TTD Stock Could Be The Next Short Squeeze: S3 Partners

• TTD shares are down 40% in 2026 due to concerns over slowing web-advertising revenue and AI’s impact.
• TTD stock gained for the second straight week, up 6.7%
• 18 out of 37 analysts rate the stock ‘Buy’, 16 rate ‘Hold’, and three rate it ‘Sell’, according to data from Koyfin.

The Trade Desk (TTD) may be the next stock in line for a ‘short-squeeze’ over worries of slowing advertising spends, rising competition, and the Iran war, according to S3 Partners, a data analytics firm. 

Short interest in Trade Desk jumped 50% in March, a sure sign that the advertising technology company “faces its first squeeze risk in a year,” wrote Leon Gross, S3’s research director, in a blog post Thursday.

According to Gross, short interest rose in March as TTD stock retreated on concerns regarding geopolitical instability, reduced advertising spend, and competitive pressures. “This surge in short-selling sentiment data has caused TTD to exhibit high short-squeeze risk for the first time in a year,” wrote Gross. 

Avis Budget Group (CAR) was the highest-profile short squeeze of 2026 so far. Shares surged 427% between the end of March and Tuesday’s close, but they have since tanked 68%, with investors betting on an equity offering that could ease the pressure on the stock, Barron's reported. 

The Nasdaq and the S&P 500 surged to record highs in April, in a relief rally sparked by the cease-fire between the U.S. and Iran.

That has made plenty of stocks ripe for a short squeeze, Gross said. S3’s short squeeze score, which measures both crowded shorts data and recent returns, is also “flashing red” for the likes of Charter Communications and Paramount Skydance.

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Sentiment was ‘bullish’ on the stock with ‘high’ message volumes.

One user bet on the stock going up in a momentum play. 

The stock has lost 37% year-to-date.

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