Quarterly earnings results are a good time to check in on a company’s progress, especially compared to its peers in the same sector. Today we are looking at ePlus (NASDAQ: PLUS) and the best and worst performers in the it distribution & solutions industry.

IT Distribution & Solutions will be buoyed by the increasing complexity of IT ecosystems, rising cloud adoption, and demand for cybersecurity solutions. Enterprises are less likely than ever to embark on these complicated journeys solo, and companies in the sector boast expertise and scale in these areas. However, cloud migration also means less need for hardware, which could dent demand for large portions of the product portfolio and hurt margins. Additionally, planning for potentially supply chain disruptions is ongoing, as the COVID-19 pandemic showed how damaging a pause in global trade could be in areas like semiconductor procurement.

The 7 it distribution & solutions stocks we track reported a strong Q4. As a group, revenues beat analysts’ consensus estimates by 1.9% while next quarter’s revenue guidance was 0.6% below.

In light of this news, share prices of the companies have held steady as they are up 3.5% on average since the latest earnings results.

Best Q4: ePlus (NASDAQ: PLUS)

Starting as a financing company in 1990 before evolving into a full-service technology provider, ePlus (NASDAQ: PLUS) provides comprehensive IT solutions, professional services, and financing options to help organizations optimize their technology infrastructure and supply chain processes.

ePlus reported revenues of $614.8 million, up 24.6% year on year. This print exceeded analysts’ expectations by 11.4%. Overall, it was an incredible quarter for the company with a beat of analysts’ EPS estimates and a solid beat of analysts’ revenue estimates.

ePlus scored the biggest analyst estimates beat and fastest revenue growth of the whole group. The results were likely priced in, however, and the stock is flat since reporting. It currently trades at $85.55.

Is now the time to buy ePlus? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free.

Avnet (NASDAQ: AVT)

With a century-long history of adapting to technological evolution, Avnet (NASDAQ: AVT) is a global electronic components distributor that connects manufacturers of semiconductors and other electronic parts with businesses that need these components.

Avnet reported revenues of $6.32 billion, up 11.6% year on year, outperforming analysts’ expectations by 4.5%. The business had a stunning quarter with revenue guidance for next quarter exceeding analysts’ expectations and an impressive beat of analysts’ revenue estimates.

The market seems happy with the results as the stock is up 24.1% since reporting. It currently trades at $65.40.

Is now the time to buy Avnet? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free.

Weakest Q4: ScanSource (NASDAQ: SCSC)

Operating as a crucial link in the technology supply chain since 1992, ScanSource (NASDAQ: SCSC) is a hybrid distributor that connects hardware, software, and cloud services from technology suppliers to resellers and business customers.

ScanSource reported revenues of $766.5 million, up 2.5% year on year, falling short of analysts’ expectations by 2%. It was a disappointing quarter as it posted full-year revenue guidance missing analysts’ expectations significantly and a significant miss of analysts’ revenue estimates.

As expected, the stock is down 19% since the results and currently trades at $35.92.

Read our full analysis of ScanSource’s results here.

Connection (NASDAQ: CNXN)

Starting as a small computer products seller in 1982 and evolving into a Fortune 1000 company, Connection (NASDAQ: CNXN) is a technology solutions provider that helps businesses and government agencies design, purchase, implement, and manage their IT infrastructure and systems.

Connection reported revenues of $702.9 million, flat year on year. This print came in 4.4% below analysts' expectations. It was a slower quarter as it also logged a significant miss of analysts’ revenue estimates.

Connection had the weakest performance against analyst estimates among its peers. The stock is up 6.1% since reporting and currently trades at $63.82.

Read our full, actionable report on Connection here, it’s free.

CDW (NASDAQ: CDW)

Serving as a crucial bridge between technology manufacturers and end users since 1984, CDW (NASDAQ: CDW) is a multi-brand provider of information technology solutions that helps businesses and public sector organizations select, implement, and manage hardware, software, and IT services.

CDW reported revenues of $5.51 billion, up 6.3% year on year. This result beat analysts’ expectations by 3.1%. Overall, it was a very strong quarter as it also put up an impressive beat of analysts’ revenue estimates and a beat of analysts’ EPS estimates.

The stock is flat since reporting and currently trades at $126.63.

Read our full, actionable report on CDW here, it’s free.

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