The Trade Desk Reports Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2025 Financial Results
MWN-AI** Summary
The Trade Desk, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTD) reported its fourth quarter and fiscal year 2025 results, highlighting substantial growth despite a challenging macroeconomic environment. Revenue for the fiscal year reached $2.9 billion, a year-over-year increase of 18%, while fourth-quarter revenue reported at $847 million reflects a 14% growth compared to the same period in the previous year. CEO Jeff Green emphasized that the company's advancements in technology and service offerings have positioned it favorably within the advertising sector, particularly as advertisers increasingly seek data-driven, measurable results.
The company's net income for 2025 stood at $443 million, up from $393 million in 2024, resulting in a net income margin of 15%. The fourth quarter yielded a net income of $187 million, reflecting a slight increase from $182 million in Q4 2024. The Trade Desk's adjusted EBITDA was robust, reaching $1.2 billion for the year, maintaining a margin of 41%.
Customer retention remains high, exceeding 95% for the twelfth consecutive year, underscoring the effectiveness of The Trade Desk's platform. The company recently introduced several innovations, such as the PubDesk dashboard for publishers and new integrations with platforms like Intuit's SMB MediaLab and Vidmob. Share repurchases were significant, with approximately $1.4 billion in Class A common stock repurchased during the year.
Looking ahead, The Trade Desk anticipates first-quarter 2026 revenues of at least $678 million and an adjusted EBITDA of roughly $195 million. With the approval of an additional $350 million in share repurchase authorization, the total now stands at $500 million, reinforcing the company's commitment to returning value to shareholders.
MWN-AI** Analysis
The Trade Desk, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTD) announced impressive fourth-quarter and fiscal year 2025 financial results, showcasing a robust revenue growth trajectory with total revenue of $2.9 billion, up 18% from the previous year. The company continues to generate significant profitability, reporting net income of $443 million and maintaining a customer retention rate above 95% for over a decade. This strong performance, particularly in a challenging macroeconomic environment, showcases The Trade Desk's resilience and its strategic positioning as an essential player in the digital advertising landscape.
Furthermore, the company’s focus on innovation, highlighted by its engagement with the Unified ID 2.0 initiative and new product developments such as PubDesk, underscores its commitment to enhancing advertising effectiveness and transparency. These offerings are well-timed, given that advertisers are increasingly demanding measurable outcomes from their ad spend.
The decision to authorize an additional $350 million for share repurchases reflects The Trade Desk's confidence in its long-term business strategy and is a positive signal of its strong cash flow position. This buyback plan should bolster shareholder value, especially as the company trades at a premium valuation. However, investors should note the decline in cash and cash equivalents year-over-year, which could pose liquidity risks if not addressed.
Looking ahead to Q1 2026, with projected revenue at least $678 million and anticipated adjusted EBITDA of approximately $195 million, The Trade Desk is positioned for continued growth. Investors should remain cautious about the competitive landscape and the execution of its strategic initiatives, particularly amid ongoing market uncertainties.
In summary, while The Trade Desk exhibits strong fundamentals and growth potential, a balanced approach is advised when considering entry positions, especially in light of market conditions and valuation metrics.
**MWN-AI Summary and Analysis is based on asking OpenAI to summarize and analyze this news release.
The Trade Desk also announced an additional share repurchase authorization, bringing the total amount of authorized future repurchases to $500 million of its Class A common stock.
The Trade Desk, Inc. (“The Trade Desk,” the “Company” or “we”) (NASDAQ: TTD), a provider of a global technology platform for buyers of advertising, today announced financial results for its fourth quarter and fiscal year ended December 31, 2025.
“The Trade Desk delivered $2.9 billion in revenue in 2025 while continuing to generate significant profitability and cash flow,” said Jeff Green, Co-Founder and CEO of The Trade Desk. “We executed against a backdrop of macro uncertainty while making some of the most meaningful upgrades in our company’s history. As advertisers increasingly prioritize measurable outcomes and data-driven decisioning over cheap reach, our role as an objective platform becomes even more important. With continued innovation across Kokai, retail data, and the supply chain, we are well positioned to capture greater share of the global advertising market in 2026 and beyond.”
Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2025 Financial Highlights:
The following table summarizes the Company’s unaudited consolidated financial results for the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2025 and 2024 ($ in millions, except per share amounts):
Three Months Ended | Year Ended | ||||||||||||||
2025 | 2024 | 2025 | 2024 | ||||||||||||
GAAP Results | |||||||||||||||
Revenue | $ | 847 | $ | 741 | $ | 2,896 | $ | 2,445 | |||||||
Increase in revenue year over year | 14 | % | 22 | % | 18 | % | 26 | % | |||||||
Net income | $ | 187 | $ | 182 | $ | 443 | $ | 393 | |||||||
Net income margin | 22 | % | 25 | % | 15 | % | 16 | % | |||||||
GAAP diluted earnings per share | $ | 0.39 | $ | 0.36 | $ | 0.90 | $ | 0.78 | |||||||
Non-GAAP Results | |||||||||||||||
Adjusted EBITDA | $ | 400 | $ | 350 | $ | 1,196 | $ | 1,011 | |||||||
Adjusted EBITDA margin | 47 | % | 47 | % | 41 | % | 41 | % | |||||||
Non-GAAP net income | $ | 284 | $ | 297 | $ | 873 | $ | 832 | |||||||
Non-GAAP diluted earnings per share | $ | 0.59 | $ | 0.59 | $ | 1.77 | $ | 1.66 |
Fourth Quarter and 2025 Recent Business Highlights
- Continued Growth: 2025 gross spend of $13.4 billion.
- Strong Customer Retention: Customer retention remained over 95% during the year, as it has for the past twelve consecutive years.
- New Innovation and Partnership Announcements:
- PubDesk, a new dashboard designed to help publishers better understand demand-side behavior and pricing on our platform to improve overall supply chain transparency and efficiency.
- Intuit SMB MediaLab audiences now available on The Trade Desk platform, connecting advertisers with small and mid-market businesses.
- Optimove’s audience integration now available on The Trade Desk.
- Vidmob announced strategic DSP integrations, including The Trade Desk.
- Announced the Ventura Ecosystem, allowing participants across CTV to leverage Ventura’s monetization toolset.
- Continued Collaboration and Support for Unified ID 2.0: The Trade Desk is building support for Unified ID 2.0 (UID2), an industry-wide approach to identity that preserves the value of relevant advertising while putting user control and privacy at the forefront. UID2 is an upgrade and alternative to third-party cookies. Recent partnerships and pledges of integration and support include:
- Databricks announced a new integration with The Trade Desk, enabling UID2 support within the Databricks Data Clean Room.
- HighTouch launched ID Express targeting and conversion tracking through The Trade Desk and announced UID2 adoption.
- Spotify integrated with EUID across Europe.
- Connected TV (CTV): The Trade Desk offers advertisers access to premium inventory across major networks and streaming services around the world.
- NBCUniversal enabled programmatic access to the 2026 Winter Olympics and Paralympic Games through DSPs, including The Trade Desk.
- Share Repurchases : The Company used approximately $423 million of cash to repurchase its Class A common stock in the fourth quarter of 2025. The Company used approximately $1.4 billion of cash to repurchase its Class A common stock in the year ended December 31, 2025, at an average repurchase price of $52.60. As of December 31, 2025, the Company had approximately $150 million available and authorized for repurchases.
- The Company also announced that its board of directors approved an additional $350 million under its share repurchase program, bringing the total amount available for future repurchases of the Company’s outstanding Class A common stock to $500 million.
