ePlus (NASDAQ:PLUS) CFO Elaine Marion Sells 1,668 Shares of Stock

ePlus inc. (NASDAQ:PLUS) CFO Elaine Marion sold 1,668 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.12, for a total value of $158,660.16. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 89,773 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,539,207.76. This trade represents a 1.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

ePlus Price Performance

ePlus stock traded down $2.49 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $94.56. 478,034 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 210,586. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $85.32 and a 200-day simple moving average of $83.30. ePlus inc. has a 12 month low of $62.42 and a 12 month high of $98.14. The firm has a market cap of $2.47 billion, a PE ratio of 19.54, a PEG ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.00.

ePlus (NASDAQ:PLUS) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The software maker reported $1.28 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.19 by $0.09. The firm 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 11.36% and a net margin of 5.24%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that ePlus inc. will post 4.66 earnings per share for the current year.

ePlus Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 25th will be given a dividend of $0.27 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, August 25th. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. ePlus’s dividend payout ratio is currently 22.31%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Key Stories Impacting ePlus

Here are the key news stories impacting ePlus this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly earnings topped estimates. ePlus reported earnings of $1.28 per share, exceeding the $1.19 consensus forecast, while revenue of $649.1 million also surpassed expectations of $639.95 million. ePlus earnings report
• Positive Sentiment: Managed services remained a growth driver. Services revenue rose 2.6% to $119.4 million, including a 15.1% increase in managed-services revenue to $51.3 million. The growth supports ePlus’s recurring-revenue strategy. ePlus first-quarter results
• Positive Sentiment: Shareholder returns increased. ePlus declared a quarterly dividend of $0.27 per share, payable September 16, and authorized the repurchase of up to 1.5 million shares over the next 12 months. These measures may provide support for the stock.
• Neutral Sentiment: Fiscal 2027 guidance was maintained. Management reiterated expectations for mid-single-digit year-over-year growth in revenue, gross profit and adjusted EBITDA, offering stability but no upward forecast revision.
• Negative Sentiment: Profitability weakened despite the revenue beat. First-quarter sales increased only 1.0% year over year to $649.1 million, while gross profit fell 1.5% to $151.3 million and net earnings from continuing operations declined 5.4% to $30.3 million. The 23.3% gross margin highlights ongoing margin pressure.
• Negative Sentiment: CFO Elaine D. Marion sold shares. Marion sold 7,182 shares in transactions dated August 3 and 4 for approximately $690,000. The sales follow a broader pattern of insider selling, with no reported insider purchases over the past six months, potentially weighing on investor sentiment.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of PLUS. First Trust Advisors LP raised its stake in ePlus by 118.2% during the first quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 579,047 shares of the software maker’s stock worth $43,573,000 after acquiring an additional 313,674 shares in the last quarter. Neumeier Poma Investment Counsel LLC acquired a new stake in shares of ePlus in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $24,681,000. Bragg Financial Advisors Inc boosted its stake in shares of ePlus by 787.7% in the 4th quarter. Bragg Financial Advisors Inc now owns 181,922 shares of the software maker’s stock valued at $15,955,000 after purchasing an additional 161,428 shares in the last quarter. Medina Value Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of ePlus by 410.6% during the 4th quarter. Medina Value Partners LLC now owns 196,285 shares of the software maker’s stock valued at $17,214,000 after purchasing an additional 157,843 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of ePlus by 153.7% during the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 210,806 shares of the software maker’s stock valued at $18,488,000 after purchasing an additional 127,702 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.80% of the company’s stock.

ePlus Company 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.