Zacks Research Has Weak Forecast for Maximus FY2026 Earnings

Maximus, Inc. (NYSE:MMS) – Analysts at Zacks Research cut their FY2026 earnings per share estimates for Maximus in a note issued to investors on Wednesday, August 26th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the health services provider will post earnings of $8.07 per share for the year, down from their previous estimate of $8.41. Zacks Research currently has a “Strong Sell” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Maximus’ current full-year earnings is $8.01 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Maximus’ Q1 2027 earnings at $1.93 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $2.25 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $2.27 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $1.92 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $8.37 EPS, Q1 2028 earnings at $2.09 EPS, Q2 2028 earnings at $2.31 EPS, Q3 2028 earnings at $2.56 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $9.15 EPS.

MMS has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Wall Street Zen cut Maximus from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 8th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Maximus in a research report on Monday, August 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Reduce”.

Maximus Stock Performance

NYSE:MMS opened at $58.88 on Thursday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $57.50 and a 200-day moving average price of $63.77. The company has a market cap of $3.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.70 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 2.42 and a current ratio of 2.42. Maximus has a fifty-two week low of $52.73 and a fifty-two week high of $100.00.

Maximus (NYSE:MMS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 6th. The health services provider reported $2.22 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.21 by $0.01. Maximus had a return on equity of 24.91% and a net margin of 7.07%.The firm had revenue of $1.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.33 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.16 EPS. The company’s revenue was down 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. Maximus has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.900-8.200 EPS.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Maximus

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in shares of Maximus in the 2nd quarter valued at $400,186,000. California State Teachers Retirement System lifted its position in shares of Maximus by 5,229.9% during the 2nd quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 3,365,376 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $180,923,000 after buying an additional 3,302,234 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of Maximus by 7.2% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,107,278 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $135,084,000 after buying an additional 141,362 shares during the last quarter. Reinhart Partners LLC. boosted its stake in Maximus by 131.8% in the second quarter. Reinhart Partners LLC. now owns 1,982,415 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $106,575,000 after buying an additional 1,127,346 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Maximus by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,482,079 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $127,952,000 after buying an additional 5,130 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.21% of the company’s stock.

Maximus Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.33 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. Maximus’s dividend payout ratio is presently 19.50%.

Key Stories Impacting Maximus

Here are the key news stories impacting Maximus this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks raised its FY2028 EPS forecast to $9.15 from $8.94. The firm also increased estimates for Q1 2028 to $2.09 from $2.02, Q2 2028 to $2.31 from $2.22, and Q3 2028 to $2.56 from $2.41, suggesting improved expectations for Maximus’s longer-term earnings potential.
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks’s FY2026 EPS estimate of $8.07 remains slightly above the broader consensus forecast of $8.01, which may offer some reassurance despite the downward revision.
• Neutral Sentiment: The analyst expects Maximus to earn $8.37 per share in FY2027, with quarterly estimates of $1.93, $2.25, $2.27 and $1.92. The overall FY2027 forecast was only modestly reduced from $8.43, indicating limited change to the medium-term outlook.
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks cut its FY2026 EPS estimate from $8.41 to $8.07, reduced FY2027’s fourth-quarter forecast from $1.95 to $1.92, and lowered Q1 2027 EPS to $1.93 from $1.94 and Q3 2027 EPS to $2.27 from $2.33. These revisions signal softer near-term expectations.
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks continues to rate MMS “Strong Sell,” which could weigh on investor sentiment even though the stock trades at a relatively low P/E ratio and the firm raised its longer-term forecasts.

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.