MediaAlpha, Inc. (NYSE:MAX) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of MediaAlpha, Inc. (NYSE:MAX) have been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the eight brokerages that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, five have assigned a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $14.5833.

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on MAX shares. Wall Street Zen raised shares of MediaAlpha from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Sunday, January 11th. Weiss Ratings raised MediaAlpha from a “sell (d)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Wednesday. Zacks Research raised MediaAlpha from a “strong sell” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price objective on MediaAlpha from $18.00 to $11.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their target price on MediaAlpha from $19.00 to $16.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday.

Insider Activity at MediaAlpha

In other news, insider Steven Yi sold 12,748 shares of MediaAlpha stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.69, for a total value of $123,528.12. Following the sale, the insider owned 2,688,876 shares in the company, valued at $26,055,208.44. This trade represents a 0.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Eugene Nonko sold 14,498 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $10.00, for a total transaction of $144,980.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 1,454,522 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,545,220. This represents a 0.99% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders sold 516,745 shares of company stock valued at $5,975,452. 13.44% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On MediaAlpha

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Pacer Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of MediaAlpha by 6.7% in the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 263,024 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,406,000 after acquiring an additional 16,597 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised its stake in MediaAlpha by 32.1% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 26,024 shares of the company’s stock valued at $337,000 after purchasing an additional 6,319 shares during the last quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV boosted its stake in MediaAlpha by 32.1% during the 4th quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 16,960 shares of the company’s stock worth $220,000 after purchasing an additional 4,120 shares during the last quarter. State of Tennessee Department of Treasury purchased a new stake in shares of MediaAlpha during the fourth quarter worth $167,000. Finally, Mackenzie Financial Corp raised its position in shares of MediaAlpha by 184.3% in the fourth quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 42,975 shares of the company’s stock valued at $559,000 after buying an additional 27,858 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.39% of the company’s stock.

MediaAlpha Trading Up 3.1%

MediaAlpha stock opened at $9.90 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $645.18 million, a PE ratio of 25.39 and a beta of 1.29. MediaAlpha has a 12 month low of $7.09 and a 12 month high of $13.92. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $10.47 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $11.39.

MediaAlpha (NYSE:MAX) last posted its earnings results on Monday, February 23rd. The company reported $0.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.25 by $0.25. MediaAlpha had a net margin of 2.30% and a negative return on equity of 132.73%. The firm had revenue of $291.16 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $296.42 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.08 EPS. The business’s revenue was down 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that MediaAlpha will post 0.48 EPS for the current year.

Key Headlines Impacting MediaAlpha

Here are the key news stories impacting MediaAlpha this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 earnings beat on EPS ($0.50 vs. $0.25 consensus) and shares initially gapped up on the print — the EPS beat is the primary near-term driver of buying interest. Shares Gap Up on Strong Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks upgraded MAX from “strong sell” to “strong buy,” which can attract retail and quant flows and reinforce the earnings-driven rally. Zacks Upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Unusually large call-option activity (over 6,000 calls traded) signals short‑term bullish positioning that can amplify upside momentum if the stock continues to move higher.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst coverage remains mixed: although some shops keep “buy/outperform” stances, several have trimmed targets — investors should watch revisions for conviction rather than headlines.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider and director selling: multiple Form 4 filings show recent sales by insider Steven Yi and director Eugene Nonko; while insiders still hold large stakes, persistent selling can weigh on sentiment. SEC Form 4
• Negative Sentiment: Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut its price target to $16, trimming longer-run upside for investors who follow that house. KBW PT Cut
• Negative Sentiment: Coverage note flagged a pessimistic JPMorgan forecast for MAX — negative institutional commentary can pressure sentiment if it triggers downgrades or fund reallocations. JPMorgan Pessimistic Forecast
• Negative Sentiment: Short interest jumped ~79% (to ~3.19M shares as of Feb. 13), increasing bearish positioning and the potential for larger intraday swings if shorts adjust or cover.

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.