Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC Makes New $1.18 Million Investment in ePlus inc. $PLUS

Key Points

• Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC purchased 15,668 ePlus shares worth approximately $1.18 million, while other institutions also increased their positions. Institutional investors collectively own 93.8% of the company.
• ePlus exceeded first-quarter fiscal 2027 expectations, reporting adjusted EPS of $1.28 versus $1.19 expected and revenue of $649.1 million versus $639.95 million. Management maintained its outlook for mid-single-digit growth and authorized repurchases of up to 1.5 million shares.
• Despite the earnings beat, profitability showed pressure as net income from continuing operations fell 5.4% and gross profit declined 1.5%. The stock carried a consensus “Hold” rating, while company insiders—including the CFO and COO—continued selling shares.

Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC purchased a new stake in shares of ePlus inc. (NASDAQ:PLUS - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 15,668 shares of the software maker's stock, valued at approximately $1,179,000. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC owned 0.06% of ePlus as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of PLUS. First Trust Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of ePlus by 118.2% in the first quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 579,047 shares of the software maker's stock worth $43,573,000 after buying an additional 313,674 shares during the period. Neumeier Poma Investment Counsel LLC bought a new position in ePlus during the 4th quarter worth approximately $24,681,000. Bragg Financial Advisors Inc grew its position in ePlus by 787.7% during the 4th quarter. Bragg Financial Advisors Inc now owns 181,922 shares of the software maker's stock worth $15,955,000 after acquiring an additional 161,428 shares during the last quarter. Medina Value Partners LLC increased its stake in ePlus by 410.6% in the 4th quarter. Medina Value Partners LLC now owns 196,285 shares of the software maker's stock worth $17,214,000 after purchasing an additional 157,843 shares during the period. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its stake in ePlus by 153.7% in the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 210,806 shares of the software maker's stock worth $18,488,000 after purchasing an additional 127,702 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.80% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines Impacting ePlus

Here are the key news stories impacting ePlus this week:

• Positive Sentiment: ePlus reported fiscal first-quarter 2027 adjusted earnings of $1.28 per share, above the $1.19 analyst consensus, while revenue of $649.1 million also exceeded expectations of $639.95 million. ePlus earnings report
• Positive Sentiment: Managed services remained a growth area, with revenue increasing 15.1% to $51.3 million. Total services revenue rose 2.6% to $119.4 million, supporting the company’s recurring-revenue strategy. ePlus first-quarter financial results
• Positive Sentiment: Management reiterated its fiscal 2027 outlook for mid-single-digit growth in net sales, gross profit and adjusted EBITDA. The board also authorized repurchases of up to 1.5 million shares over the next 12 months.
• Positive Sentiment: ePlus declared a quarterly dividend of $0.27 per share, payable September 16 to shareholders of record on August 25, providing an annualized yield of approximately 1.1%.
• Neutral Sentiment: Institutional positioning was mixed: 130 investors increased their holdings while 116 reduced them in their latest reported quarters, offering no clear consensus signal.
• Negative Sentiment: Underlying results showed margin pressure. Net earnings from continuing operations fell 5.4% to $30.3 million, gross profit declined 1.5% to $151.3 million, and gross margin was 23.3%, while net sales increased only 1.0%.
• Negative Sentiment: CFO Elaine D. Marion sold 7,182 shares across August 3–4 for approximately $690,265, reducing her holdings by roughly 8% across the two transactions. Continued insider selling may weigh on sentiment, although she still owns 84,259 shares. SEC insider trading filing

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

PLUS has been the subject of several recent research reports. Zacks Research upgraded ePlus from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of ePlus in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold".

ePlus Trading Down 2.6%

ePlus stock opened at $94.56 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $2.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.69, a P/E/G ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 1.00. ePlus inc. has a 1-year low of $62.42 and a 1-year high of $98.14. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $85.43 and a 200-day moving average of $83.35.

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, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.19 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $649.11 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $639.95 million. ePlus had a return on equity of 11.54% and a net margin of 4.91%. Research analysts forecast that ePlus inc. will post 4.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ePlus Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 25th will be given a $0.27 dividend. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 25th. ePlus's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.31%.

Insider Activity at ePlus

In related news, CFO Elaine D. Marion sold 5,514 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.41, for a total value of $531,604.74. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 84,259 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,123,410.19. This trade represents a 6.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, COO Darren S. Raiguel sold 1,935 shares of ePlus stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.06, for a total transaction of $182,006.10. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 69,236 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,512,338.16. This trade represents a 2.72% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 13,284 shares of company stock worth $1,261,970 over the last three months. Insiders own 2.20% of the company's stock.

ePlus Company Profile

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.

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