- Industry Recognition (2025):
- Fortune 100 Fastest Growing Companies, 2025
- Forbes America's Most Successful Mid-Cap Companies, 2026
- Time America’s Growth Leaders, 2026
- Gartner Customers’ Choice, Ad Tech Platform, 2025
Financial Guidance:
First Quarter 2026 outlook summary:
- Revenue at least $678 million
- Adjusted EBITDA of approximately $195 million
The Company has not provided an outlook for GAAP net income or reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA guidance to net income, the closest corresponding U.S. GAAP measure, because net income outlook is not available without unreasonable efforts on a forward-looking basis due to the variability and complexity with respect to the charges included in the calculation of this GAAP measure; in particular, the measures and effects of our stock-based compensation expense that are directly impacted by unpredictable fluctuations in our share price. The Company expects the variability of the above charges could have a significant and potentially unpredictable impact on our future U.S. GAAP financial results.
Use of Non-GAAP Financial Information
Included within this press release are the non-GAAP financial measures of Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA margin, Non-GAAP net income and Non-GAAP diluted earnings per share (“EPS”) that supplement the Consolidated Statements of Operations of the Company prepared under generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”). Adjusted EBITDA is net income before depreciation and amortization expense; stock-based compensation expense; interest income, net; and provision for income taxes. Adjusted EBITDA margin is Adjusted EBITDA divided by revenue, and Adjusted EBITDA margin’s closest corresponding U.S. GAAP measure is net income margin, which is GAAP net income divided by revenue. Non-GAAP net income excludes charges and the related income tax effects for stock-based compensation. Tax rates on the tax-deductible portions of the stock-based compensation expense approximating 25% to 30% have been used in the computation of non-GAAP net income and non-GAAP diluted EPS. Reconciliations of GAAP to non-GAAP amounts for the periods presented herein are provided in schedules accompanying this release and should be considered together with the Consolidated Statements of Operations. These non-GAAP measures are not meant as a substitute for GAAP, but are included solely for informational and comparative purposes. The Company’s management believes that this information can assist investors in evaluating the Company's profitability, operational trends and financial performance. Management believes these non-GAAP measures allow investors to evaluate the Company’s financial performance using some of the same measures as management and securities analysts. However, the non-GAAP financial measures should not be considered in isolation of, as a replacement for, or as superior to corresponding, similarly captioned, GAAP measures and may be different from non-GAAP financial measures used by other companies.
Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2025 Financial Results Webcast and Conference Call Details
- When: February 25, 2026 at 2:00 P.M. Pacific Time (5:00 P.M. Eastern Time).
- Webcast: A live webcast of the call can be accessed from the Investor Relations section of The Trade Desk’s website at http://investors.thetradedesk.com/ . Following the call, a replay will be available on the Company’s website.
- Dial-in: To access the call via telephone in North America, please dial 888-506-0062. For callers outside the United States, please dial 1-973-528-0011. Participants should reference the conference call ID code “159997” after dialing in.
- Audio replay: An audio replay of the call will be available beginning about two hours after the call. To listen to the replay in the United States, please dial 877-481-4010 (replay code: 53520). Outside the United States, please dial 1-919-882-2331 (replay code: 53520). The audio replay will be available via telephone until March 4, 2026.
The Trade Desk, Inc. uses its Investor Relations website ( http://investors.thetradedesk.com ), its X feed (@TheTradeDesk), LinkedIn page ( https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-trade-desk ), Facebook page ( https://www.facebook.com/TheTradeDesk ) and Jeff Green’s LinkedIn profile ( https://www.linkedin.com/in/jefftgreen ) as a means of disclosing information about the Company and for complying with its disclosure obligations under Regulation FD. The information that is posted through these channels may be deemed material. Accordingly, investors should monitor these channels in addition to The Trade Desk’s press releases, SEC filings, public conference calls and webcasts.
