ePlus (NASDAQ:PLUS) COO Sells 1,485 Shares of Company Stock

ePlus inc. (NASDAQ:PLUS) COO Darren Raiguel sold 1,485 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.52, for a total transaction of $146,302.20. Following the sale, the chief operating officer owned 60,768 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,986,863.36. This represents a 2.39% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink.

ePlus Price Performance

Shares of ePlus stock traded down $0.69 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $96.44. The company had a trading volume of 180,683 shares, compared to its average volume of 215,374. The company’s 50-day moving average is $92.63 and its two-hundred day moving average is $85.99. The company has a market cap of $2.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 0.95. ePlus inc. has a twelve month low of $73.08 and a twelve month high of $99.64.

ePlus (NASDAQ:PLUS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 5th. The software maker reported $1.82 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.47 by $0.35. ePlus had a net margin of 5.02% and a return on equity of 11.93%. The firm had revenue of $667.92 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $636.10 million. Sell-side analysts expect that ePlus inc. will post 4.86 EPS for the current year.

ePlus Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 24th will be paid a $0.27 dividend. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 24th. ePlus’s dividend payout ratio is currently 22.45%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On ePlus

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of PLUS. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust grew its position in shares of ePlus by 2,104.3% during the second quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 507 shares of the software maker’s stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 484 shares during the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio purchased a new stake in ePlus in the 2nd quarter valued at $51,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in ePlus by 19.3% in the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 940 shares of the software maker’s stock valued at $85,000 after purchasing an additional 152 shares during the last quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC boosted its stake in ePlus by 13,366.7% during the 3rd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 1,212 shares of the software maker’s stock worth $109,000 after purchasing an additional 1,203 shares during the period. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC boosted its stake in ePlus by 1,835.4% during the 3rd quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 1,529 shares of the software maker’s stock worth $138,000 after purchasing an additional 1,450 shares during the period. 93.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently commented on PLUS. Zacks Research upgraded ePlus from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of ePlus in a report on Tuesday, October 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating. According to MarketBeat, ePlus currently has a consensus rating of “Hold”.

About ePlus

ePlus inc. is a technology solutions provider that helps businesses and public-sector organizations plan, acquire, implement and manage information technology. Its offerings include data center and cloud infrastructure, networking, cybersecurity, collaboration tools, software and related professional and managed services. The company also provides financing solutions for technology purchases, including leasing and other equipment financing arrangements. Founded in 1990, ePlus serves customers across the United States and the United Kingdom.