The Trade Desk (TTD) Stock Hits New 52-Week Low As Tariff Fears Rattle Growth Tech

The Trade Desk Inc (NASDAQ:TTD) shares hit a new 52-week low Tuesday as investors fled high-multiple growth names after President Donald Trump threatened a 10% tariff on all goods entering the U.S. from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the U.K., the Netherlands and Finland starting Feb. 1.

Here’s what investors need to know.

• Trade Desk stock is testing key support levels. What’s behind TTD weakness?

European Tariffs Put Pressure On Trade Desk's Advertiser Base

The Trade Desk is a pure-play demand-side advertising technology platform whose revenue is tied directly to marketers' digital ad spend. When macro uncertainty rises, global brands typically trim performance and brand campaigns first, pressuring ad-tech platforms like TTD more than diversified software peers.

The targeted countries include many of the consumer, luxury and industrial exporters that rely heavily on U.S. demand and that spend aggressively in programmatic channels such as connected TV and open internet display, core categories on The Trade Desk's Kokai platform.

A 10% tariff on their goods could compress margins and reduce marketing budgets, limiting the volume of biddable impressions flowing through TTD's auction-based system.

That, in turn, would slow the company's take-rate growth just as investors were looking for re-acceleration in international markets. Trump's renewed rhetoric around making Greenland a U.S. territory adds another layer of geopolitical risk, reinforcing the risk-off move in globally exposed ad-tech names.

Recent Earnings Beat, But Analyst Cuts Target On TTD

Fundamentally, The Trade Desk in November posted quarterly results that topped expectations, with revenue of about $739 million, up 18% year over year, and EPS of 45 cents, ahead of consensus, while guiding fourth-quarter revenue to more than $840 million.

However, on Tuesday, BofA Securities analyst Jessica Reif Ehrlich maintained an Underperform rating on The Trade Desk and cut her price target to $40 from $49, amplifying concerns that tariff-driven macro headwinds could cap upside despite solid execution.

Bearish Momentum Signals A Troubling Trend

The stock is currently trading 8.5% below its 20-day simple moving average (SMA) and 10.2% below its 100-day SMA, indicating bearish momentum in the short to medium term. Shares have decreased 72.56% over the past 12 months and are currently positioned closer to their 52-week lows than highs.

The RSI is at a neutral level, suggesting that the stock is neither overbought nor oversold at this time. Meanwhile, MACD is below its signal line, indicating bearish pressure on the stock.

The combination of neutral RSI and bearish MACD suggests mixed momentum.

• Key Resistance: $41

Earnings Report Insights: What Lies Ahead?

Investors are looking ahead to the next earnings report on Feb. 11.

• EPS Estimate: 50 cents (Down from 59 cents year-over-year)
• Revenue Estimate: $841.48 million (Up from $741.01 million YoY)
• Valuation: P/E of 40.3x (Indicates premium valuation)

Analyst Consensus & Recent Actions: The stock carries a Buy Rating with an average price target of $65.32. Recent analyst moves include:

• UBS: Buy (Lowered Target to $50 on Jan. 20)
• B of A Securities: Underperform (Lowered Target to $40 on Jan. 20)
• Morgan Stanley: Equal-Weight (Lowered Target to $42 on Jan. 13)

Valuation Insight: While the stock trades at a premium P/E multiple, the strong consensus and 15% expected earnings decline suggest analysts view this growth as justification for the 91% upside to analyst targets.

Benzinga Edge Rankings

Below is the Benzinga Edge scorecard for The Trade Desk, highlighting its strengths and weaknesses compared to the broader market:

• Value: Weak (Score: 48.91/100) — Trading at a steep premium relative to peers.
• Growth: Strong (Score: 90.67/100) — Indicates robust growth potential.
• Quality: Moderate (Score: 40.42/100) — Balance sheet remains healthy.
• Momentum: Bearish (Score: 1.28/100) — Stock is underperforming the broader market.

The Verdict: The Trade Desk’s Benzinga Edge signal reveals a mixed outlook. While the Growth score indicates potential, the low Momentum score warns that the stock is struggling, suggesting investors should approach with caution.

Top ETF Exposure

• SmartETFs Advertising and Marketing Technology ETF (NYSE:MRAD): 5.15% Weight

Significance: Because The Trade Desk carries significant weight in these funds, any significant inflows or outflows for these ETFs will likely force automatic buying or selling of the stock.

TTD Hits New 52-Week Low

TTD Price Action: The Trade Desk shares closed Tuesday down 3.75% at $34.15, according to Benzinga Pro data.

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