About The Trade Desk
The Trade Desk ™ is a technology company that empowers buyers of advertising. Through its self-service, cloud-based platform, ad buyers can create, manage, and optimize digital advertising campaigns across ad formats and devices. Integrations with major data, inventory, and publisher partners ensure maximum reach and decisioning capabilities, and enterprise APIs enable custom development on top of the platform. Headquartered in Ventura, CA, The Trade Desk has offices across North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. To learn more, visit thetradedesk.com or follow us on Facebook, X, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements relate to expectations concerning matters that (a) are not historical facts, (b) predict or forecast future events or results, or (c) embody assumptions that may prove to have been inaccurate, including statements relating to industry and market trends, the Company’s growth and financial targets, such as revenue and Adjusted EBITDA and the amount, timing and sources of funding for the Company’s share repurchase program. When words such as “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “will,” “outlook” or similar expressions are used, the Company is making forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, it cannot give readers any assurance that such expectations will prove correct. These forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including those related to the Company’s ability to maintain and grow its client base and revenue through its platform and related offerings, which makes it difficult to evaluate the Company’s business and prospects, the market for programmatic advertising developing slower or differently than the Company’s expectations, the demands and expectations of clients and the ability to attract and retain clients. The actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements as a result of numerous factors, many of which are beyond the control of the Company. These are disclosed in the Company’s reports filed from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its most recent Form 10-K and any subsequent filings on Forms 10-Q or 8-K, available at www.sec.gov . Readers are urged not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. The Company does not intend to update any forward-looking statement contained in this press release to reflect events or circumstances arising after the date hereof.
THE TRADE DESK, INC. CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (Amounts in thousands, except per share amounts) (Unaudited) | |||||||||||||||
Three Months Ended | Year Ended | ||||||||||||||
2025 | 2024 | 2025 | 2024 | ||||||||||||
Revenue | $ | 846,791 | $ | 741,012 | $ | 2,896,284 | $ | 2,444,831 | |||||||
Operating expenses (1) : | |||||||||||||||
Platform operations | 163,094 | 135,267 | 619,067 | 472,012 | |||||||||||
Sales and marketing | 173,596 | 150,629 | 644,300 | 546,517 | |||||||||||
Technology and development | 130,595 | 127,893 | 525,141 | 463,319 | |||||||||||
General and administrative | 122,633 | 131,914 | 518,455 | 535,816 | |||||||||||
Total operating expenses | 589,918 | 545,703 | 2,306,963 | 2,017,664 | |||||||||||
Income from operations | 256,873 | 195,309 | 589,321 | 427,167 | |||||||||||
Other expense (income): | |||||||||||||||
Total other income, net | (13,393 | ) | (26,290 | ) | (69,434 | ) | (80,135 | ) | |||||||
Income before income taxes | 270,266 | 221,599 | 658,755 | 507,302 | |||||||||||
Provision for income taxes | 83,316 | 39,370 | 215,451 | 114,226 | |||||||||||
Net income | $ | 186,950 | $ | 182,229 | $ | 443,304 | $ | 393,076 | |||||||
Earnings per share: | |||||||||||||||
Basic | $ | 0.39 | $ | 0.37 | $ | 0.91 | $ | 0.80 | |||||||
Diluted | $ | 0.39 | $ | 0.36 | $ | 0.90 | $ | 0.78 | |||||||
Weighted-average shares outstanding: | |||||||||||||||
