MediaAlpha Announces First Quarter 2026 Financial Results
Rhea-AI Summary
MediaAlpha (NYSE: MAX) reported record first-quarter 2026 results: revenue $310.0 million (+17% YoY), net income $14.0 million versus a $2.3 million loss year-ago, and Adjusted EBITDA $31.4 million. The company repurchased about 2.6 million shares for $25 million year-to-date.
The company refinanced credit facilities (new $150M term loan and $60M revolver maturing March 2031) and provided Q2 2026 guidance: revenue $290M–$310M, Contribution $45.5M–$48.5M, Adjusted EBITDA $28.0M–$30.5M.
Positive
- Revenue of $310.0 million (+17% year-over-year)
- Net income of $14.0 million vs. prior-year net loss of $(2.3) million
- Adjusted EBITDA of $31.4 million
- Completed refinancing: $150M term loan and $60M revolver maturing March 2031
- Repurchased ~2.6 million shares for $25 million year-to-date (3.7M cumulatively)
Negative
- Gross margin declined to 15.1% from 15.8% year-ago
- Contribution margin decreased to 15.7% from 16.6% year-ago
- Second-quarter guidance includes an approx. $2M YoY decline in Contribution from under-65 Health
News Market Reaction – MAX
In the Apr 30 session, MAX declined 14.90%, reflecting a significant negative market reaction. Argus tracked a trough of -11.5% from its starting point during tracking. Our momentum scanner triggered 21 alerts that day, indicating elevated trading interest and price volatility.
Data tracked by StockTitan Argus on the day of publication.
Key Figures
Previous Earnings Reports
| Date | Event | Sentiment | 24h Move | Catalyst |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 23 | Q4/FY 2025 earnings | Positive | +15.4% | Strong Q4 and full-year revenue growth and higher Adjusted EBITDA with net income. |
| Oct 29 | Q3 2025 earnings | Positive | +10.0% | Solid Q3 revenue and Transaction Value growth led by P&C strength despite health weakness. |
| Aug 06 | Q2 2025 earnings | Positive | +10.1% | Strong revenue and Transaction Value growth, with higher Adjusted EBITDA despite an FTC reserve. |
| Apr 30 | Q1 2025 earnings | Positive | +14.2% | Exceptional revenue and Transaction Value growth, driven by P&C, with Adjusted EBITDA doubling. |
| Feb 24 | Q4/FY 2024 earnings | Positive | -18.5% | Very strong Q4 and full-year growth and a swing to net income but negative price reaction. |
24h Move is the share-price change in the day after each event; other market factors may also have contributed.
Earnings releases have typically driven positive moves, with one notable negative divergence despite strong reported growth.
Over the past year, MediaAlpha’s earnings reports have repeatedly highlighted strong revenue growth, expanding Transaction Value, and improving profitability, particularly in the P&C vertical. Prior quarters like Q4 2025 and Q3 2025 showed double‑digit revenue growth and rising Adjusted EBITDA, often accompanied by positive price reactions. One exception was the Q4/FY 2024 release, where strong metrics coincided with a sharp negative move, showing that sentiment can occasionally diverge from fundamentals.
Key Terms
adjusted ebitda financial
contribution margin financial
non-gaap financial
term loan financial
revolving credit facility financial
regulation fd regulatory
guidance financial
open marketplace technical
AI-generated analysis. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.
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LOS ANGELES, April 29, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MediaAlpha, Inc. (NYSE: MAX) ("MediaAlpha" or the "Company"), today announced its financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2026.
“We delivered record first-quarter results, driven by strong auto insurance advertising spend and broader carrier participation resulting in a continued favorable mix shift to our Open Marketplace,” said Steve Yi, CEO of MediaAlpha. “We are energized by our deeper engagement with a growing number of carriers about further leveraging our trusted infrastructure and AI-powered targeting capabilities to maximize their ROI and gain share in a highly competitive market.”
MediaAlpha CFO Pat Thompson added, “During the quarter, we refinanced our credit facilities, extending our debt maturity profile to 2031. We continue to return significant capital to our shareholders, repurchasing over
First Quarter 2026 Financial Results
- Revenue of
$310.0 million , an increase of17% year over year; - Gross margin of
15.1% , compared with15.8% in the first quarter of 2025; - Contribution Margin(1) of
15.7% , compared with16.6% in the first quarter of 2025; - Net income was
$14.0 million , compared with a net loss of$(2.3) million in the first quarter of 2025; - Adjusted EBITDA(1) was
$31.4 million , compared with$29.4 million in the first quarter of 2025; - Repurchased approximately 2.6 million shares for
$25 million year to date, bringing cumulative repurchases under the Company's$100 million share repurchase program to 3.7 million shares; - Completed refinancing of credit facilities, establishing a new
$150 million term loan and$60 million revolving credit facility, both maturing in March 2031.
