Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC Has $4.49 Million Holdings in ePlus inc. $PLUS

Key Points

• Allspring Global Investments increased its stake in ePlus by 63.7% in Q4 to 51,815 shares worth $4.49 million (about 0.20% of the company), while institutional investors own roughly 93.8% of the stock.
• Q4 earnings beat: ePlus reported $1.45 EPS vs. $1.01 expected and revenue of $614.77 million vs. $529.60 million, with analysts forecasting about 3.78 EPS for the current year.
• The company pays a quarterly dividend of $0.25 ($1.00 annual, 1.3% yield), trades at a market cap of $2.10 billion with a P/E of 15.8, and carries a mixed analyst outlook with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy."

Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its stake in ePlus inc. (NASDAQ:PLUS - Free Report) by 63.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 51,815 shares of the software maker's stock after buying an additional 20,163 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC owned about 0.20% of ePlus worth $4,489,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of ePlus during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of ePlus by 47.8% during the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 439 shares of the software maker's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of ePlus during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Osaic Holdings Inc. grew its holdings in shares of ePlus by 361.9% during the 2nd quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 448 shares of the software maker's stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 351 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of ePlus by 30.8% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 904 shares of the software maker's stock worth $79,000 after purchasing an additional 213 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.80% of the company's stock.

ePlus Stock Up 2.5%

NASDAQ:PLUS opened at $79.47 on Wednesday. ePlus inc. has a 12-month low of $54.06 and a 12-month high of $93.98. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.10 billion, a PE ratio of 15.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 1.01. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $79.84 and a 200 day moving average price of $81.79.

ePlus (NASDAQ:PLUS - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The software maker reported $1.45 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.01 by $0.44. The business had revenue of $614.77 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $529.60 million. ePlus had a return on equity of 12.06% and a net margin of 5.63%. On average, research analysts expect that ePlus inc. will post 3.78 EPS for the current year.

ePlus Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 18th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 24th were paid a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 24th. ePlus's payout ratio is currently 19.88%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen lowered ePlus from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, March 28th. Zacks Research lowered shares of ePlus from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of ePlus from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Friday, March 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, ePlus currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy".

Insider Activity at ePlus

In other news, COO Darren S. Raiguel sold 311 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $88.69, for a total value of $27,582.59. Following the sale, the chief operating officer owned 57,037 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,058,611.53. The trade was a 0.54% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 1.93% of the company's stock.

About ePlus

ePlus Inc NASDAQ: PLUS is a technology solutions provider that helps enterprises and public-sector organizations maximize the value of their information technology investments. The company specializes in designing, implementing and managing complex IT infrastructures, with a focus on security, cloud computing, data center modernization and unified communications. By combining consulting services with software license management and hardware procurement, ePlus delivers end-to-end solutions that align with its clients' strategic objectives.

The company's offerings include cybersecurity assessments and managed security services, hybrid and public cloud deployments, network architecture and optimization, and collaboration platforms.

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