Maximus, Inc. (NYSE:MMS) Shares Acquired by First Trust Advisors LP

First Trust Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of Maximus, Inc. (NYSE:MMS - Free Report) by 9.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 625,234 shares of the health services provider's stock after buying an additional 56,490 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP owned 1.09% of Maximus worth $46,674,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of MMS. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Maximus by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 6,548,284 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $488,829,000 after purchasing an additional 205,564 shares during the last quarter. Van Berkom & Associates Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Maximus by 8.5% during the fourth quarter. Van Berkom & Associates Inc. now owns 1,256,418 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $93,792,000 after acquiring an additional 98,264 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Maximus by 7.7% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,000,664 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $74,700,000 after purchasing an additional 71,598 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Maximus during the 4th quarter worth approximately $71,443,000. Finally, Federated Hermes Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Maximus by 74.8% during the fourth quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 882,953 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $65,912,000 after buying an additional 377,705 shares during the last quarter. 97.21% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Maximus Trading Down 0.2 %

Shares of MMS traded down $0.16 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $67.37. The company had a trading volume of 25,509 shares, compared to its average volume of 551,651. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $67.63 and a 200-day simple moving average of $74.24. The company has a quick ratio of 1.72, a current ratio of 1.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82. The stock has a market cap of $3.81 billion, a PE ratio of 14.50 and a beta of 0.68. Maximus, Inc. has a 1-year low of $63.77 and a 1-year high of $93.97.

Maximus (NYSE:MMS - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The health services provider reported $1.61 EPS for the quarter, topping 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%. Research analysts forecast that Maximus, Inc. will post 6.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Maximus Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, May 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be paid a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.78%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. Maximus's dividend payout ratio is currently 25.81%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently weighed in on MMS. Raymond James upgraded 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. StockNews.com cut Maximus from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Ilene R. Baylinson sold 14,500 shares of Maximus stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Jan Madsen sold 2,439 shares of the firm'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 completion of the sale, the director now owns 18,097 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,225,347.87. This trade represents a 11.88 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate 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.