Maximus (NYSE:MMS) Sets New 52-Week Low – Should You Sell?

Maximus, Inc. (NYSE:MMS) shares hit a new 52-week low on Thursday . The stock 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.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com upgraded Maximus from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Raymond James raised Maximus from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $90.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd.

Maximus Trading Down 0.9 %

The company has a quick ratio of 1.49, a current ratio of 1.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82. The business’s fifty day moving average is $74.36 and its 200-day moving average is $82.83. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.83 billion, a PE ratio of 14.44 and a beta of 0.72.

Maximus (NYSE:MMS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The health services provider reported $1.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.39 by $0.22. Maximus had a net margin of 5.28% and a return on equity of 21.95%. As a group, analysts anticipate that Maximus, Inc. will post 6.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Maximus Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Transactions at Maximus

In other Maximus news, Director Raymond B. Ruddy bought 3,490 shares of Maximus stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 12th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $71.46 per share, for a total transaction of $249,395.40. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 112,520 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,040,679.20. The trade was a 3.20 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 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 owns 6,567 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $484,841.61. This represents a 25.16 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders bought 7,063 shares of company stock worth $502,017. 1.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Maximus

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Maximus during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. UMB Bank n.a. raised its stake in shares of Maximus by 79.8% during the fourth 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 during the period. Eastern Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Maximus during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Maximus during the fourth quarter worth $54,000. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc boosted its stake in shares of Maximus by 62.4% in the fourth 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 during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.21% of the company’s stock.

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.