MediaAlpha (NYSE:MAX) Trading Down 5.1% - Here's Why

Key Points

• MediaAlpha's stock price decreased by 5.1%, trading at $11.42, with a significant drop in volume compared to its average session.
• Analysts have varied opinions on the stock; while Wall Street Zen downgraded it from a "buy" to a "hold," Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised its price target, indicating a consensus rating of "Buy."
• In its latest earnings report, MediaAlpha exceeded expectations with $0.17 EPS on revenues of $251.62 million, reflecting a 41.1% year-over-year increase.

MediaAlpha, Inc. (NYSE:MAX - Get Free Report) traded down 5.1% during trading on Monday . The stock traded as low as $11.42 and last traded at $11.42. 332,860 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 36% from the average session volume of 521,685 shares. The stock had previously closed at $12.04.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of MediaAlpha from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 9th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on shares of MediaAlpha from $17.00 to $18.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, September 5th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $18.25.

MediaAlpha Trading Down 4.2%

The business's fifty day moving average price is $11.16 and its 200 day moving average price is $10.24. The firm has a market capitalization of $783.62 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -96.11 and a beta of 1.19.

MediaAlpha (NYSE:MAX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 6th. The company reported $0.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.16 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $251.62 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $248.80 million. MediaAlpha had a negative net margin of 0.61% and a negative return on equity of 62.53%. MediaAlpha's revenue was up 41.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.07 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that MediaAlpha, Inc. will post 0.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at MediaAlpha

In other MediaAlpha news, Director Kathy P. Vrabeck bought 31,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 12th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $9.60 per share, with a total value of $297,600.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 129,657 shares in the company, valued at $1,244,707.20. This trade represents a 31.42% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CRO Keith Cramer sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.73, for a total transaction of $194,600.00. Following the sale, the executive directly owned 167,200 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,626,856. This trade represents a 10.68% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 29,669 shares of company stock worth $297,873. 11.53% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of MediaAlpha

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in MediaAlpha by 8,775.8% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,929 shares of the company's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 2,896 shares in the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its stake 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 valued at $61,000 after buying an additional 1,213 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of MediaAlpha during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $62,000. Arizona State Retirement System purchased a new position in shares of MediaAlpha during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $95,000. Finally, Semanteon Capital Management LP purchased a new position in shares of MediaAlpha during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $110,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.39% of the company's stock.

About MediaAlpha

MediaAlpha, Inc, through its subsidiaries, operates an insurance customer acquisition platform in the United States. It optimizes customer acquisition in various verticals of property and casualty insurance, health insurance, and life insurance. The company was founded in 2014 and is headquartered in Los Angeles, California.

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