MediaAlpha (NYSE:MAX) Upgraded at Zacks Research

Zacks Research upgraded shares of MediaAlpha (NYSE:MAX) from a strong sell rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note released on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other equities analysts also recently commented on MAX. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of MediaAlpha from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Sunday, January 11th. Canaccord Genuity Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $15.00 price target on shares of MediaAlpha in a report on Thursday, October 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on MediaAlpha from $15.00 to $11.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their target price 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 lowered their target price on MediaAlpha from $19.00 to $16.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $14.58.

MediaAlpha Stock Up 3.1%

Shares of MediaAlpha stock opened at $9.90 on Tuesday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $10.47 and its two-hundred day moving average is $11.39. MediaAlpha has a 52 week low of $7.09 and a 52 week high of $13.92. The company has a market capitalization of $645.18 million, a PE ratio of 25.39 and a beta of 1.29.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at MediaAlpha

In other MediaAlpha news, Director Eugene Nonko sold 14,498 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $10.00, for a total transaction of $144,980.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 1,454,522 shares in the company, valued at $14,545,220. This represents a 0.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Steven Yi sold 12,748 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 directly owned 2,688,876 shares in the company, valued at $26,055,208.44. This trade represents a 0.47% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 516,745 shares of company stock worth $5,975,452. 13.44% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On MediaAlpha

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Intech Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of MediaAlpha by 6.4% in the 2nd quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 18,502 shares of the company’s stock valued at $203,000 after buying an additional 1,105 shares in the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC raised its stake in shares of MediaAlpha by 2.3% during the 2nd quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 51,550 shares of the company’s stock worth $561,000 after acquiring an additional 1,144 shares in the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its position in MediaAlpha by 28.0% during the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 5,551 shares of the company’s stock valued at $61,000 after acquiring an additional 1,213 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP boosted its stake in MediaAlpha by 43.3% in the third 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. Finally, Corton Capital Inc. boosted its stake in MediaAlpha by 8.2% in the second quarter. Corton Capital Inc. now owns 18,865 shares of the company’s stock valued at $207,000 after acquiring an additional 1,425 shares in the last quarter. 64.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key MediaAlpha News

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.