(1)A reconciliation of GAAP to Non-GAAP financial measures has been provided at the end of this press release. An explanation of these measures is also included below under the heading “Non-GAAP Financial Measures.”
Financial Outlook
Our guidance for the second quarter of 2026 reflects continued strength in our Property & Casualty (P&C) insurance vertical. We expect revenue to grow approximately
For the second quarter of 2026, MediaAlpha currently expects the following:
- Revenue between
$290 million -$310 million , representing a19% year-over-year increase at the midpoint of the guidance range. - Contribution between
$45.5 million -$48.5 million , representing a18% year-over-year increase at the midpoint of the guidance range. - Adjusted EBITDA between
$28.0 million -$30.5 million , representing a19% year-over-year increase at the midpoint of the guidance range, including an approximately$2 million year-over-year decline in Contribution from under-65 Health. Excluding under-65 Health, we expect Contribution to increase by25% year over year and Adjusted EBITDA to increase by31% year over year at the guidance midpoints.
Effective with the first quarter of 2026, the Company is discontinuing its reporting of and guidance for Transaction Value, a non-GAAP operating metric, in order to simplify our reporting structure. As our scale advantage has become well-established, the Company believes that Revenue, Contribution, Contribution Margin, and Adjusted EBITDA are the most relevant metrics for investors evaluating the Company's performance relative to our peers.
With respect to the Company’s projections of Adjusted EBITDA and Contribution under “Financial Outlook,” MediaAlpha is not providing a reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA to net income (loss), or of Contribution to gross profit, because the Company is unable to predict with reasonable certainty the reconciling items that may affect the corresponding GAAP measures without unreasonable effort. These reconciling items are uncertain, depend on various factors and could significantly impact, either individually or in the aggregate, the corresponding GAAP measures for the applicable period.
For a detailed explanation of the Company’s non-GAAP measures, please refer to the appendix section of this press release.
Conference Call Information
MediaAlpha will host a Q&A conference call today to discuss the Company's first quarter 2026 results and its financial outlook for the second quarter of 2026 at 2:00 p.m. Pacific Time (5:00 p.m. Eastern Time). A live audio webcast of the call will be available on the MediaAlpha Investor Relations website at https://investors.mediaalpha.com. To register for the webcast, click here. Participants may also dial-in, toll-free, at (800) 715-9871 or (646) 307-1963, with passcode 4459225. An audio replay of the conference call will be available following the call and available on the MediaAlpha Investor Relations website at https://investors.mediaalpha.com.
The Company has also posted investor supplemental materials on its investor relations website. MediaAlpha has used, and intends to continue to use, its investor relations website at https://investors.mediaalpha.com as a means of disclosing material nonpublic information and for complying with its disclosure obligations under Regulation FD.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including without limitation statements regarding our deeper engagement with a growing number of carriers about further leveraging our trusted infrastructure and AI-powered targeting capabilities; our expectations regarding the timing and amounts of share repurchases; and our financial outlook for the second quarter of 2026. These forward-looking statements reflect our current views with respect to, among other things, future events and our financial performance. These statements are often, but not always, made through the use of words or phrases such as “may,” “should,” “could,” “predict,” “potential,” “believe,” “will likely result,” “expect,” “continue,” “will,” “anticipate,” “seek,” “estimate,” “intend,” “plan,” “projection,” “would,” and “outlook,” or the negative version of those words or other comparable words or phrases of a future or forward-looking nature. These forward-looking statements are not historical facts, and are based on current expectations, estimates and projections about our industry, management’s beliefs and certain assumptions made by management, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain and beyond our control. Accordingly, we caution you that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks, assumptions and uncertainties that are difficult to predict. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable as of the date made, actual results may prove to be materially different from the results expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements.
There are or will be important factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those indicated in these forward-looking statements, including those more fully described in MediaAlpha’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), including the Form 10-K filed on February 23, 2026 and the Form 10-Q to be filed on April 29, 2026. These factors should not be construed as exhaustive. MediaAlpha disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that occur after the date of this press release.
Non-GAAP Financial Measures and Operating Metrics
This press release includes Adjusted EBITDA, Contribution, and Contribution Margin, which are non-GAAP financial measures. See the appendix for definitions of Adjusted EBITDA, Contribution and Contribution Margin, as well as reconciliations to the corresponding GAAP financial metrics, as applicable.
