Maximus (NYSE:MMS) Hits New 52-Week Low – What’s Next?

Maximus, Inc. (NYSE:MMS) hit a new 52-week low on Friday . The stock traded as low as $68.30 and last traded at $69.37, with a volume of 153562 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $70.00.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of 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 target price on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. StockNews.com raised Maximus from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday.

Maximus Stock Down 1.4 %

The company has a market capitalization of $3.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.80 and a beta of 0.72. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $74.83 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $83.53. The company has a current ratio of 1.49, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59.

Maximus (NYSE:MMS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The health services provider reported $1.61 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.39 by $0.22. Maximus had a net margin of 5.78% and a return on equity of 20.95%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Maximus, Inc. will post 5.95 EPS for the current year.

Maximus Dividend Announcement

The company 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 $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.74%. Maximus’s payout ratio is currently 24.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Bruce Caswell purchased 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 17th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $70.64 per share, for a total transaction of $247,240.00. Following the completion of the purchase, 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Michelle F. Link sold 2,208 shares of Maximus stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.83, for a total value of $163,016.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 6,567 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $484,841.61. The trade was a 25.16 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have acquired 7,063 shares of company stock worth $502,017. 1.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Maximus

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of MMS. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new stake in Maximus in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. UMB Bank n.a. increased its stake in Maximus by 79.8% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 356 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 158 shares during the last quarter. Eastern Bank bought a new stake in shares of Maximus during the 4th quarter worth $29,000. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Maximus during the fourth quarter worth $54,000. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc lifted its holdings in Maximus by 62.4% during the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 786 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $59,000 after buying an additional 302 shares during the period. 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.