MediaAlpha, Inc. (NYSE:MAX) Short Interest Update

MediaAlpha, Inc. (NYSE:MAX) was the target of a large increase in short interest in February. As of February 13th, there was short interest totaling 3,190,548 shares, an increase of 78.9% from the January 29th total of 1,783,134 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,161,995 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.7 days. Approximately 5.5% of the company’s shares are sold short. Approximately 5.5% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,161,995 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.7 days.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of MediaAlpha from $15.00 to $11.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of MediaAlpha from a “sell (d)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Wednesday. Wall Street Zen raised shares of MediaAlpha from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, January 11th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of MediaAlpha from a “strong sell” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price objective on shares of MediaAlpha from $13.50 to $11.50 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. One research 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $14.58.

MediaAlpha Price Performance

NYSE MAX traded up $0.06 during trading on Friday, reaching $9.96. 1,197,624 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,292,634. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $10.41 and a 200-day moving average price of $11.41. The stock has a market capitalization of $642.10 million, a P/E ratio of 25.53 and a beta of 1.30. MediaAlpha has a fifty-two week low of $7.09 and a fifty-two week high of $13.92.

MediaAlpha (NYSE:MAX) last issued its earnings results on Monday, February 23rd. The company reported $0.50 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.25 by $0.25. MediaAlpha had a negative return on equity of 132.73% and a net margin of 2.30%.The company had revenue of $291.16 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $296.42 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.08 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that MediaAlpha will post 0.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at MediaAlpha

In other MediaAlpha news, General Counsel Jeffrey B. Coyne sold 5,000 shares of MediaAlpha stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $7.30, for a total value of $36,500.00. Following the transaction, the general counsel owned 436,783 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,188,515.90. The trade was a 1.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Steven Yi sold 12,748 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.69, for a total transaction of $123,528.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 2,688,876 shares of the company’s stock, 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. Insiders have sold a total of 516,745 shares of company stock worth $5,975,452 in the last three months. 11.53% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On MediaAlpha

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of MAX. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of MediaAlpha by 5,900.0% during the 4th quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 2,160 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 2,124 shares during the period. Quarry LP lifted its position in MediaAlpha by 43.3% during the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 4,087 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 1,234 shares during the last quarter. Strs Ohio bought a new stake in shares of MediaAlpha during the fourth quarter worth approximately $49,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its holdings in shares of MediaAlpha by 28.0% during the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 5,551 shares of the company’s stock worth $61,000 after acquiring an additional 1,213 shares during the period. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of MediaAlpha in the second quarter valued at approximately $62,000. 64.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

MediaAlpha Company Profile

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.