Why is MediaAlpha (MAX) stock rocketing higher today. Petr huřťák /. October 29, 2026 What happened? Shares of insurance customer acquisition platform MediaAlpha (NYSE:MAX) jumped 22% in the morning session after the company reported record third-quarter 2026 financial results driven by aggressive insurance carrier competition and increased marketing budgets. According to a company press release, MediaAlpha reported that revenue climbed 22.7% year over year to an all-time record of $375.9 million. MediaAlpha also generated net income of $29.4 million and adjusted EBITDA of $39.5 million for the quarter. Growth was powered by heightened carrier competition and higher client allocations in both auto and home insurance. The results demonstrated accelerating marketing demand among major insurers, alleviating prior market concerns regarding digital customer acquisition volumes and bolstering optimism around sustained earnings growth. What is the market telling us. MediaAlpha's shares are very volatile and have had 29 moves greater than 5% over the last year. But moves this big are rare even for MediaAlpha and indicate this news significantly impacted the market's perception of the business. The biggest move we wrote about over the last year was 8 months ago when the stock gained 13.1% on the news that the company reported decent fourth-quarter 2025 results that featured a significant earnings beat and a strong outlook, which overshadowed a miss on revenue. While revenue for the quarter fell 3.2% year-over-year to $291.2 million, missing analyst expectations, the company's profitability told a different story. MediaAlpha posted earnings per share of $0.50, a substantial increase from $0.08 in the same quarter of the previous year and easily topping the consensus estimate of $0.24. In addition to the earnings beat, the company's outlook for the next quarter exceeded expectations. Management guided for first-quarter revenue of $295 million and EBITDA of $30.5 million, both of which were comfortably ahead of Wall Street's forecasts, signaling positive momentum ahead. MediaAlpha is up 17.8% since the beginning of the year, and at $14.07 per share, it is trading close to its 52-week high of $14.27 from July 2026. Despite the year-to-date gain, investors who bought $1,000 worth of MediaAlpha's shares 5 years ago would now be looking at only $802.80. ALSO WORTH WATCHING: Nvidia's Quiet Partner. Nvidia's chips cost a hundred grand. The connectors that make them work cost even more. One company makes them all. Every AI server needs specialized infrastructure the chip companies don't make. High-speed cables. Power connectors. Thermal sensors. This 90-year-old company built a monopoly on it. The AI boom just started. This stock is still flying under the radar. Claim The Stock Ticker Here for FREE.

MediaAlpha reported record third-quarter results as insurance carriers raised advertising budgets on its marketplace. Revenue rose 23% year over year to $376 million, contribution grew 26% to $57 million, and adjusted EBITDA climbed 36% to $39 million. All three beat the high end of guidance. Home and renters revenue more than doubled to $66 million. Agent revenue rose 46% to $21 million, and the company now works with more than 3,000 active agents. Since September 2025, MediaAlpha has repurchased about $115 million of stock, cutting shares outstanding by 16%. For the fourth quarter, it expects revenue of $355 million to $375 million and adjusted EBITDA of $36 million to $39 million.

MediaAlpha (NYSE:MAX) announces quarterly earnings results, beats expectations by $0.18 EPS. October 28, 2026 Key points. * MediaAlpha beat quarterly expectations: The company reported adjusted EPS of $0.46, $0.18 above consensus, while revenue reached $375.95 million versus estimates of $347.93 million. * Shares dipped slightly: MAX traded down 0.3% to $11.74, with a market capitalization of approximately $719 million. The stock's 12-month range is $7.09 to $14.70. * Analyst sentiment remains moderately positive: MediaAlpha has a consensus "Moderate Buy" rating and an average price target of $13.79, although recent targets range from $10.50 to $17.00. * Five stocks to consider instead of MediaAlpha. MediaAlpha (NYSE:MAX - Get Free Report) posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday. The company reported $0.46 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.28 by $0.18, FiscalAI reports. MediaAlpha had a negative return on equity of 301.42% and a net margin of 7.94%. The business had revenue of $375.95 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $347.93 million. MediaAlpha trading down 0.3%. MAX stock traded down $0.03 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $11.74. 694,353 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 790,015. The firm has a market capitalization of $719.07 million, a P/E ratio of 7.25 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $11.26 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $10.63. MediaAlpha has a 12 month low of $7.09 and a 12 month high of $14.70. Insider transactions at MediaAlpha. In other MediaAlpha news, insider Steven Yi sold 24,000 shares of MediaAlpha stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $10.04, for a total value of $240,960.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 2,315,740 shares of the company's stock, valued at $23,250,029.60. The trade was a 1.03% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at 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, Director Eugene Nonko sold 7,273 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $11.63, for a total value of $84,584.99. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 812,730 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $9,452,049.90. This trade represents a 0.89% 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. Insiders sold a total of 395,447 shares of company stock worth $4,794,044 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 14.65% of the company's stock. Analysts set new price targets. A number of analysts have recently issued reports on MAX shares. Weiss Ratings raised MediaAlpha from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on MediaAlpha from $15.00 to $17.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Wall Street Zen raised MediaAlpha from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Saturday, August 1st. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on MediaAlpha from $11.00 to $15.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on MediaAlpha from $14.00 to $10.50 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $13.79. About MediaAlpha. 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. The company's platform supports customer acquisition across insurance categories, including property and casualty products such as auto and home insurance, as well as health, life and Medicare-related coverage. Further reading. This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to [email protected]. Before you consider MediaAlpha, you'll want to hear this. MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and MediaAlpha wasn't on the list. 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