Renaissance Technologies LLC Acquires 161,400 Shares of Maximus, Inc. (NYSE:MMS)

Renaissance Technologies LLC raised its stake in shares of Maximus, Inc. (NYSE:MMS - Free Report) by 66.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 403,600 shares of the health services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 161,400 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC owned 0.71% of Maximus worth $30,129,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of MMS. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its holdings in Maximus by 79.8% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 356 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 158 shares during the period. Eastern Bank bought a new position in Maximus in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Maximus by 65.9% during the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 453 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 180 shares during the last quarter. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Maximus in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $54,000. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc grew its stake in shares of Maximus by 62.4% in the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 786 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $59,000 after acquiring an additional 302 shares during the last quarter. 97.21% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Maximus Price Performance

NYSE MMS traded up $0.24 during trading on Thursday, reaching $67.62. 70,638 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 547,326. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 1.72 and a current ratio of 1.72. The company has a market cap of $3.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.53 and a beta of 0.68. Maximus, Inc. has a 1-year low of $63.77 and a 1-year high of $93.97. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $67.66 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $75.76.

Maximus (NYSE:MMS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The health services provider reported $1.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.39 by $0.22. Maximus had a return on equity of 21.95% and a net margin of 5.28%. As a group, analysts anticipate that Maximus, Inc. will post 6.15 EPS for the current year.

Maximus Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, May 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th will be given a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.77%. Maximus's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 25.81%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have issued reports on MMS. Raymond James upgraded shares of Maximus from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $90.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Maximus from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Maximus

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

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.