MediaAlpha delivered a quarter that exceeded Wall Street’s expectations, prompting a significant positive market reaction. Management highlighted that broadening carrier participation and intensifying competition for ins
Why MAX Stock surged +20.56% Today — RQD Quant Desk Flash
MediaAlpha Inc. (Class A) (MAX) earns a Roarable Rating of B- (Buy) with 70/100 RQD Confidence. High-quality cash engine (15% profit margin, 20% return on capital) with steady institutional support. The company’s underlying cash engine and institutional positioning keep the composite score in the Green Buy zone.
🤖 Mara Quenwick • AI Quant Lead (Click for Instant Brief)
Is MAX stock a Buy, Hold, or Sell right now according to Roarable's RQD model?
▼
As of 2026-11-01, MediaAlpha Inc. (Class A) (NYSE: MAX) is rated B- (Buy / BUY) by Roarable's 5-pillar RQD engine with a composite confidence score of 70/100 at a spot price of $14.13 (+20.56% 1D, market cap $836.4M). Pillar breakdown: Fundamental Cash Engine 15/20, Institutional 13F & Options Flow 16/20, Executive Insider Alignment 12/20, FRED Macro Regime Fit 11/20, and SEC Balance-Sheet Forensics 16/20. Across 1011 tracked Consumer Discretionary issuers, MAX ranks #180 in composite RQD confidence.
🤖 Ellis Vennor • AI Peer & Flow Quant (Click for Instant Brief)
How does MAX compare to PHR and QNST in the Consumer Discretionary sector?
▼
Within the Consumer Discretionary sector (Business Services), MAX carries a Roarable B- (70/100 RQD), trailing P/E of 32.6x, gross margin of 15.0%, and ROIC of 19.7%. By comparison, PHR (Phreesia Inc.) holds a D+ grade (57/100 RQD, P/E N/A, ROIC -2.0%, cap $777.7M) and QNST (QuinStreet Inc.) posts a B grade (73/100 RQD, P/E N/A, ROIC 2.6%, cap $980.8M). Among the 5-stock peer group, PRTH leads on earnings multiple (11.6x) while MAX leads on capital efficiency (19.7% ROIC).
🤖 Gideon Ashmere • AI SEC 10-K Forensics (Click for Instant Brief)
What are the biggest fundamental strengths and SEC risk factors for MAX?
▼
Per MAX's SEC EDGAR XBRL 10-K filing (FY2025, filed 2025-12-31, CIK 0001818383), MediaAlpha Inc. (Class A) generated $1.11B in revenue (+28.8% YoY), $25.6M in net income, and $65.3M in free cash flow against $383.8M in total assets and $131.6M in total debt. Key quantitative strengths: Strong cash generator (15% profit margin)—profits are backed by real money, not accounting tricks.. Primary risk factors monitored: Recent SEC filings added new risk-factor disclosures that warrant keeping an eye on margins.. Institutional options positioning shows a 50% call / 50% put premium split.
Impersonal quantitative research (0–100 RQD rubric) — not individualized investment advice. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Full Disclaimer
20D Institutional Volume Accumulation (±12% realized swing band)
SEC Form 4 / 13F Thermometer: 80% Net Buy • Cannibal Buyback (-2.36% YoY Shares)
Macro rate sensitivity & RSI-14 (76) create a -9 pt regime headwind
⚔️ Adversarial Opposing Case: Why the MAX Bull Thesis Could Fail
Even with a 70/100 (B-) score, MAX faces multiple-compression risk if 32.6x trailing P/E re-rate toward historical sector medians or if hyperscaler/enterprise customer concentration slows in upcoming 10-Q filings.
Recent SEC filings added new risk-factor disclosures that warrant keeping an eye on margins.
Dilution & Margin Drag: Cannibal Buyback (-2.36% YoY Shares) — any gross margin slip below 15.0% triggers an automatic RQD downgrade.
Technical & Forensic Kill-Switch: A daily close below the 50D SMA ($11.28) or 200D SMA ($10.63) invalidates the momentum regime and cuts Target Base ($14.89) toward Bear Floor ($11.59).
Why MAX Stock surged +20.56% Today — RQD Quant Desk Flash
MediaAlpha Inc. (Class A) (MAX) surged +20.56% to $14.13, trading at 90% of its 52-week range ($7.09 – $14.87). High-quality cash engine (15% profit margin, 20% return on capital) with steady institutional support.
