Three Outstanding Stocks I'm Considering Purchasing Despite a Historically High Stock Market
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Sep 23 2025
0mins
Should l Buy TTD?
Source: NASDAQ.COM
Market Performance: The S&P 500, Dow Jones, and Nasdaq have reached record highs in 2025, but high stock valuations raise concerns about a potential market correction, reminiscent of past downturns.
Investment Opportunities: Despite the expensive market, three undervalued stocks—United Parcel Service (UPS), The Trade Desk, and York Water—are highlighted as attractive buys due to their unique growth catalysts and strong fundamentals.
UPS Strategy: UPS is shifting focus from low-margin Amazon shipments to higher-margin opportunities, which may enhance profitability despite a temporary drop in volume.
York Water's Stability: York Water, a regulated utility with a long history of dividend payments, is positioned for growth through rate increases and is currently trading at a discount compared to its historical valuation.
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Analyst Views on TTD
Wall Street analysts forecast TTD stock price to rise
28 Analyst Rating
15 Buy
12 Hold
1 Sell
Moderate Buy
Current: 25.000
Low
38.00
Averages
53.33
High
85.00
Current: 25.000
Low
38.00
Averages
53.33
High
85.00
About TTD
The Trade Desk, Inc. is a global advertising technology company. The Company offers a self-service, cloud-based ad-buying platform that empowers its clients to plan, manage, optimize and measure more expressive data-driven digital advertising campaigns. Its platform allows clients to execute integrated campaigns across ad formats and channels, including connected television (CTV) and other video, display, audio, and native, on a multitude of devices, such as televisions, streaming devices, mobile devices, computers and digital-out-of-home devices. Its platform’s integrations with inventory, publisher and data partners provide ad buyers reach and decisioning capabilities, and its enterprise application programming interfaces (APIs) enable its clients to customize and expand platform functionality. Its platform provides auto-optimization features that allow buyers to automate their campaigns and support them with computer-generated modeling and decision-making.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
Investment Opportunities and Challenges in Tech Stocks
- Trade Desk Stock Decline: The Trade Desk's stock has plummeted over 80% since December 2024, dropping from $141 to $24.99, primarily due to economic uncertainty and data privacy regulations, although customer retention remains high at 95%.
- Sea Limited Growth Potential: Sea Limited's revenue grew by 35% to over $16 billion in the first nine months of 2025, despite a 45% drop in stock price from its highs, yet its low forward P/E ratio of 22 may attract investor interest.
- Lyft Financial Performance: Lyft reported a 15% increase in gross bookings in 2025, with revenue rising only 9%, but its free cash flow exceeded $1.1 billion, a 46% increase from 2024, and plans to allocate $1 billion for share buybacks.
- Market Overreaction: Despite intensified competition and market volatility, investors may find these tech stocks increasingly attractive as valuations improve, especially amid concerns over AI's impact on the industry, suggesting potential rebound opportunities.
See More
Low Valuations in Tech Stocks Present Investment Opportunities
- Trade Desk Valuation Drop: Since December 2024, The Trade Desk's stock has plummeted over 80% from above $141 per share to an all-time low, yet its customer retention remains above 95%, indicating resilience in the advertising sector despite challenges.
- Sea Limited Growth Potential: Sea Limited reported over $16 billion in revenue for the first nine months of 2025, a 35% increase, although its stock has dropped approximately 45% since September, its strong market position in Southeast Asia remains intact.
- Lyft Stock Volatility: Lyft's stock has lost about 45% since November 2022, despite a 15% increase in gross bookings for 2025 and free cash flow exceeding $1.1 billion, suggesting potential for future growth.
- Investor Sentiment Shift: Following the AI boom, investor confidence in tech stocks has waned; however, the low valuations of The Trade Desk and Sea Limited may present opportunities for investors to reassess and enter the market.
See More
Alphabet's Strong Earnings Contrast with Trade Desk's Disappointing Guidance
- Alphabet's Accelerating Performance: In its fourth quarter, Alphabet reported an 18% year-over-year revenue increase to $113.8 billion, accelerating from 16% growth in the previous quarter, showcasing strong performance in Google Services and cloud computing, thereby reinforcing its market leadership.
- Cloud Business Surge: Google Cloud's revenue soared 48% year-over-year to $17.7 billion in the fourth quarter, driven by the ongoing adoption of AI infrastructure, indicating Alphabet's rapid expansion in high-margin sectors.
