Principal Financial Group Inc. Has $1.28 Million Stock Position in MediaAlpha, Inc. $MAX

Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in MediaAlpha, Inc. (NYSE:MAX) by 288.7% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 137,613 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 102,210 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned 0.21% of MediaAlpha worth $1,280,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of MAX. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd increased its stake in shares of MediaAlpha by 5,900.0% in the 4th quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 2,160 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 2,124 shares in the last quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. grew its holdings in MediaAlpha by 9,917.9% in the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 2,805 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 2,777 shares during the period. Quarry LP increased its stake in MediaAlpha by 43.3% in the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 4,087 shares of the company’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 1,234 shares in the last quarter. Strs Ohio bought a new stake in MediaAlpha in the fourth quarter valued at $49,000. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised 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 valued at $61,000 after purchasing an additional 1,213 shares during the period. 64.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at MediaAlpha

In related news, Director Eugene Nonko sold 4,952 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $14.05, for a total value of $69,575.60. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 860,862 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,095,111.10. This represents a 0.57% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed 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. Insiders sold a total of 440,820 shares of company stock worth $5,368,786 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 14.65% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently commented on the company. Texas Capital upgraded MediaAlpha to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 9th. Capital One Financial set a $11.00 price target on MediaAlpha in a report on Tuesday, June 9th. Wall Street Zen upgraded MediaAlpha from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, July 12th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on MediaAlpha from $15.00 to $17.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group increased their target price on MediaAlpha from $15.00 to $17.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $13.29.

MediaAlpha News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting MediaAlpha this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q2 earnings and revenue exceeded expectations. MediaAlpha reported adjusted earnings of $0.65 per share, well above the $0.21 consensus estimate, while revenue increased 26% year over year to a record $316.9 million, topping expectations of approximately $300.9 million. Net income reached $41.8 million and adjusted EBITDA was $29.3 million. MediaAlpha Announces Second Quarter 2026 Financial Results
• Positive Sentiment: Management projected continued growth. Third-quarter revenue guidance of $330 million to $355 million brackets or exceeds the roughly $332.4 million analyst consensus. The company also expects to generate $90 million to $100 million in free cash flow for 2026, supporting its financial flexibility. MediaAlpha Q3 Revenue and Free Cash Flow Guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Share repurchases may support the stock. MediaAlpha repurchased more than $41 million of its shares during the first half of 2026, potentially improving per-share value and signaling management confidence.
• Neutral Sentiment: Goldman Sachs raised its price target but maintained a neutral rating. The firm increased its target from $10 to $14, indicating limited implied upside from recent trading levels. The higher target recognizes improved operating results, while the unchanged neutral stance may restrain enthusiasm. Benzinga analyst update
• Neutral Sentiment: Director selling was tied to tax obligations. Director Eugene Nonko sold shares in several transactions totaling roughly 48,000 shares over July 27–29. The sales were conducted under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan to cover tax withholding from vested equity awards, and he continues to hold a substantial position, reducing the negative signal.

MediaAlpha Price Performance

MAX opened at $13.49 on Friday. MediaAlpha, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $7.09 and a fifty-two week high of $14.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $841.04 million, a PE ratio of 8.33 and a beta of 1.08. The company’s 50-day moving average is $11.47 and its 200 day moving average is $10.18.

MediaAlpha (NYSE:MAX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The company reported $0.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.21 by $0.44. The business 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 235.09% and a net margin of 7.94%. As a group, analysts expect that MediaAlpha, Inc. will post 0.97 EPS for the current year.

MediaAlpha 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.