Contrasting MediaAlpha (NYSE:MAX) & MetaWorks Platforms (OTCMKTS:MWRK)

MediaAlpha (NYSE:MAX) and MetaWorks Platforms (OTCMKTS:MWRK) are both small-cap business services companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their risk, profitability, dividends, analyst recommendations, earnings, institutional ownership and valuation.

Profitability

This table compares MediaAlpha and MetaWorks Platforms’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
MediaAlpha	1.41%	-11.98%	5.19%
MetaWorks Platforms	N/A	-249.65%	-157.91%

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of current ratings and target prices for MediaAlpha and MetaWorks Platforms, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
MediaAlpha	0	1	6	0	2.86
MetaWorks Platforms	0	1	0	0	2.00

MediaAlpha presently has a consensus price target of $21.57, indicating a potential upside of 68.72%. Given MediaAlpha’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, equities research analysts plainly believe MediaAlpha is more favorable than MetaWorks Platforms.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

64.4% of MediaAlpha shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 16.1% of MetaWorks Platforms shares are held by institutional investors. 11.5% of MediaAlpha shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares MediaAlpha and MetaWorks Platforms”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
MediaAlpha	$388.15 million	2.20	-$40.42 million	$0.17	75.21
MetaWorks Platforms	$410,000.00	2.41	-$5.65 million	($0.08)	-0.13

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

Risk and Volatility

MediaAlpha has a beta of 1.12, suggesting that its stock price is 12% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, MetaWorks Platforms has a beta of 1.22, suggesting that its stock price is 22% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

MediaAlpha beats MetaWorks Platforms on 11 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About MediaAlpha

MediaAlpha, Inc., through its subsidiaries, operates an insurance customer acquisition platform in the United States. It optimizes customer acquisition in various verticals of property and casualty insurance, health insurance, and life insurance. The company was founded in 2014 and is headquartered in Los Angeles, California.

About MetaWorks Platforms

MetaWorks Platforms, Inc. provides blockchain and Web3 development platform. It offers turnkey set of services for companies to develop and integrate blockchain and cryptocurrency technologies into their business operations. The company provides business development and technical services; blockchain and technology program management services; customer development services; business launch services; and post-business launch support services. The company was formerly known as CurrencyWorks Inc. and changed its name to MetaWorks Platforms, Inc. in August 2022. MetaWorks Platforms, Inc. was incorporated in 2010 and is based in Fairfield, California.