Trade Desk CEO Jeff Green blamed macroeconomic pressures and execution issues for poor performance in the second quarter.

  • CEO noted that key advertising sectors, including consumer goods and automotive, are under pressure. 
  • Green added that uneven consumer spending has prompted some brands to cut ad budgets. 
  • Nevertheless, Green maintained confidence in the company's long-term strategy. 

The Trade Desk (TTD) stock plummeted 24% overnight trading after the advertising technology company reported weaker-than-expected second-quarter (Q2) results and gave a disappointing outlook. CEO Jeff Green said the weak performance was caused by a tough economic environment for major advertisers and the company's own execution mistakes. 

Trade Desk CEO Details Advertising Headwinds And Execution Missteps 

During the Q2 earnings call, Green acknowledged that its Q2 performance fell short of both company expectations and its long-term standards. 

“These numbers are not a reflection of our company or the long-term opportunity in front of us. We underperformed our own expectations for 2 main reasons. First, the macro conditions have made it more difficult for some of the world's largest brands to grow,” said Green, adding, “secondly, we didn't execute as well as we could have.” 

Consumer packaged goods and automotive companies represent roughly one-quarter of the company's business and have faced significant pressure from tariffs, higher commodity costs and elevated oil prices.

“All of our customers are operating in a fundamentally different environment than they were even a year ago. CPGs and FMCGs are experiencing unique pressures. We anticipate continued pressure from commodity and related costs to the crisis in the Middle East.” 

Green said uneven consumer spending has pushed many advertisers to rethink marketing strategies, with some temporarily reducing ad budgets as lower-income consumers remain under pressure. 

However, Green reiterated that the current headwinds affect only certain customer segments and do not alter The Trade Desk's long-term strategy, and added that advertisers prioritizing performance over lower media costs are better positioned.

The Trade Desk’s stock is headed for its worst day in a year if the overnight level holds. 

TTD’s Guidance Disappoints 

For Q3, The Trade Desk expects revenue of at least $650 million, far below analysts' estimate of $805 million, according to Fiscal AI data.

The company’s Q2 revenue of $715.1 million and adjusted earnings of $0.34 per share, both missed Street expectations of $751.4 million and $0.40, respectively. 

What Are TTD Retail Traders Saying 

On Stocktwits, retail sentiment around the stock improved to ‘extremely bullish’ from ‘bullish’ territory the previous day. The stock saw a 1,395% increase in message volume over the past week, with a 0.8% gain in watchers. 

A user said, “had to sell AH at a huge loss, but still think TTD will come back and it will take time, i cant park my money for that long, id rather take tax loss harvesting and move on to indexes for a while.”

Another user said, “still positive earnings, waiting for below 10 to start buy.”

A third user sounded bearish, saying, “it was getting cheap for a reason... AI is eating some companies and this is one of them.”

TTD stock has plunged 53% year-to-date. 

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