MediaAlpha (NYSE:MAX) Rating Lowered to Buy at Wall Street Zen

MediaAlpha (NYSE:MAX) was downgraded by stock analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued on Saturday, Wall Street Zen reports.

A number of other analysts have also issued reports on MAX. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on MediaAlpha from $15.00 to $17.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on MediaAlpha from $15.00 to $16.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on MediaAlpha from $15.00 to $17.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on MediaAlpha from $10.50 to $13.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of MediaAlpha from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, MediaAlpha currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $14.71.

MediaAlpha Stock Up 3.8%

MAX stock opened at $14.66 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.49, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 1.29. MediaAlpha has a 52-week low of $7.09 and a 52-week high of $14.87. The company has a 50-day moving average of $11.27 and a two-hundred day moving average of $10.65. The stock has a market capitalization of $898.07 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.05 and a beta of 1.14.

MediaAlpha (NYSE:MAX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 28th. The company reported $0.46 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.28 by $0.18. The business had revenue of $375.95 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $347.93 million. MediaAlpha had a negative return on equity of 994.23% and a net margin of 8.35%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that MediaAlpha will post 1.48 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at MediaAlpha

In other news, CRO Keith Cramer sold 13,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.76, for a total transaction of $165,880.00. Following the sale, the executive directly owned 264,303 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,372,506.28. The trade was a 4.69% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, CTO Kuanling Yeh sold 12,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $13.55, for a total value of $162,600.00. Following the sale, the chief technology officer owned 541,985 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,343,896.75. This represents a 2.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. In the last quarter, insiders sold 425,550 shares of company stock worth $5,148,791. Insiders own 14.65% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MediaAlpha

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of MAX. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its stake in MediaAlpha by 24.1% in the first quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 1,061,981 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,876,000 after acquiring an additional 206,077 shares during the period. Jacobs Asset Management LLC raised its position in MediaAlpha by 31.1% in the first quarter. Jacobs Asset Management LLC now owns 924,443 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,597,000 after purchasing an additional 219,144 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in MediaAlpha by 94.1% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 620,669 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,773,000 after purchasing an additional 300,871 shares during the period. Triad Investment Management lifted its stake in MediaAlpha by 10.4% during the second quarter. Triad Investment Management now owns 368,731 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,635,000 after purchasing an additional 34,867 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE boosted its holdings in MediaAlpha by 380.9% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 279,704 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,601,000 after purchasing an additional 221,540 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.39% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about MediaAlpha

Here are the key news stories impacting MediaAlpha this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 guidance exceeded expectations: MediaAlpha forecast fourth-quarter 2026 revenue of $355 million to $375 million, well above the $328.8 million consensus estimate, while reiterating full-year free-cash-flow guidance of $90 million to $100 million. MediaAlpha Q4 revenue and free cash flow guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Strong Q3 performance: MediaAlpha reported adjusted earnings of $0.46 per share versus the $0.28 analyst estimate and revenue of $375.95 million versus the $347.93 million consensus. The results helped support the view that the company’s growth and profitability may be durable. MediaAlpha Q3 earnings and durability discussion
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment improved: Zacks upgraded MAX to Rank #2, or “Buy,” citing growing optimism about the company’s earnings prospects. Zacks upgrades MediaAlpha to Buy
• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan raised its price target from $15 to $16, implying additional upside, although it maintained a Neutral rating. JPMorgan raises MediaAlpha price target
• Neutral Sentiment: The earnings call focused on whether recent growth can persist, including questions about customer demand, operating performance and the durability of MediaAlpha’s earnings momentum. Investors may continue to scrutinize these factors after the sharp rally. MediaAlpha Q3 earnings call analyst questions
• Negative Sentiment: Director Eugene Nonko sold shares in several transactions under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. The sales were made to cover tax withholding on vested equity awards and represent relatively small reductions, making them a limited—but potentially cautionary—signal.

About MediaAlpha

MediaAlpha, Inc operates a technology platform that helps insurance carriers and distributors acquire customers through digital channels. Its marketplace connects consumers who are shopping for insurance with providers seeking qualified prospects, using data, analytics and automated systems to facilitate the matching process.

The company’s platform supports customer acquisition across insurance categories, including property and casualty products such as auto and home insurance, as well as health, life and Medicare-related coverage.