Maximus (NYSE:MMS) Hits New 1-Year Low - Should You Sell?

Shares of Maximus, Inc. (NYSE:MMS - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week low during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $66.05 and last traded at $66.98, with a volume of 539722 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $67.39.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com lowered Maximus from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th.

Maximus Stock Performance

The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $67.64 and a 200 day moving average price of $73.41. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.33 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a quick ratio of 1.72, a current ratio of 1.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82.

Maximus (NYSE:MMS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The health services provider reported $1.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. On average, analysts forecast that Maximus, Inc. will post 6.15 EPS for the current year.

Maximus Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.80%. Maximus's dividend payout ratio is currently 25.81%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Jan Madsen sold 2,439 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.71, for a total value of $165,144.69. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 18,097 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,225,347.87. This represents a 11.88 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 2,512 shares in the company, valued at approximately $171,167.68. This trade represents a 85.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Maximus

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Maximus by 3.2% in the fourth 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 period. Mackenzie Financial Corp increased its holdings in shares of Maximus by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 2,782,150 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $207,687,000 after purchasing an additional 55,583 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of Maximus by 14.4% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,406,592 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $105,001,000 after purchasing an additional 177,075 shares during the period. Van Berkom & Associates Inc. lifted 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 worth $93,792,000 after purchasing an additional 98,264 shares during the period. Finally, Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Maximus by 7.4% during the fourth quarter. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,234,933 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $92,188,000 after purchasing an additional 84,835 shares during the period. 97.21% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Maximus Company 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.