The Trade Desk Reports Third Quarter 2023 Financial Results

November 9, 2023

The Trade Desk, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTD), a provider of a global technology platform for buyers of advertising, today announced financial results for its third quarter ended September 30, 2023.

“Q3 was a strong quarter for The Trade Desk as we delivered revenue of $493 million, accelerating growth to 25%. This performance underlines the premium that advertisers are placing on precision, agility and transparency as they seek to maximize returns from their campaigns,” said Jeff Green, Co-founder and CEO of The Trade Desk. “As we enter our busiest time of year and look ahead to 2024, we have never been in a better position to capture greater share of the $1 trillion advertising TAM. With the generational shift to CTV, the growing opportunity in shopper marketing, our leadership in identity, and our most important product release ever with Kokai, we are better positioned than ever to help advertisers leverage data to drive growth and differentiate their brands.”

Third Quarter 2023 Financial Highlights:

The following table summarizes our consolidated financial results for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022 ($ in millions, except per share amounts):

 

Three Months Ended
September 30,

 

Nine Months Ended
September 30,

 

2023

 

2022

 

2023

 

2022

GAAP Results

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Revenue

$

493

 

 

$

395

 

 

$

1,340

 

 

$

1,087

 

Increase in revenue year over year

 

25

%

 

 

31

%

 

 

23

%

 

 

36

%

Net income (loss)

$

39

 

 

$

16

 

 

$

82

 

 

$

(18

)

GAAP diluted earnings (loss) per share

$

0.08

 

 

$

0.03

 

 

$

0.16

 

 

$

(0.04

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Non-GAAP Results

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Adjusted EBITDA

$

200

 

 

$

163

 

 

$

488

 

 

$

423

 

Adjusted EBITDA margin

 

40

%

 

 

41

%

 

 

36

%

 

 

39

%

Non-GAAP net income

$

167

 

 

$

129

 

 

$

421

 

 

$

332

 

Non-GAAP diluted earnings per share

$

0.33

 

 

$

0.26

 

 

$

0.84

 

 

$

0.66

 

Third Quarter and Recent Business Highlights:

  • Strong Customer Retention: Customer retention remained over 95% during the third quarter, as it has for the past nine consecutive years.
  • 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:
    • With its integration of UID2, device and software company HP has seen improved targeting on CTV, and as a result, the company has reduced wasted advertising spend.
    • In September, Philo adopted UID2 across its roster of premium streaming TV channels.
    • Warner Bros. Discovery announced integration with UID2 across its premium entertainment, sports, news and lifestyle brands with its digital platforms, including Max and Discovery+.
    • Walmart Connect announced it is testing the integration of UID2 to inform decisioning across the open internet within the Walmart DSP.
    • EUID, the European counterpart to UID2 specifically developed for the European market, is gaining support across Europe from brands, publishers, and retailers. Initial industry engagement includes Bacardi, Kimberly-Clark, Aller Media, Future, OneFootball, Prisma Media, Tesco, and others.
    • On stage at Forward '23: Always On, NBCUniversal announced it is implementing UID2 on Peacock across all devices and consumer touchpoints, including on CTV, the web, apps and devices.
  • OpenPath: OpenPath gives our clients a simplified, direct connection to participating premium publishers across the open internet. By supporting an objective, transparent supply path, OpenPath helps to maximize value for everyone involved. OpenPath is already live with dozens of publishers representing over 11,000 destinations across connected TV, mobile, display and audio.
  • Industry Recognition (2023):
    • Digiday Video and TV Awards - Best TV/Streaming Ad Sales Product of the Year
    • DigiZ Awards Hong Kong - Best Programmatic Advertising Platform
    • Marketing Excellence Awards Singapore - Excellence in Data-Driven Marketing - Gold
    • The Forrester Wave - Omnichannel Demand-Side Platforms Leader
    • Quadrant Knowledge Solutions SPARK Matrix for Ad Tech - Technology Leader
    • Stevie Awards for Customer Service Success - Bronze, Technology Industries
    • Ad Age 40 under 40 Award Winner - Jaime Nash
    • Top Women in Media and AdTech Award Winners: Samantha Jacobson - Change-Maker, Catherine Patterson - Tech Trailblazer, Jaime Nash - Programmatic Storyteller
    • Business Insider Rising Stars of AdTech - Ellen Mulryan, Sr. Dir. of Retail Data Partnerships
    • Fortune - Best Workplaces for Millennials
    • Fortune - Best Workplaces in Technology
    • Institutional Investor 2023-2024 All-America Executive Team List - Jeff Green, Founder and CEO
    • US News & World Report - Best Media Companies To Work For
    • National Intern Day - Top 100 Internship Programs of 2023 
  • Share Repurchases: We repurchased $90 million of our Class A common stock in the third quarter of 2023. As of September 30, 2023, we had $273 million available and authorized for repurchases.

