MediaAlpha (NYSE:MAX) Rating Lowered to Hold at Zacks Research

MediaAlpha (NYSE:MAX) was downgraded by investment analysts at Zacks Research from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other brokerages also recently commented on MAX. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on shares of MediaAlpha from $18.00 to $19.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of MediaAlpha from $14.00 to $15.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Canaccord Genuity Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $15.00 price target on shares of MediaAlpha in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Wall Street Zen downgraded MediaAlpha from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group set a $13.50 price objective on MediaAlpha in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, MediaAlpha currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $17.25.

MediaAlpha Stock Down 7.6%

MAX stock opened at $11.97 on Wednesday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $12.68 and its 200-day moving average price is $11.58. The stock has a market cap of $779.91 million, a P/E ratio of -398.77 and a beta of 1.21. MediaAlpha has a twelve month low of $7.33 and a twelve month high of $13.92.

MediaAlpha (NYSE:MAX) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The company reported $0.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.21 by $0.05. MediaAlpha had a negative net margin of 0.10% and a negative return on equity of 71.02%. The company had revenue of $306.51 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $283.30 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.17 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 18.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that MediaAlpha will post 0.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at MediaAlpha

In other news, insider Steven Yi sold 8,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $11.88, for a total transaction of $95,040.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 2,967,330 shares in the company, valued at $35,251,880.40. This trade represents a 0.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CTO Kuanling Amy Yeh sold 12,000 shares of MediaAlpha stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $13.49, for a total value of $161,880.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief technology officer directly owned 402,662 shares in the company, valued at $5,431,910.38. This trade represents a 2.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 314,400 shares of company stock valued at $4,006,830 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 13.44% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of MediaAlpha

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of MAX. Quarry LP raised its stake in MediaAlpha by 43.3% during the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 4,087 shares of the company’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 1,234 shares in the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its holdings 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 worth $61,000 after buying an additional 1,213 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of MediaAlpha during the 2nd quarter valued at about $62,000. Semanteon Capital Management LP bought a new position in shares of MediaAlpha in the 2nd quarter valued at about $110,000. Finally, Pallas Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in MediaAlpha in the second quarter worth about $111,000. 64.39% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Stores Impacting MediaAlpha

Here are the key news stories impacting MediaAlpha this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Company reported better-than-expected Q3 sales (top-line beat and revenue growth), which supports the growth story and institutional interest. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst coverage still skews constructive: the consensus remains a “Moderate Buy” with an average target well above the current price, providing longer-term upside support for the shares. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: High institutional ownership (roughly 64% of float) means moves can be amplified by fund flows but also that large holders may provide price support or accelerate selling depending on positioning. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: There has been a separate, unrelated press release from a different company using the MAX ticker (ticker-name confusion), which can create short-term noise/volume but is not related to MediaAlpha’s fundamentals. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research downgraded MediaAlpha from “strong-buy” to “hold” today — a fresh analyst downgrade that likely reduced buying interest and weighs on near-term sentiment. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Clustered insider selling: CTO Kuanling Amy Yeh sold 3,000 shares (~$38.9k at ~$12.95). While small relative to her total holdings, it contributes to a pattern of recent insider disposals. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Other insiders sold multiple lots (Steven Yi and director-level sales across late December), with several filings showing repeated sales; these routine but visible transactions can amplify negative market reaction. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Wall Street Zen trimmed its view (reported cut to “Buy”), adding to the string of less-positive analyst notes and likely contributing to selling pressure. Read More.

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.