First Trust Advisors LP Raises Holdings in Maximus, Inc. (NYSE:MMS)

First Trust Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of Maximus, Inc. (NYSE:MMS - Free Report) by 9.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 625,234 shares of the health services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 56,490 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP owned 1.09% of Maximus worth $46,674,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Barclays PLC grew its stake in shares of Maximus by 285.1% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 170,971 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $15,927,000 after purchasing an additional 126,573 shares during the period. Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Maximus in the third quarter worth approximately $319,000. World Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in Maximus by 6.6% during the third quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 5,289 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $493,000 after buying an additional 326 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB increased its holdings in Maximus by 3.3% during the third quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 66,805 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $6,224,000 after buying an additional 2,164 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tidal Investments LLC raised its position in Maximus by 49.1% in the third quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 20,674 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $1,926,000 after acquiring an additional 6,809 shares during the period. 97.21% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Maximus Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MMS traded down $1.08 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $67.72. 324,726 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 553,643. The stock has a market cap of $3.83 billion, a PE ratio of 14.56 and a beta of 0.68. The business's fifty day moving average is $67.65 and its two-hundred day moving average is $74.50. Maximus, Inc. has a one year low of $63.77 and a one year high of $93.97. The company has a current ratio of 1.72, a quick ratio of 1.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82.

Maximus (NYSE:MMS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The health services provider reported $1.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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, analysts predict that Maximus, Inc. will post 6.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Maximus Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, May 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be given a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.77%. Maximus's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 25.81%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on MMS shares. Raymond James upgraded Maximus from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $90.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. StockNews.com cut Maximus from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Ilene R. Baylinson sold 14,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.14, for a total transaction of $988,030.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 2,512 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $171,167.68. This trade represents a 85.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Jan Madsen sold 2,439 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.71, for a total value of $165,144.69. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 18,097 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,225,347.87. The trade was a 11.88 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.60% of the company's stock.

Maximus 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.