We present Adjusted EBITDA, Contribution, and Contribution Margin because they are used extensively by our management and board of directors to manage our operating performance, including evaluating our operational performance against budget and assessing our overall operating efficiency and operating leverage. Accordingly, we believe that Adjusted EBITDA, Contribution, and Contribution Margin provide useful information to investors and others in understanding and evaluating our operating results in the same manner as our management team and board of directors. Each of Adjusted EBITDA, Contribution, and Contribution Margin has limitations as a financial measure and investors should not consider it in isolation or as a substitute for analysis of our results as reported under GAAP.
About MediaAlpha
We believe we are the insurance industry’s leading programmatic customer acquisition platform. With more than 1,150 active partners, in addition to our agent partners, we connect insurance carriers with online shoppers and generated over 141 million Consumer Referrals in 2025. Our programmatic advertising technology powered
Contacts:
Investors
Denise Garcia
Hayflower Partners
Denise@HayflowerPartners.com
| MediaAlpha, Inc. and subsidiaries Consolidated Balance Sheets (Unaudited; in thousands, except share data and per share amounts) | |||||||
| March 31, 2026 | December 31, 2025 | ||||||
| Assets | |||||||
| Current assets | |||||||
| Cash and cash equivalents | $ | 26,051 | $ | 46,876 | |||
| Accounts receivable, net of allowance for credit losses of | 133,796 | 123,019 | |||||
| Prepaid expenses and other current assets | 5,358 | 4,477 | |||||
| Total current assets | 165,205 | 174,372 | |||||
| Intangible assets, net | 3,113 | 3,590 | |||||
| Goodwill | 47,739 | 47,739 | |||||
| Deferred tax assets | 143,699 | 149,734 | |||||
| Other assets | 7,959 | 8,396 | |||||
| Total assets | $ | 367,715 | $ | 383,831 | |||
| Liabilities and stockholders' deficit | |||||||
| Current liabilities | |||||||
| Accounts payable | $ | 91,398 | $ | 91,094 | |||
| Accrued expenses | 14,604 | 34,746 | |||||
| Current portion of long-term debt | 7,167 | 21,807 | |||||
| Total current liabilities | 113,169 | 147,647 | |||||
| Long-term debt, net of current portion | 156,336 | 131,602 | |||||
| Liabilities under tax receivables agreement, net of current portion | 116,564 | 124,212 | |||||
| Other long-term liabilities | 10,738 | 9,564 | |||||
| Total liabilities | $ | 396,807 | $ | 413,025 | |||
| Commitments and contingencies | |||||||
| Stockholders' deficit | |||||||
| Class A common stock, | 546 | 562 | |||||
| Class B common stock, | 83 | 83 | |||||
| Preferred stock, | — | — | |||||
| Additional paid-in capital | 470,131 | 483,825 | |||||
| Accumulated deficit | (468,843 | ) | (480,310 | ) | |||
| Total stockholders' equity attributable to MediaAlpha, Inc. | $ | 1,917 | $ | 4,160 | |||
| Non-controlling interests | (31,009 | ) | (33,354 | ) | |||
| Total stockholders' deficit | $ | (29,092 | ) | $ | (29,194 | ) | |
| Total liabilities and stockholders' deficit | $ | 367,715 | $ | 383,831 | |||
| MediaAlpha, Inc. and subsidiaries Consolidated Statements of Operations (Unaudited; in thousands, except share data and per share amounts) | |||||||
| Three Months Ended March 31, | |||||||
| 2026 | 2025 | ||||||
| Revenue | $ | 310,004 | $ | 264,309 | |||
| Costs and operating expenses | |||||||
| Cost of revenue | 263,305 | 222,670 | |||||
| Sales and marketing | 5,328 | 5,626 | |||||
| Product development | 5,455 | 4,886 | |||||
| General and administrative | 13,542 | 17,595 | |||||
| Write-off of intangible assets | — | 13,416 | |||||
| Total costs and operating expenses | 287,630 | 264,193 | |||||
| Income from operations | 22,374 | 116 | |||||
| Other (income), net | (615 | ) | (456 | ) | |||
| Interest expense | 2,441 | 2,955 | |||||
| Total other expense, net | 1,826 | 2,499 | |||||
| Income (loss) before income taxes | 20,548 | (2,383 | ) | ||||
| Income tax expense (benefit) | 6,502 | (49 | ) | ||||
| Net income (loss) | $ | 14,046 | $ | (2,334 | ) | ||
| Net income (loss) attributable to non-controlling interest | 2,579 | (386 | ) | ||||
| Net income (loss) attributable to MediaAlpha, Inc. | $ | 11,467 | $ | (1,948 | ) | ||
| Net income (loss) attributable to MediaAlpha, Inc. per share of Class A common stock | |||||||
| -Basic and diluted | $ | 0.21 | $ | (0.04 | ) | ||
| Weighted average shares of Class A common stock outstanding | |||||||
| -Basic and diluted | 55,846,097 | 55,632,321 | |||||
| MediaAlpha, Inc. and subsidiaries Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (Unaudited; in thousands) | |||||||
