Morgan Stanley Has Lowered Expectations for Trade Desk (NASDAQ:TTD) Stock Price

Trade Desk (NASDAQ:TTD) had its target price cut by Morgan Stanley from $50.00 to $42.00 in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “equal weight” rating on the technology company’s stock. Morgan Stanley’s price objective would suggest a potential upside of 13.12% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other research firms have also recently issued reports on TTD. DA Davidson lowered their target price on Trade Desk from $80.00 to $54.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 10th. Cantor Fitzgerald set a $43.00 price target on shares of Trade Desk and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $40.00 price objective on shares of Trade Desk and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Moffett Nathanson raised shares of Trade Desk from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $39.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Monday. Finally, Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $50.00 target price (down from $55.00) on shares of Trade Desk in a research note on Monday, January 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have assigned a Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $67.62.

Trade Desk Stock Performance

TTD opened at $37.13 on Tuesday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $39.14 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $52.84. Trade Desk has a 52 week low of $35.65 and a 52 week high of $126.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.96 billion, a PE ratio of 42.68, a P/E/G ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.11.

Trade Desk (NASDAQ:TTD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The technology company reported $0.45 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.44 by $0.01. Trade Desk had a return on equity of 16.00% and a net margin of 15.72%.The company had revenue of $739.43 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $719.11 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.41 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 17.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that Trade Desk will post 1.06 EPS for the current year.

Trade Desk declared that its board has approved a share buyback program on Thursday, November 6th that allows the company to buyback $500.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization allows the technology company to repurchase up to 2.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Institutional Trading of Trade Desk

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of TTD. Sound Income Strategies LLC raised its stake in Trade Desk by 317.6% in the second quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 355 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 270 shares during the period. Transce3nd LLC bought a new stake in Trade Desk in the 2nd quarter valued at $28,000. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Trade Desk in the 2nd quarter valued at $28,000. West Oak Capital LLC lifted its holdings in Trade Desk by 466.7% during the 2nd quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 425 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 350 shares during the last quarter. Finally, HighMark Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Trade Desk by 46.2% during the second quarter. HighMark Wealth Management LLC now owns 478 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 151 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 67.77% of the company’s stock.

Key Trade Desk News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Cannonball Research upgraded TTD to a “strong-buy,” giving a clear bullish signal from at least one boutique shop; coverage citations at Zacks/TickerReport. Zacks Coverage TickerReport
• Positive Sentiment: Media pieces argue the recent selloff may have overshot fundamentals and that TTD is “cheap” after the drop, which could attract value-focused buyers if earnings don’t disappoint. Trade Desk’s stock has never been this cheap
• Neutral Sentiment: BNP Paribas Exane initiated coverage with a “neutral” rating and a $40 price target — neither a strong buy nor sell signal, but it adds institutional coverage. (No link provided)
• Neutral Sentiment: Preview pieces note analysts expect only a single-digit rise in Q4 EPS, implying modest near-term fundamental improvement that could cap upside if results are merely in line. What to Expect From The Trade Desk’s Q4 2025 Earnings Report
• Neutral Sentiment: Included in a Fool roundup of buy ideas, which can help retail interest but is less influential than firm-level analyst actions. 3 No-Brainer Stocks to Buy With $1,000 Right Now
• Negative Sentiment: Morgan Stanley cut its price target from $50 to $42 and kept an “equal weight” rating, a downgrade in expected valuation that likely pressured the stock. Morgan Stanley price target cut
• Negative Sentiment: Wells Fargo trimmed its price objective to $42 from $47 while maintaining an “Equal Weight” view, another signal of reduced upside from sell-side coverage. Is The Trade Desk (TTD) One of the Best Fundamental Stocks to Buy?
• Negative Sentiment: Forbes highlights a recent 5-day losing streak and roughly $1.6B in market-cap decline over that span, reflecting investor pain and momentum that can perpetuate further selling. Why Is The Trade Desk Stock Falling?

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.