Vanguard Group Inc. Raises Stake in Maximus, Inc. (NYSE:MMS)

Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Maximus, Inc. (NYSE:MMS - Free Report) by 3.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 6,548,284 shares of the health services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 205,564 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 11.46% of Maximus worth $488,829,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of MMS. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its holdings in Maximus by 57.3% during the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 57,555 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $5,362,000 after buying an additional 20,972 shares in the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its holdings in Maximus by 2.7% during the 3rd quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 12,949 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $1,206,000 after acquiring an additional 340 shares during the last quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Maximus by 83.3% in the 3rd quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 8,331 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $776,000 after acquiring an additional 3,786 shares in the last quarter. Holocene Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of Maximus by 6.5% in the third quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 3,927 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $366,000 after purchasing an additional 239 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Petrus Trust Company LTA lifted its position in shares of Maximus by 2.7% during the third quarter. Petrus Trust Company LTA now owns 7,084 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $660,000 after purchasing an additional 185 shares in the last quarter. 97.21% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Remove Ads

Maximus Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MMS traded down $0.70 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $70.33. The company had a trading volume of 504,184 shares, compared to its average volume of 538,198. The stock has a market cap of $3.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.12 and a beta of 0.71. The company's 50 day moving average price is $69.31 and its 200 day moving average price is $77.41. The company has a current ratio of 1.72, a quick ratio of 1.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82. Maximus, Inc. has a 52-week low of $63.77 and a 52-week high of $93.97.

Maximus (NYSE:MMS - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Maximus, Inc. will post 6.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Maximus Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 28th. Shareholders of record on Saturday, February 15th were paid a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.71%. Maximus's payout ratio is presently 25.81%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Maximus

In related news, insider Ilene R. Baylinson sold 14,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.14, for a total value of $988,030.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 2,512 shares in the company, valued at approximately $171,167.68. The trade was a 85.23 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Jan Madsen sold 2,439 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.71, for a total transaction of $165,144.69. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 18,097 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,225,347.87. This trade represents a 11.88 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.60% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have commented on MMS shares. StockNews.com lowered shares of Maximus from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Raymond James raised Maximus from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $90.00 price target for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd.

Maximus 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.