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

Maximus, Inc. (NYSE:MMS - Get Free Report) shares reached a new 52-week low during trading on Thursday . The company 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.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MMS has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Raymond James raised 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. StockNews.com lowered shares of Maximus from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday.

Maximus Trading Up 0.4 %

The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $74.12 and its 200-day simple moving average is $82.48. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $3.87 billion, a PE ratio of 14.56 and a beta of 0.72.

Maximus (NYSE:MMS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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%. Equities analysts expect that Maximus, Inc. will post 6.05 earnings per share for the current year.

Maximus Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 28th. Stockholders of record on Saturday, February 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.77%. Maximus's dividend payout ratio is currently 25.81%.

Insider Transactions at Maximus

In other news, CEO Bruce Caswell bought 3,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 17th. The stock was bought at an average cost 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 approximately $19,491,624.56. This trade represents a 1.28 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Raymond B. Ruddy bought 3,490 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 12th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $71.46 per share, with a total value 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 disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders bought 7,063 shares of company stock worth $502,017. Company insiders own 1.60% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Maximus

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of MMS. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new stake in Maximus in the third quarter worth about $25,000. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its holdings in Maximus by 79.8% in the fourth 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 period. Eastern Bank purchased a new stake in Maximus in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in Maximus in the fourth quarter worth about $54,000. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc lifted its holdings in Maximus by 62.4% in the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 786 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $59,000 after buying an additional 302 shares during the period. 97.21% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.