Friday’s record 38% drop in The Trade Desk’s share price wiped out part of the company’s market capitalization and also affected BlackRock, which holds over 26 million shares. The reasons include slowing growth, increasing competition from Amazon, and changes in management.
The biggest daily drop in the company’s history
The Trade Desk shares closed at $54 on Friday after a sharp 38% drop, the biggest one-day decline in history. BlackRock, the largest shareholder with a 6.05% stake, lost hundreds of millions of dollars—as of March 31, 2025, this stake was worth $1.46 billion. The sell-off followed the release of second-quarter results, which showed year-on-year revenue growth of 19% to $694 million, only slightly above expectations. EBITDA reached $270.8 million, again only slightly above estimates. Expectations for the third quarter are for revenue of at least $717 million.
The results contrast with the previous quarter, when the company exceeded estimates by 7.1%, compared to only 1.3% this time. At the same time, pressure from Amazon is mounting, with advertising revenue in the second quarter rising 23% to $15.69 billion, helped by the setting of ads as the default option in Prime Video.
Management changes and analyst reactions
Personnel changes also increased tension in the markets. Chief Financial Officer Laura Schenkein will step down on August 21 and become a non-executive director, with Alex Kayyal taking over her position. At the same time, CEO Rembrand Omar Tawakol, an experienced AI entrepreneur, joined the board of directors.
Analysts responded by lowering their recommendations and target prices. RBC Capital Markets adjusted its target from $100 to $90 and maintained its “Outperform” recommendation. MoffettNathanson lowered its recommendation from Hold to Sell and its target from $75 to $45, citing slowing growth and pressure on margins. Wedbush and Citi also added to the negative tone, lowering their ratings to Hold due to Amazon’s growing competition and limited growth predictability.