Financial Guidance:

 Fourth Quarter 2023 outlook summary:

  • Revenue at least $580 million
  • Adjusted EBITDA of approximately $270 million

We have 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 excluded from these non-GAAP measures; in particular, the measures and effects of our stock-based compensation expense that are directly impacted by unpredictable fluctuations in our share price. We expect 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, Non-GAAP Net Income and Non-GAAP Diluted EPS that supplement the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations of The Trade Desk, Inc. (the Company) prepared under generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). Adjusted EBITDA is earnings before interest income, net; provision for income taxes; depreciation and amortization; and stock-based compensation. 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 Condensed 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 operational trends, financial performance, and cash-generating capacity. Management believes these non-GAAP measures allow investors to evaluate the Company’s financial performance using some of the same measures as management. However, the non-GAAP financial measures should not be regarded as a replacement for or superior to corresponding, similarly captioned, GAAP measures and may be different from non-GAAP financial measures used by other companies.

Third Quarter 2023 Financial Results Webcast and Conference Call Details

  • When: November 9, 2023 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 “130063” 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: 49251). Outside the United States, please dial 1-919-882-2331 (replay code: 49251). The audio replay will be available via telephone until November 16, 2023.

The Trade Desk, Inc. uses its Investor Relations website (http://investors.thetradedesk.com/), its Twitter feed (@TheTradeDesk), LinkedIn page (https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-trade-desk/), Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/TheTradeDesk/), Jeff Green’s Twitter feed (@jefftgreen) and 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, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.

Forward-Looking Statements

This document 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 the industry in which we participate and market trends, and the Company’s financial targets, such as revenue and Adjusted EBITDA. 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 relatively limited operating history, 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.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(Amounts in thousands, except per share amounts)
(Unaudited)

 

 

Three Months Ended
September 30,

 

Nine Months Ended
September 30,

 

2023

 

2022

 

2023

 

2022

Revenue

$

493,266

 

 

$

394,773

 

 

$

1,340,323

 

 

$

1,087,058

 

Operating expenses (1):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Platform operations

 

93,382

 

 

 

70,124

 

 

 

264,903

 

 

 

201,504

 

Sales and marketing

 

112,466

 

 

 

85,038

 

 

 

321,177

 

 

 

245,146

 

Technology and development

 

117,772

 

 

 

79,915

 

 

 

309,790

 

 

 

235,397

 

General and administrative

 

131,969

 

 

 

130,892

 

 

 

388,411

 

 

 

391,517

 

Total operating expenses

 

455,589

 

 

 

365,969

 

 

 

1,284,281

 

 

 

1,073,564

 

Income from operations

 

37,677

 

 

 

28,804

 

 

 

56,042

 

 

 

13,494

 

Total other income, net

 

(19,323

)

 

 

(1,698

)

 

 

(51,277

)

 

 

(1,756

)

Income before income taxes

 

57,000

 

 

 

30,502

 

 

 

107,319

 

 

 

15,250

 

Provision for income taxes

 

17,648

 

 

 

14,633

 

 

 

25,702

 

 

 

33,052

 

Net income (loss)

$

39,352

 

 

$

15,869

 

 

$

81,617

 

 

$

(17,802

)

Earnings (loss) per share:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basic

$

0.08

 

 

$

0.03

 

 

$

0.17

 

 

$

(0.04

)

Diluted

$

0.08

 

