Sidoti Issues Pessimistic Forecast for ePlus Earnings

ePlus inc. (NASDAQ:PLUS) – Stock analysts at Sidoti dropped their Q1 2027 earnings estimates for shares of ePlus in a research note issued on Monday, June 1st. Sidoti analyst G. Burns now expects that the software maker will post earnings of $0.97 per share for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $1.11. The consensus estimate for ePlus’ current full-year earnings is $5.10 per share. Sidoti also issued estimates for ePlus’ Q2 2027 earnings at $1.40 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $1.41 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $1.11 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $4.90 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $5.59 EPS.

Other research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Weiss Ratings cut shares of ePlus from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. Zacks Research cut shares of ePlus from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 19th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of ePlus from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, March 28th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold”.

ePlus Stock Performance

ePlus stock opened at $82.15 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $2.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.97, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.01. ePlus has a fifty-two week low of $62.11 and a fifty-two week high of $93.98. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $83.11 and its 200-day moving average price is $84.24.

ePlus (NASDAQ:PLUS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 28th. The software maker reported $1.00 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $581.63 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $569.25 million. ePlus had a net margin of 5.24% and a return on equity of 11.36%.

ePlus Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Investors of record on Wednesday, June 17th will be given a $0.27 dividend. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. This is a boost from ePlus’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 17th. ePlus’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.66%.

Insider Transactions at ePlus

In related news, COO Darren S. Raiguel sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, May 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $89.95, for a total value of $89,950.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 55,748 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,014,532.60. The trade was a 1.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders have sold 1,289 shares of company stock valued at $115,757 in the last ninety days. 1.93% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC purchased a new position in ePlus in the first quarter worth $1,179,000. Argent Capital Management LLC boosted its position in ePlus by 54.4% during the first quarter. Argent Capital Management LLC now owns 29,906 shares of the software maker’s stock valued at $2,250,000 after buying an additional 10,541 shares during the period. Amundi boosted its position in ePlus by 30.2% during the first quarter. Amundi now owns 4,259 shares of the software maker’s stock valued at $320,000 after buying an additional 987 shares during the period. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its position in ePlus by 9.6% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 278,636 shares of the software maker’s stock valued at $20,968,000 after buying an additional 24,348 shares during the period. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC boosted its position in ePlus by 8.0% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 11,113 shares of the software maker’s stock valued at $836,000 after buying an additional 826 shares during the period. 93.80% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About ePlus

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.