Nuveen LLC Takes Position in ePlus inc. $PLUS

Key Points

• Nuveen LLC acquired 64,269 shares of ePlus inc. valued at approximately $3.9 million, now holding 0.24% of the company.
• ePlus announced a quarterly dividend of $0.25 per share, representing an annualized yield of 1.4% with a payout ratio of 22.42%.
• Recent analyst ratings for ePlus indicate a downgrade to a "hold" rating by Wall Street Zen, with a consensus average rating of "Hold" across the board.

Nuveen LLC acquired a new stake in shares of ePlus inc. (NASDAQ:PLUS - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund acquired 64,269 shares of the software maker's stock, valued at approximately $3,922,000. Nuveen LLC owned approximately 0.24% of ePlus as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in PLUS. Castlekeep Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in ePlus in the 4th quarter worth approximately $127,898,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its holdings in shares of ePlus by 532.0% in the fourth quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 85,192 shares of the software maker's stock valued at $6,294,000 after purchasing an additional 71,712 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of ePlus by 44,179.4% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 62,434 shares of the software maker's stock valued at $3,810,000 after purchasing an additional 62,293 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of ePlus by 83.5% in the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 111,499 shares of the software maker's stock valued at $8,238,000 after purchasing an additional 50,732 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its holdings in shares of ePlus by 20.3% in the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 226,724 shares of the software maker's stock valued at $16,751,000 after purchasing an additional 38,317 shares in the last quarter. 93.80% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently weighed in on PLUS. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of ePlus from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, June 27th. Zacks Research upgraded ePlus from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, August 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold".

ePlus Stock Performance

PLUS stock traded down $1.33 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $71.04. The company's stock had a trading volume of 114,588 shares, compared to its average volume of 182,880. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $69.91 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $66.75. ePlus inc. has a 1 year low of $53.83 and a 1 year high of $106.98. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.93, a PEG ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 1.17.

ePlus Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 17th. Shareholders 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 yield of 1.4%. ePlus's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.42%.

ePlus Company Profile

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.