The Goldman Sachs Group Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for MediaAlpha (NYSE:MAX) Stock

MediaAlpha (NYSE:MAX) had its price objective raised by equities research analysts at The Goldman Sachs Group from $10.00 to $14.00 in a research note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “neutral” rating on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group’s target price indicates a potential upside of 1.86% from the company’s current price.

Other equities analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Zacks Research downgraded MediaAlpha from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 19th. TD Cowen decreased their price target on MediaAlpha from $13.00 to $11.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Canaccord Genuity Group upped their target price on MediaAlpha from $15.00 to $17.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. Wall Street Zen upgraded MediaAlpha from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, July 12th. Finally, Texas Capital upgraded shares of MediaAlpha to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $13.29.

MediaAlpha Stock Performance

Shares of MediaAlpha stock traded down $0.06 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $13.74. 1,091,358 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 780,801. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $11.37 and its 200-day moving average price is $10.17. The stock has a market cap of $857.00 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.43 and a beta of 1.08. MediaAlpha has a 12 month low of $7.09 and a 12 month high of $14.70.

MediaAlpha (NYSE:MAX) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The company reported $0.65 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.21 by $0.44. The firm had revenue of $316.88 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $300.87 million. MediaAlpha had a negative return on equity of 147.82% and a net margin of 3.37%. Equities research analysts forecast that MediaAlpha will post 0.97 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other MediaAlpha news, insider Steven Yi sold 96,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $12.90, for a total value of $1,238,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 2,759,690 shares in the company, valued at approximately $35,600,001. This trade represents a 3.36% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 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, CRO Keith Cramer sold 13,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.47, for a total value of $123,110.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive owned 280,528 shares in the company, valued at $2,656,600.16. The trade was a 4.43% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 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 ninety days, insiders have sold 440,820 shares of company stock worth $5,368,786. 14.65% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MediaAlpha

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Triad Investment Management bought a new stake in shares of MediaAlpha in the fourth quarter valued at $3,567,000. Jacobs Asset Management LLC raised its stake in MediaAlpha by 31.1% in the 1st quarter. Jacobs Asset Management LLC now owns 924,443 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,597,000 after acquiring an additional 219,144 shares during the period. Globeflex Capital L P purchased a new stake in MediaAlpha during the fourth quarter valued at about $1,039,000. Invesco Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of MediaAlpha in the second quarter worth about $117,000. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of MediaAlpha in the second quarter valued at approximately $62,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 64.39% of the company’s stock.

MediaAlpha News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting MediaAlpha this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly results materially exceeded expectations. MediaAlpha reported Q2 revenue of $316.9 million, up 26% year over year and above the $300.9 million consensus estimate. EPS was $0.65, compared with analysts’ $0.21 forecast and $0.17 a year earlier. Net income reached $41.8 million, while adjusted EBITDA was $29.3 million. MediaAlpha Announces Second Quarter 2026 Financial Results
• Positive Sentiment: Management gave a solid Q3 revenue outlook. MediaAlpha expects third-quarter revenue of $330 million to $355 million, with the midpoint slightly above the $332.4 million analyst consensus. The forecast signals continued demand across its insurance marketplace. MediaAlpha Q3 Revenue and Free Cash Flow Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Cash generation and capital returns support the investment case. The company projects $90 million to $100 million in 2026 free cash flow and repurchased more than $41 million of stock during the first half of the year. These developments could support valuation and per-share results.
• Neutral Sentiment: Despite the earnings beat, MAX trades close to its one-year high, which may encourage profit-taking. Analysts maintain a generally favorable “Moderate Buy” consensus, but the average price target cited in the reports is below the recent trading range.
• Negative Sentiment: Director Eugene Nonko sold multiple blocks of shares totaling tens of thousands of shares. However, the transactions were conducted under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan to cover tax withholding on vested equity awards, and he retained a substantial position, making the sales a relatively limited negative signal. MediaAlpha Insider Selling

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.