The Trade Desk, Inc. (TTD)
Marketing TechSaaS Metrics & Investor Data — Q2 2026
analyticsEditorial Financial Analysis
Financial Performance & Trajectory
The Trade Desk's trailing revenue reached $2.74B in Q1 2026, decelerating sharply to 12.0% YoY growth from 18.5% in Q4 2025. This marks a notable slowdown from the 9.5% growth recorded in Q3 2025, indicating a softening top-line trajectory after a rebound. Gross margins have compressed from 85.0% in Q3 2025 to 76.7% in Q1 2026, suggesting rising platform costs or a mix shift toward lower-margin services. Despite this, free cash flow (FCF) margins remain robust at 31.7% in Q1 2026, up from 27.5% in Q4 2025, signaling disciplined cost management and strong cash conversion even as revenue growth slows.
Operational & Go-to-Market (GTM) Efficiency
The Rule of 40 score stood at 43.7 in Q1 2026, down from 45.9 in Q4 2025 but above the 39.2 in Q3 2025. While still healthy, the decline reflects the trade-off between lower growth and stable margins. Notably, net revenue retention (NRR) and CAC payback data are unavailable, limiting visibility into customer expansion dynamics and sales efficiency. However, the consistent high FCF margins (averaging ~30% over the trailing four quarters) imply that reinvestments in R&D and sales infrastructure are yielding strong unit economics, even if top-line momentum is waning.
Market Valuation & Sentiment
The enterprise value-to-revenue (EV/Revenue) multiple contracted from 4.0x in Q3 2025 to 3.2x in Q1 2026, reflecting the growth deceleration and broader market skepticism toward ad-tech valuations. Insider activity shows net selling of $1.3M over the last 10 filings with zero buys, a bearish signal from management. Wall Street consensus remains a "Buy" (23 buys, 21 holds, 3 sells) with an average price target of $29.95, implying modest upside. The valuation compression and insider selling suggest the market is pricing in further deceleration, while analyst sentiment remains cautiously optimistic but not exuberant.
Disclaimer: The editorial financial analysis above is generated using data sourced from SEC EDGAR filings and Wall Street consensus ratings. This analysis is provided for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute financial, investment, or professional advice. Readers should conduct their own research or consult with a registered financial advisor before making any investment decisions.
The Trade Desk, Inc. (TTD) is a Marketing Tech SaaS company with a market cap of $6.4B as of Q2 2026. The company trades at 1.8x EV/Revenue and has delivered +16.1% revenue growth year-over-year. With a gross margin of 76% and FCF margin of 30.6%, The Trade Desk, Inc. scores 47 on the Rule of 40 — placing it in the upper half of public SaaS companies tracked by SaaSDB.
compare_arrowsSector Benchmarking
Latest company metrics compared to the Marketing Tech sector medians
EV/Revenue is 1.8x (sector median: 3.8x) — trading at a discount of 2.0x relative to peers.
Rule of 40 is 46.6% (sector median: 40.4%) — outperforming peers by 6.2%.
Revenue Growth is 16.1% (sector median: 16.3%) — in-line with peers.
Gross Margin is 76.0% (sector median: 76.8%) — in-line with peers.
FCF Margin is 30.6% (sector median: 20.1%) — outperforming peers by 10.5%.
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rocket_launchFounder & Operator Metrics
Not publicly disclosed by this company: Net Revenue Retention·Gross Retention·ARR·ARR Growth·CAC Payback
trending_upEfficiency & Investment Trends
biotechR&D Intensity Trend
R&D expense as % of revenue over time
insightsOperating Leverage Trend
Operating leverage ratio (margin expansion vs growth)
Negative leverage. Growth is being achieved at the expense of deteriorating margins (increasing operating loss).
Insider Trading Activity
Analyst Ratings
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