ePlus (NASDAQ:PLUS) Shares Cross Below Two Hundred Day Moving Average – Time to Sell?

ePlus inc. (NASDAQ:PLUS) shares passed below its 200-day moving average during trading on Thursday. The stock has a 200-day moving average of $85.79 and traded as low as $79.46. ePlus shares last traded at $82.43, with a volume of 495,058 shares changing hands.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

PLUS has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of ePlus in a research note on Tuesday, October 6th. Zacks Research raised 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.com, ePlus currently has a consensus rating of “Hold”.

ePlus Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $2.15 billion, a PE ratio of 18.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 0.95. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $91.82 and its 200 day simple moving average is $85.79.

ePlus (NASDAQ:PLUS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 5th. The software maker reported $1.82 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.47 by $0.35. The business had revenue of $667.92 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $636.10 million. ePlus had a net margin of 4.91% and a return on equity of 11.51%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that ePlus inc. will post 4.86 earnings per share for the current year.

ePlus Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 24th will be issued a dividend of $0.27 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 24th. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. ePlus’s payout ratio is currently 23.63%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other ePlus news, CFO Elaine Marion sold 4,842 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.33, for a total transaction of $466,429.86. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 79,259 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,635,019.47. This represents a 5.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director John Callies sold 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $88.09, for a total transaction of $44,045.00. Following 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 ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 7,500 shares of company stock valued at $709,495. Corporate insiders own 2.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On ePlus

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust increased its stake in ePlus by 2,104.3% in the 2nd quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 507 shares of the software maker’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 484 shares in the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new position in ePlus during the second quarter worth $51,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in ePlus by 19.3% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 940 shares of the software maker’s stock worth $85,000 after purchasing an additional 152 shares during the last quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC boosted its position in ePlus by 13,366.7% during the third 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC boosted its position in ePlus by 1,835.4% during the third 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 in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.80% of the company’s stock.

About ePlus

ePlus inc. (NASDAQ: PLUS) provides technology solutions, professional services and financing to organizations in the commercial, government, healthcare and education sectors. Through its technology business, the company helps customers plan, implement and manage information technology environments, including data center, networking, cybersecurity, collaboration, cloud and digital infrastructure solutions.

The company also offers managed and professional services, technology consulting, IT asset management, and lifecycle services.