4,407 Shares in Maximus, Inc. (NYSE:MMS) Purchased by Zacks Investment Management

Zacks Investment Management bought a new position in Maximus, Inc. (NYSE:MMS - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 4,407 shares of the health services provider's stock, valued at approximately $329,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of MMS. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its position in shares of Maximus by 79.8% in the 4th 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 last quarter. Eastern Bank bought a new position in Maximus in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its stake in Maximus by 65.9% in the fourth 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 bought a new position in shares of Maximus during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $54,000. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc raised its position in shares of Maximus by 62.4% during the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 786 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $59,000 after purchasing an additional 302 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.21% of the company's stock.

Maximus Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MMS traded up $0.48 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $68.79. 274,537 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 550,633. The company has a market cap of $3.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.79 and a beta of 0.68. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $67.63 and a 200 day moving average price of $74.92. Maximus, Inc. has a 52 week low of $63.77 and a 52 week high of $93.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 1.72 and a quick ratio of 1.72.

Maximus (NYSE:MMS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Maximus, Inc. will post 6.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Maximus Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, May 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.74%. Maximus's dividend payout ratio is currently 25.81%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. StockNews.com downgraded Maximus from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Raymond James upgraded shares of 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.

Insider Activity at Maximus

In related news, insider Ilene R. Baylinson sold 14,500 shares of Maximus stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.14, for a total value of $988,030.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 2,512 shares in the company, valued at $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 available through this link. Also, Director Jan Madsen sold 2,439 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.71, for a total value of $165,144.69. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 18,097 shares in the company, valued at $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. Company insiders own 1.60% of the company's stock.

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.