The Trade Desk stock falls as S&P 500 removal and weak growth hit sentiment

Published on 09/21/2026 at 23:22 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS

The Trade Desk stock closed at USD 13.92 on September 18, 2026, down 2.4 percent as passive funds sold shares ahead of its removal from the S&P 500. Q2 2026 revenue rose just 3 percent year over year to USD 715 million, with guidance now pointing to about a 12 percent decline.

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The Trade Desk stock (ISIN US88339J1051) closed at USD 13.92 on Nasdaq on September 18, 2026, down 2.4 percent on the day as index funds executed large sell orders tied to its removal from the S&P 500 and a shift into smaller-cap benchmarks.

Index removal drives heavy trading

According to Pomegra on September 21, 2026, Trade Desk stock fell 2.4 percent to USD 13.92 at the September 18, 2026 close as S&P 500 index funds sold an estimated USD 680 million worth of shares linked to its removal from the index.

In the same brief, Pomegra reports that Trade Desk's market capitalization stands at roughly USD 6.6 billion as of September 18, 2026, down sharply from a peak of about USD 65 billion in December 2024, meaning the stock has lost around 90 percent of its value from that high.

Revenue growth slows sharply

A detailed analysis from Yahoo Finance on September 21, 2026 notes that The Trade Desk's revenue growth has decelerated over recent quarters, falling from 18 percent year-over-year growth in the third quarter of 2025 to 14 percent in the fourth quarter of 2025 and 12 percent in the first quarter of 2026.

In the second quarter of 2026, revenue rose just 3 percent year over year to USD 715 million, according to Yahoo Finance, marking a sharp slowdown versus the 25 percent growth seen a year earlier and underscoring weaker advertising demand on the open internet.

Guidance points to first revenue decline

The same Yahoo Finance article explains that current guidance from The Trade Desk now calls for an approximate 12 percent decline in revenue, which would represent the company's first year-over-year revenue contraction since its stock market listing and a clear break from its historical growth trajectory.

Analyst commentary has turned more cautious, with a September 21, 2026 piece on Seeking Alpha highlighting that Trade Desk's second quarter 2026 revenue and EBITDA both missed expectations and that its EBITDA margin fell to around 34 percent, down from higher levels in prior periods.

Workforce cuts and changing index status

To address margin pressure, The Trade Desk has announced plans to cut about 15 percent of its workforce, a reduction management expects to substantially complete within the current quarter, as reported by Yahoo Finance on September 21, 2026.

Meanwhile, Trade Desk's index status is shifting: a MarketScreener overview on September 21, 2026 notes that The Trade Desk, Inc. has been added to the S&P 1000 and removed from other global indices, reflecting its move out of the S&P 500 and into smaller-cap benchmarks as the share price and market cap have fallen.MarketScreener

Closing price and trading venue

As of the close on September 18, 2026, The Trade Desk stock traded at USD 13.92 on Nasdaq, with that price sitting far below the record level reached in December 2024 and consistent with its transition from the S&P 500 into smaller-cap indices.