| Three Months Ended March 31, | |||||||
| 2026 | 2025 | ||||||
| Cash flows from operating activities | |||||||
| Net income (loss) | $ | 14,046 | $ | (2,334 | ) | ||
| Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to net cash (used in) provided by operating activities: | |||||||
| Equity-based compensation expense | 7,259 | 7,024 | |||||
| Non-cash lease expense | 261 | 227 | |||||
| Depreciation expense on property and equipment | 74 | 62 | |||||
| Amortization of intangible assets | 477 | 1,444 | |||||
| Amortization of deferred debt issuance costs | 140 | 180 | |||||
| Loss on extinguishment of debt | 235 | — | |||||
| Write-off of intangible assets | — | 13,416 | |||||
| Credit losses | 45 | (95 | ) | ||||
| Deferred taxes | 6,035 | — | |||||
| Tax receivables agreement | (803 | ) | — | ||||
| Changes in operating assets and liabilities: | |||||||
| Accounts receivable | (10,822 | ) | 28,181 | ||||
| Prepaid expenses and other current assets | (108 | ) | (363 | ) | |||
| Other assets | 125 | 125 | |||||
| Accounts payable | 304 | (23,209 | ) | ||||
| Accrued expenses | (18,824 | ) | (957 | ) | |||
| Net cash (used in) provided by operating activities | $ | (1,556 | ) | $ | 23,701 | ||
| Cash flows from investing activities | |||||||
| Purchases of property and equipment | (42 | ) | (57 | ) | |||
| Net cash (used in) investing activities | $ | (42 | ) | $ | (57 | ) | |
| Cash flows from financing activities | |||||||
| Proceeds from revolving line of credit | 15,000 | — | |||||
| Repayments on revolving line of credit | (5,000 | ) | — | ||||
| Proceeds from issuance of long-term debt | 150,000 | — | |||||
| Repayments on long-term debt | (148,953 | ) | (2,375 | ) | |||
| Payments of debt issuance costs | (2,101 | ) | — | ||||
| Repurchases of Class A common stock | (20,268 | ) | — | ||||
| Contributions from QLH’s members | 274 | — | |||||
| Distributions to non-controlling interests | (508 | ) | (107 | ) | |||
| Payments pursuant to tax receivables agreement | (6,990 | ) | — | ||||
| Shares withheld for taxes on vesting of restricted stock units | (681 | ) | (867 | ) | |||
| Net cash (used in) financing activities | $ | (19,227 | ) | $ | (3,349 | ) | |
| Net (decrease) increase in cash and cash equivalents | (20,825 | ) | 20,295 | ||||
| Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period | 46,876 | 43,266 | |||||
| Cash and cash equivalents, end of period | $ | 26,051 | $ | 63,561 | |||
Key business and operating metrics and Non-GAAP financial measures
Contribution and Contribution Margin
We define “Contribution” as revenue less revenue share payments and online advertising costs, or, as reported in our consolidated statements of operations, revenue less cost of revenue (i.e., gross profit), as adjusted to exclude the following items from cost of revenue: equity-based compensation; salaries, wages, and related costs; internet and hosting costs; amortization; depreciation; other services; and merchant-related fees. We define “Contribution Margin” as Contribution expressed as a percentage of revenue for the same period. Contribution and Contribution Margin are non-GAAP financial measures that we present to supplement the financial information we present on a GAAP basis. We use Contribution and Contribution Margin to measure the return on our relationships with our Supply Partners (excluding certain fixed costs), the financial return on and efficacy of our online advertising costs to drive consumers to our proprietary websites, and our operating leverage. We do not use Contribution and Contribution Margin as measures of overall profitability. We present Contribution and Contribution Margin because they are used by our management and board of directors to manage our operating performance, including evaluating our operational performance against budget and assessing our overall operating efficiency and operating leverage. For example, if Contribution increases and our headcount costs and other operating expenses remain steady, our Adjusted EBITDA and operating leverage increase. If Contribution Margin decreases, we may choose to re-evaluate and re-negotiate our revenue share agreements with our Supply Partners, to make optimization and pricing changes with respect to our bids for keywords from primary traffic acquisition sources, or to change our overall cost structure with respect to headcount, fixed costs and other costs. Other companies may calculate Contribution and Contribution Margin differently than we do. Contribution and Contribution Margin have their limitations as analytical tools, and you should not consider them in isolation or as substitutes for analysis of our results presented in accordance with GAAP.