 

$

0.03

 

 

$

0.16

 

 

$

(0.04

)

Weighted-average shares outstanding:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basic

 

489,447

 

 

 

487,963

 

 

 

489,195

 

 

 

486,168

 

Diluted

 

501,880

 

 

 

500,300

 

 

 

500,348

 

 

 

486,168

 

___________________________

(1)

 

Includes stock-based compensation expense as follows:

THE TRADE DESK, INC.
STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION EXPENSE
(Amounts in thousands)
(Unaudited)

 

 

Three Months Ended
September 30,

 

Nine Months Ended
September 30,

 

2023

 

2022

 

2023

 

2022

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Platform operations

$

5,729

 

$

3,517

 

$

14,642

 

$

14,254

Sales and marketing

 

21,116

 

 

14,861

 

 

54,039

 

 

48,718

Technology and development

 

43,727

 

 

22,641

 

 

91,283

 

 

67,258

General and administrative (1)

 

69,061

 

 

79,984

 

 

210,222

 

 

240,881

Total

$

139,633

 

$

121,003

 

$

370,186

 

$

371,111

___________________________

(1)

 

Includes stock-based compensation expense related to a long-term CEO performance grant of $48 million and $66 million for the three months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively, as well as $156 million and $197 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively.

THE TRADE DESK, INC.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(Amounts in thousands)
(Unaudited)

 

 

As of September 30,
2023

 

As of December 31,
2022

ASSETS

 

 

 

Current assets:

 

 

 

Cash and cash equivalents

$

1,071,764

 

$

1,030,506

Short-term investments, net

 

450,117

 

 

416,080

Accounts receivable, net

 

2,434,047

 

 

2,347,195

Prepaid expenses and other current assets

 

57,878

 

 

51,836

Total current assets

 

4,013,806

 

 

3,845,617

Property and equipment, net

 

152,863

 

 

173,759

Operating lease assets

 

208,583

 

 

220,396

Deferred income taxes

 

94,028

 

 

94,028

Other assets, non-current

 

51,152

 

 

46,879

Total assets

$

4,520,432

 

$

4,380,679

 

 

 

 

LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

 

 

 

Current liabilities:

 

 

 

Accounts payable

$

1,967,649

 

$

1,871,419

Accrued expenses and other current liabilities

 

121,616

 

 

105,474

Operating lease liabilities

 

57,890

 

 

52,430

Total current liabilities

 

2,147,155

 

 

2,029,323

Operating lease liabilities, non-current

 

190,207

 

 

208,527

Other liabilities, non-current

 

27,544

 

 

27,490

Total liabilities

 

2,364,906

 

 

2,265,340

 

 

 

 

Stockholders' equity:

 

 

 

Preferred stock

 

 

 

Common stock

 

 

 

Additional paid-in capital

 

1,835,107

 

 

1,449,825

Retained earnings

 

320,419

 

 

665,514

Total stockholders' equity

 

2,155,526

 

 

2,115,339

Total liabilities and stockholders' equity

$

4,520,432

 

$

4,380,679

THE TRADE DESK, INC.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(Amounts in thousands)
(Unaudited)

 

 

Nine Months Ended September 30,

 

2023

 

2022

OPERATING ACTIVITIES:

 

 

 

Net income (loss)

$

81,617

 

 

$

(17,802

)

Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to net cash provided by operating activities:

 

 

 

Depreciation and amortization

 

59,889

 

 

 

37,581

 

Stock-based compensation

 

370,186

 

 

 

371,111

 

Noncash lease expense

 

36,672

 

 

 

32,554

 

Allowance for credit losses on accounts receivable

 

1,811

 

 

 

2,961

 

Deferred income taxes

 

 

 

 

604

 

Other

 

(8,312

)

 

 

3,694

 

Changes in operating assets and liabilities:

 

 

 

Accounts receivable

 

(130,650

)

 

 

24,905

 

Prepaid expenses and other current and non-current assets

 

(11,370

)

 

 

42,913

 

Accounts payable

 

125,661

 

 

 

(68,758

)

Accrued expenses and other current and non-current liabilities

 

