Short Interest in Maximus, Inc. (NYSE:MMS) Increases By 39.4%

Maximus, Inc. (NYSE:MMS) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in the month of February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,300,000 shares, an increase of 39.4% from the January 31st total of 1,650,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 866,400 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.7 days. Currently, 4.1% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Insider Buying and Selling at Maximus

In other news, CEO Bruce Caswell acquired 3,500 shares of Maximus stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 17th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $70.64 per share, with a total value of $247,240.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 275,929 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,491,624.56. This trade represents a 1.28 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Raymond B. Ruddy acquired 3,490 shares of Maximus stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 12th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $71.46 per share, with a total value of $249,395.40. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 112,520 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,040,679.20. This trade represents a 3.20 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders bought 7,008 shares of company stock valued at $497,835. Company insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Maximus

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. UMB Bank n.a. raised its position 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 purchasing an additional 158 shares in the last quarter. Eastern Bank purchased a new position in shares of Maximus in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Maximus by 65.9% in 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 period. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Maximus in the fourth quarter worth about $54,000. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc increased its holdings 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 buying an additional 302 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.21% of the company’s stock.

Maximus Price Performance

Shares of MMS stock traded up $0.06 on Wednesday, reaching $67.47. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 232,314 shares, compared to its average volume of 469,422. 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 has a 12-month low of $63.77 and a 12-month high of $93.97. The company has a market capitalization of $3.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.51 and a beta of 0.72. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $73.01 and its 200-day simple moving average is $80.58.

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 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, equities analysts predict that Maximus will post 6.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Maximus Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 28th. Shareholders of record on Saturday, February 15th were given a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.78%. Maximus’s payout ratio is 25.81%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on MMS shares. Raymond James raised Maximus from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $90.00 price target for the company in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. StockNews.com downgraded Maximus from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th.

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.