- ▸Technical Tape: Trading at 90% of its 52-week range ($7.09 – $14.87) with RSI-14 at 76 (OVERBOUGHT (>70)).
- ▸Volatility Profile: Historical 20-day realized swing band of ±12% around $14.13 (no active unusual options sweep snapshot on file).
- ▸Fundamental Anchor: Roarable B- (Buy) backed by 15% gross margin and $65.3M annual free cash flow.
2026-10-30. The following slide deck was published by MediaAlpha, Inc.
MediaAlpha (MAX) might move higher on growing optimism about its earnings prospects, which is reflected by its upgrade to a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
MediaAlpha entered this Q3 2026 report with a reputation as a cheap, controversial online insurance marketplace, trading on a low P/E and facing heavy debate about how real its earnings power is. The stock then rose 20.6
Canaccord Genuity analyst Michael Graham maintains MediaAlpha (NYSE:MAX) with a Buy and raises the price target from $17 to $18.
JP Morgan analyst Bryan Smilek maintains MediaAlpha (NYSE:MAX) with a Neutral and raises the price target from $15 to $16.
RBC Capital analyst Ben Hendrix maintains MediaAlpha (NYSE:MAX) with a Outperform and raises the price target from $15 to $17.
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 comp
Premarket movers on Oct. 29, 2026 include NCPL, PCLA, INLF, NUWE, BURU, INSM, CROX, GKOS, MAX, PRCH, IOVA, XRX, FTNT, SFM, TWI, ALNY and NOW.
Goldman Sachs analyst Eric Sheridan maintains MediaAlpha (NYSE:MAX) with a Neutral and raises the price target from $10.5 to $13.
Scheduled RQD Strong Buys & Whale Accumulation Briefing (MAX Tape Review)
- ✓Breakdown of the highest-scoring RQD Green-Light breakouts across our 5,200+ rated universe
- ✓Forensic Red-Light accounting & dilution traps to review on your watchlist
- ✓Includes downloadable .ics calendar invite & nightly RQD rating-change email alerts
MAX Dilution Monitor, Expectations Hurdle, Butterfly Connections & Policy Exposure
Multi-year comparable XBRL diluted share count not disclosed (ETF or recent listing).
vs. +28.8% actual YoY revenue growth (assuming 9.25% cost of equity & 16.5x terminal multiple).
No active Ellis Vennor swing setup published on MAX today. View full Setup Ledger →
No direct multi-tier Butterfly edges indexed yet for MAX. Explore sector supply chains on /butterfly.
📊 Quantitative Sector Peer Comparison, SEC Filing Delta & Investment FAQ (MAX)
1. Head-to-Head Consumer Discretionary Peer Comparison (MAX vs. PHR, QNST, CASS, PRTH)
Industry: Business Services (90 Tracked Issuers)Across 1011 tracked Consumer Discretionary securities in the Roarable RQD universe, MediaAlpha Inc. (Class A) (MAX) ranks #180 by composite RQD confidence (70/100, grade B-) and #532 by equity capitalization ($836.4M). Within this direct 5-issuer industry benchmark cohort, PRTH leads on earnings valuation at 11.6x trailing P/E, while MAX leads on capital efficiency and profitability with 19.7% ROIC and 15.0% gross margin. QNST currently holds the highest overall quantitative score in the immediate peer group at 73/100 (B) compared with MAX at 70/100 (B-).
| Ticker / Company | Roarable Grade | RQD Score | Trailing P/E | Gross Margin | ROIC | 1D Change | Market Cap | Head-to-Head |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MAX
ACTIVE
MediaAlpha Inc. (Class A) | B- | 70/100 | 32.6x | 15.0% | 19.7% | +20.56% | $836.4M | Benchmark Subject |
| PHR Phreesia Inc. | D+ | 57/100 | — | — | -2.0% | +1.29% | $777.7M | /phr-vs-max → |
| QNST QuinStreet Inc. | B | 73/100 | — | 10.1% | 2.6% | +4.83% | $980.8M | /qnst-vs-max → |
| CASS Cass Information Systems Inc | C+ | 66/100 | 19.6x | — | 14.5% | -0.30% | $687.8M | /cass-vs-max → |
| PRTH Priority Technology Holdings Inc. | D+ | 56/100 | 11.6x | — | 12.9% | 0.00% | $647.2M | /prth-vs-max → |
2. Multi-Year SEC XBRL Revenue, Cash Flow & Balance-Sheet Trajectory (FY2023–FY2025)
SEC EDGAR 10-K • FILED 2025-12-31 • CIK 0001818383In its most recent audited fiscal period (FY2025, filed 2025-12-31), MediaAlpha Inc. (Class A) (MAX) reported GAAP revenue of $1.11B (+28.8% vs. FY2024 revenue of $864.7M , and +186.9% cumulative change since FY2023) , GAAP net income of $25.6M, operating cash flow of $65.6M, and free cash flow of $65.3M (+43.1% YoY). On the balance sheet, MAX closed FY2025 with $383.8M in total assets against $131.6M in total debt (Altman Z-Score: 2.64, Piotroski F-Score: 7/9).
