ePlus (NASDAQ:PLUS) Shares Cross Below Two Hundred Day Moving Average - Time to Sell?

Key Points

• ePlus shares fell below their 200-day moving average, trading at $82.43 after reaching an intraday low of $79.46, compared with the average of $85.79; the article also reports the stock was down 8.9%.
• The company beat quarterly earnings expectations, reporting $1.82 per share versus the $1.47 consensus, and revenue of $667.92 million versus the expected $636.10 million.
• Analysts’ average rating is Hold, and ePlus declared a quarterly dividend of $0.27 per share, equivalent to an annualized yield of about 1.3%.

ePlus inc. (NASDAQ:PLUS - Get Free Report) shares passed below its two hundred day moving average during trading on Thursday. The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $85.79 and traded as low as $79.46. ePlus shares last traded at $82.43, with a volume of 495,058 shares changing hands.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Zacks Research upgraded shares of ePlus from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of ePlus in a research note on Tuesday, October 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold".

ePlus Stock Down 8.9%

The stock has a fifty day moving average of $91.82 and a 200-day moving average of $85.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.04, a P/E/G ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 0.95.

ePlus (NASDAQ:PLUS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 5th. The software maker reported $1.82 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.47 by $0.35. ePlus had a net margin of 4.91% and a return on equity of 11.51%. The company had revenue of $667.92 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $636.10 million. On average, equities analysts forecast that ePlus inc. will post 4.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ePlus Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 24th will be paid a dividend of $0.27 per share. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 24th. ePlus's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 23.63%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other ePlus news, CFO Elaine D. Marion sold 4,842 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.33, for a total transaction of $466,429.86. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 79,259 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,635,019.47. This trade represents a 5.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director John E. Callies sold 500 shares of ePlus stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $88.09, for a total value of $44,045.00. Following the sale, the director owned 20,648 shares in the company, valued at $1,818,882.32. This trade represents a 2.36% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 7,500 shares of company stock worth $709,495 in the last ninety days. 2.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of ePlus in the 2nd quarter worth $337,929,000. First Trust Advisors LP boosted 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 valued at $43,573,000 after acquiring an additional 313,674 shares in the last quarter. Neumeier Poma Investment Counsel LLC acquired a new position in shares of ePlus during the second quarter worth about $22,888,250. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new position in shares of ePlus during the second quarter worth about $18,210,000. Finally, Alps Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of ePlus by 2,235.7% during the third quarter. Alps Advisors Inc. now owns 154,737 shares of the software maker's stock worth $13,928,000 after acquiring an additional 148,112 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.80% of the company's stock.

ePlus Company Profile

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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