Jupiter Topco LLC Makes New Investment in ePlus inc. $PLUS

Jupiter Topco LLC purchased a new stake in ePlus inc. (NASDAQ:PLUS) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 11,708 shares of the software maker’s stock, valued at approximately $975,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in PLUS. Osaic Holdings Inc. boosted its position in shares of ePlus by 361.9% during the 2nd quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 448 shares of the software maker’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 351 shares in the last quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in ePlus in the 4th quarter valued at about $108,000. US Bancorp DE increased its position in ePlus by 856.4% in the 3rd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 1,731 shares of the software maker’s stock valued at $123,000 after buying an additional 1,550 shares in the last quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund acquired a new position in ePlus during the 4th quarter worth approximately $138,000. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC acquired a new position in ePlus during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $150,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.80% of the company’s stock.

ePlus Trading Up 1.4%

NASDAQ PLUS opened at $92.10 on Friday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $88.04 and a 200 day simple moving average of $83.67. ePlus inc. has a 12 month low of $69.25 and a 12 month high of $98.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.15, a PEG ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 0.97.

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

ePlus Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 25th will be issued 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 payout ratio is 23.63%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other ePlus news, COO Darren S. Raiguel sold 1,000 shares of ePlus stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.83, for a total transaction of $90,830.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 68,036 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,179,709.88. This trade represents a 1.45% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director John E. Callies sold 500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $88.09, for a total value of $44,045.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 20,648 shares in the company, valued at $1,818,882.32. The trade was a 2.36% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 13,700 shares of company stock valued at $1,301,128. Corporate insiders own 2.20% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have commented on PLUS shares. Zacks Research raised ePlus from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of ePlus in a report on Friday, July 10th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, ePlus currently 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.