The Trade Desk Stock Plummets 82% Amid Customer Defections
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Mar 18 2026
0mins
Should l Buy TTD?
Source: Fool
- Stock Plunge: The Trade Desk's stock has fallen 82% since December 2024, primarily due to concerns over inflated valuations and fears of AI disruption, severely undermining investor confidence.
- Customer Defection Crisis: Major ad agencies Dentsu and WPP have exited The Trade Desk's Open Path product over issues of 'hidden fees and transparency,' potentially resulting in a loss of about 10% of its business, exacerbating competitive pressures.
- Inadequate Management Response: Despite CEO Jeff Green's attempts to instill confidence by buying shares, the management's denial of competitive threats has failed to boost stock prices and raised questions about the company's transparency.
- Bleak Growth Outlook: The Trade Desk's revenue growth forecast for Q1 is only 10%, significantly lower than its historical growth rate of over 20%, and if it cannot address the customer trust crisis promptly, it may face larger-scale defections and reputational damage.
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Analyst Views on TTD
Wall Street analysts forecast TTD stock price to rise
28 Analyst Rating
15 Buy
12 Hold
1 Sell
Moderate Buy
Current: 24.010
Low
38.00
Averages
53.33
High
85.00
Current: 24.010
Low
38.00
Averages
53.33
High
85.00
About TTD
The Trade Desk, Inc. is a global advertising technology company. The Company offers a self-service, cloud-based ad-buying platform that empowers its clients to plan, manage, optimize and measure more expressive data-driven digital advertising campaigns. Its platform allows clients to execute integrated campaigns across ad formats and channels, including connected television (CTV) and other video, display, audio, and native, on a multitude of devices, such as televisions, streaming devices, mobile devices, computers and digital-out-of-home devices. Its platform’s integrations with inventory, publisher and data partners provide ad buyers reach and decisioning capabilities, and its enterprise application programming interfaces (APIs) enable its clients to customize and expand platform functionality. Its platform provides auto-optimization features that allow buyers to automate their campaigns and support them with computer-generated modeling and decision-making.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
The Trade Desk Q1 Earnings Preview
- Earnings Expectations: The Trade Desk anticipates Q1 earnings of 32 cents per share, reflecting a 3% decline, while revenue is projected at $678.68 million, indicating a 10.2% year-over-year increase, showcasing potential growth despite competitive pressures.
- Increased Competitive Pressure: With the rise of Amazon's demand-side platform, The Trade Desk faces intensifying market competition, leading analysts to adopt a more cautious outlook that could impact future market share.
- Governance Issues: An audit commissioned by Publicis Groupe flagged potential breaches of agreement terms by The Trade Desk, raising client concerns about using its platform and adding to market uncertainty.
- Stock Volatility: Although The Trade Desk has exceeded EPS estimates 88% of the time over the past two years, its stock has fallen approximately 36% this year, reflecting market worries about its growth prospects amid changing macroeconomic and competitive landscapes.
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Trade Desk to Release Q1 Earnings on May 7
- Earnings Release Announcement: Trade Desk is set to release its Q1 2023 earnings on May 7, with analysts projecting earnings of 32 cents per share, indicating a cautious market sentiment regarding the company's profitability.
- Stock Price Movement: Ahead of the earnings report, Trade Desk's stock fell by 2.5% to $24.01 on Wednesday, reflecting investor concerns about the upcoming financial results, which could impact short-term market performance.
- Analyst Ratings Focus: There is a keen interest in changes to analyst ratings for Trade Desk, as any adjustments could influence investor confidence and stock price movements, particularly in the lead-up to the earnings announcement.
- Market Reaction Analysis: The decline in stock price may signify investor uncertainty about the company's future performance, especially in the current economic climate, where Trade Desk needs to demonstrate strong financial results to restore market confidence.
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- Trade Desk Shares Performance: Trade Desk shares increased by 1.4% in pre-market trading following a positive earnings report.
- Market Reaction: The rise in shares comes after the company raised its guidance, indicating a shift from underperformance to a more neutral outlook.
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- Stock Performance: As of the afternoon prices on April 30, 2026, stock prices showed widespread increases, reflecting a positive market response to the improved political situation and enhancing investor confidence.
- Video Release Impact: A related video published on May 2, 2026, further heightened market attention on the ceasefire agreement, potentially attracting more investors to participate in the market.
- Economic Outlook: The ceasefire agreement not only helps alleviate market uncertainties but also lays the groundwork for future economic recovery, promoting revival and growth across various sectors.
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Analysis of Upcoming U.S. Jobs Report Outlook
- Job Market Expectations: According to FactSet consensus estimates, the U.S. is expected to add only 50,000 jobs in April, significantly lower than March's 178,000, indicating signs of economic slowdown that could impact investor confidence.
- Unemployment Rate Stability: The unemployment rate is anticipated to remain steady at 4.3%, suggesting that despite the decrease in job additions, the labor market remains relatively stable, potentially alleviating fears of an economic downturn.
- GDP Growth Situation: The U.S. GDP grew at a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 2% in the first quarter, higher than the fourth quarter's 0.5% but below the 2.2% estimate, reflecting economic sluggishness that may influence future monetary policy decisions.
- Market Volatility: Despite a strong performance in April, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq hitting record highs, investors should remain cautious of the upcoming
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- Significant Revenue Growth: Roku reported Q1 revenue of $1.25 billion, a 22% increase year-over-year, exceeding analysts' expectations of $1.2 billion, demonstrating strong performance in the streaming market and solidifying its market position.
