ePlus inc. $PLUS Holdings Boosted by Royal Bank of Canada

Royal Bank of Canada raised its position in shares of ePlus inc. (NASDAQ:PLUS) by 9.6% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 278,636 shares of the software maker’s stock after purchasing an additional 24,348 shares during the quarter. Royal Bank of Canada owned 1.06% of ePlus worth $20,968,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its stake in ePlus by 8.0% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 11,113 shares of the software maker’s stock worth $836,000 after acquiring an additional 826 shares in the last quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP increased its holdings in shares of ePlus by 10.1% in the 1st quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 12,013 shares of the software maker’s stock valued at $904,000 after purchasing an additional 1,102 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of ePlus in the 1st quarter valued at about $3,601,000. Weiss Asset Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of ePlus in the first quarter worth approximately $753,000. Finally, Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund lifted its position in shares of ePlus by 592.0% in the first quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 10,871 shares of the software maker’s stock worth $818,000 after purchasing an additional 9,300 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.80% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at ePlus

In related news, COO Darren S. Raiguel sold 1,935 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.06, for a total value of $182,006.10. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 69,236 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,512,338.16. The trade was a 2.72% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Elaine D. Marion sold 5,514 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.41, for a total value of $531,604.74. Following 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 position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 13,284 shares of company stock valued at $1,261,970 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 2.20% of the company’s stock.

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

ePlus Price Performance

Shares of ePlus stock opened at $94.56 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $2.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.69, a P/E/G ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 1.00. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $85.43 and a 200-day simple moving average of $83.35. ePlus inc. has a 52-week low of $62.42 and a 52-week high of $98.14.

ePlus (NASDAQ:PLUS) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The software maker reported $1.28 earnings per share (EPS) 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 analysts’ expectations of $639.95 million. ePlus had a net margin of 4.91% and a return on equity of 11.54%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that ePlus inc. will post 4.66 earnings per share for the current year.

ePlus Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

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.