Ruffer LLP Invests $10.27 Million in Maximus, Inc. (NYSE:MMS)

Ruffer LLP acquired a new position in Maximus, Inc. (NYSE:MMS) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund acquired 137,517 shares of the health services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $10,266,000.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. UMB Bank n.a. increased its position in shares of Maximus by 79.8% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 356 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 158 shares in the last quarter. Eastern Bank purchased a new position in shares of Maximus in the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Maximus by 65.9% during the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 453 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 180 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Maximus during the fourth quarter worth approximately $54,000. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc boosted its holdings in shares of Maximus by 62.4% during the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 786 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $59,000 after purchasing an additional 302 shares during the period. 97.21% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Insider Transactions at Maximus

In other Maximus news, CEO Bruce Caswell purchased 3,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 17th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $70.64 per share, with a total value of $247,240.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 275,929 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $19,491,624.56. This trade represents a 1.28 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Raymond B. Ruddy bought 3,490 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 acquisition, the director now directly owns 112,520 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,040,679.20. This represents a 3.20 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders acquired 7,008 shares of company stock valued at $497,835 in the last ninety days. 1.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Maximus Stock Up 4.8 %

Shares of NYSE MMS opened at $71.26 on Friday. 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, Inc. has a 12-month low of $63.77 and a 12-month high of $93.97. The company has a market cap of $4.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.33 and a beta of 0.71. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $72.77 and its 200 day simple moving average is $80.22.

Maximus (NYSE:MMS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The health services provider reported $1.61 EPS for the quarter, beating 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%. On average, research analysts expect that Maximus, Inc. will post 6.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Maximus Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 28th. Investors of record on Saturday, February 15th were paid a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.68%. Maximus’s payout ratio is 25.81%.

Maximus 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.