Favorable tailwinds persist and drive third consecutive raise to FY24 guidance

Maximus (NYSE: MMS), a leading provider of government services worldwide, reported financial results for the three and nine months ending June 30, 2024.

Highlights for the third quarter of fiscal year 2024 include:

• Revenue increased 10.6% to $1.31 billion, compared to $1.19 billion for the prior year period. All three segments contributed to organic growth of 11.2%, with the U.S. Federal Services Segment being the primary driver.

• Diluted earnings per share were $1.46 and adjusted diluted earnings per share were $1.74, compared to $0.50 and $0.78, respectively, for the prior year period.

• Guidance is increasing again for fiscal year 2024. At the midpoints, revenue is increasing by $100 million, adjusted operating income guidance is increasing by $30 million, adjusted diluted earnings per share by $0.35, and free cash flow by $15 million.

• Net debt to EBITDA ratio improved to 1.5 times at June 30, 2024, compared to 1.7 times in the prior quarter.

• A quarterly cash dividend of $0.30 per share is payable on August 31, 2024, to shareholders of record on August 15, 2024.

"Our third quarter demonstrates our ability to capitalize on favorable tailwinds that have persisted across this year, where we accomplished high quality and efficient delivery, at scale," said Bruce Caswell, President and Chief Executive Officer. "I want to acknowledge and thank all our teams for their respective roles in delivering exceptional performance this quarter, enabling us to solidly beat expectations and continue the momentum of the business this year."

Third Quarter Results

Revenue for the third quarter of fiscal year 2024 increased 10.6% to $1.31 billion, compared to $1.19 billion for the prior year period. All three segments contributed to consolidated organic growth of 11.2%, with the primary driver being volume growth on clinical programs in the U.S. Federal Services Segment.

For the third quarter of fiscal year 2024, operating margin was 10.8% and the adjusted operating margin was 12.6%. This compares to margins of 4.9% and 6.9%, respectively, for the prior year period. Diluted earnings per share were $1.46 and adjusted diluted earnings per share were $1.74. This compares to $0.50 and $0.78, respectively, for the prior year period which included a $0.26 impact from the previously disclosed cybersecurity incident. Exceptional performance within environments of strong demand across both domestic segments led to higher-than-anticipated earnings this quarter.

U.S. Federal Services Segment

U.S. Federal Services Segment revenue for the third quarter of fiscal year 2024 increased 17.0% to $683.3 million, compared to $584.0 million reported for the prior year period. All growth was organic and driven primarily by volume growth on clinical programs.

The segment operating margin for the third quarter of fiscal year 2024 was 15.5%, compared to 12.7% reported for the prior year period. This quarter's margin reflects excellent operational execution combined with high demand for services, particularly in clinical services, and a temporarily favorable mix of lower cost-plus revenue and higher performance-based revenue. The full-year fiscal 2024 margin for the U.S. Federal Services Segment is now expected to be approximately 12.5%.

U.S. Services Segment

U.S. Services Segment revenue for the third quarter of fiscal year 2024 increased 5.2% to $472.3 million, compared to $449.1 million reported in the prior year period. All growth was organic and enabled by strong performance across the Medicaid-related portfolio, a portion of which were excess volumes from the unwinding exercise which is now completed.

The segment operating margin for the third quarter of fiscal year 2024 was 13.0%, compared to 10.5% reported for the prior year. This quarter's margin benefited from the strong Medicaid-related performance and the aforementioned excess volumes. The full-year fiscal 2024 margin for the U.S. Services Segment is anticipated to be approximately 13%.

Outside the U.S. Segment

Outside the U.S. Segment revenue for the third quarter of fiscal year 2024 increased 2.3% to $159.3 million, compared to $155.7 million reported in the prior year period. Organic growth was 6.8% and driven primarily by strong operations in the United Kingdom, with the effect of divested businesses partially offsetting the growth.

The segment realized an operating loss of $1.4 million for the third quarter of fiscal year 2024, compared to a loss of $15.2 million in the prior year period. This quarter's loss was contemplated in the full-year outlook for the segment, which remains slightly above breakeven. A smaller footprint and improved profitability are expected once segment-shaping efforts are complete, which remain a priority for this fiscal year.

Sales and Pipeline

Year-to-date signed contract awards at June 30, 2024, totaled $1.25 billion, and contracts pending (awarded but unsigned) totaled $398 million. The book-to-bill ratio at June 30, 2024, was 0.6x calculated on a trailing twelve-month basis.

