 1.04. Trade Desk has a 52-week low of $12.83 and a 52-week high of $57.00.

Trade Desk (NASDAQ:TTD - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The technology company reported $0.08 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.32 by ($0.24). Trade Desk had a net margin of 13.61% and a return on equity of 16.19%. The firm had revenue of $688.86 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $678.87 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.33 EPS. The company's revenue was up 11.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Trade Desk will post 1.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Samantha Jacobson sold 53,681 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the director directly owned 13,099 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $276,912.86. This trade represents a 80.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 11.41% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Trade Desk

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Binnacle Investments Inc bought a new stake in shares of Trade Desk in the third quarter valued at about $37,000. Bayforest Capital Ltd bought a new position in Trade Desk during the 4th quarter worth about $35,000. Quarry LP purchased a new position in Trade Desk during the 4th quarter valued at about $37,000. MCF Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Trade Desk by 318.0% in the 4th quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 1,024 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 779 shares in the last quarter. Finally, BNP Paribas lifted its position in shares of Trade Desk by 336.5% in the 4th quarter. BNP Paribas now owns 1,052 shares of the technology company's stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 811 shares during the period. 67.77% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Trade Desk

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

• Positive Sentiment: Customer retention remained strong, and management highlighted ongoing product improvements and major advertising partnerships. CEO Jeff Green has also reportedly purchased shares, potentially signaling confidence in the long-term opportunity. TTD Stock Sinks Over 26% On Earnings Miss, Weak Outlook
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts substantially reduced price targets and ratings following the release. Needham retained a Buy rating with a $19 target, while other targets ranged from $12 to $15, reflecting significant disagreement over whether the selloff creates value or signals a prolonged downturn. The Trade Desk downgraded by Susquehanna
• Negative Sentiment: Second-quarter revenue rose only 3% year over year to approximately $715 million, below the roughly $753 million consensus estimate. Adjusted EPS was 34 cents; although estimates vary, several reports characterized profit as below expectations and noted that EPS declined from 41 cents a year earlier. Trade Desk Stock Slumps After Revenue Misses Forecasts
• Negative Sentiment: Third-quarter revenue guidance of about $650 million was well below Wall Street expectations and implies a potential year-over-year revenue decline—the first such decline forecast since the company’s IPO. The outlook suggests that weak consumer spending, tariffs, oil prices and cautious spending by large brands are affecting advertising budgets. Trade Desk shares plunge on weak revenue, guidance miss
• Negative Sentiment: Management acknowledged execution gaps and a changing customer environment, while profitability also weakened: adjusted EBITDA fell to approximately $241 million and margins contracted. The rapid restructuring of the C-suite added to investor uncertainty about execution and leadership stability. TTD Q2 Earnings Call Flags Execution Gaps and Cautious Q3 Guide

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.

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