Maximus (NYSE:MMS) Hits New 12-Month Low – Here’s What Happened

Maximus, Inc. (NYSE:MMS) shares hit a new 52-week low during trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $66.52 and last traded at $67.13, with a volume of 560923 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $67.76.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Raymond James upgraded Maximus from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $90.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. StockNews.com raised shares of Maximus from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th.

Maximus Stock Down 0.9 %

The firm has a market cap of $3.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.44 and a beta of 0.72. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $74.36 and its 200 day moving average price is $82.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 1.72 and a quick ratio of 1.49.

Maximus (NYSE:MMS) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The health services provider reported $1.61 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.39 by $0.22. Maximus had a return on equity of 21.95% and a net margin of 5.28%. On average, equities research analysts expect that Maximus, Inc. will post 6.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Maximus Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 28th. Shareholders of record on Saturday, February 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.79%. Maximus’s payout ratio is 25.81%.

Insider Transactions at Maximus

In other Maximus news, CEO Bruce Caswell bought 3,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 17th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $70.64 per share, with a total value of $247,240.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 275,929 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $19,491,624.56. The trade was a 1.28 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Raymond B. Ruddy bought 3,490 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 12th. The stock was bought at an average price of $71.46 per share, with a total value of $249,395.40. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 112,520 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,040,679.20. This trade represents a 3.20 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have acquired 7,063 shares of company stock worth $502,017. 1.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Maximus

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. UMB Bank n.a. increased its holdings in shares of Maximus by 79.8% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 356 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 158 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC grew its position in Maximus by 65.9% in the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 453 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 180 shares during the last quarter. Petrus Trust Company LTA increased its stake in shares of Maximus by 2.7% in the third quarter. Petrus Trust Company LTA now owns 7,084 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $660,000 after purchasing an additional 185 shares during the period. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Maximus by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. now owns 52,400 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $3,912,000 after purchasing an additional 230 shares during the period. Finally, Holocene Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of Maximus by 6.5% during the third quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 3,927 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $366,000 after buying an additional 239 shares during the last quarter. 97.21% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Maximus

Maximus, Inc operates as a provider of government services in the United States and internationally. It operates through three segments: U.S. Federal Services, U.S. Services, and Outside the U.S. The U.S. Services segment offers program eligibility support and enrollment; centralized multilingual customer contact centers, multichannel, and digital self-service options for enrollment; application assistance and independent health plan choice counseling; beneficiary outreach, education, eligibility, enrollment, and redeterminations; and person-centered independent disability, long-term sick, and other health assessments.