Empire State Gazette
SEE OTHER BRANDS

Following the news from New York

MediaAlpha Announces Third Quarter 2025 Financial Results

Third Quarter Revenue Growth of 18% and Transaction Value Growth of 30%;
Record Transaction Value of $548 million in Property & Casualty Insurance Vertical

Third Quarter Net Income of $17.6 million; Adjusted EBITDA(1) of $29.1 million

New $50 million Share Repurchase Program Authorized by Board of Directors

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 29, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MediaAlpha, Inc. (NYSE: MAX) ("MediaAlpha" or the "Company"), today announced its financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2025.

“We delivered record third quarter results, driven by continued robust growth in our Property & Casualty (P&C) insurance vertical as carrier demand intensified and our partner base expanded,” said Steve Yi, CEO of MediaAlpha. “More auto insurance carriers are focusing on growth as they restore underwriting profitably, driving increased advertising budgets across the industry. We expect sustained growth in our P&C vertical as these increases continue, with broader participation in our marketplace having a positive effect on our profitability.”

Yi continued, “Consistent with our continued commitment to delivering long-term value for shareholders, our Board has authorized an additional $50 million share repurchase program. We believe buying back our stock, particularly at the current share price level, is an attractive use of cash.”

Third Quarter 2025 Financial Results

  • Revenue of $306.5 million, an increase of 18% year over year;
  • Transaction Value of $589.3 million, an increase of 30% year over year;
    • Transaction Value from Property & Casualty up 41% year over year to $548 million
    • Transaction Value from Health down 40% year over year to $33 million
  • Gross margin of 14.2%, compared with 15.1% in the third quarter of 2024;
  • Contribution Margin(1) of 14.9%, compared with 16.0% in the third quarter of 2024;
  • Net income was $17.6 million, compared with net income of $11.9 million in the third quarter of 2024;
  • Adjusted EBITDA(1) was $29.1 million, compared with $26.3 million in the third quarter of 2024;
  • Repurchased approximately 3.2 million shares for $32.9 million ($10.17 per share).

(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 fourth quarter of 2025 reflects continued positive momentum. We expect Transaction Value in our P&C insurance vertical to grow approximately 45% year over year in the fourth quarter, driven by strong carrier growth investment and continued share gains. We expect fourth quarter Transaction Value in our Health insurance vertical, which includes both Medicare and under-65 health, to decline approximately 45% year over year, driven primarily by under-65 health, which is stabilizing at a lower baseline.

On a year-over-year basis, we expect fourth quarter Transaction Value and Contribution from under-65 health to decline by $34 million - $38 million (61% - 68%) and $8 million - $9 million (80% - 90%), respectively.

For the fourth quarter of 2025, MediaAlpha currently expects the following:

  • Transaction Value between $620 million - $645 million, representing a 27% year-over-year increase at the midpoint of the guidance range. Excluding under-65 health, we expect Transaction Value to be up 38% year over year at the midpoint.
  • Revenue between $280 million - $300 million, representing a 4% year-over-year decrease at the midpoint of the guidance range.
  • Adjusted EBITDA between $27.5 million - $29.5 million, representing a 22% year-over-year decrease at the midpoint of the guidance range, including an $8 million - $9 million year-over-year decline in Contribution from under-65. Excluding under-65 health, we expect Contribution to increase by high single digits and Adjusted EBITDA to be roughly flat year over year. We expect Contribution less Adjusted EBITDA to be approximately the same as the Q3 2025 level.

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.

Additional Information Regarding Share Repurchase Program

On October 28, 2025, the Company's Board of Directors authorized a new Share Repurchase Program to repurchase up to $50 million of shares of Class A common stock. The Company may repurchase such shares through open market transactions, privately negotiated transactions, preset trading plans, block trades or any combination of such methods. The timing and amount of any share repurchases will be determined by the Company’s management in its discretion based on their ongoing evaluation of market and economic conditions, the trading price and volume of the Company’s Class A common stock, the Company’s capital needs and investment opportunities, and other factors. The Repurchase Program is expected to be completed by the end of 2026, but may be suspended or discontinued at any time, and does not obligate the Company to acquire any amount of Class A common stock.

