Maximus (NYSE:MMS) Reaches New 52-Week Low – Here’s What Happened

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Maximus Stock Performance

The stock has a fifty day moving average of $74.83 and a 200-day moving average of $83.53. The stock has a market cap of $3.94 billion, a PE ratio of 13.80 and a beta of 0.72. The company has a quick ratio of 1.49, a current ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59.

Maximus (NYSE:MMS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The health services provider reported $1.61 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.39 by $0.22. Maximus had a net margin of 5.78% and a return on equity of 20.95%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Maximus, Inc. will post 5.95 EPS for the current year.

Maximus Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 28th. Stockholders of record on Saturday, February 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.74%. Maximus’s dividend payout ratio is 24.00%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Michelle F. Link sold 2,208 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.83, for a total transaction of $163,016.64. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 6,567 shares in the company, valued at $484,841.61. The trade was a 25.16 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Bruce Caswell acquired 3,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 17th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $70.64 per share, with a total value of $247,240.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now owns 275,929 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $19,491,624.56. This trade represents a 1.28 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders purchased 7,063 shares of company stock valued at $502,017 over the last 90 days. 1.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Maximus

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of MMS. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in Maximus by 36.1% in the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 2,144 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $160,000 after acquiring an additional 569 shares in the last quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. bought a new position in Maximus in the fourth quarter valued at about $568,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Maximus during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,169,000. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Maximus during the 4th quarter valued at $361,000. Finally, Aigen Investment Management LP bought a new position in Maximus in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $539,000. 97.21% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.