| Fiscal Period | Filing Date | Revenue | Net Income | Operating Cash Flow | Free Cash Flow | Total Assets | Total Debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 (FY) | 2025-12-31 | $1.11B | $25.6M | $65.6M | $65.3M | $383.8M | $131.6M |
| FY2024 (FY) | 2024-12-31 | $864.7M | $16.6M | $45.9M | $45.6M | $262.4M | $153.6M |
| FY2023 (FY) | 2023-12-31 | $388.1M | -$40.4M | $20.2M | $20.2M | — | — |
3. MAX Data-Verified Investor FAQ (RQD Rating, Sector Peers, SEC Forensics & Technicals)
✓ SCHEMA.ORG FAQPAGE JSON-LD ENABLEDIs MAX stock a Buy, Hold, or Sell right now according to Roarable's RQD model?
As of 2026-11-01, MediaAlpha Inc. (Class A) (NYSE: MAX) is rated B- (Buy / BUY) by Roarable's 5-pillar RQD engine with a composite confidence score of 70/100 at a spot price of $14.13 (+20.56% 1D, market cap $836.4M). Pillar breakdown: Fundamental Cash Engine 15/20, Institutional 13F & Options Flow 16/20, Executive Insider Alignment 12/20, FRED Macro Regime Fit 11/20, and SEC Balance-Sheet Forensics 16/20. Across 1011 tracked Consumer Discretionary issuers, MAX ranks #180 in composite RQD confidence.
How does MAX compare to PHR and QNST in the Consumer Discretionary sector?
Within the Consumer Discretionary sector (Business Services), MAX carries a Roarable B- (70/100 RQD), trailing P/E of 32.6x, gross margin of 15.0%, and ROIC of 19.7%. By comparison, PHR (Phreesia Inc.) holds a D+ grade (57/100 RQD, P/E N/A, ROIC -2.0%, cap $777.7M) and QNST (QuinStreet Inc.) posts a B grade (73/100 RQD, P/E N/A, ROIC 2.6%, cap $980.8M). Among the 5-stock peer group, PRTH leads on earnings multiple (11.6x) while MAX leads on capital efficiency (19.7% ROIC).
What are the biggest fundamental strengths and SEC risk factors for MAX?
Per MAX's SEC EDGAR XBRL 10-K filing (FY2025, filed 2025-12-31, CIK 0001818383), MediaAlpha Inc. (Class A) generated $1.11B in revenue (+28.8% YoY), $25.6M in net income, and $65.3M in free cash flow against $383.8M in total assets and $131.6M in total debt. Key quantitative strengths: Strong cash generator (15% profit margin)—profits are backed by real money, not accounting tricks.. Primary risk factors monitored: Recent SEC filings added new risk-factor disclosures that warrant keeping an eye on margins.. Institutional options positioning shows a 50% call / 50% put premium split.
Where is MAX trading relative to its 50-day, 200-day, and 52-week technical levels?
MAX last traded at $14.13 (+20.56% on volume of 2,964,809 shares), positioning the stock +25.27% above its 50-day simple moving average ($11.28) and +32.93% above its 200-day simple moving average ($10.63). Across its 52-week range of $7.09 to $14.87, MAX sits at the 90.5% percentile with a 14-day RSI of 76.0 (OVERBOUGHT (>70)) and an implied next-earnings move of ±12.0% ($12.43 to $15.83).
MAX Investor FAQ & Complete 8-Part Research Index
100% OPEN ACCESS • SEC EDGAR × CBOE × FREDWhy is MAX stock moving today?
Why MAX Stock surged +20.56% Today — RQD Quant Desk Flash. High-quality cash engine (15% profit margin, 20% return on capital) with steady institutional support.