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

23 Oct 2026, 06:03 by Scott Moore · The Cerbat Gem

MediaAlpha (NYSE:MAX – Get Free Report) was downgraded by research 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 reports.

A number of other equities analysts have also issued reports on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on MediaAlpha from $15.00 to $17.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Wall Street Zen upgraded MediaAlpha from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 1st. TD Cowen dropped their price objective on MediaAlpha from $13.00 to $11.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, June 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on MediaAlpha in a research note on Monday, August 24th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $15.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on MediaAlpha from $11.00 to $15.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $13.79.

View Our Latest Analysis on MAX

MediaAlpha Stock Up 8.0%

Shares of NYSE MAX opened at $12.45 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $762.38 million, a P/E ratio of 7.68 and a beta of 1.14. MediaAlpha has a 52-week low of $7.09 and a 52-week high of $14.70. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $11.30 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $11.00.

MediaAlpha (NYSE:MAX – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The company reported $0.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.23 by $0.42. The company had revenue of $316.88 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $300.87 million. MediaAlpha had a net margin of 7.94% and a negative return on equity of 301.42%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that MediaAlpha will post 1.40 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other MediaAlpha news, CTO Kuanling Yeh sold 12,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $13.55, for a total transaction of $162,600.00. Following the sale, the chief technology officer owned 541,985 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,343,896.75. The trade was a 2.17% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, Director Eugene Nonko sold 10,843 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $13.78, for a total transaction of $149,416.54. Following the sale, the director owned 1,042,064 shares in the company, valued at $14,359,641.92. This represents a 1.03% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 438,875 shares of company stock worth $5,391,177. Company insiders own 14.65% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of MediaAlpha

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Triad Investment Management lifted its holdings in shares of MediaAlpha by 10.4% during the second quarter. Triad Investment Management now owns 368,731 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,635,000 after buying an additional 34,867 shares during the last quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC boosted its position in shares of MediaAlpha by 8.7% during the 2nd quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 234,255 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,945,000 after acquiring an additional 18,714 shares in the last quarter. Corient Private Wealth LP grew its stake in shares of MediaAlpha by 50.7% in the 2nd quarter. Corient Private Wealth LP now owns 23,451 shares of the company’s stock valued at $295,000 after purchasing an additional 7,892 shares during the period. AXQ Capital LP bought a new stake in MediaAlpha in the second quarter valued at $316,000. Finally, Globeflex Capital L P bought a new stake in shares of MediaAlpha in the 2nd quarter worth about $702,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.39% of the company’s stock.

More MediaAlpha News

Here are the key news stories impacting MediaAlpha this week:

Positive Sentiment: MediaAlpha’s most recent reported quarter materially exceeded expectations, with earnings of $0.65 per share versus the $0.23 consensus estimate and revenue of $316.9 million versus the $300.9 million forecast. Analysts expect approximately $1.40 in full-year EPS, providing a favorable fundamental backdrop.
Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment remains generally constructive. MediaAlpha has a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $13.79, above the stock’s recently cited trading level. Canaccord Genuity and RBC have price targets of $17 and $15, respectively.
Neutral Sentiment: CRO Keith Cramer sold 12,000 shares for approximately $136,680, reducing his direct holdings by 4.78%. Director Eugene Nonko sold a combined 18,426 shares across transactions on October 19 and 21. All sales were made under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plans to cover tax-withholding obligations from vested equity awards, limiting their value as a signal about management’s outlook. MediaAlpha insider sales article
Negative Sentiment: The concentration of sales by a senior executive and director may weigh on sentiment and add near-term selling pressure, even though the transactions were relatively small compared with their remaining holdings and were not discretionary open-market sales.

MediaAlpha Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

MediaAlpha, Inc operates a technology platform that helps insurance carriers and distributors acquire customers through digital channels. Its marketplace connects consumers who are shopping for insurance with providers seeking qualified prospects, using data, analytics and automated systems to facilitate the matching process.