MediaAlpha, Inc. (NYSE:MAX) Receives Consensus Rating of “Hold” from Brokerages

MediaAlpha, Inc. (NYSE:MAX) has been given an average rating of “Hold” by the eight research firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $14.5833.

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on MAX shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their target price on shares of MediaAlpha from $19.00 to $16.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Wall Street Zen raised shares of MediaAlpha from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, January 11th. Canaccord Genuity Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $15.00 target price on shares of MediaAlpha in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d)” rating on shares of MediaAlpha in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Zacks Research cut MediaAlpha from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Steven Yi sold 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $7.29, for a total transaction of $29,160.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 2,709,624 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,753,158.96. This trade represents a 0.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Eugene Nonko sold 5,400 shares of MediaAlpha stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $10.35, for a total value of $55,890.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 944,248 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,772,966.80. The trade was a 0.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 474,900 shares of company stock worth $5,569,954. 11.53% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On MediaAlpha

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of MAX. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd increased its holdings in MediaAlpha by 5,900.0% during the fourth quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 2,160 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 2,124 shares during the period. Quarry LP boosted its position in MediaAlpha by 43.3% during the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 4,087 shares of the company’s stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 1,234 shares in the last quarter. Strs Ohio purchased a new position in shares of MediaAlpha in the 4th quarter valued at $49,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its position 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 acquiring an additional 1,213 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of MediaAlpha during the 2nd quarter worth $62,000. 64.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting MediaAlpha

Here are the key news stories impacting MediaAlpha this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 EPS beat and company highlights: MediaAlpha reported $0.50 EPS vs. $0.25 consensus, delivered record transaction value ($613M in Q4, $2.2B for 2025) and posted record full‑year revenue of $1.1B, net income of $26.8M and adjusted EBITDA of $113.7M — demonstrating profitable operating leverage. The board doubled the share repurchase program to $100M. MediaAlpha Announces Fourth Quarter and Full-Year 2025 Financial Results
• Positive Sentiment: Strong Q1 outlook and transaction-value guidance: Management expects Q1 2026 transaction value of $570M–$595M with ~35% growth in the P&C vertical and set revenue guidance of $285M–$305M (vs. consensus ~$284.1M), signaling continued demand and marketplace expansion driven by AI and the open marketplace strategy. MediaAlpha expects $570M–$595M Q1 2026 transaction value
• Neutral Sentiment: Management commentary emphasized AI and marketplace expansion as growth drivers — investors are parsing whether these initiatives will convert to sustainable revenue growth after a year-over-year revenue decline. Read the earnings call highlights and transcript for management’s execution plans. Why Is MediaAlpha (MAX) Stock Rocketing Higher Today
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue missed expectations and margin metrics remain mixed: Q4 revenue was $291.15M vs. ~$296.4M expected, revenue was down ~3.2% YoY, and the company still shows a slight negative net margin and negative ROE — factors that temper the upside from the EPS beat. MediaAlpha Q4 earnings and details
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst price‑target cuts: JPMorgan lowered its target from $15 to $11 (still Overweight) and Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut from $19 to $16 (still Outperform) — these downgrades of near‑term expectations may limit upside even as ratings remain constructive. Benzinga: Analyst price target moves

MediaAlpha Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MAX opened at $8.97 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $584.64 million, a PE ratio of 23.00 and a beta of 1.29. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $10.59 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $11.41. MediaAlpha has a 1 year low of $7.09 and a 1 year high of $13.92.

MediaAlpha (NYSE:MAX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 23rd. The company reported $0.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.25 by $0.25. MediaAlpha had a negative return on equity of 117.28% and a net margin of 2.30%.The firm had revenue of $291.16 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $296.42 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.08 EPS. MediaAlpha’s quarterly revenue was down 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research 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.