Maximus (NYSE:MMS) Sets New 1-Year Low - Time to Sell?

Maximus, Inc. (NYSE:MMS - Get Free Report)'s stock price reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $66.36 and last traded at $68.14, with a volume of 643504 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $67.85.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently issued reports on MMS shares. StockNews.com lowered Maximus from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Raymond James upgraded Maximus from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $90.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd.

Maximus Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $3.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.18 and a beta of 0.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 1.72 and a current ratio of 1.72. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $73.87 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $81.87.

Maximus (NYSE:MMS - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The health services provider reported $1.61 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.39 by $0.22. Maximus had a return on equity of 21.95% and a net margin of 5.28%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Maximus, Inc. will post 6.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Maximus Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 28th. Shareholders of record on Saturday, February 15th will be paid a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.82%. Maximus's dividend payout ratio is currently 25.81%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Bruce Caswell acquired 3,500 shares of Maximus stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 17th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $70.64 per share, for a total transaction of $247,240.00. Following the transaction, 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 purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Michelle F. Link sold 2,208 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.83, for a total value of $163,016.64. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 6,567 shares in the company, valued at $484,841.61. This trade represents a 25.16 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have bought 7,063 shares of company stock worth $502,017. 1.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Maximus

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. UMB Bank n.a. increased 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 valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 158 shares during the last quarter. Eastern Bank purchased a new stake in Maximus during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its holdings in Maximus by 65.9% during the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 453 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 180 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in Maximus during the 4th quarter valued at about $54,000. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc boosted its holdings in Maximus by 62.4% during the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 786 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $59,000 after acquiring an additional 302 shares during the period. 97.21% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.