Renaissance Technologies LLC Makes New Investment in ePlus inc. $PLUS

Renaissance Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in ePlus inc. (NASDAQ:PLUS) during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund purchased 6,300 shares of the software maker’s stock, valued at approximately $474,000.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Osaic Holdings Inc. increased its stake in shares of ePlus by 361.9% in the 2nd quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 448 shares of the software maker’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 351 shares in the last quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in ePlus during the fourth quarter worth $108,000. US Bancorp DE boosted its stake in ePlus by 856.4% during the third quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 1,731 shares of the software maker’s stock worth $123,000 after acquiring an additional 1,550 shares in the last quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund acquired a new stake in ePlus in the fourth quarter worth $138,000. Finally, Focus Partners Wealth acquired a new stake in ePlus in the third quarter worth $154,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.80% of the company’s stock.

ePlus Stock Down 2.0%

NASDAQ PLUS opened at $86.78 on Tuesday. ePlus inc. has a 52 week low of $69.07 and a 52 week high of $98.14. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $86.38 and a 200-day moving average price of $83.44. The company has a market cap of $2.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.99, a P/E/G ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 1.00.

ePlus (NASDAQ:PLUS) last issued its earnings results 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 return on equity of 11.51% and a net margin of 4.91%.The company had revenue of $649.11 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $639.95 million. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that ePlus inc. will post 4.86 earnings per share for the current year.

ePlus Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 16th. Shareholders 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 dividend payout ratio is presently 23.63%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of ePlus in a report on Friday, July 10th. Zacks Research upgraded ePlus from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold”.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Elaine D. Marion sold 5,514 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.41, for a total value of $531,604.74. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 84,259 shares in the company, valued at $8,123,410.19. This represents a 6.14% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director John E. Callies sold 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $88.09, for a total transaction of $44,045.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 20,648 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,818,882.32. The trade was a 2.36% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 13,700 shares of company stock worth $1,301,128 over the last three months. 2.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.