- Improved Profitability: The adjusted EBITDA reached $148.4 million, surpassing the consensus estimate of $131.3 million, indicating effective strategies in cost control and revenue growth.
- Analysts' Optimistic Outlook: Both Morgan Stanley and Bank of America reiterated their overweight ratings on Roku, raising the price target to $150, implying a 29% upside from Thursday's close, reflecting market confidence in its future growth.
- Advertising Revenue Growth Potential: Roku has enhanced its ad revenue through partnerships with Trade Desk, Amazon, and Google's advertising arms, with expectations that U.S. connected TV ad growth will re-accelerate to 20% by 2026, providing strong momentum for future revenue growth.
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The Trade Desk Q1 Earnings Preview
- Earnings Expectations: The Trade Desk anticipates Q1 earnings of 32 cents per share, reflecting a 3% decline, while revenue is projected at $678.68 million, indicating a 10.2% year-over-year increase, showcasing potential growth despite competitive pressures.
- Increased Competitive Pressure: With the rise of Amazon's demand-side platform, The Trade Desk faces intensifying market competition, leading analysts to adopt a more cautious outlook that could impact future market share.
- Governance Issues: An audit commissioned by Publicis Groupe flagged potential breaches of agreement terms by The Trade Desk, raising client concerns about using its platform and adding to market uncertainty.
- Stock Volatility: Although The Trade Desk has exceeded EPS estimates 88% of the time over the past two years, its stock has fallen approximately 36% this year, reflecting market worries about its growth prospects amid changing macroeconomic and competitive landscapes.
See More
Trade Desk to Release Q1 Earnings on May 7
- Earnings Release Announcement: Trade Desk is set to release its Q1 2023 earnings on May 7, with analysts projecting earnings of 32 cents per share, indicating a cautious market sentiment regarding the company's profitability.
- Stock Price Movement: Ahead of the earnings report, Trade Desk's stock fell by 2.5% to $24.01 on Wednesday, reflecting investor concerns about the upcoming financial results, which could impact short-term market performance.
- Analyst Ratings Focus: There is a keen interest in changes to analyst ratings for Trade Desk, as any adjustments could influence investor confidence and stock price movements, particularly in the lead-up to the earnings announcement.
- Market Reaction Analysis: The decline in stock price may signify investor uncertainty about the company's future performance, especially in the current economic climate, where Trade Desk needs to demonstrate strong financial results to restore market confidence.
See More
Trade Desk Stock Rises 1.4% in Premarket Following Wedbush Upgrade to Neutral from Underperform
- Trade Desk Shares Performance: Trade Desk shares increased by 1.4% in pre-market trading following a positive earnings report.
- Market Reaction: The rise in shares comes after the company raised its guidance, indicating a shift from underperformance to a more neutral outlook.
See More
U.S. Stock Markets Rally Following Ceasefire Agreement
- Market Rally: U.S. stock markets experienced a rally following the ceasefire agreement at the end of March, indicating investor optimism about future economic stability, which could boost consumption and investment growth.
- Stock Performance: As of the afternoon prices on April 30, 2026, stock prices showed widespread increases, reflecting a positive market response to the improved political situation and enhancing investor confidence.
- Video Release Impact: A related video published on May 2, 2026, further heightened market attention on the ceasefire agreement, potentially attracting more investors to participate in the market.
- Economic Outlook: The ceasefire agreement not only helps alleviate market uncertainties but also lays the groundwork for future economic recovery, promoting revival and growth across various sectors.
See More
Analysis of Upcoming U.S. Jobs Report Outlook
- Job Market Expectations: According to FactSet consensus estimates, the U.S. is expected to add only 50,000 jobs in April, significantly lower than March's 178,000, indicating signs of economic slowdown that could impact investor confidence.
- Unemployment Rate Stability: The unemployment rate is anticipated to remain steady at 4.3%, suggesting that despite the decrease in job additions, the labor market remains relatively stable, potentially alleviating fears of an economic downturn.
- GDP Growth Situation: The U.S. GDP grew at a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 2% in the first quarter, higher than the fourth quarter's 0.5% but below the 2.2% estimate, reflecting economic sluggishness that may influence future monetary policy decisions.
- Market Volatility: Despite a strong performance in April, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq hitting record highs, investors should remain cautious of the upcoming
See More
Roku's Q1 Earnings Exceed Expectations, Analysts Bullish
- Significant Revenue Growth: Roku reported Q1 revenue of $1.25 billion, a 22% increase year-over-year, exceeding analysts' expectations of $1.2 billion, demonstrating strong performance in the streaming market and solidifying its market position.
- Improved Profitability: The adjusted EBITDA reached $148.4 million, surpassing the consensus estimate of $131.3 million, indicating effective strategies in cost control and revenue growth.
- Analysts' Optimistic Outlook: Both Morgan Stanley and Bank of America reiterated their overweight ratings on Roku, raising the price target to $150, implying a 29% upside from Thursday's close, reflecting market confidence in its future growth.
- Advertising Revenue Growth Potential: Roku has enhanced its ad revenue through partnerships with Trade Desk, Amazon, and Google's advertising arms, with expectations that U.S. connected TV ad growth will re-accelerate to 20% by 2026, providing strong momentum for future revenue growth.
See More
