MediaAlpha (NYSE:MAX) Trading Down 5.1% – Should You Sell?

MediaAlpha, Inc. (NYSE:MAX)’s share price dropped 5.1% on Thursday . The company traded as low as $9.26 and last traded at $9.0980. Approximately 55,940 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 92% from the average daily volume of 722,118 shares. The stock had previously closed at $9.59.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MAX has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Texas Capital raised shares of MediaAlpha to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of MediaAlpha from $11.00 to $12.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their target price on shares of MediaAlpha from $18.00 to $11.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on shares of MediaAlpha from $13.50 to $11.50 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of MediaAlpha from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, MediaAlpha presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $12.58.

MediaAlpha Price Performance

The firm has a market cap of $593.26 million, a P/E ratio of 14.87 and a beta of 1.16. The business’s 50-day moving average is $9.13 and its two-hundred day moving average is $10.23.

MediaAlpha (NYSE:MAX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $0.21 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.25 by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $310.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $298.91 million. MediaAlpha had a net margin of 3.37% and a negative return on equity of 147.82%. The business’s revenue was up 17.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned ($0.04) EPS. Equities research analysts predict that MediaAlpha, Inc. will post 1.02 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at MediaAlpha

In other MediaAlpha news, CRO Keith Cramer sold 13,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $8.05, for a total value of $104,650.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive owned 293,528 shares in the company, valued at $2,362,900.40. This trade represents a 4.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 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 25,606 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $10.01, for a total transaction of $256,316.06. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 959,775 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,607,347.75. This represents a 2.60% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 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 quarter, insiders have sold 459,940 shares of company stock valued at $4,512,545. 14.65% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of MediaAlpha

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd lifted its stake in MediaAlpha by 5,900.0% in the fourth quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 2,160 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 2,124 shares during the last quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. lifted its stake in shares of MediaAlpha by 9,917.9% during the 4th quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 2,805 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 2,777 shares during the last quarter. Strs Ohio acquired a new stake in shares of MediaAlpha during the 4th quarter worth about $49,000. Quarry LP lifted its stake in shares of MediaAlpha by 43.3% during the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 4,087 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 1,234 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its stake in shares of MediaAlpha by 28.0% during 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. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.39% of the company’s stock.

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.