ePlus inc. $PLUS Shares Sold by UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC

UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lessened its position in shares of ePlus inc. (NASDAQ:PLUS) by 17.7% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 49,727 shares of the software maker’s stock after selling 10,711 shares during the quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC owned 0.19% of ePlus worth $4,139,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in shares of ePlus in the second quarter worth about $337,929,000. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its position in ePlus by 118.2% in the first quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 579,047 shares of the software maker’s stock valued at $43,573,000 after buying an additional 313,674 shares during the last quarter. Neumeier Poma Investment Counsel LLC acquired a new position in ePlus in the 4th quarter worth approximately $24,681,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new position in ePlus in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $18,210,000. Finally, Bragg Financial Advisors Inc raised its position in ePlus by 787.7% during the 4th quarter. Bragg Financial Advisors Inc now owns 181,922 shares of the software maker’s stock worth $15,955,000 after buying an additional 161,428 shares during the last quarter. 93.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related news, COO Darren Raiguel sold 1,935 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.06, for a total value of $182,006.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 69,236 shares in the company, valued at $6,512,338.16. The trade was a 2.72% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director John Callies sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $88.09, for a total transaction of $44,045.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 20,648 shares in the company, valued at $1,818,882.32. This trade represents a 2.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 13,700 shares of company stock valued at $1,301,128 in the last three months. 2.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

ePlus Stock Down 1.7%

Shares of PLUS opened at $88.29 on Thursday. ePlus inc. has a 52 week low of $69.25 and a 52 week high of $98.14. The company has a market capitalization of $2.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.32, a PEG ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 0.97. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $88.52 and its 200-day moving average price is $83.82.

ePlus (NASDAQ:PLUS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The software maker reported $1.28 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $639.95 million. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that ePlus inc. will post 4.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ePlus Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 25th will be issued a dividend of $0.27 per share. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, August 25th. ePlus’s payout ratio is 23.63%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of ePlus in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of ePlus from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the company 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.