The sales pipeline at June 30, 2024, totaled $44.1 billion, comprised of approximately $2.93 billion in proposals pending, $7.33 billion in proposals in preparation, and $33.8 billion in opportunities tracking. This quarter's large increase to the pipeline is attributable to capturing the Contact Center Operations (CCO) early recompete and the Veterans Affairs Medical Disability Examination contracts recompete stemming from higher volumes on the program. New work opportunities represent approximately 55% of the total sales pipeline.

Balance Sheet and Cash Flows

At June 30, 2024, cash and cash equivalents totaled $103 million, and gross debt was $1.16 billion. The ratio of debt, net of allowed cash, to EBITDA for the quarter ended June 30, 2024, as calculated in accordance with our credit agreement, was 1.5x. This compares to 1.7x at March 31, 2024.

For the third quarter of fiscal year 2024, cash provided by operating activities totaled $199 million, and free cash flow was $165 million. DSO at June 30, 2024, were 59 days, compared with 62 days at March 31, 2024.

During the third quarter of fiscal year 2024, we purchased approximately 611,000 shares, totaling $50.6 million, which is an average price of $82.79 per share. Subsequent to June 30, 2024, we purchased an additional 250,000 shares, totaling $21.2 million, at an average price of $84.78 per share. In June 2024, the Board of Directors authorized an expansion to the purchase program for Maximus common stock of up to an aggregate of $200 million.

On July 5, 2024, our Board of Directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.30 for each share of our common stock outstanding. The dividend is payable on August 31, 2024, to shareholders of record on August 15, 2024.

Further Raise to FY24 Guidance

Maximus is further raising fiscal year 2024 guidance following its third quarter results. Revenue is now expected to range between $5.25 billion and $5.35 billion, representing an increase of $100 million from the midpoint of prior guidance.

Adjusted operating income is now expected to range between $570 million and $590 million, representing an increase of $30 million from the midpoint of prior guidance. Adjusted operating income excludes an estimated $90 million of expense for amortization of intangible assets and $1 million of divestiture-related charges.

Adjusted diluted earnings per share is now expected to range between $6.00 and $6.20 per share, representing an increase of $0.35 per share from the midpoint of prior guidance.

Free cash flow is now expected to range between $350 million and $380 million as a result of the increased earnings guidance and partially offset by higher capital expenditures for the remainder of the year. Interest expense is estimated to be $80 million for fiscal year 2024.

Conference Call and Webcast Information

Maximus will host a conference call tomorrow, August 8, 2024, at 9:00 a.m. ET. Shareholders are invited to submit questions for management’s consideration by emailing IR@maximus.com up to one hour prior to the call.

The call is open to the public and available by webcast or by phone at:

877.407.8289 (Domestic) / +1.201.689.8341 (International)

For those unable to listen to the live call, a recording of the webcast will be available on investor.maximus.com.

About Maximus

As a leading strategic partner to governments across the globe, Maximus helps improve the delivery of public services amid complex technology, health, economic, environmental, and social challenges. With a deep understanding of program service delivery, acute insights that achieve operational excellence, and an extensive awareness of the needs of the people being served, our employees advance the critical missions of our partners. Maximus delivers innovative business process management, impactful consulting services, and technology solutions that provide improved outcomes for the public and higher levels of productivity and efficiency of government-sponsored programs. For more information, visit maximus.com.

Non-GAAP Measures and Forward-Looking Statements

This release contains non-GAAP measures and other indicators, including organic growth, free cash flow, operating income and EPS adjusted for amortization of intangible assets and divestiture-related charges, adjusted EBITDA, and other non-GAAP measures. A description of these non-GAAP measures and details as to how they are calculated are included with our earnings presentation and forthcoming Form 10-Q.

The presentation of these non-GAAP numbers is not meant to be considered in isolation, nor as alternatives to cash flows from operations, revenue growth, operating income, or net income as measures of performance. These non-GAAP financial measures, as determined and presented by us, may not be comparable to related or similarly titled measures presented by other companies.

Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about our confidence and strategies, and our expectations about revenues, results of operations, profitability, future contracts, market opportunities, market demand, or acceptance of our products are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties.

These risks could cause our actual results to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements. A Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements is included within our forthcoming Form 10-Q and a summary of risk factors can be found in Item 1A, "Risk Factors" in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended September 30, 2023, which was filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on November 16, 2023. Our SEC reports are accessible on maximus.com.

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