** Advertising tech firm Trade Desk's TTD.O shares fall 4.3% to $24 premarket
** Stifel downgrades to "hold" from "buy," cuts PT to $26 from $48, still implying a 3.7% upside to stock's last close
** Rosenblatt cuts to "neutral" from "buy," cuts PT to $25 from $36, implying a 0.3% downside to stock's last close
** French advertising giant Publicis Groupe PUBP.PA told clients it no longer recommends TTD for digital media buying following an audit - Ad Age report, March 17
** PUBP claimed the audit revealed fees charged beyond what the master service agreement allows - Ad Age
** Stifel expresses concerns about how conservative TTD's 2026 estimates are if co loses clients after PUBP's audit, "and perhaps other agencies may follow suit in a similarly public fashion"
** "We're aware of questions related to a Publicis’ audit process. Any notion that TTD failed an audit is not true" - TTD
** PUBP did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment
** Avg. rating of 38 analysts is "buy;" their median PT is $32 - data compiled by LSEG
** TTD closed down 7.4% on March 17; up to last close, TTD had fallen 34% this year
(Reporting by Anhata Rooprai in Bengaluru)
((Anhata.Rooprai@thomsonreuters.com))
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