MediaAlpha (MAX) Competitors

First Advantage (NYSE:FA) and MediaAlpha (NYSE:MAX) are both business services companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, analyst recommendations, profitability, valuation, media sentiment, risk, institutional ownership and earnings.

Which has stronger earnings & valuation, FA or MAX?

First Advantage has higher revenue and earnings than MediaAlpha. MediaAlpha is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than First Advantage, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
First Advantage	$1.25B	2.19	$37.29M	-$0.92	-17.15
MediaAlpha	$1.08B	0.82	$16.63M	-$0.12	-108.17

Does the media favor FA or MAX?

In the previous week, MediaAlpha had 5 more articles in the media than First Advantage. MarketBeat recorded 12 mentions for MediaAlpha and 7 mentions for First Advantage. First Advantage's average media sentiment score of 1.37 beat MediaAlpha's score of 0.38 indicating that First Advantage is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
First Advantage	4 Very Positive mention(s)	3 Positive mention(s)	0 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
MediaAlpha	3 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	6 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	2 Very Negative mention(s)	Neutral

Is FA or MAX more profitable?

First Advantage has a net margin of 0.65% compared to MediaAlpha's net margin of -0.61%. First Advantage's return on equity of 13.16% beat MediaAlpha's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
First Advantage	0.65%	13.16%	7.33%
MediaAlpha	-0.61%	-62.53%	12.91%

Do analysts prefer FA or MAX?

First Advantage currently has a consensus price target of $20.25, suggesting a potential upside of 28.33%. MediaAlpha has a consensus price target of $18.25, suggesting a potential upside of 40.60%. Given MediaAlpha's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe MediaAlpha is more favorable than First Advantage.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
First Advantage	0 Sell rating(s)	5 Hold rating(s)	2 Buy rating(s)	1 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.50
MediaAlpha	0 Sell rating(s)	0 Hold rating(s)	6 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	3.00

Do insiders & institutionals hold more shares of FA or MAX?

94.9% of First Advantage shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 64.4% of MediaAlpha shares are held by institutional investors. 3.9% of First Advantage shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 13.4% of MediaAlpha shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Which has more risk and volatility, FA or MAX?

First Advantage has a beta of 1.23, suggesting that its stock price is 23% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, MediaAlpha has a beta of 1.19, suggesting that its stock price is 19% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

First Advantage beats MediaAlpha on 10 of the 17 factors compared between the two stocks.