15,929 Shares in ePlus inc. $PLUS Acquired by Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC

Key Points

• Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC has acquired a new position in ePlus inc. valued at approximately $972,000 by purchasing 15,929 shares during the first quarter.
• Institutional investors hold a significant stake in ePlus, with 93.80% of the company's stock owned by them, including notable increases from BNP Paribas and Gotham Asset Management.
• ePlus recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.25 per share, representing an annualized yield of 1.4%, with an ex-dividend date set for August 26th.

Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC acquired a new position in shares of ePlus inc. (NASDAQ:PLUS - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 15,929 shares of the software maker's stock, valued at approximately $972,000. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC owned about 0.06% of ePlus as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of ePlus by 0.5% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,448,514 shares of the software maker's stock valued at $149,433,000 after purchasing an additional 11,051 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its stake in ePlus by 9.5% in the first quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 865,318 shares of the software maker's stock valued at $52,810,000 after buying an additional 74,986 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp boosted its holdings in shares of ePlus by 2.5% in the first quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 509,020 shares of the software maker's stock valued at $31,065,000 after acquiring an additional 12,372 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of ePlus by 15.9% in the first quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 198,729 shares of the software maker's stock valued at $12,128,000 after acquiring an additional 27,271 shares during the period. Finally, Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of ePlus by 94.0% during the first quarter. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC now owns 141,414 shares of the software maker's stock worth $8,630,000 after acquiring an additional 68,510 shares during the last quarter. 93.80% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

ePlus Trading Down 1.4%

Shares of ePlus stock traded down $1.04 on Friday, reaching $73.84. 187,380 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 139,096. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.97 billion, a PE ratio of 16.56, a PEG ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 1.17. ePlus inc. has a 1-year low of $53.83 and a 1-year high of $106.98. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $69.83 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $66.96.

ePlus Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 17th. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 26th will be paid a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 26th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. ePlus's payout ratio is 22.42%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently commented on PLUS. Zacks Research upgraded shares of ePlus from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, August 25th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of ePlus from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold".

About ePlus

ePlus inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides information technology (IT) solutions that enable organizations to optimize their IT environment and supply chain processes in the United States and internationally. It operates through two segments, Technology and Financing. The Technology segment offers hardware, perpetual and subscription software, maintenance, software assurance, and internally provided and outsourced services; managed services or infrastructure and cloud; and enhanced maintenance support, service desk, storage-as-a-service, cloud hosted and managed, and managed security services; and professional, staff augmentation, cloud consulting, consulting, and security services.