Conference Call Information

MediaAlpha will host a Q&A conference call today to discuss the Company's third quarter 2025 results and its financial outlook for the fourth quarter of 2025 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 8453843. 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 a letter to shareholders 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 that more P&C carriers are focusing on growth, driving increased advertising budgets; our expectation that increases in P&C marketing spend and broader carrier participation in our marketplace will have a positive effect on our profitability; our expectations regarding the timing and amounts of share repurchases; and our financial outlook for the fourth quarter of 2025. 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 24, 2025 and the Forms 10-Q filed on April 30, 2025, August 6, 2025, and to be filed on October 29, 2025. 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. The Company also presents Transaction Value, which is an operating metric not presented in accordance with GAAP. See the appendix for definitions of Adjusted EBITDA, Contribution, Contribution Margin and Transaction Value, as well as reconciliations to the corresponding GAAP financial metrics, as applicable.

We present Transaction Value, 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 Transaction Value, Adjusted EBITDA 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 Transaction Value, Adjusted EBITDA 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 1,200 active partners, excluding our agent partners, we connect insurance carriers with online shoppers and generated nearly 119 million Consumer Referrals in 2024. Our programmatic advertising technology powered $2.0 billion in spend over the past four quarters on brand, comparison, and metasearch sites across property & casualty insurance, health insurance, life insurance, and other industries. For more information, please visit www.mediaalpha.com.

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)

    September 30,
2025
  December 31,
2024
Assets        
Current assets        
Cash and cash equivalents   $ 38,841     $ 43,266  
Restricted cash     33,500        
Accounts receivable, net of allowance for credit losses of $958 and $1,005, respectively     129,171       142,932  
Prepaid expenses and other current assets     4,226       3,711  
Total current assets     205,738       189,909  
Intangible assets, net     4,102       19,985  
Goodwill     47,739       47,739  
Other assets     8,651       4,814  
Total assets   $ 266,230     $ 262,447  
Liabilities and stockholders' deficit        
Current liabilities        
Accounts payable   $ 102,681     $ 105,563  
Accrued expenses     65,001       18,542  
Current portion of long-term debt     22,001       8,849  
Total current liabilities     189,683       132,954  
Long-term debt, net of current portion     133,686       153,596  
Liabilities under tax receivables agreement, net of current portion           7,006  
Other long-term liabilities     8,638       15,123  
Total liabilities   $ 332,007     $ 308,679  
Commitments and contingencies        
Stockholders' deficit        
Class A common stock, $0.01 par value - 1.0 billion shares authorized; 56.9 million and 55.5 million shares issued and outstanding as of September 30, 2025 and December 31, 2024, respectively     569       555  
Class B common stock, $0.01 par value - 100 million shares authorized; 8.3 million and 11.6 million shares issued and outstanding as of September 30, 2025 and December 31, 2024, respectively     83       116  
Preferred stock, $0.01 par value - 50 million shares authorized; 0 shares issued and outstanding as of September 30, 2025 and December 31, 2024            
Additional paid-in capital     481,309       507,640  
Accumulated deficit     (511,716 )     (505,933 )
Total stockholders' (deficit) equity attributable to MediaAlpha, Inc.   $ (29,755 )   $ 2,378  
Non-controlling interests     (36,022 )     (48,610 )
Total stockholders' deficit   $ (65,777 )   $ (46,232 )
Total liabilities and stockholders' deficit   $ 266,230     $ 262,447  


MediaAlpha, Inc. and subsidiaries
Consolidated Statements of Operations
(Unaudited; in thousands, except share data and per share amounts)

    Three Months Ended
September 30,
  Nine Months Ended
September 30,
      2025       2024       2025       2024  
Revenue   $ 306,514     $ 259,133     $ 822,445     $ 564,056  
Costs and operating expenses                
Cost of revenue     263,108       219,907       699,713       469,465  
Sales and marketing     5,224       6,496       16,078       18,608  
Product development     5,829       5,328       16,068       14,743  
General and administrative     12,620       11,794       77,363       36,767  
Write-off of intangible assets                 13,416        
Total costs and operating expenses     286,781       243,525       822,638       539,583  
Income (loss) from operations     19,733       15,608       (193 )     24,473  
Other (income), net     (772 )     (154 )     (1,923 )     (1,971 )
Interest expense     2,808       3,562       8,633       11,158  
Total other expense, net     2,036       3,408       6,710       9,187  
Income (loss) before income taxes     17,697       12,200       (6,903 )     15,286  
Income tax expense     54       312       321       469  
Net income (loss)   $ 17,643     $ 11,888     $ (7,224 )   $ 14,817  
Net income (loss) attributable to non-controlling interest     2,736       2,406       (1,441 )     2,828  
Net income (loss) attributable to MediaAlpha, Inc.   $ 14,907     $ 9,482     $ (5,783 )   $ 11,989  
Net income (loss) per share of Class A common stock                
-Basic   $ 0.26     $ 0.17     $ (0.10 )   $ 0.23  
-Diluted   $ 0.26     $ 0.17     $ (0.11 )   $ 0.22  
Weighted average shares of Class A common stock outstanding                
-Basic     56,617,837       54,909,772       56,134,035       52,293,622  
-Diluted     56,617,837       54,909,772       67,420,272       66,087,041  


