StockNews.com Downgrades Maximus (NYSE:MMS) to Hold

StockNews.com cut shares of Maximus (NYSE:MMS) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report issued on Friday.

Separately, Raymond James upgraded Maximus from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $90.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd.

Maximus Stock Up 0.4 %

MMS opened at $67.69 on Friday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $74.12 and its 200-day simple moving average is $82.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a current ratio of 1.72. Maximus has a one year low of $66.52 and a one year high of $93.97. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.56 and a beta of 0.72.

Maximus (NYSE:MMS) last posted 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%. Analysts anticipate that Maximus will post 6.05 EPS for the current year.

Maximus Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 28th. Investors of record on Saturday, February 15th will be given a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.77%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Maximus’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 25.81%.

Insider Activity at Maximus

In related news, insider Michelle F. Link sold 2,208 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.83, for a total value of $163,016.64. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 6,567 shares in the company, valued at $484,841.61. The trade was a 25.16 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Raymond B. Ruddy purchased 3,490 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 12th. The stock was bought at an average price of $71.46 per share, for a total transaction of $249,395.40. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 112,520 shares in the company, 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. Insiders have purchased 7,063 shares of company stock worth $502,017 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Maximus

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new stake in Maximus in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its holdings in Maximus by 79.8% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 356 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 158 shares in the last quarter. Eastern Bank purchased a new stake in Maximus in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in Maximus in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $54,000. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc boosted its holdings in Maximus by 62.4% in the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 786 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $59,000 after purchasing an additional 302 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.21% of the company’s stock.

Maximus Company Profile

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.