20,168 Shares in ePlus inc. $PLUS Acquired by GSA Capital Partners LLP

GSA Capital Partners LLP bought a new position in ePlus inc. (NASDAQ:PLUS) in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor bought 20,168 shares of the software maker’s stock, valued at approximately $1,679,000.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Handelsbanken Fonder AB lifted its stake in shares of ePlus by 4.5% during the 2nd quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 6,944 shares of the software maker’s stock worth $578,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the period. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in ePlus in the second quarter valued at $206,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its stake in ePlus by 27.3% in the first quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 3,292 shares of the software maker’s stock valued at $248,000 after purchasing an additional 705 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in ePlus by 8.0% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 11,113 shares of the software maker’s stock worth $836,000 after buying an additional 826 shares during the period. Finally, Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC purchased a new position in ePlus during the first quarter worth about $1,179,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.80% of the company’s stock.

ePlus Price Performance

Shares of PLUS opened at $88.53 on Monday. ePlus inc. has a fifty-two week low of $69.07 and a fifty-two week high of $98.14. The company’s fifty day moving average is $86.31 and its two-hundred day moving average is $83.42. The firm has a market cap of $2.31 billion, a PE ratio of 19.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 1.00.

ePlus (NASDAQ:PLUS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The software maker reported $1.28 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.19 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $649.11 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $639.95 million. ePlus had a return on equity of 11.51% and a net margin of 4.91%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that ePlus inc. will post 4.86 earnings per share for the current year.

ePlus Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 25th will be paid a dividend of $0.27 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 25th. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. ePlus’s dividend payout ratio is currently 23.63%.

Insider Transactions at ePlus

In other news, COO Darren S. Raiguel sold 1,935 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.06, for a total value of $182,006.10. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 69,236 shares in the company, valued at $6,512,338.16. This trade represents a 2.72% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Elaine D. Marion sold 5,514 shares of ePlus stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.41, for a total value of $531,604.74. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 84,259 shares in the company, valued at $8,123,410.19. This represents a 6.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 13,200 shares of company stock worth $1,257,083. Company insiders own 2.20% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have commented on the company. Zacks Research upgraded ePlus from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of ePlus in a report on Friday, July 10th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold”.

ePlus 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.