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

Maximus (NYSE:MMS - Get Free Report) was downgraded by equities research analysts at StockNews.com from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report issued on Friday.

Separately, 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 report on Thursday, January 2nd.

Maximus Price Performance

NYSE:MMS traded up $0.29 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $67.69. 711,566 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 679,035. Maximus has a one year low of $66.52 and a one year high of $93.97. The company has a market capitalization of $3.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.56 and a beta of 0.72. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $74.05 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $82.24. The company has a current ratio of 1.72, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82.

Maximus (NYSE:MMS - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The health services provider reported $1.61 EPS 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%. Sell-side analysts predict that Maximus will post 6.05 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Maximus news, CEO Bruce Caswell purchased 3,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 17th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $70.64 per share, for a total transaction of $247,240.00. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Michelle F. Link sold 2,208 shares of Maximus stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.83, for a total transaction 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. This trade represents a 25.16 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have acquired 7,063 shares of company stock worth $502,017. 1.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Maximus

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its position in Maximus by 35.4% during the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 168,936 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $12,611,000 after purchasing an additional 44,182 shares in the last quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC grew its position in Maximus by 306.8% during the 4th quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC now owns 376,055 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $28,073,000 after purchasing an additional 283,608 shares in the last quarter. Vident Advisory LLC purchased a new position in Maximus during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,075,000. Squarepoint Ops LLC purchased a new position in Maximus during the 4th quarter worth approximately $22,661,000. Finally, Two Sigma Advisers LP grew its position in Maximus by 54.8% during the 4th quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 157,300 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $11,742,000 after purchasing an additional 55,700 shares in the last quarter. 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.