JPMorgan Chase & Co. Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for MediaAlpha (NYSE:MAX) Stock

Key Points

• JPMorgan raised MediaAlpha’s price target from $15 to $16 while maintaining a neutral rating, implying approximately 13.5% upside from the prior close. Analysts overall assign the stock a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating with an average target of $14.71.
• MediaAlpha reported a strong third quarter, with EPS of $0.46 and revenue of $375.95 million, beating consensus estimates of $0.28 and $347.93 million, respectively. Management projected fourth-quarter revenue of $355 million to $375 million and maintained its $90 million–$100 million full-year free-cash-flow target.
• The stock rose to $14.10 during Thursday trading, near its 12-month high of $14.70. Insiders have sold shares recently under pre-arranged plans primarily to cover tax obligations, while institutional investors own approximately 64.4% of the company.

MediaAlpha (NYSE:MAX - Get Free Report) had its price objective raised by equities researchers at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $15.00 to $16.00 in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a "neutral" rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s price target indicates a potential upside of 13.48% from the company's previous close.

A number of other research analysts also recently weighed in on MAX. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of MediaAlpha from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Thursday, October 8th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on shares of MediaAlpha from $15.00 to $17.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Wall Street Zen raised MediaAlpha from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 1st. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on MediaAlpha from $15.00 to $17.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Zacks Research lowered MediaAlpha from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $14.71.

MediaAlpha Price Performance

MediaAlpha stock traded up $2.38 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $14.10. The stock had a trading volume of 2,954,459 shares, compared to its average volume of 802,193. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $11.23 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $10.63. MediaAlpha has a twelve month low of $7.09 and a twelve month high of $14.70. The firm has a market cap of $863.77 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.70 and a beta of 1.14.

MediaAlpha (NYSE:MAX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The company reported $0.46 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.28 by $0.18. The business had revenue of $375.95 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $347.93 million. MediaAlpha had a negative return on equity of 301.42% and a net margin of 7.94%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that MediaAlpha will post 1.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Eugene Nonko sold 7,273 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $11.63, for a total value of $84,584.99. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 789,901 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,186,548.63. This trade represents a 0.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 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, CRO Keith Cramer sold 12,000 shares of MediaAlpha stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $11.39, for a total value of $136,680.00. Following the sale, the executive directly owned 239,303 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,725,661.17. This trade represents a 4.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 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. Over the last three months, insiders sold 425,550 shares of company stock valued at $5,148,791. 14.65% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of MediaAlpha

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of MAX. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. boosted its position in shares of MediaAlpha by 9,917.9% during the 4th quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 2,805 shares of the company's stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 2,777 shares in the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought a new stake in MediaAlpha in the first quarter valued at about $85,000. State of Wyoming acquired a new position in MediaAlpha in the third quarter worth about $109,000. Glenmede Trust Co. NA acquired a new position in MediaAlpha in the first quarter worth about $122,000. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its stake in MediaAlpha by 23.2% during the first quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 19,473 shares of the company's stock worth $181,000 after purchasing an additional 3,668 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 64.39% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines Impacting MediaAlpha

Here are the key news stories impacting MediaAlpha this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Record Q3 results exceeded expectations. MediaAlpha reported revenue of $375.9 million, up 23% year over year and above the $347.9 million consensus estimate. Adjusted EBITDA reached a record $39.5 million, while net income was $29.4 million. Earnings of $0.46 per share also surpassed analyst estimates ranging from $0.28 to $0.33 and increased from $0.26 a year earlier. MediaAlpha Announces Third Quarter 2026 Financial Results
• Positive Sentiment: Management maintained a constructive outlook. MediaAlpha forecast fourth-quarter revenue of $355 million to $375 million and reiterated its full-year free-cash-flow target of $90 million to $100 million. The outlook supports expectations for continued demand and cash generation, although the revenue range implies a sequential decline from the record third quarter. MediaAlpha Q4 2026 Revenue Forecast
• Positive Sentiment: Investors viewed the earnings release favorably. Reports characterized the quarter as a strong beat, with the stock gaining after the results. The company’s marketplace reportedly benefited from broadening demand across key metrics. MediaAlpha Beats Q3 Earnings and Revenue Estimates
• Neutral Sentiment: Director sales were disclosed. Director Eugene Nonko sold a combined 40,103 shares over October 26–28. The transactions were made under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan to cover tax withholding on vested equity awards, limiting their significance as a discretionary bearish signal. He continued to own roughly 785,000 shares. SEC Form 4 Filing

MediaAlpha Company Profile

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.