Maximus, Inc. (NYSE:MMS) Sees Significant Drop in Short Interest

Maximus, Inc. (NYSE:MMS - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant drop in short interest in the month of January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 1,650,000 shares, a drop of 27.0% from the January 15th total of 2,260,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 921,500 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.8 days. Currently, 3.0% of the company's shares are short sold.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MMS has been the topic of several analyst reports. StockNews.com cut Maximus from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday. 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.

Insider Transactions at Maximus

In related news, insider Michelle F. Link sold 2,208 shares of Maximus stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the insider now owns 6,567 shares in the company, valued at approximately $484,841.61. The trade was a 25.16 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Bruce Caswell bought 3,500 shares of Maximus stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 17th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $70.64 per share, for a total transaction of $247,240.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 275,929 shares in the company, valued at $19,491,624.56. This represents a 1.28 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders bought a total of 7,063 shares of company stock worth $502,017 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 1.60% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new position in Maximus in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its position 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 buying an additional 158 shares during the last quarter. Eastern Bank acquired a new position in shares of Maximus in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Maximus in the 4th quarter valued at $54,000. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc raised its stake in Maximus by 62.4% during the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 786 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $59,000 after acquiring an additional 302 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.21% of the company's stock.

Maximus Stock Up 0.4 %

NYSE:MMS traded up $0.29 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $68.14. The stock had a trading volume of 643,504 shares, compared to its average volume of 722,900. Maximus has a twelve month low of $66.36 and a twelve month high of $93.97. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $74.00 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $82.07. The company has a current ratio of 1.72, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82. The company has a market capitalization of $3.86 billion, a PE ratio of 14.65 and a beta of 0.72.

Maximus (NYSE:MMS - Get Free Report) last announced 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 5.28% and a return on equity of 21.95%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Maximus will post 6.05 EPS for the current year.

Maximus Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 28th. Shareholders of record on Saturday, February 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.76%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Maximus's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 25.81%.

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.