Why The Trade Desk Fell 16% in June
Key Points
The Trade Desk is losing market share to walled gardens like Google and Meta.
The company resolved its dispute with Publicis.
The Fox-Roku merger could be a positive for adtech company.
- 10 stocks we like better than The Trade Desk ›
Shares of The Trade Desk (NASDAQ: TTD) were slumping again last month after the leading independent demand-side adtech platform (DSP) got swept up in the broader sell-off in software stocks as investors continue to doubt its growth potential amid rapidly deteriorating sales growth.
Perhaps, the worst news for the company was that Chief Revenue Officer Anders Mortenson was asked to leave the company after just seven months, a sign of disarray and the challenges The Trade Desk is facing.
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While there were some positive news items, the overall trend was negative, and the stock finished the month down 16%, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence.
As you can see from the chart below, the stock fell in the first half of the month and remained down afterward.
TTD data by YCharts
What's happening with The Trade Desk
The Trade Desk is facing pressure from AI disruption, but it's less from start-ups like Anthropic and more from entrenched tech companies like Alphabet, Amazon, and Meta Platforms that are using AI automation tools to enhance their "walled gardens." Those three companies are the biggest digital ad platforms in the world, and are all outgrowing The Trade Desk, showing that they're taking market share from the adtech company.
Despite the pullback in the stock, there was some good news for The Trade Desk. The company reportedly settled its dispute with Publicis, one of the world's largest ad agency holding companies. Months ago, Publicis had told its clients to stop working with The Trade Desk after an audit showed unscrupulous practices such as improper billing, though that should no longer be a concern for investors.
The merger between Fox and Roku also seemed like a potential tailwind for The Trade Desk, and Benchmark reiterated a buy rating on the stock and a $30 price target, saying The Trade Desk is "critically important" to both Fox and Roku.
Image source: Getty Images.
What's next for The Trade Desk
The Trade Desk is up 5% in July so far, gaining after a report in Bloomberg that said that Criteo, another adtech firm, was a buyout target for some private equity firms.
If there's a silver lining in the stock's collapse over the last year-and-a-half, it's that The Trade Desk is reasonably valued now at a price-to-earnings ratio of just 22, and it's solidly profitable. However, revenue growth is expected to fall below 10% in the current quarter and stay there.
If that doesn't change, it's hard to see the stock making a meaningful comeback.
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Jeremy Bowman has positions in Amazon, Meta Platforms, Roku, and The Trade Desk. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Alphabet, Amazon, Meta Platforms, Roku, and The Trade Desk. The Motley Fool recommends Criteo. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
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