MediaAlpha, Inc. (NYSE:MAX) Stock Has Average Target Price of $14.29 According to Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus on MediaAlpha, with an average 12-month price target of $14.29. Ratings include four holds, three buys and two strong buys.
• MediaAlpha reported quarterly EPS of $0.65, well above the $0.23 consensus estimate, while revenue of $316.88 million also exceeded expectations.
• The stock opened at $9.62, compared with a 52-week range of $7.09 to $14.70. Institutional investors own 64.39% of shares, while insiders have sold roughly 498,452 shares worth $6.46 million over the past 90 days.

MediaAlpha, Inc. (NYSE:MAX - Get Free Report) has been assigned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the nine analysts that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, three have issued a buy recommendation and two have assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $14.29.

A number of analysts recently commented on MAX shares. Capital One Financial set a $11.00 price objective on shares of MediaAlpha in a research report on Tuesday, June 9th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on MediaAlpha from $15.00 to $17.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on MediaAlpha in a report on Monday, August 24th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $15.00 target price on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised MediaAlpha from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 1st. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded MediaAlpha from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, September 22nd.

MediaAlpha Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MAX opened at $9.62 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $589.01 million, a P/E ratio of 5.94 and a beta of 1.14. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $11.93 and a 200 day moving average price of $10.86. MediaAlpha has a 52-week low of $7.09 and a 52-week high of $14.70.

MediaAlpha (NYSE:MAX - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The company reported $0.65 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.23 by $0.42. The firm had revenue of $316.88 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $300.87 million. MediaAlpha had a net margin of 7.94% and a negative return on equity of 301.42%. Analysts predict that MediaAlpha will post 1.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other MediaAlpha news, CRO Keith Cramer sold 13,000 shares of MediaAlpha stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $12.76, for a total value of $165,880.00. Following the transaction, the executive owned 264,303 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,372,506.28. The trade was a 4.69% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available 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, Director Eugene Nonko sold 25,352 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $13.86, for a total transaction of $351,378.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 1,137,304 shares of the company's stock, valued at $15,763,033.44. This trade represents a 2.18% decrease in their position. 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. Insiders have sold a total of 498,452 shares of company stock valued at $6,458,997 over the last 90 days. 14.65% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MediaAlpha

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Clearline Capital LP boosted its stake in MediaAlpha by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Clearline Capital LP now owns 1,301,453 shares of the company's stock worth $16,854,000 after purchasing an additional 10,604 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its stake in shares of MediaAlpha by 24.1% in the 1st quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 1,061,981 shares of the company's stock valued at $9,876,000 after purchasing an additional 206,077 shares during the period. Jacobs Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of MediaAlpha by 31.1% in the first quarter. Jacobs Asset Management LLC now owns 924,443 shares of the company's stock valued at $8,597,000 after purchasing an additional 219,144 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of MediaAlpha by 94.1% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 620,669 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,773,000 after purchasing an additional 300,871 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Triad Investment Management boosted its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 34,867 shares during the period. 64.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MediaAlpha Company Profile

MediaAlpha, Inc NYSE: MAX operates a technology platform designed to help insurance companies and distributors acquire customers through digital channels. Its platform connects consumers who are shopping for insurance with providers and other distribution partners, using data, analytics and automated transactions to facilitate customer acquisition.

The company's services primarily support insurance shopping and marketing across categories such as auto, home, health and life insurance.

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