MediaAlpha, Inc. (NYSE:MAX) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

MediaAlpha, Inc. (NYSE:MAX) has received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the six brokerages that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $17.50.

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on MAX shares. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price target on shares of MediaAlpha from $23.00 to $14.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price target on shares of MediaAlpha from $22.00 to $19.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of MediaAlpha from $15.00 to $13.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $20.00 price target on shares of MediaAlpha in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group lowered their target price on shares of MediaAlpha from $30.00 to $26.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 24th.

MediaAlpha Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MAX opened at $8.92 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $11.21 and a 200 day simple moving average of $13.98. The company has a market cap of $597.97 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.48 and a beta of 1.15. MediaAlpha has a one year low of $8.65 and a one year high of $25.78.

MediaAlpha (NYSE:MAX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 24th. The company reported $0.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.24 by ($0.16). The business had revenue of $300.65 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $289.38 million. MediaAlpha had a net margin of 1.41% and a negative return on equity of 11.98%. As a group, analysts expect that MediaAlpha will post 0.48 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On MediaAlpha

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. TimesSquare Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in MediaAlpha by 77.7% in the fourth quarter. TimesSquare Capital Management LLC now owns 1,628,815 shares of the company’s stock worth $18,389,000 after purchasing an additional 712,410 shares during the period. Clearline Capital LP grew its holdings in MediaAlpha by 115.3% in the third quarter. Clearline Capital LP now owns 1,241,419 shares of the company’s stock worth $22,482,000 after purchasing an additional 664,691 shares during the period. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. grew its holdings in MediaAlpha by 2,683.2% in the fourth quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 476,342 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,378,000 after purchasing an additional 459,227 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in MediaAlpha by 570.7% in the fourth quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 472,215 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,331,000 after purchasing an additional 401,807 shares during the period. Finally, CenterBook Partners LP grew its holdings in MediaAlpha by 485.7% in the fourth quarter. CenterBook Partners LP now owns 471,864 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,327,000 after purchasing an additional 391,298 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 64.39% of the company’s stock.

About MediaAlpha

MediaAlpha, Inc, through its subsidiaries, operates an insurance customer acquisition platform in the United States. It optimizes customer acquisition in various verticals of property and casualty insurance, health insurance, and life insurance. The company was founded in 2014 and is headquartered in Los Angeles, California.