Maximus (NYSE:MMS) Reaches New 1-Year Low – Should You Sell?

Maximus, Inc. (NYSE:MMS)’s share price reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $66.36 and last traded at $68.14, with a volume of 643504 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $67.85.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. StockNews.com cut Maximus from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Raymond James upgraded Maximus from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $90.00 price target on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 2nd.

Maximus Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 1.72, a current ratio of 1.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $74.00 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $82.07. The company has a market capitalization of $3.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.65 and a beta of 0.72.

Maximus (NYSE:MMS) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The health services provider reported $1.61 earnings per share 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%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Maximus, Inc. will post 6.15 EPS for the current year.

Maximus Announces Dividend

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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.76%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. Maximus’s payout ratio is currently 25.81%.

Insider Activity at Maximus

In related news, Director Raymond B. Ruddy purchased 3,490 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 12th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $71.46 per share, with a total value of $249,395.40. Following the transaction, the director now owns 112,520 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,040,679.20. This represents a 3.20 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Michelle F. Link sold 2,208 shares of the 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 6,567 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $484,841.61. The trade was a 25.16 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders purchased 7,063 shares of company stock valued at $502,017. 1.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Maximus

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Maximus during the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. UMB Bank n.a. grew its stake in shares of Maximus by 79.8% during 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. Eastern Bank bought a new position in shares of Maximus during the 4th quarter worth $29,000. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in Maximus in the 4th quarter worth about $54,000. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc boosted its stake in Maximus by 62.4% in the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 786 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $59,000 after purchasing an additional 302 shares during the period. 97.21% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.