18,439

 

 

 

(18,778

)

Operating lease liabilities

 

(36,741

)

 

 

(35,731

)

Net cash provided by operating activities

 

507,202

 

 

 

375,254

 

INVESTING ACTIVITIES:

 

 

 

Purchases of investments

 

(448,251

)

 

 

(379,206

)

Sales of investments

 

 

 

 

1,977

 

Maturities of investments

 

425,400

 

 

 

252,699

 

Purchases of property and equipment

 

(21,594

)

 

 

(36,394

)

Capitalized software development costs

 

(6,097

)

 

 

(4,833

)

Net cash used in investing activities

 

(50,542

)

 

 

(165,757

)

FINANCING ACTIVITIES:

 

 

 

Repurchases of Class A common stock

 

(426,684

)

 

 

 

Proceeds from exercise of stock options

 

45,363

 

 

 

42,712

 

Proceeds from employee stock purchase plan

 

21,316

 

 

 

25,547

 

Taxes paid related to net settlement of restricted stock awards

 

(55,397

)

 

 

(37,254

)

Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities

 

(415,402

)

 

 

31,005

 

Increase in cash and cash equivalents

 

41,258

 

 

 

240,502

 

Cash and cash equivalents—Beginning of period

 

1,030,506

 

 

 

754,154

 

Cash and cash equivalents—End of period

$

1,071,764

 

 

$

994,656

 

Non-GAAP Financial Metrics
(Amounts in thousands, except per share amounts)

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
September 30,

 

Nine Months Ended
September 30,

 

2023

 

2022

 

2023

 

2022

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net income (loss)

$

39,352

 

 

$

15,869

 

 

$

81,617

 

 

$

(17,802

)

Add back (deduct):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Depreciation and amortization expense

 

20,530

 

 

 

12,957

 

 

 

59,889

 

 

 

37,581

 

Stock-based compensation expense

 

139,633

 

 

 

121,003

 

 

 

370,186

 

 

 

371,111

 

Interest income, net

 

(17,626

)

 

 

(1,741

)

 

 

(49,556

)

 

 

(1,321

)

Provision for income taxes

 

17,648

 

 

 

14,633

 

 

 

25,702

 

 

 

33,052

 

Adjusted EBITDA

$

199,537

 

 

$

162,721

 

 

$

487,838

 

 

$

422,621

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three Months Ended
September 30,

 

Nine Months Ended
September 30,

 

2023

 

2022

 

2023

 

2022

GAAP net income (loss)

$

39,352

 

 

$

15,869

 

 

$

81,617

 

 

$

(17,802

)

Add back (deduct):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stock-based compensation expense

 

139,633

 

 

 

121,003

 

 

 

370,186

 

 

 

371,111

 

Adjustment for income taxes

 

(11,742

)

 

 

(8,284

)

 

 

(30,566

)

 

 

(21,419

)

Non-GAAP net income

$

167,243

 

 

$

128,588

 

 

$

421,237

 

 

$

331,890

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

GAAP diluted earnings (loss) per share

$

0.08

 

 

$

0.03

 

 

$

0.16

 

 

$

(0.04

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

GAAP weighted-average shares outstanding—diluted

 

501,880

 

 

 

500,300

 

 

 

500,348

 

 

 

486,168

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Non-GAAP diluted earnings per share

$

0.33

 

 

$

0.26

 

 

$

0.84

 

 

$

0.66

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Non-GAAP weighted-average shares used in computing Non-GAAP earnings per share, diluted (1)

 

501,880

 

 

 

500,300

 

 

 

500,348

 

 

 

499,754

 

_________________________

(1)

 

Includes an additional 13.6 million of dilutive securities for the nine months ended September 30, 2022, which are not included in GAAP diluted weighted-average shares outstanding due to the Company's net loss position for the nine months ended September 30, 2022.

Investors
Jake Graves
Manager, Investor Relations
The Trade Desk
ir@thetradedesk.com
312-620-0806

Media
Melinda Zurich
VP, Communications
The Trade Desk
melinda.zurich@thetradedesk.com
201-320-9398

Source: The Trade Desk, Inc.