Maximus (NYSE:MMS) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Maximus (NYSE:MMS) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report published on Sunday.

Several other equities analysts also recently issued reports on MMS. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Maximus in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Zacks Research raised Maximus from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and one has issued a Buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Maximus presently has a consensus rating of “Strong Buy”.

Maximus Stock Performance

Maximus stock opened at $72.39 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.02 and a beta of 0.57. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $88.73 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $86.69. Maximus has a 52-week low of $63.77 and a 52-week high of $100.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 2.34 and a quick ratio of 2.34.

Maximus (NYSE:MMS) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The health services provider reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.84 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $1.35 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.37 billion. Maximus had a net margin of 6.92% and a return on equity of 25.30%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.61 EPS. Maximus has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.050-8.350 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Maximus will post 6.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Maximus Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.33 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 13th. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. This is an increase from Maximus’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. Maximus’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.09%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO David Mutryn purchased 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 9th. The shares were bought at an average price of $75.62 per share, with a total value of $75,620.00. Following the purchase, the chief financial officer directly owned 40,037 shares in the company, valued at $3,027,597.94. This trade represents a 2.56% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Michelle F. Link sold 4,039 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $86.84, for a total transaction of $350,746.76. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 19,542 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,697,027.28. This trade represents a 17.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders acquired a total of 4,231 shares of company stock valued at $329,521 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 1.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in MMS. Royal Bank of Canada raised its holdings in shares of Maximus by 146.2% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 19,732 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $1,345,000 after acquiring an additional 11,716 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its holdings in Maximus by 0.6% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 34,476 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $2,351,000 after purchasing an additional 221 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its stake in shares of Maximus by 7.0% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 180,690 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $12,321,000 after purchasing an additional 11,754 shares during the period. Jane Street Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Maximus by 941.2% in the 1st quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 98,273 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $6,701,000 after purchasing an additional 88,835 shares during the period. Finally, Sivia Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Maximus in the second quarter valued at about $204,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.21% of the company’s stock.

About Maximus

Maximus, Inc (NYSE: MMS) is a global provider of government services focused on delivering health and human services programs. The company partners with federal, state, and local agencies to administer and manage programs that support individuals and families across various stages of life. Key service areas include eligibility determination and enrollment services for Medicaid, Medicare, Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and other public assistance programs, as well as call center operations, case management and program integrity solutions.