- Trade Desk's Slowing Growth: The Trade Desk reported fourth-quarter revenue of $847 million, up 14% year-over-year, but noted that growth would have been closer to 19% without the irregular nature of U.S. political ad spending, highlighting a deceleration in its growth momentum.
- Uncertain Outlook: The Trade Desk's first-quarter revenue guidance of at least $678 million implies only about 10% year-over-year growth, and the adjusted EBITDA guidance suggests a decline in key profitability metrics, reflecting the challenges it faces.
See More
Alphabet vs. The Trade Desk: Earnings Comparison
- Strong Earnings for Alphabet: Alphabet's fourth-quarter revenue increased by 18% year-over-year to $113.8 billion, exceeding market expectations and demonstrating robust performance in Google Services and cloud computing, further solidifying its market leadership.
- Cloud Business Thriving: Google Cloud saw a staggering 48% year-over-year revenue growth in Q4, reaching $17.7 billion, driven by widespread adoption of AI infrastructure, significantly boosting overall revenue and profit.
- Challenges for The Trade Desk: The Trade Desk reported Q4 revenue of $847 million, up 14% year-over-year, but actual growth was lower than expected due to irregular U.S. political ad spending, indicating a deceleration in momentum.
- Gloomy Future Outlook: The Trade Desk anticipates first-quarter revenue of at least $678 million, implying only 10% year-over-year growth, while adjusted EBITDA guidance suggests a decline in profitability, despite maintaining a debt-free balance sheet.
See More
Software Sector Faces Disruption Risks
- Disruption Indicators: In a recent podcast, analysts discussed historical disruption cases, highlighting that persistently declining gross margins and customer attrition are key signs of companies facing disruption, which is crucial for investor decision-making.
- Salesforce's Challenges: Salesforce is projected to generate approximately $41 billion in revenue for 2026, yet its annualized AI agent business is only $1.4 billion, and sluggish growth places it at risk of disruption, especially in an increasingly competitive market.
- Market Reaction: While the S&P 500 and NASDAQ saw slight gains last week, the software-as-a-service (SaaS) sector experienced sharp sell-offs, intensifying investor concerns about potential disruptions and reflecting market uncertainty about the industry's future.
- Investor Mindset: Analysts emphasized the importance of maintaining courage amid fear, asserting that investors must possess the ability to act against market trends to navigate volatility and seize potential investment opportunities.
See More
Nvidia Reports Strong Earnings but Shares Decline
- Earnings Beat: Nvidia's fourth-quarter results surpassed revenue and profit expectations, indicating sustained demand for its AI compute platforms; however, the stock price sharply declined, reflecting investor skepticism about the sustainability of high expectations.
- Cautious Market Reaction: Despite Nvidia's strong performance, Wall Street's muted response highlights a shift in focus from headline earnings to deeper concerns regarding long-term growth, capital returns, and competitive dynamics in the AI sector.
- Increased Competitive Pressure: As rival AI hardware efforts gain traction, investors are increasingly concerned about future spending patterns and competition from alternative AI chip designs, which has pressured broader technology stocks and underscored the fragility of the AI-led market rally.
- Significant Industry Impact: Nvidia's pullback not only affected its own stock but also weighed heavily on the semiconductor sector, contributing to sluggish performance among major tech benchmarks late in the week, indicating a waning confidence in AI-related stocks.
See More
Investment Opportunities and Challenges in Tech Stocks
- Trade Desk Stock Decline: The Trade Desk's stock has plummeted over 80% since December 2024, dropping from $141 to $24.99, primarily due to economic uncertainty and data privacy regulations, although customer retention remains high at 95%.
- Sea Limited Growth Potential: Sea Limited's revenue grew by 35% to over $16 billion in the first nine months of 2025, despite a 45% drop in stock price from its highs, yet its low forward P/E ratio of 22 may attract investor interest.
- Lyft Financial Performance: Lyft reported a 15% increase in gross bookings in 2025, with revenue rising only 9%, but its free cash flow exceeded $1.1 billion, a 46% increase from 2024, and plans to allocate $1 billion for share buybacks.
- Market Overreaction: Despite intensified competition and market volatility, investors may find these tech stocks increasingly attractive as valuations improve, especially amid concerns over AI's impact on the industry, suggesting potential rebound opportunities.
See More
Low Valuations in Tech Stocks Present Investment Opportunities
- Trade Desk Valuation Drop: Since December 2024, The Trade Desk's stock has plummeted over 80% from above $141 per share to an all-time low, yet its customer retention remains above 95%, indicating resilience in the advertising sector despite challenges.
