TTD
New bad news for the ad-tech trade
The Trade Desk is having one of those weeks where the vibes are clearly off. Rothschild Redburn kicked off coverage with a Sell rating and an $11 price target, which is basically the analyst version of “maybe take the stairs, not the elevator.” With shares around $22.29, that implies roughly 50.65% downside.
Why the Street is getting nervous
The bearish call isn’t just about charts and market mood swings. Rothschild says The Trade Desk is getting boxed in from multiple sides:
- Amazon is pushing heavily discounted programmatic ad buys.
- Big walled gardens are rolling out more AI-based media tools.
- Agencies are shifting toward agentic buying platforms with closer ties to supply-side players.
In plain English: the ad-tech middleman trade is looking a little less glamorous when everyone else starts building shortcuts around you.
The stock is already wobbling
This isn’t happening in a vacuum. Benzinga Edge’s momentum score for TTD has reportedly fallen into the basement, while the stock is flashing weak short-, medium-, and long-term trends. Add in a 70%+ drop over the past year, and you’ve got a stock that’s already on the ropes before the analyst note even landed.
Big picture
For investors, the important part is the squeeze on take rates and market share. If Rothschild is right, this isn’t just a rough patch — it’s a structural margin headache hiding inside an ad-tech growth story that used to feel a lot safer.