MAX vs MGNI vs QNST Stock Comparison

MediaAlpha, Magnite and Quinstreet Prices as of Nov 4, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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MAX MediaAlpha, Inc.
$15.06 +56.1% 1M +12.8% 1Y
Market cap
$774.52M
P/E
7.2x
Revenue (TTM)
$1.29B
Div. yield
–
Digital Advertising Technology
4 wins
MGNI Magnite, Inc.
$22.79 -8.7% 1M +36.2% 1Y
Market cap
$4.00B
P/E
22.1x
Revenue (TTM)
$766.75M
Div. yield
–
Digital Advertising Technology
3 wins
QNST Quinstreet, Inc
$19.26 +28.5% 1M +28.1% 1Y
Market cap
$1.18B
P/E
14.5x
Revenue (TTM)
$1.29B
Div. yield
–
Digital Advertising Technology
4 wins

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

MediaAlpha leads on 4 of the 12 questions below (MediaAlpha 4, Quinstreet 4, Magnite 3). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionMAXMGNIQNSTLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $774.52M $4.00B $1.18B MGNI
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 7.2x 22.1x 14.5x MAX
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 11.3x 20.5x 11.3x MAX
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +15.2% +9.1% +18.3% QNST
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 8.4% 23.6% 6.3% MGNI
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 47.0% 10.9% 9.2% MAX
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 1.6x -0.2x -1.0x QNST
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +12.8% +36.2% +28.1% MGNI
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years -1.8%/yr +0.1%/yr +4.9%/yr QNST
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 57.0% 57.3% 57.8% MAX
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 58/100 61/100 70/100 QNST

Percentile Scorecard

MAXMGNIQNST

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisMAXMGNIQNST
Valuation 67 #55 of 166 53 #78 of 166 76 #41 of 166
Growth 93 #12 of 154 80 #31 of 154 99 #2 of 154
Profitability 70 #47 of 154 78 #35 of 154 63 #57 of 154
Financial Health 32 #123 of 179 48 #93 of 179 60 #73 of 179
Shareholder Returns 26 #72 of 97 46 #53 of 97 51 #48 of 97
Overall 58 61 70
  • MAX ranked among 185 companies in Internet Platforms
  • MGNI ranked among 185 companies in Internet Platforms
  • QNST ranked among 185 companies in Internet Platforms

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodMAXMGNIQNSTSPY
1 month +56.1%-8.7%+28.5% -1.0%
3 months +22.3%+10.3%+24.5% -0.4%
6 months +67.9%+70.2%+47.9% +4.5%
Year to date +16.3%+40.4%+34.0% +12.4%
1 year +12.8%+36.2%+28.1% +13.6%
3 years +54.1%+208.0%+74.9% +76.4%
3 years, per year +15.5%+45.5%+20.5% +20.8%
5 years -8.5%+0.6%+26.9% +63.7%
5 years, per year -1.8%+0.1%+4.9% +10.4%
10 years —+257.8%+542.0% +267.7%
10 years, per year —+13.6%+20.4% +13.9%

Risk

MeasureMAXMGNIQNSTSPY
Volatility, 1Y 57.0%57.3%57.8% 12.8%
Downside volatility, 1Y 55.2%58.5%51.4% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.321.010.77 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.220.630.49 1.06
Max drawdown, 5Y -71.0%-76.0%-62.8% -25.4%
From 52-week high -0.7%-11.2%-12.5% -1.6%
52-week high $15.16$25.67$22.02 $779.14
52-week low $7.17$11.20$10.56 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleMAXMGNIQNST
P/E now vs peer median 7.4xmedian 18.2x 18.1xmedian 18.2x 13.6xmedian 18.2x
P/S now vs peer median 0.6xmedian 1.5x 4.3xmedian 1.5x 0.8xmedian 1.5x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 9.9xmedian 15.3x 16.1xmedian 15.3x 17.0xmedian 15.3x
P/FCF now vs peer median 14.6xmedian 12.2x 13.6xmedian 12.2x 8.5xmedian 12.2x
P/B now vs peer median 15.5xmedian 1.8x 3.4xmedian 1.8x 3.4xmedian 1.8x
PEG now vs peer median 0.16median 0.38 0.46median 0.38 0.30median 0.38

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsMAXMGNIQNST
Revenue $1.29B $766.75M $1.29B
Gross profit $192.01M $510.77M $145.81M
Operating income $93.48M $141.45M $35.43M
Net income $119.17M $180.84M $81.24M
Free cash flow $54.20M $240.36M $127.91M
R&D $23.04M $91.31M $37.30M
EPS (diluted) $1.72 $1.20 $1.40
Cash & equivalents $18.68M $392.86M $128.32M
Total debt $174.92M $349.95M $70.00M
Shares (diluted) 62.83M 150.81M 58.16M
Enterprise value $659.17M $2.54B $738.09M

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricMAXMGNIQNST
P/E 7.4x 18.1x 13.6x
P/FCF 14.6x 13.6x 8.5x
P/Operating cash flow 14.4x 11.0x 8.3x
P/S 0.6x 4.3x 0.8x
P/B 15.5x 3.4x 3.4x
P/Tangible book 16.1x 3.4x 4.2x
EV/EBITDA 9.9x 16.1x 17.0x
EV/EBIT 10.2x 22.8x 29.1x
EV/Revenue 0.7x 4.2x 0.8x
EV/FCF 17.5x 13.4x 8.1x
EV/Operating cash flow 17.2x 10.9x 7.8x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 0.16 0.46 0.30