MediaAlpha, Inc. and subsidiaries
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
(Unaudited; in thousands)

    Nine Months Ended
September 30,
      2025       2024  
Cash flows from operating activities        
Net (loss) income   $ (7,224 )   $ 14,817  
Adjustments to reconcile net (loss) income to net cash provided by operating activities:        
Equity-based compensation expense     22,798       26,452  
Non-cash lease expense     688       596  
Depreciation expense on property and equipment     201       191  
Amortization of intangible assets     2,467       4,827  
Amortization of deferred debt issuance costs     518       569  
Write-off of intangible assets     13,416        
Credit losses     (13 )     519  
Tax receivables agreement liability related adjustments     (80 )      
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:        
Accounts receivable     13,774       (73,560 )
Prepaid expenses and other current assets     (382 )     547  
Other assets     (4,039 )     375  
Accounts payable     (2,882 )     53,298  
Accrued expenses     33,804       2,712  
Net cash provided by operating activities   $ 73,046     $ 31,343  
Cash flows from investing activities        
Purchases of property and equipment     (300 )     (207 )
Acquisition of intangible assets           (400 )
Net cash (used in) investing activities   $ (300 )   $ (607 )
Cash flows from financing activities        
Repayments on long-term debt     (7,125 )     (10,172 )
Payments of debt issuance costs     (284 )      
Repurchases of Class A common stock     (32,893 )      
Contributions from QLH’s members     433       756  
Distributions to non-controlling interests     (841 )     (1,111 )
Shares withheld for taxes on vesting of restricted stock units     (2,961 )     (5,176 )
Net cash (used in) financing activities   $ (43,671 )   $ (15,703 )
Net increase in cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash     29,075       15,033  
Cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash, beginning of period     43,266       17,271  
Cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash, end of period   $ 72,341     $ 32,304  


Key business and operating metrics and Non-GAAP financial measures

Transaction Value

We define “Transaction Value” as the total gross dollars transacted by our partners on our platform. Transaction Value is an operating metric not presented in accordance with GAAP, and is a driver of revenue based on the economic relationships we have with our partners. Our partners use our platform to transact via Open and Private Marketplace transactions. In our Open Marketplace model, revenue recognized represents the fees paid by our Demand Partners for Consumer Referrals sold and is equal to the Transaction Value and revenue share payments to our Supply Partners represent costs of revenue. In our Private Marketplace model, revenue recognized represents a platform fee billed to the Demand Partner or Supply Partner based on an agreed-upon percentage of the Transaction Value for the Consumer Referrals transacted, and accordingly there are no associated costs of revenue. We utilize Transaction Value to assess the overall level of transaction activity through our platform. We believe it is useful to investors to assess the overall level of activity on our platform and to better understand the sources of our revenue across our different transaction models and verticals.

The following table presents Transaction Value by platform model for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2025 and 2024:

    Three Months Ended
September 30,
  Nine Months Ended
September 30,
(dollars in thousands)     2025       2024       2025       2024  
Open Marketplace transactions   $ 299,815     $ 253,016     $ 803,514     $ 546,949  
Percentage of total Transaction Value     50.9 %     56.0 %     52.1 %     55.1 %
Private Marketplace transactions     289,488       198,759       739,669       445,742  
Percentage of total Transaction Value     49.1 %     44.0 %     47.9 %     44.9 %
Total Transaction Value   $ 589,303     $ 451,775     $ 1,543,183     $ 992,691  