Basic | 479,994 | 493,958 | 488,278 | 490,879 | |||||||||||
Diluted | 482,725 | 506,843 | 493,551 | 501,924 |
___________________________ |
(1) Includes stock-based compensation expense as follows: |
THE TRADE DESK, INC. STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION EXPENSE (Amounts in thousands) (Unaudited) | |||||||||||
Three Months Ended | Year Ended | ||||||||||
2025 | 2024 | 2025 | 2024 | ||||||||
Platform operations | $ | 8,227 | $ | 8,866 | $ | 34,480 | $ | 29,310 | |||
Sales and marketing | 25,072 | 28,481 | 112,509 | 99,135 | |||||||
Technology and development | 39,372 | 40,952 | 163,350 | 138,393 | |||||||
General and administrative (1) | 39,502 | 50,930 | 180,288 | 227,861 | |||||||
Total | $ | 112,173 | $ | 129,229 | $ | 490,627 | $ | 494,699 |
___________________________ |
(1) Includes stock-based compensation expense related to a long-term CEO performance grant of $10 million and $27 million for the three months ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively, as well as $67 million and $128 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively. |
THE TRADE DESK, INC. CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (Amounts in thousands) (Unaudited) | ||||||
As of | As of | |||||
ASSETS | ||||||
Current assets: | ||||||
Cash and cash equivalents | $ | 658,175 | $ | 1,369,463 | ||
Short-term investments, net | 644,882 | 552,026 | ||||
Accounts receivable, net | 3,770,194 | 3,330,343 | ||||
Prepaid expenses and other current assets | 187,753 | 84,626 | ||||
Total current assets | 5,261,004 | 5,336,458 | ||||
Property and equipment, net | 396,819 | 209,332 | ||||
Operating lease assets | 342,042 | 263,761 | ||||
Deferred income taxes | 55,700 | 230,214 | ||||
Other assets, non-current | 97,655 | 72,186 | ||||
Total assets | $ | 6,153,220 | $ | 6,111,951 | ||
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY | ||||||
Current liabilities: | ||||||
Accounts payable | $ | 3,007,651 | $ | 2,631,213 | ||
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities | 181,991 | 177,760 | ||||
Operating lease liabilities | 76,355 | 64,492 | ||||
Total current liabilities | 3,265,997 | 2,873,465 | ||||
Operating lease liabilities, non-current | 359,975 | 247,723 | ||||
Other liabilities, non-current | 42,857 | 41,618 | ||||
Total liabilities | 3,668,829 | 3,162,806 | ||||
Stockholders' equity: | ||||||
Preferred stock | — | — | ||||
Common stock | — | — | ||||
Additional paid-in capital | 3,075,303 | 2,594,896 | ||||
Retained earnings (accumulated deficit) | (590,912 | ) | 354,249 | |||
Total stockholders' equity | 2,484,391 | 2,949,145 | ||||
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity | $ | 6,153,220 | $ | 6,111,951 |
THE TRADE DESK, INC. CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (Amounts in thousands) (Unaudited) | |||||||
Year Ended | |||||||
2025 | 2024 | ||||||
OPERATING ACTIVITIES: | |||||||
Net income | $ | 443,304 | $ | 393,076 | |||
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities: | |||||||
Depreciation and amortization expense | 115,784 | 87,490 | |||||
Stock-based compensation expense | 490,627 | 494,699 | |||||
Deferred income taxes | 167,690 | (76,903 | ) | ||||
Noncash lease expense | 69,682 | 57,403 | |||||
Other | (19,237 | ) | (7,028 | ) | |||
Changes in operating assets and liabilities: | |||||||
Accounts receivable | (432,718 | ) | (474,227 | ) | |||
Prepaid expenses and other current and non-current assets | (76,586 | ) | (38,783 | ) | |||
Accounts payable | 291,073 | 298,919 | |||||
Accrued expenses and other current and non-current liabilities | 6,926 | 46,564 | |||||
Operating lease liabilities | (63,824 | ) | (41,754 | ) | |||
Net cash provided by operating activities | 992,721 | 739,456 | |||||
INVESTING ACTIVITIES: | |||||||
Purchases of investments | (954,273 | ) | (679,539 | ) | |||
