Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC Raises Stake in ePlus inc. $PLUS

Key Points

• Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC has increased its stake in ePlus inc. by 94.0%, acquiring an additional 68,510 shares to own a total of 141,414 shares valued at approximately $8.63 million.
• Analysts have downgraded ePlus from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating, indicating a more cautious outlook for the company's stock performance.
• ePlus has announced a quarterly dividend of $0.25 per share, with an annualized yield of 1.4%, payable on September 17th to stockholders of record as of August 26th.

Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC increased its stake in ePlus inc. (NASDAQ:PLUS - Free Report) by 94.0% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 141,414 shares of the software maker's stock after buying an additional 68,510 shares during the period. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC owned 0.53% of ePlus worth $8,630,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Quarry LP grew its stake in ePlus by 1,000.0% during the fourth quarter. Quarry LP now owns 473 shares of the software maker's stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 430 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its holdings in ePlus by 377.9% during the 1st quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 712 shares of the software maker's stock valued at $43,000 after buying an additional 563 shares in the last quarter. Johnson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of ePlus in the 4th quarter valued at about $60,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of ePlus by 625.5% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,023 shares of the software maker's stock worth $62,000 after acquiring an additional 882 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sherbrooke Park Advisers LLC bought a new position in shares of ePlus during the 4th quarter worth approximately $213,000. 93.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of ePlus from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, June 27th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of ePlus from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat.com, ePlus presently has an average rating of "Hold".

ePlus Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:PLUS traded down $0.52 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $72.44. The company's stock had a trading volume of 81,966 shares, compared to its average volume of 202,752. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $69.98 and its 200 day simple moving average is $66.71. The company has a market cap of $1.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 1.14. ePlus inc. has a 12-month low of $53.83 and a 12-month high of $106.98.

ePlus Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 17th. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 26th will be given a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 26th. ePlus's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.42%.

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.