Royal Bank of Canada Acquires 24,348 Shares of ePlus inc. $PLUS

Royal Bank of Canada increased its holdings in shares of ePlus inc. (NASDAQ:PLUS) by 9.6% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 278,636 shares of the software maker’s stock after purchasing an additional 24,348 shares during the period. Royal Bank of Canada’s holdings in ePlus were worth $20,968,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. ProShare Advisors LLC increased its position in ePlus by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 5,129 shares of the software maker’s stock worth $450,000 after buying an additional 159 shares during the period. Inceptionr LLC grew its stake in shares of ePlus by 5.9% in the first quarter. Inceptionr LLC now owns 3,419 shares of the software maker’s stock worth $257,000 after acquiring an additional 190 shares during the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its position in ePlus by 3.2% during the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 7,544 shares of the software maker’s stock worth $662,000 after acquiring an additional 233 shares during the period. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al raised its stake in ePlus by 6.9% during the 4th quarter. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al now owns 3,859 shares of the software maker’s stock valued at $338,000 after purchasing an additional 250 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lazard Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in ePlus by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 31,946 shares of the software maker’s stock valued at $2,303,000 after purchasing an additional 266 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 93.80% of the company’s stock.

ePlus Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:PLUS opened at $94.56 on Thursday. ePlus inc. has a twelve month low of $62.42 and a twelve month high of $98.14. The business has a fifty day moving average of $85.43 and a 200-day moving average of $83.35. The firm has a market cap of $2.47 billion, a PE ratio of 20.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 1.00.

ePlus (NASDAQ:PLUS) last issued its quarterly 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 business had revenue of $649.11 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $639.95 million. ePlus had a net margin of 4.91% and a return on equity of 11.54%. On average, analysts anticipate that ePlus inc. will post 4.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ePlus Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 25th will be paid a $0.27 dividend. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, August 25th. ePlus’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.31%.

Insider Activity at ePlus

In related news, CFO Elaine D. Marion sold 5,514 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.41, for a total transaction of $531,604.74. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 84,259 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,123,410.19. The trade was a 6.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, COO Darren S. Raiguel sold 1,935 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.06, for a total transaction of $182,006.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 69,236 shares in the company, valued at $6,512,338.16. This represents a 2.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 13,284 shares of company stock valued at $1,261,970. 2.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting ePlus

Here are the key news stories impacting ePlus this week:

• Positive Sentiment: ePlus reported fiscal first-quarter 2027 adjusted earnings of $1.28 per share, above the $1.19 analyst consensus, while revenue of $649.1 million also exceeded expectations of $639.95 million. ePlus earnings report
• Positive Sentiment: Managed services remained a growth area, with revenue increasing 15.1% to $51.3 million. Total services revenue rose 2.6% to $119.4 million, supporting the company’s recurring-revenue strategy. ePlus first-quarter financial results
• Positive Sentiment: Management reiterated its fiscal 2027 outlook for mid-single-digit growth in net sales, gross profit and adjusted EBITDA. The board also authorized repurchases of up to 1.5 million shares over the next 12 months.
• Positive Sentiment: ePlus declared a quarterly dividend of $0.27 per share, payable September 16 to shareholders of record on August 25, providing an annualized yield of approximately 1.1%.
• Neutral Sentiment: Institutional positioning was mixed: 130 investors increased their holdings while 116 reduced them in their latest reported quarters, offering no clear consensus signal.
• Negative Sentiment: Underlying results showed margin pressure. Net earnings from continuing operations fell 5.4% to $30.3 million, gross profit declined 1.5% to $151.3 million, and gross margin was 23.3%, while net sales increased only 1.0%.
• Negative Sentiment: CFO Elaine D. Marion sold 7,182 shares across August 3–4 for approximately $690,265, reducing her holdings by roughly 8% across the two transactions. Continued insider selling may weigh on sentiment, although she still owns 84,259 shares. SEC insider trading filing

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

PLUS has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Zacks Research upgraded shares of ePlus from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of ePlus in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus 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.