MediaAlpha, Inc. (NYSE:MAX) Receives Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts: MediaAlpha has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" (four buys, three holds) with an average 12‑month price target of $12.70; several firms recently cut targets (RBC to $11, KBW to $15).
• Quarterly results: MediaAlpha reported an EPS beat of $0.50 vs. $0.25 est. but revenue missed at $291.16M (vs. $296.42M) and was down 3.2% year‑over‑year, while shares trade near $9.07 (market cap ≈ $585M).
• Insider activity: Insiders sold a total of 485,089 shares (~$4.87M) in the past 90 days under pre‑arranged Rule 10b5‑1 plans to cover tax withholding, though insiders still own 14.65% of the company.

Shares of MediaAlpha, Inc. (NYSE:MAX - Get Free Report) have earned a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the seven research firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and four have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $12.70.

Several analysts have recently commented on MAX shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price objective on shares of MediaAlpha from $16.00 to $15.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price objective on shares of MediaAlpha from $18.00 to $11.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of MediaAlpha from a "sell (d)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of MediaAlpha from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Saturday. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded shares of MediaAlpha from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 25th.

Insider Buying and Selling at MediaAlpha

In other news, insider Steven Yi sold 4,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.78, for a total value of $39,120.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 3,019,247 shares of the company's stock, valued at $29,528,235.66. This represents a 0.13% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, 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 Amy Yeh sold 3,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, April 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.25, for a total transaction of $27,750.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief technology officer directly owned 574,879 shares in the company, valued at $5,317,630.75. This trade represents a 0.52% 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. Insiders sold a total of 485,089 shares of company stock worth $4,871,045 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 14.65% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On MediaAlpha

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in MAX. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd lifted its stake in shares of MediaAlpha by 5,900.0% in the 4th quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 2,160 shares of the company's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 2,124 shares during the period. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. lifted its stake in shares of MediaAlpha by 9,917.9% in the 4th quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 2,805 shares of the company's stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 2,777 shares during the period. Quarry LP lifted its stake in shares of MediaAlpha by 43.3% in the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 4,087 shares of the company's stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 1,234 shares during the period. Strs Ohio acquired a new position in shares of MediaAlpha in the 4th quarter valued at $49,000. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its stake in shares of MediaAlpha by 28.0% in the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 5,551 shares of the company's stock valued at $61,000 after purchasing an additional 1,213 shares during the period. 64.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MediaAlpha Trading Down 2.8%

NYSE:MAX opened at $9.07 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $584.76 million, a PE ratio of 23.25 and a beta of 1.39. MediaAlpha has a twelve month low of $7.09 and a twelve month high of $13.92. The company's 50 day moving average is $9.16 and its two-hundred day moving average is $11.01.

MediaAlpha (NYSE:MAX - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, February 23rd. The company reported $0.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.25 by $0.25. The company had revenue of $291.16 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $296.42 million. MediaAlpha had a net margin of 2.30% and a negative return on equity of 132.73%. MediaAlpha's revenue was down 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.08 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that MediaAlpha will post 0.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About MediaAlpha

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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