- Sea Limited Growth Potential: Sea Limited reported over $16 billion in revenue for the first nine months of 2025, a 35% increase, although its stock has dropped approximately 45% since September, its strong market position in Southeast Asia remains intact.
- Lyft Stock Volatility: Lyft's stock has lost about 45% since November 2022, despite a 15% increase in gross bookings for 2025 and free cash flow exceeding $1.1 billion, suggesting potential for future growth.
- Investor Sentiment Shift: Following the AI boom, investor confidence in tech stocks has waned; however, the low valuations of The Trade Desk and Sea Limited may present opportunities for investors to reassess and enter the market.
See More
Alphabet's Strong Earnings Contrast with Trade Desk's Disappointing Guidance
- Alphabet's Accelerating Performance: In its fourth quarter, Alphabet reported an 18% year-over-year revenue increase to $113.8 billion, accelerating from 16% growth in the previous quarter, showcasing strong performance in Google Services and cloud computing, thereby reinforcing its market leadership.
- Cloud Business Surge: Google Cloud's revenue soared 48% year-over-year to $17.7 billion in the fourth quarter, driven by the ongoing adoption of AI infrastructure, indicating Alphabet's rapid expansion in high-margin sectors.
- Trade Desk's Slowing Growth: The Trade Desk reported fourth-quarter revenue of $847 million, up 14% year-over-year, but noted that growth would have been closer to 19% without the irregular nature of U.S. political ad spending, highlighting a deceleration in its growth momentum.
- Uncertain Outlook: The Trade Desk's first-quarter revenue guidance of at least $678 million implies only about 10% year-over-year growth, and the adjusted EBITDA guidance suggests a decline in key profitability metrics, reflecting the challenges it faces.
See More
Alphabet vs. The Trade Desk: Earnings Comparison
- Strong Earnings for Alphabet: Alphabet's fourth-quarter revenue increased by 18% year-over-year to $113.8 billion, exceeding market expectations and demonstrating robust performance in Google Services and cloud computing, further solidifying its market leadership.
- Cloud Business Thriving: Google Cloud saw a staggering 48% year-over-year revenue growth in Q4, reaching $17.7 billion, driven by widespread adoption of AI infrastructure, significantly boosting overall revenue and profit.
- Challenges for The Trade Desk: The Trade Desk reported Q4 revenue of $847 million, up 14% year-over-year, but actual growth was lower than expected due to irregular U.S. political ad spending, indicating a deceleration in momentum.
- Gloomy Future Outlook: The Trade Desk anticipates first-quarter revenue of at least $678 million, implying only 10% year-over-year growth, while adjusted EBITDA guidance suggests a decline in profitability, despite maintaining a debt-free balance sheet.
See More
Software Sector Faces Disruption Risks
- Disruption Indicators: In a recent podcast, analysts discussed historical disruption cases, highlighting that persistently declining gross margins and customer attrition are key signs of companies facing disruption, which is crucial for investor decision-making.
- Salesforce's Challenges: Salesforce is projected to generate approximately $41 billion in revenue for 2026, yet its annualized AI agent business is only $1.4 billion, and sluggish growth places it at risk of disruption, especially in an increasingly competitive market.
- Market Reaction: While the S&P 500 and NASDAQ saw slight gains last week, the software-as-a-service (SaaS) sector experienced sharp sell-offs, intensifying investor concerns about potential disruptions and reflecting market uncertainty about the industry's future.
- Investor Mindset: Analysts emphasized the importance of maintaining courage amid fear, asserting that investors must possess the ability to act against market trends to navigate volatility and seize potential investment opportunities.
See More
Nvidia Reports Strong Earnings but Shares Decline
- Earnings Beat: Nvidia's fourth-quarter results surpassed revenue and profit expectations, indicating sustained demand for its AI compute platforms; however, the stock price sharply declined, reflecting investor skepticism about the sustainability of high expectations.
- Cautious Market Reaction: Despite Nvidia's strong performance, Wall Street's muted response highlights a shift in focus from headline earnings to deeper concerns regarding long-term growth, capital returns, and competitive dynamics in the AI sector.
- Increased Competitive Pressure: As rival AI hardware efforts gain traction, investors are increasingly concerned about future spending patterns and competition from alternative AI chip designs, which has pressured broader technology stocks and underscored the fragility of the AI-led market rally.
- Significant Industry Impact: Nvidia's pullback not only affected its own stock but also weighed heavily on the semiconductor sector, contributing to sluggish performance among major tech benchmarks late in the week, indicating a waning confidence in AI-related stocks.
See More
