MediaAlpha, Inc. (NYSE:MAX) Given Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Key Points

• MediaAlpha has an average analyst rating of “Moderate Buy” from nine research firms, with a consensus 12-month price target of about $12.36.
• Recent analyst moves were mixed: JPMorgan raised its target to $12 and kept an overweight rating, while TD Cowen cut its target to $11 and Zacks downgraded the stock to strong sell.
• The company recently reported Q1 revenue of $310 million, topping estimates, but EPS of $0.21 missed expectations; insider selling also continued, with executives and directors trimming holdings under pre-arranged plans.

Shares of MediaAlpha, Inc. (NYSE:MAX - Get Free Report) have been given an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by the nine research firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, three have issued a hold recommendation, four have issued a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $12.3571.

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on MAX. Capital One Financial set a $11.00 price target on shares of MediaAlpha in a research note on Tuesday, June 9th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of MediaAlpha from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 19th. Texas Capital upgraded shares of MediaAlpha to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of MediaAlpha from $11.00 to $12.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, TD Cowen decreased their price target on shares of MediaAlpha from $13.00 to $11.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday.

MediaAlpha Stock Performance

NYSE MAX opened at $10.79 on Thursday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $9.27 and a 200-day simple moving average of $10.05. MediaAlpha has a one year low of $7.09 and a one year high of $13.92. The firm has a market cap of $672.44 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.85 and a beta of 1.16.

MediaAlpha (NYSE:MAX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $0.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.25 by ($0.04). MediaAlpha had a negative return on equity of 147.82% and a net margin of 3.37%.The firm had revenue of $310.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $298.91 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned ($0.04) EPS. The firm's revenue was up 17.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that MediaAlpha will post 1.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Steven Yi sold 33,663 shares of MediaAlpha stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.99, for a total value of $336,293.37. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 2,924,994 shares in the company, valued at $29,220,690.06. The trade was a 1.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available 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, Director Eugene Nonko sold 49,844 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $10.04, for a total transaction of $500,433.76. Following the sale, the director owned 1,329,099 shares of the company's stock, valued at $13,344,153.96. This represents a 3.61% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 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 sold 522,380 shares of company stock valued at $5,141,960 in the last quarter. 14.65% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of MediaAlpha

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd lifted its position in shares of MediaAlpha by 5,900.0% during the 4th quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 2,160 shares of the company's stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 2,124 shares during the last quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. lifted 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 worth $36,000 after buying an additional 2,777 shares during the last quarter. Strs Ohio purchased a new stake in shares of MediaAlpha during the 4th quarter worth approximately $49,000. Quarry LP lifted its position in shares of MediaAlpha by 43.3% during the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 4,087 shares of the company's stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 1,234 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its position in shares of MediaAlpha by 28.0% during the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 5,551 shares of the company's stock worth $61,000 after buying an additional 1,213 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 64.39% of the company's stock.

MediaAlpha Company Profile

MediaAlpha, Inc is a technology company that operates a real-time digital marketplace for the distribution of insurance and adjacent services. The company's platform connects buyers—consumers seeking insurance policies—to sellers, including insurance carriers and distribution partners, through programmatic bidding and data-driven pricing. By leveraging transaction-level data and proprietary auction mechanics, MediaAlpha enables carriers to acquire customers more efficiently and at scale.

The firm offers a suite of products that help clients optimize marketing spend and improve conversion rates.

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