Why The Trade Desk Stock Plunged to (Another) 7-Year Low Today

Key Points Earlier this month, The Trade Desk reported abysmal financial results. One Wall Street analyst says it's time to sell. 10 stocks we like better than The Trade Desk › Shares of The Trade Desk (NASDAQ: TTD) plunged again on Monday, falling as much as 5.8% to lows not seen since Jan. 2019. As of 2:27 p.m. ET, the stock was still down 5.4%. The catalyst that sent the adtech specialist swooning was the latest Wall Street downgrade. Missed Nvidia in 2009? This Rare Signal Is Flashing Again. In 2009, a "Double Down" signal flashed for a little-known chipmaker called Nvidia. For the first time in years, that same "Total Conviction" signal is flashing for a company 1/100th the size of Nvidia. Continue » Image source: The Motley Fool. Bleak outlook HSBC analyst Mohammed Khallouf downgraded The Trade Desk to reduce (sell) from hold and slashed his price target to $10 from $20. That suggests the stock could still fall by another 29% from Friday's closing price. The analyst cited The Trade Desk's waning performance, calling its second-quarter results "dismal" and noting the company's "sizable miss and guidance shock." He went on to say that the increasingly competitive operating environment wrought by artificial intelligence (AI) is causing a structural shift away from the open internet -- the company's bread and butter. The Trade Desk's results from earlier this month bear out the analyst's take. In the second quarter, the company reported revenue growth of just 3% year over year to $715 million. The anemic growth flowed through to the bottom line, as adjusted earnings per share (EPS) slumped 17% to $0.34. That was well below analysts' consensus estimates, which called for revenue of $753 million and EPS of $0.18. I've been a shareholder of The Trade Desk for years, so I'm rooting for the company to succeed. That said, management has been working to engineer a turnaround for 18 months now, and its results continue to deteriorate. The stock is currently selling for less than 16 times earnings, its lowest valuation ever , but the uncertainty facing The Trade Desk and its apparent inability to turn things around make it far too risky for new money. I'm not selling yet, but my patience is beginning to wear thin. Should you buy stock in The Trade Desk right now? Before you buy stock in The Trade Desk, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and The Trade Desk wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $421,511 !* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $1,381,960 !* Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 981 % — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 216% for the S&P 500. Don't miss the latest top 10 list, available with Stock Advisor , and join an investing community built by individual investors for individual investors. See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of August 17, 2026. HSBC Holdings is an advertising partner of Motley Fool Money. Danny Vena, CPA has positions in The Trade Desk. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends The Trade Desk. The Motley Fool recommends HSBC Holdings. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy .

Earlier this month, The Trade Desk reported abysmal financial results.

Shares of The Trade Desk (NASDAQ: TTD) plunged again on Monday, falling as much as 5.8% to lows not seen since Jan. 2019. As of 2:27 p.m. ET, the stock was still down 5.4%.

The catalyst that sent the adtech specialist swooning was the latest Wall Street downgrade.

Missed Nvidia in 2009? This Rare Signal Is Flashing Again. In 2009, a "Double Down" signal flashed for a little-known chipmaker called Nvidia. For the first time in years, that same "Total Conviction" signal is flashing for a company 1/100th the size of Nvidia. Continue »

HSBC analyst Mohammed Khallouf downgraded The Trade Desk to reduce (sell) from hold and slashed his price target to $10 from $20. That suggests the stock could still fall by another 29% from Friday's closing price.

The analyst cited The Trade Desk's waning performance, calling its second-quarter results "dismal" and noting the company's "sizable miss and guidance shock." He went on to say that the increasingly competitive operating environment wrought by artificial intelligence (AI) is causing a structural shift away from the open internet -- the company's bread and butter.

The Trade Desk's results from earlier this month bear out the analyst's take. In the second quarter, the company reported revenue growth of just 3% year over year to $715 million. The anemic growth flowed through to the bottom line, as adjusted earnings per share (EPS) slumped 17% to $0.34. That was well below analysts' consensus estimates, which called for revenue of $753 million and EPS of $0.18.