Voya Investment Management LLC Increases Stake in ePlus inc. $PLUS

Key Points

• Voya Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in ePlus inc. by 40.8% during the 1st quarter, acquiring an additional 9,197 shares, which brings its total to 31,757 shares valued at approximately $1.94 million.
• Several institutional investors, including Quarry LP and Advisors Asset Management Inc., also raised their positions in ePlus, with 93.80% of the stock now owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
• ePlus recently paid a quarterly dividend of $0.25 per share, representing an annualized dividend of $1.00 and a yield of 1.3%.

Voya Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of ePlus inc. (NASDAQ:PLUS - Free Report) by 40.8% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 31,757 shares of the software maker's stock after purchasing an additional 9,197 shares during the quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC owned 0.12% of ePlus worth $1,938,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of PLUS. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its position in ePlus by 4.2% during the fourth quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 14,979 shares of the software maker's stock worth $1,107,000 after purchasing an additional 604 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC lifted 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 worth $8,238,000 after acquiring an additional 50,732 shares during the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of ePlus by 44.5% in the fourth quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 7,934 shares of the software maker's stock worth $586,000 after acquiring an additional 2,443 shares during the last quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC lifted its holdings in shares of ePlus by 287.1% in the fourth quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 12,043 shares of the software maker's stock worth $890,000 after acquiring an additional 8,932 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its holdings in shares of ePlus by 18.5% in the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 71,660 shares of the software maker's stock worth $5,294,000 after acquiring an additional 11,193 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.80% of the company's stock.

ePlus Trading Up 1.1%

NASDAQ:PLUS traded up $0.82 on Monday, reaching $74.90. 176,308 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 187,905. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 1.17. The company's 50 day moving average is $70.33 and its 200-day moving average is $67.43. ePlus inc. has a 1-year low of $53.83 and a 1-year high of $106.98.

ePlus Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 17th. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 26th were given a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, August 26th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. ePlus's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.42%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

PLUS has been the subject of a number of research reports. Zacks Research upgraded shares of ePlus from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, August 25th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of ePlus from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Sunday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, ePlus has a consensus 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.