Maximus (NYSE:MMS) Stock Rating Upgraded by StockNews.com

Maximus (NYSE:MMS - Get Free Report) was upgraded by stock analysts at StockNews.com from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note issued to investors on Thursday.

Separately, Raymond James upgraded shares of Maximus from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $90.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd.

Maximus Stock Performance

Shares of Maximus stock traded down $0.04 on Thursday, reaching $69.75. 812,506 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 718,567. The firm has a market cap of $3.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.00 and a beta of 0.72. Maximus has a 1-year low of $68.15 and a 1-year high of $93.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a current ratio of 1.72. The company's 50-day moving average is $74.73 and its two-hundred day moving average is $83.27.

Maximus (NYSE:MMS - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The health services provider reported $1.61 earnings per share 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, research analysts expect that Maximus will post 6.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Maximus

In other news, Director Raymond B. Ruddy bought 3,490 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 12th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $71.46 per share, with a total value of $249,395.40. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 112,520 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,040,679.20. The trade was a 3.20 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Bruce Caswell purchased 3,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 17th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $70.64 per share, with a total value of $247,240.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 275,929 shares in the company, valued at $19,491,624.56. The trade was a 1.28 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders purchased 7,063 shares of company stock worth $502,017 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 1.60% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Maximus

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Sanctuary Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Maximus in the second quarter valued at $216,000. Handelsbanken Fonder AB grew its holdings in shares of Maximus by 18.4% in the 3rd quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 13,516 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $1,259,000 after acquiring an additional 2,100 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in shares of Maximus by 150.6% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 862 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $80,000 after purchasing an additional 518 shares during the period. Diversified Trust Co purchased a new stake in shares of Maximus during the third quarter valued at $776,000. Finally, Reinhart Partners LLC. boosted its position in shares of Maximus by 7.9% in the 3rd quarter. Reinhart Partners LLC. now owns 384,127 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $35,785,000 after purchasing an additional 28,213 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.