Maturities of investments | 875,754 | 629,088 | |||||
Purchases of property and equipment | (197,011 | ) | (98,238 | ) | |||
Capitalized software development costs | (12,752 | ) | (8,824 | ) | |||
Business acquisition | (4,350 | ) | — | ||||
Net cash used in investing activities | (292,632 | ) | (157,513 | ) | |||
FINANCING ACTIVITIES: | |||||||
Repurchases of Class A common stock | (1,380,422 | ) | (234,784 | ) | |||
Proceeds from exercise of stock options | 23,818 | 216,281 | |||||
Proceeds from employee stock purchase plan | 42,881 | 49,989 | |||||
Taxes paid relating to net settlement of restricted stock | (97,654 | ) | (139,095 | ) | |||
Net cash used in financing activities | (1,411,377 | ) | (107,609 | ) | |||
Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents | (711,288 | ) | 474,334 | ||||
Cash and cash equivalents—Beginning of period | 1,369,463 | 895,129 | |||||
Cash and cash equivalents—End of period | $ | 658,175 | $ | 1,369,463 |
| Non-GAAP Financial Metrics (Amounts in thousands, except per share amounts) (Unaudited) | |||||||||||||||
The following tables show the Company’s non-GAAP financial metrics reconciled to the comparable GAAP financial metrics included in this release. | |||||||||||||||
Three Months Ended | Year Ended | ||||||||||||||
2025 | 2024 | 2025 | 2024 | ||||||||||||
Net income | $ | 186,950 | $ | 182,229 | $ | 443,304 | $ | 393,076 | |||||||
Add back (deduct): | |||||||||||||||
Depreciation and amortization expense | 31,960 | 24,112 | 115,784 | 87,490 | |||||||||||
Stock-based compensation expense | 112,173 | 129,229 | 490,627 | 494,699 | |||||||||||
Interest income, net | (14,060 | ) | (24,956 | ) | (68,717 | ) | (78,842 | ) | |||||||
Provision for income taxes | 83,316 | 39,370 | 215,451 | 114,226 | |||||||||||
Adjusted EBITDA | $ | 400,339 | $ | 349,984 | $ | 1,196,449 | $ | 1,010,649 | |||||||
Three Months Ended | Year Ended | ||||||||||||||
2025 | 2024 | 2025 | 2024 | ||||||||||||
GAAP net income | $ | 186,950 | $ | 182,229 | $ | 443,304 | $ | 393,076 | |||||||
Add back (deduct): | |||||||||||||||
Stock-based compensation expense | 112,173 | 129,229 | 490,627 | 494,699 | |||||||||||
Adjustment for income taxes | (14,832 | ) | (14,733 | ) | (60,851 | ) | (55,472 | ) | |||||||
Non-GAAP net income | $ | 284,291 | $ | 296,725 | $ | 873,080 | $ | 832,303 | |||||||
GAAP diluted earnings per share | $ | 0.39 | $ | 0.36 | $ | 0.90 | $ | 0.78 | |||||||
GAAP weighted-average shares outstanding—diluted | 482,725 | 506,843 | 493,551 | 501,924 | |||||||||||
Non-GAAP diluted earnings per share | $ | 0.59 | $ | 0.59 | $ | 1.77 | $ | 1.66 | |||||||
Non-GAAP weighted-average shares used in computing Non-GAAP earnings per share, diluted | 482,725 | 506,843 | 493,551 | 501,924 |
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260225420796/en/
Investors
Jake Graves
Senior Manager, Investor Relations
The Trade Desk
ir@thetradedesk.com
Media
Melinda Zurich
VP, Communications
The Trade Desk
melinda.zurich@thetradedesk.com
FAQ**
How does The Trade Desk Inc. TTD plan to leverage its $500 million share repurchase authorization to enhance shareholder value in the current market environment?
Given the reported 14% revenue growth in Q4 2025, what strategies is The Trade Desk Inc. TTD implementing to sustain or accelerate growth moving into 2026?
What role do you envision the new innovations and partnerships announced by The Trade Desk Inc. TTD, such as the Ventura Ecosystem, playing in the future of the advertising industry?
With a 95% customer retention rate, what factors contribute to The Trade Desk Inc. TTD's strong customer loyalty, and how do you intend to maintain this high level of engagement in a competitive market?
**MWN-AI FAQ is based on asking OpenAI questions about The Trade Desk Inc. (NASDAQ: TTD).
NASDAQ: TTD
TTD Trading
-2.41% G/L:
$27.77 Last:
8,268,950 Volume:
$28.63 Open:
