Short Interest in Maximus, Inc. (NYSE:MMS) Drops By 27.0%

Maximus, Inc. (NYSE:MMS) was the target of a large drop in short interest in the month of January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 1,650,000 shares, a drop of 27.0% from the January 15th total of 2,260,000 shares. Currently, 3.0% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 921,500 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.8 days.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Raymond James upgraded Maximus from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $90.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. StockNews.com lowered Maximus from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday.

Maximus Stock Performance

Shares of MMS stock traded up $0.29 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $67.69. 711,566 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 679,035. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $74.12 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $82.48. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.56 and a beta of 0.72. Maximus has a 12-month low of $66.52 and a 12-month high of $93.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a current ratio of 1.72.

Maximus (NYSE:MMS) last issued 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 return on equity of 21.95% and a net margin of 5.28%. On average, analysts forecast that Maximus will post 6.05 EPS for the current year.

Maximus Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 28th. Stockholders of record on Saturday, February 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.77%. Maximus’s dividend payout ratio is presently 25.81%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Raymond B. Ruddy acquired 3,490 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 12th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $71.46 per share, with a total value of $249,395.40. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 112,520 shares in the company, valued at $8,040,679.20. This represents a 3.20 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Michelle F. Link sold 2,208 shares of Maximus stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.83, for a total value of $163,016.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 6,567 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $484,841.61. This represents a 25.16 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have purchased 7,063 shares of company stock worth $502,017. 1.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Maximus

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Nordea Investment Management AB purchased a new stake in shares of Maximus during the 4th quarter valued at $4,618,000. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH grew its stake in shares of Maximus by 39.1% during the 4th quarter. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH now owns 296,476 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $22,132,000 after buying an additional 83,390 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Maximus during the 4th quarter valued at $1,113,000. Versor Investments LP lifted its holdings in shares of Maximus by 213.5% during the 3rd quarter. Versor Investments LP now owns 8,500 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $792,000 after acquiring an additional 5,789 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Maximus by 12.4% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 929,066 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $86,552,000 after acquiring an additional 102,350 shares in the last quarter. 97.21% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.