Principal Financial Group Inc. Lowers Holdings in Maximus, Inc. $MMS

Principal Financial Group Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of Maximus, Inc. (NYSE:MMS) by 7.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 159,410 shares of the health services provider’s stock after selling 12,017 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned about 0.28% of Maximus worth $14,565,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Maximus in the 2nd quarter worth $47,886,000. Boston Partners boosted its stake in Maximus by 113.6% in the 2nd quarter. Boston Partners now owns 657,247 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $46,435,000 after purchasing an additional 349,529 shares in the last quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Maximus during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $18,073,000. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Maximus by 49.0% in the third quarter. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC now owns 720,943 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $65,873,000 after buying an additional 237,097 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Voya Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Maximus by 1,380.3% during the third quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC now owns 228,488 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $20,877,000 after buying an additional 213,053 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 97.21% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have commented on MMS shares. Wall Street Zen cut Maximus from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday. Zacks Research raised Maximus from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 30th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Maximus in a report on Monday, December 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and one has assigned a Buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Maximus currently has a consensus rating of “Strong Buy”.

Maximus Stock Performance

Shares of MMS stock opened at $75.09 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $4.10 billion, a PE ratio of 11.43 and a beta of 0.56. Maximus, Inc. has a 52-week low of $63.77 and a 52-week high of $100.00. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $89.83 and a 200-day simple moving average of $86.59. The company has a quick ratio of 2.34, a current ratio of 2.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88.

Maximus (NYSE:MMS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The health services provider reported $1.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.84 by $0.01. Maximus had a return on equity of 25.30% and a net margin of 6.92%.The company had revenue of $1.35 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.37 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.61 earnings per share. Maximus’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.1% on a year-over-year basis. Maximus has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.050-8.350 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Maximus, Inc. will post 6.15 EPS for the current year.

Maximus Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 13th will be given a $0.33 dividend. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.8%. This is an increase from Maximus’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 13th. Maximus’s payout ratio is currently 18.26%.

Insider Activity

In other Maximus news, CFO David Mutryn acquired 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 9th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $75.62 per share, with a total value of $75,620.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief financial officer owned 40,037 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,027,597.94. This trade represents a 2.56% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Michelle F. Link sold 4,039 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $86.84, for a total value of $350,746.76. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 19,542 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,697,027.28. This trade represents a 17.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have bought 1,056 shares of company stock worth $80,442. Corporate insiders own 1.80% of the company’s stock.

About Maximus

Maximus, Inc (NYSE: MMS) is a global provider of government services focused on delivering health and human services programs. The company partners with federal, state, and local agencies to administer and manage programs that support individuals and families across various stages of life. Key service areas include eligibility determination and enrollment services for Medicaid, Medicare, Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and other public assistance programs, as well as call center operations, case management and program integrity solutions.