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

Ruffer LLP purchased a new stake in Maximus, Inc. (NYSE:MMS) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 137,517 shares of the health services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $10,266,000. Ruffer LLP owned about 0.24% of Maximus at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its position in Maximus by 79.8% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 356 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 158 shares during the last quarter. Eastern Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Maximus in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised 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 valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 180 shares during the last quarter. R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Maximus in the fourth quarter valued at about $54,000. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc raised 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 valued at $59,000 after buying an additional 302 shares during the last quarter. 97.21% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MMS has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. StockNews.com lowered 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.

Maximus Stock Performance

Shares of MMS opened at $71.26 on Friday. 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 company has a market capitalization of $4.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.33 and a beta of 0.71. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $72.77 and its 200 day simple moving average is $80.22. Maximus, Inc. has a 1 year low of $63.77 and a 1 year high of $93.97.

Maximus (NYSE:MMS) last released 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 net margin of 5.28% and a return on equity of 21.95%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Maximus, Inc. will post 6.15 EPS for the current year.

Maximus Announces Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

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.