ePlus (NASDAQ:PLUS) Stock Rating Upgraded by Zacks Research

ePlus (NASDAQ:PLUS) was upgraded by investment analysts at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report issued on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other research analysts have also issued reports on PLUS. Weiss Ratings raised ePlus from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Wall Street Zen lowered ePlus from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and one has issued a Buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Strong Buy”.

ePlus Price Performance

PLUS opened at $79.47 on Monday. ePlus has a one year low of $54.06 and a one year high of $93.98. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.80, a PEG ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 1.01. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $79.84 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $81.79.

ePlus (NASDAQ:PLUS) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The software maker reported $1.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.01 by $0.44. ePlus had a return on equity of 12.06% and a net margin of 5.63%.The firm had revenue of $614.77 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $529.60 million. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that ePlus will post 3.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, COO Darren S. Raiguel sold 400 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $88.05, for a total transaction of $35,220.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 57,348 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,049,491.40. This trade represents a 0.69% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.93% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Medina Value Partners LLC bought a new position in ePlus during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $2,730,000. Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co bought a new position in shares of ePlus in the third quarter worth approximately $1,161,000. Public Sector Pension Investment Board lifted its stake in shares of ePlus by 14.8% in the third quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 102,884 shares of the software maker’s stock worth $7,306,000 after buying an additional 13,225 shares in the last quarter. Andra AP fonden lifted its stake in shares of ePlus by 285.4% in the third quarter. Andra AP fonden now owns 17,730 shares of the software maker’s stock worth $1,259,000 after buying an additional 13,130 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Royce & Associates LP lifted its stake in shares of ePlus by 17.1% in the third quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 156,356 shares of the software maker’s stock worth $11,103,000 after buying an additional 22,865 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.80% of the company’s stock.

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.