Sidoti Forecasts ePlus' FY2028 Earnings (NASDAQ:PLUS)

Key Points

• Sidoti lowered ePlus’ FY2028 EPS forecast to $5.53 from $5.59, though that remains above the current full-year consensus estimate of $4.66. Analysts overall maintain a “Hold” consensus rating.
• ePlus exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $1.28 in EPS versus the $1.19 consensus and revenue of $649.11 million against estimates of $639.95 million.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.27, equivalent to $1.08 annually and a 1.2% yield. Meanwhile, insiders sold 12,200 shares over the past three months, while institutional investors own 93.8% of the stock.

ePlus inc. (NASDAQ:PLUS - Free Report) - Research analysts at Sidoti dropped their FY2028 earnings per share estimates for shares of ePlus in a research report issued on Wednesday, August 5th. Sidoti analyst G. Burns now anticipates that the software maker will post earnings per share of $5.53 for the year, down from their prior estimate of $5.59. The consensus estimate for ePlus' current full-year earnings is $4.66 per share.

A number of other analysts also recently commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of ePlus in a report on Friday, July 10th. Zacks Research upgraded ePlus from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold".

ePlus Trading Down 1.6%

Shares of NASDAQ PLUS opened at $88.82 on Wednesday. ePlus has a 12-month low of $68.07 and a 12-month high of $98.14. The stock has a market cap of $2.32 billion, a PE ratio of 19.44, a P/E/G ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a 50-day moving average of $85.87 and a 200 day moving average of $83.41.

ePlus (NASDAQ:PLUS - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The software maker reported $1.28 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.19 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $649.11 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $639.95 million. ePlus had a net margin of 4.91% and a return on equity of 11.51%.

ePlus Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 25th will be issued a $0.27 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, August 25th. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. ePlus's dividend payout ratio is currently 23.63%.

Insider Transactions at ePlus

In other news, CFO Elaine D. Marion sold 5,514 shares of ePlus stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.41, for a total transaction of $531,604.74. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 84,259 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,123,410.19. The trade was a 6.14% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed 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 value of $182,006.10. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 69,236 shares in the company, valued at $6,512,338.16. This represents a 2.72% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 12,200 shares of company stock valued at $1,166,253 in the last three months. 2.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On ePlus

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Tributary Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in ePlus by 9.0% during the 4th quarter. Tributary Capital Management LLC now owns 161,166 shares of the software maker's stock valued at $14,134,000 after acquiring an additional 13,369 shares during the period. Vest Financial LLC purchased a new stake in ePlus during the fourth quarter worth about $1,511,000. Comerica Bank lifted its position in shares of ePlus by 74.9% during the fourth quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 69,187 shares of the software maker's stock worth $6,068,000 after purchasing an additional 29,631 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of ePlus by 3.8% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,310,378 shares of the software maker's stock worth $98,604,000 after purchasing an additional 48,158 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP boosted its stake 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 purchasing an additional 313,674 shares during the period. 93.80% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About ePlus

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.

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