ePlus inc. $PLUS Position Lifted by Inspire Investing LLC

Key Points

• Inspire Investing increased its ePlus stake by 266.2% in the third quarter, acquiring 25,979 additional shares for a total holding of 35,740 shares valued at approximately $3.2 million.
• Institutional investors collectively own 93.8% of ePlus, with BlackRock, Dimensional Fund Advisors, and First Trust among other major holders increasing or initiating positions.
• ePlus exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $1.28 in EPS and $649.1 million in revenue, while analysts maintain a consensus “Hold” rating; the company also pays a quarterly dividend of $0.27 per share.

Inspire Investing LLC grew its stake in ePlus inc. (NASDAQ:PLUS - Free Report) by 266.2% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 35,740 shares of the software maker's stock after purchasing an additional 25,979 shares during the period. Inspire Investing LLC owned approximately 0.14% of ePlus worth $3,217,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in ePlus during the second quarter worth approximately $337,929,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in ePlus by 3.8% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,310,378 shares of the software maker's stock worth $98,604,000 after buying an additional 48,158 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP grew its holdings in ePlus by 118.2% in the 1st quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 579,047 shares of the software maker's stock valued at $43,573,000 after buying an additional 313,674 shares in the last quarter. Neumeier Poma Investment Counsel LLC purchased a new stake in ePlus in the 2nd quarter valued at $22,888,250. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada grew its holdings in ePlus by 9.6% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 278,636 shares of the software maker's stock valued at $20,968,000 after buying an additional 24,348 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.80% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently commented on PLUS. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of ePlus in a report on Tuesday, October 6th. Zacks Research raised shares of ePlus from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating. Based on data from MarketBeat, ePlus has a consensus rating of "Hold".

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, COO Darren S. Raiguel sold 470 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $93.11, for a total value of $43,761.70. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 67,182 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,255,316.02. This represents a 0.69% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director John E. Callies sold 500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $88.09, for a total value of $44,045.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 20,648 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,818,882.32. This trade represents a 2.36% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 19,700 shares of company stock valued at $1,875,748 over the last quarter. 2.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

ePlus Price Performance

ePlus stock opened at $95.36 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $90.94 and a 200-day simple moving average of $87.23. ePlus inc. has a 1-year low of $70.96 and a 1-year high of $98.14. The stock has a market cap of $2.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 0.96.

ePlus (NASDAQ:PLUS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The software maker reported $1.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.19 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $649.11 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $639.95 million. ePlus had a net margin of 4.91% and a return on equity of 11.51%. Equities analysts expect that ePlus inc. will post 4.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ePlus Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 25th were given a $0.27 dividend. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, August 25th. ePlus's dividend payout ratio is presently 23.63%.

About ePlus

ePlus inc. NASDAQ: PLUS provides technology solutions, professional services and financing to organizations in the commercial, government, healthcare and education sectors. Through its technology business, the company helps customers plan, implement and manage information technology environments, including data center, networking, cybersecurity, collaboration, cloud and digital infrastructure solutions.

The company also offers managed and professional services, technology consulting, IT asset management, and lifecycle services.

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