Squarepoint Ops LLC Makes New Investment in Maximus, Inc. (NYSE:MMS)

Squarepoint Ops LLC bought a new position in Maximus, Inc. (NYSE:MMS) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 303,567 shares of the health services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $22,661,000. Squarepoint Ops LLC owned approximately 0.53% of Maximus at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Two Sigma Advisers LP grew its stake in Maximus by 54.8% in the 4th quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 157,300 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $11,742,000 after acquiring an additional 55,700 shares in the last quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP boosted its stake in shares of Maximus by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 248,645 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $18,561,000 after purchasing an additional 2,111 shares in the last quarter. SG Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Maximus during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,285,000. ProShare Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Maximus by 39.6% during the fourth quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 19,756 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $1,475,000 after purchasing an additional 5,604 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Man Group plc boosted its stake in shares of Maximus by 53.5% during the fourth quarter. Man Group plc now owns 223,297 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $16,669,000 after purchasing an additional 77,810 shares in the last quarter. 97.21% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Maximus from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 15th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Maximus

In other Maximus news, Director Jan Madsen sold 2,439 shares of the firm’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 value of $165,144.69. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 18,097 shares in the company, valued at $1,225,347.87. This trade represents a 11.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 1.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Maximus Price Performance

NYSE MMS opened at $74.80 on Wednesday. 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 firm’s 50 day moving average price is $69.04 and its 200-day moving average price is $72.49. Maximus, Inc. has a 52-week low of $63.77 and a 52-week high of $93.97. The company has a market cap of $4.21 billion, a PE ratio of 16.09 and a beta of 0.61.

Maximus (NYSE:MMS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 8th. The health services provider reported $2.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.37 by $0.64. Maximus had a net margin of 5.28% and a return on equity of 21.95%. The firm had revenue of $1.36 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.29 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.57 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Maximus, Inc. will post 6.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Maximus Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced 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 is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.60%. Maximus’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 23.86%.

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.