Legato Capital Management LLC Buys 8,138 Shares of Maximus, Inc. (NYSE:MMS)

Legato Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Maximus, Inc. (NYSE:MMS - Free Report) by 33.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 32,134 shares of the health services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 8,138 shares during the quarter. Legato Capital Management LLC owned 0.05% of Maximus worth $2,399,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in MMS. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its position 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 purchasing an additional 158 shares during the last quarter. Petrus Trust Company LTA raised its holdings in Maximus by 2.7% during the 3rd quarter. Petrus Trust Company LTA now owns 7,084 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $660,000 after buying an additional 185 shares during the last quarter. Holocene Advisors LP boosted its position in Maximus by 6.5% during the 3rd quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 3,927 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $366,000 after buying an additional 239 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new stake in Maximus during the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Finally, MML Investors Services LLC grew its holdings in Maximus by 6.5% in the 3rd quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 4,870 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $454,000 after acquiring an additional 299 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.21% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Raymond B. Ruddy bought 3,490 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 12th. The shares were bought at an average price of $71.46 per share, for a total transaction of $249,395.40. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 112,520 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,040,679.20. This trade represents a 3.20 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Michelle F. Link sold 2,208 shares of Maximus stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 3rd. The stock was 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have acquired 7,063 shares of company stock worth $502,017. 1.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have commented on MMS. StockNews.com raised Maximus from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Raymond James upgraded Maximus from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $90.00 target price for the company in a report on Thursday, January 2nd.

Maximus Trading Down 0.9 %

Shares of MMS traded down $0.63 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $67.13. 560,923 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 723,176. Maximus, Inc. has a 12 month low of $66.52 and a 12 month high of $93.97. 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 company's fifty day moving average price is $74.51 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $82.95. The company has a market capitalization of $3.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.44 and a beta of 0.72.

Maximus (NYSE:MMS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The health services provider reported $1.61 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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%. Equities research analysts predict that Maximus, Inc. will post 6.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Maximus Announces Dividend

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

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.