Maximus NYSE: MMS reported fiscal 2026 third-quarter revenue of $1.28 billion, with adjusted EBITDA margin of 15.0% and adjusted diluted earnings per share of $2.22. Revenue was in line with the company’s expectations, while adjusted EBITDA margin improved from 14.7% a year earlier and adjusted EPS rose from $2.16.
The company reiterated its full-year revenue outlook but reduced its earnings and free-cash-flow guidance after the Department of Veterans Affairs temporarily paused performance incentives and disincentives on its Medical Disability Exam, or VA MDE, program.
VA Incentive Pause Reduces Earnings Outlook
CFO David Mutryn said the VA notified all program vendors of a pause in the incentive mechanism, effective July 1, as the agency works to improve its invoice review and validation process. Maximus had recorded positive performance incentives during each of the first three quarters of fiscal 2026, reflecting results on measures including timeliness, accuracy and quality.
The company removed assumed VA MDE incentive contributions from its fourth-quarter forecast. That action lowered its full-year adjusted EPS outlook by approximately $0.35 per share.
- Adjusted diluted EPS is now expected to be $7.90 to $8.20, compared with the prior midpoint of $8.40.
- Full-year adjusted EBITDA margin is expected to be about 13.7%.
- Free cash flow is now expected to be $425 million to $475 million.
- Revenue guidance was reiterated at $5.2 billion to $5.35 billion, with a bias toward the lower end of the range.
For the fourth quarter, Maximus’ revised guidance implies adjusted diluted EPS of $1.91 at the midpoint and adjusted EBITDA margin of approximately 13%. Mutryn said the company views that quarterly margin level as a reasonable earnings run rate entering fiscal 2027 while the incentive suspension remains in place.
The company assumes the pause will continue through Dec. 31, 2026, meaning Maximus does not expect to be eligible for incentives in the first quarter of fiscal 2027. CEO Bruce Caswell said the VA has released a draft performance work statement for the successor contract, covering all six regions currently served by the company. He said the document did not include details about pricing or future incentive structures.
Caswell said the company remains confident in its ability to win the rebid, citing its delivery record, operating investments and relationship with the customer. The current contracts are scheduled to end Dec. 31, though the company said an extension of up to six months could be possible based on the timing suggested in the draft work statement.
Segment Results and Cash Collection Progress
U.S. Federal Services generated third-quarter revenue of $721 million. Revenue declined from the prior-year period, which included higher natural-disaster support and temporary clinical volume surges. Segment operating income margin rose to 18.6%, from 18.1% a year earlier, aided by operating efficiencies.
U.S. Services revenue was $418 million, and operating income margin was 10.8%. Management said it expects positive mid-single-digit organic revenue growth in the segment in the fourth quarter, driven by increased outreach and engagement work involving Medicaid beneficiaries and legislative changes at current state customers.
The Outside the U.S. segment reported revenue of $140 million and operating profit of $1.2 million. Management attributed lower revenue versus the prior year to volume changes across clinical and employment-services programs. The company continues to expect the segment to break even for the full fiscal year, implying a profitable fourth quarter.
Cash flow used in operations totaled $125 million in the third quarter, while free cash flow was an outflow of $137 million. Days sales outstanding stood at 98 days due to administrative delays at a major federal customer. Mutryn said Maximus collected approximately $245 million from that customer after June 30 and continues to expect DSO to finish the fiscal year below 70 days.
Maximus ended the quarter with $1.65 billion in total debt and a consolidated net leverage ratio of 2.0 times, within its targeted range of two to three times. The company repurchased about 750,000 shares for $50 million during the quarter. Its full $400 million share-repurchase authorization approved in May remained available as of June 30.
Pipeline, Medicaid, SNAP and AI Opportunities
Maximus reported a total sales pipeline of $50.4 billion at June 30, including $2.9 billion in pending proposals, $2.4 billion in proposals in preparation and $45.1 billion in tracked opportunities. New work represented 57% of the pipeline, while U.S. Federal Services accounted for 55%.
Caswell said portions of the federal civilian market have faced procurement delays, scope revisions and cancellations amid changing priorities, budget considerations and policy developments. Still, he said demand remains constructive. Year-to-date signed awards totaled $1.25 billion, producing a trailing 12-month book-to-bill ratio of about 0.5 times. Another $1.35 billion of awards had not yet been signed at quarter-end, primarily tied to longer-term recompete activity.
Management also highlighted potential work associated with H.R. 1, including Medicaid community-engagement requirements and SNAP program administration. Caswell said state discussions around Medicaid have moved more slowly than anticipated because of the complexity of recently released federal rules, but Maximus expects beneficiary outreach activity on existing contracts to support fourth-quarter growth.
On SNAP, the company said it has completed more than 40 demonstrations of its Accuracy Assistant tool and held 150 customer meetings. Caswell noted that USDA data showed a national SNAP payment error rate of approximately 10.6% in fiscal 2025, compared with about 10.9% in fiscal 2024.
The company also said artificial intelligence has become increasingly important in government procurements, with roughly 75% to 80% of new bids and rebids containing explicit AI requirements or evaluation criteria. Caswell said AI-based improvements across five contracts, including call-routing, chatbot and customer-engagement tools, produced a 3.5% operating-margin improvement for that group of contracts.
About Maximus (NYSE:MMS)
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.
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