The following table reconciles Contribution with gross profit, the most directly comparable financial measure calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP, for the three months ended March 31, 2026 and 2025:
| Three Months Ended March 31, | ||||||||
| (in thousands) | 2026 | 2025 | ||||||
| Revenue | $ | 310,004 | $ | 264,309 | ||||
| Less cost of revenue | (263,305 | ) | (222,670 | ) | ||||
| Gross profit | $ | 46,699 | $ | 41,639 | ||||
| Adjusted to exclude the following (as related to cost of revenue): | ||||||||
| Equity-based compensation | 143 | 294 | ||||||
| Salaries, wages, and related | 345 | 816 | ||||||
| Internet and hosting | 255 | 171 | ||||||
| Other expenses | 147 | 202 | ||||||
| Depreciation | 3 | 6 | ||||||
| Other services | 832 | 712 | ||||||
| Merchant-related fees | 240 | 142 | ||||||
| Contribution | $ | 48,664 | $ | 43,982 | ||||
| Gross margin | 15.1 | % | 15.8 | % | ||||
| Contribution Margin | 15.7 | % | 16.6 | % | ||||
Adjusted EBITDA
We define “Adjusted EBITDA” as net income (loss) excluding interest expense, income tax expense (benefit), depreciation expense on property and equipment, amortization of intangible assets, as well as equity-based compensation expense and certain other adjustments as listed in the table below. Adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP financial measure that we present to supplement the financial information we present on a GAAP basis. We monitor and present Adjusted EBITDA because it is a key measure used by our management to understand and evaluate our operating performance, to establish budgets and to develop operational goals for managing our business. We believe that Adjusted EBITDA helps identify underlying trends in our business that could otherwise be masked by the effect of the expenses that we exclude in the calculations of Adjusted EBITDA. Accordingly, we believe that Adjusted EBITDA provides useful information to investors and others in understanding and evaluating our operating results, enhancing the overall understanding of our past performance and future prospects. In addition, presenting Adjusted EBITDA provides investors with a metric to evaluate the capital efficiency of our business.
Adjusted EBITDA is not presented in accordance with GAAP and should not be considered in isolation of, or as an alternative to, measures presented in accordance with GAAP. There are a number of limitations related to the use of Adjusted EBITDA rather than net income, which is the most directly comparable financial measure calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP. These limitations include the fact that Adjusted EBITDA excludes interest expense on debt, income tax expense (benefit), equity-based compensation expense, depreciation and amortization, and certain other adjustments that we consider to be useful to investors and others in understanding and evaluating our operating results. In addition, other companies may use other measures to evaluate their performance, including different definitions of “Adjusted EBITDA,” which could reduce the usefulness of our Adjusted EBITDA as a tool for comparison.
The following table reconciles Adjusted EBITDA with net income (loss), the most directly comparable financial measure calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP, for the three months ended March 31, 2026 and 2025:
| Three Months Ended March 31, | ||||||||
| (in thousands) | 2026 | 2025 | ||||||
| Net income (loss) | $ | 14,046 | $ | (2,334 | ) | |||
| Equity-based compensation expense | 7,259 | 7,024 | ||||||
| Interest expense | 2,441 | 2,955 | ||||||
| Income tax expense (benefit) | 6,502 | (49 | ) | |||||
| Depreciation expense on property and equipment | 74 | 62 | ||||||
| Amortization of intangible assets | 477 | 1,444 | ||||||
| Transaction expenses(1) | 1,298 | — | ||||||
| Write-off of intangible assets(2) | — | 13,416 | ||||||
| Changes in TRA related liability(3) | (803 | ) | — | |||||
| Changes in Tax Indemnification Receivable | 17 | (21 | ) | |||||
| Legal expenses(4) | 49 | 6,879 | ||||||
| Adjusted EBITDA | $ | 31,360 | $ | 29,376 | ||||
| (1) | Transaction expenses for the three months ended March 31, 2026 consist of legal and other fees of |
| (2) | Write-off of intangible assets for the three months ended March 31, 2025 consists of a charge related to the write-off of customer relationships and trademarks, trade names, and domain names intangible assets acquired as part of the acquisition of Customer Helper Team, LLC. |
| (3) | Changes in TRA related liability consist of adjustments to the TRA liability to reflect probable future payments under the agreement. |
| (4) | Legal expenses for the three months ended March 31, 2026 were immaterial. Legal expenses for the three months ended March 31, 2025, consist of an increase of |