The following table presents Transaction Value by vertical for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2025 and 2024:

    Three Months Ended
September 30,
  Nine Months Ended
September 30,
(dollars in thousands)     2025       2024       2025       2024  
Property & Casualty insurance   $ 548,225     $ 387,451     $ 1,390,423     $ 777,521  
Percentage of total Transaction Value     93.0 %     85.8 %     90.1 %     78.3 %
Health insurance     33,480       55,615       128,572       179,980  
Percentage of total Transaction Value     5.7 %     12.3 %     8.3 %     18.1 %
Life insurance     7,320       6,261       21,095       24,384  
Percentage of total Transaction Value     1.2 %     1.4 %     1.4 %     2.5 %
Other(1)     278       2,448       3,093       10,806  
Percentage of total Transaction Value     0.1 %     0.5 %     0.2 %     1.1 %
Total Transaction Value   $ 589,303     $ 451,775     $ 1,543,183     $ 992,691  


(1)
Our other verticals include Travel and Consumer Finance.

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 and nine months ended September 30, 2025 and 2024:

    Three Months Ended
September 30,
  Nine Months Ended
September 30,
(in thousands)     2025       2024       2025       2024  
Revenue   $ 306,514     $ 259,133     $ 822,445     $ 564,056  
Less cost of revenue     (263,108 )     (219,907 )     (699,713 )     (469,465 )
Gross profit   $ 43,406     $ 39,226     $ 122,732     $ 94,591  
Adjusted to exclude the following (as related to cost of revenue):                
Equity-based compensation     265       405       836       2,654  
Salaries, wages, and related     707       907       2,308       2,474  
Internet and hosting     199       145       570       402  
Other expenses     213       170       580       539  
Depreciation     5       5       17       15  
Other services     616       549       1,856       2,008  
Merchant-related fees     204       75       534       217  
Contribution   $ 45,615     $ 41,482     $ 129,433     $ 102,900  
Gross margin     14.2 %     15.1 %     14.9 %     16.8 %
Contribution Margin     14.9 %     16.0 %     15.7 %     18.2 %


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 and nine months ended September 30, 2025 and 2024:

    Three Months Ended
September 30,
  Nine Months Ended
September 30,
(in thousands)     2025       2024       2025       2024  
Net income (loss)   $ 17,643     $ 11,888     $ (7,224 )   $ 14,817  
Equity-based compensation expense     7,662       8,597       22,798       26,452  
Interest expense     2,808       3,562       8,633       11,158  
Income tax expense     54       312       321       469  
Depreciation expense on property and equipment     71       65       201       191  
Amortization of intangible assets     511       1,609       2,467       4,827  
Transaction expenses(1)     303       (45 )     303       1,172  
Write-off of intangible assets(2)                 13,416        
Contract settlement(3)                       (1,725 )
Changes in TRA related liability     (159 )           (80 )      
Changes in Tax Indemnification Receivable     (5 )     (84 )     (211 )     (86 )
Legal expenses(4)     191       367       42,333       2,155  
Adjusted EBITDA   $ 29,079     $ 26,271     $ 82,957     $ 59,430  


(1) Transaction expenses consist of $0.3 million of legal and accounting fees incurred for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2025, respectively, in connection with an amendment to the 2021 Credit Facilities. Transaction expenses consist of immaterial expenses and $1.2 million of legal and accounting fees incurred by us for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024, respectively, in connection with resale registration statements filed with the SEC.
(2) Write-off of intangible assets for the nine months ended September 30, 2025 consist of a charge of $13.4 million 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) Contract settlement consists of $1.7 million of income for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 recorded in connection with a one-time contract termination fee receivable from one of our partners in the Health vertical that ceased operations during the nine months ended September 30, 2024.
(4) Legal expenses of $0.2 million and $42.3 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2025, respectively, consist of increases of $0.0 million and $38.0 million, respectively, to the loss reserve established in connection with the FTC Matter and legal fees and costs incurred in connection with such matter. Legal expenses of $0.4 million and $2.2 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024, consist of legal fees and costs incurred in connection with the FTC Matter.


Primary Logo

Legal Disclaimer:

EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.

Share us

on your social networks:
AGPs

Get the latest news on this topic.

SIGN UP FOR FREE TODAY

No Thanks

By signing to this email alert, you
agree to our Terms & Conditions