Growth

14 metrics
MetricMAXMGNIQNST
Revenue growth (1Y) 15.2% 9.1% 18.3%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 48.5% 8.0% 30.6%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 11.8% 16.7% 31.5%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 43.8% 48.1% 44.3%
Operating income growth (1Y) 417.7% 64.8% 472.0%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 58.6% 38.3% 54.7%
Net income growth (1Y) 154,671% 211.9% 1,626%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 51.3% 40.9% 47.0%
EPS growth (1Y) 8,620% 216.8% 1,630%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 47.7% 39.7% 45.7%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) -37.0% 33.6% 54.5%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 88.4% 11.6% 123.0%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) -37.9% 38.5% 54.3%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 87.7% 9.3% 144.3%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricMAXMGNIQNST
Gross margin 14.8% 66.6% 11.3%
EBITDA margin 7.4% 26.2% 4.7%
Operating margin 7.2% 18.4% 2.7%
Pretax margin 0.7% 16.0% 2.4%
Net margin 8.4% 23.6% 6.3%
FCF margin 4.2% 31.3% 9.9%
Operating cash flow margin 4.3% 38.8% 10.1%
Return on equity 513.9% 19.1% 25.6%
Return on assets 32.6% 5.9% 11.4%
Return on invested capital 47.0% 10.9% 9.2%
Return on capital employed 42.4% 10.9% 7.8%
Asset turnover 3.5x 0.2x 1.8x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 0.5x 1.6x 1.6x
Stock comp / revenue 2.4% 9.6% 2.9%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricMAXMGNIQNST
Debt / assets 47.0% 11.2% 9.7%
Debt / equity 3.4x 0.4x 0.2x
Net debt / EBITDA 1.6x -0.2x -1.0x
Debt / FCF 3.2x 1.5x 0.5x
Liabilities / assets 86.2% 69.3% 55.2%
Equity / assets 13.8% 30.7% 44.8%
Interest coverage 8.8x 7.2x 8.1x
Current ratio 1.3x 1.0x 1.2x
Quick ratio 1.3x 1.0x 1.2x
Cash ratio 0.1x 0.2x 0.5x
Altman Z-score 4.42 1.12 3.60

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricMAXMGNIQNST
Dividend yield – – –
Net buyback yield -0.2% 2.1% 2.9%
Shareholder yield -0.2% 2.1% 2.9%
Payout ratio (earnings) – – –
Payout ratio (FCF) – – –
Dividend growth (1Y) – – –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – – –

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusMAXMGNIQNST
Forward P/E 11.3xFY2026 20.5xFY2026 11.3xFY2027
EPS, next fiscal year $1.33FY2026 $1.11FY2026 $1.70FY2027
EPS growth, next FY +241.0%FY2026 +27.6%FY2026 +33.9%FY2027
EPS growth, the year after -7.5% +20.7% +3.5%
Revenue, next fiscal year $1.26BFY2026 $743.97MFY2026 $1.46BFY2027
Revenue growth, next FY +13.6%FY2026 +11.1%FY2026 +13.4%FY2027
Revenue growth, the year after +17.4% +10.5% +14.6%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersMAXMGNIQNST
Held by institutions 91.9% 98.6% 92.6%
Institutions holding 156 311 215
Change in shares held, QoQ -0.3% +8.0% +0.0%
Institutions buying 70 170 114
Institutions selling 66 91 69
Buyers to sellers 1.06 1.87 1.65

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

MAXMGNIQNST
MAX 1.00 0.35 0.61
MGNI 0.35 1.00 0.38
QNST 0.61 0.38 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, MAX, MGNI and QNST?

Magnite (MGNI) is the largest by market capitalisation: MediaAlpha (MAX) $774.52M, Magnite (MGNI) $4.00B, Quinstreet (QNST) $1.18B.

Which stock is cheaper, MAX, MGNI and QNST?

MediaAlpha (MAX) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (MediaAlpha (MAX) 7.2x, Magnite (MGNI) 22.1x, Quinstreet (QNST) 14.5x). On next year's consensus earnings, MediaAlpha (MAX) is cheapest (MediaAlpha (MAX) 11.3x, Magnite (MGNI) 20.5x, Quinstreet (QNST) 11.3x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Quinstreet (QNST) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: MediaAlpha (MAX) +15.2%, Magnite (MGNI) +9.1%, Quinstreet (QNST) +18.3%.

Which company is more profitable?

Magnite (MGNI) has the highest net margin (MediaAlpha (MAX) 8.4%, Magnite (MGNI) 23.6%, Quinstreet (QNST) 6.3%). On return on invested capital, MediaAlpha (MAX) leads (MediaAlpha (MAX) 47.0%, Magnite (MGNI) 10.9%, Quinstreet (QNST) 9.2%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Magnite (MGNI) returned the most: MediaAlpha (MAX) +12.8%, Magnite (MGNI) +36.2%, Quinstreet (QNST) +28.1%. Over five years, Quinstreet (QNST) compounded fastest (MediaAlpha (MAX) -1.8%/yr, Magnite (MGNI) +0.1%/yr, Quinstreet (QNST) +4.9%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, MediaAlpha (MAX) has been the steadiest (MediaAlpha (MAX) 57.0%, Magnite (MGNI) 57.3%, Quinstreet (QNST) 57.8%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, MAX, MGNI and QNST?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, MediaAlpha (MAX) leads on 4. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.