Sifting through countless of stocks in the Communications Equipment industry can be tedious, and sometimes two stocks are just too similar to judge which is the better investment. If you’re on the fence about investing in F5, Inc. or ePlus inc. because you’re not sure how they measure up, it’s important to compare them on a few factors before making your decision.

Read on to learn how F5, Inc. and ePlus inc. compare based on key financial metrics to determine which better meets your investment needs.

About F5, Inc. and ePlus inc.

F5, Inc. provides multicloud application security and delivery solutions in the United States, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific region. The company’s distributed cloud services enable its customers to deploy, secure, and operate applications in any architecture, from on-premises to the public cloud. It also offers unified, security, networking, and application management solutions, such as web app and API protection; multi-cloud networking; application delivery and deployment; domain name system; content delivery network; and application deployment and orchestration. In addition, the company provides application security and delivery products, including NGINX Plus; NGINX One Console; NGINX Ingress Controller; WAF for NGINX; BIG-IP Packaged Software; and BIG-IP Systems. Further, it provides a range of professional services, including maintenance, consulting, training, and other technical support services. The company sells its products to large enterprise businesses, public sector institutions, governments, and service providers through distributors, value-added resellers, managed service providers, systems integrators, and other indirect channel partners. It has partnerships with public cloud providers, such as Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform. The company was formerly known as F5 Networks, Inc. and changed its name to F5, Inc. in November 2021. F5, Inc. was incorporated in 1996 and is headquartered in Seattle, Washington.

ePlus inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides information technology (IT) solutions that enable organizations to optimize IT environment and supply chain processes in the United States and internationally. The company operates through three segments: Product Services, Professional Services, and Managed Services segments. It sells third-party hardware, perpetual and subscription software, and maintenance; and software assurance and other third-party services as well as offers internet-based business-to-business supply chain management solutions for IT products. The company also offers professional services, such as staff augmentation, project management, cloud consulting, Al advisory, consulting, security and collaboration solution, warehouse, configuration, and logistic service, as well as in the spaces of digital signage, EV charging solution, loss prevention and security, store opening, remodel, and store closing; and managed services comprising enhanced maintenance support or ePlus Lifecycle-Services Support, service desk, storage-as-a-service, azure recover, cloud managed, and managed security service, as well as managed service for infrastructure and cloud. It serves telecommunications, media and entertainment, technology, state and local government, educational institutions, healthcare, and financial services. The company was formerly known as MLC Holdings, Inc. and changed its name to ePlus inc. in 1999. ePlus inc. was founded in 1990 and is headquartered in Herndon, Virginia.

Latest Communications Equipment and F5, Inc., ePlus inc. Stock News

As of July 31, 2026, F5, Inc. had a $22.9 billion market capitalization, compared to the Communications Equipment median of $376.1 million. F5, Inc.’s stock is up 57.7% in 2026, up 2.6% in the previous five trading days and up 34.64% in the past year.

Currently, F5, Inc.’s price-earnings ratio is 33.0. F5, Inc.’s trailing 12-month revenue is $3.2 billion with a 22.0% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 11.0%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $17.331 per share for the current fiscal year. F5, Inc. does not currently pay a dividend.

As of July 31, 2026, ePlus inc. had a $2.4 billion market cap, putting it in the 56th percentile of all stocks. ePlus inc.’s stock is up 5.4% in 2026, up 3.8% in the previous five trading days and up 37.68% in the past year.

Currently, ePlus inc.’s price-earnings ratio is 19.6. ePlus inc.’s trailing 12-month revenue is $2.4 billion with a 5.4% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 21.7%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $5.330 per share for the current fiscal year. ePlus inc. currently has a 1.2% dividend yield.

How We Compare F5, Inc. and ePlus inc. Stock Grades

Stock evaluation requires access to huge amounts of data and the knowledge and time to sift through it all, make sense of financial ratios, read income statements and analyze recent stock movements. AAII created A+ Investor, a robust data suite that condenses data research in an actionable and customizable way suitable for investors of all knowledge levels, to help investors streamline and work through such data.

AAII’s proprietary stock grades come with A+ Investor. These offer intuitive A‐F grades for each of five key investing factors: value, growth, momentum, earnings estimate revisions and quality. Here, we’ll take a closer look at F5, Inc. and ePlus inc.’s stock grades to see how they measure up against one another.

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F5, Inc. and ePlus inc. Growth Grades

Company	Ticker	Growth
F5, Inc.	FFIV	B
ePlus inc.	PLUS	C

The foundation of growth investing is seeking out stocks of companies exhibiting strong, consistent and prolonged growth that is expected to continue into the future.

In order to compute the growth score and assign it a letter grade, the percentile ranks for each of three components‐consistency of annual sales growth, five-year sales growth rankings adjusted for extreme levels, and consistency of positive annual cash from operations‐must be determined. These three rank figures are added together, and the sum is ranked against the entire stock universe to arrive at a company’s Growth Score to create an equal distribution of grades.

The companies in the bottom 20% of the stock universe receive Growth Grades of F, considered to be very weak, while those in the top 20% receive A grades, which are considered very strong.

F5, Inc. has a Growth Score of 78, which is Strong. ePlus inc. has a Growth Score of 49, which is Average.

The Growth Grade Winner: F5, Inc.

As you can clearly see from the Growth Grade breakdown above, F5, Inc. has a more attractive growth grade than ePlus inc.. For investors who focus solely on how a company is growing relative to other companies in the same industry, F5, Inc. could be a good stock to add to their portfolio. However, it’s important for investors to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

F5, Inc. and ePlus inc.’s Quality Grades

Company	Ticker	Quality
F5, Inc.	FFIV	A
ePlus inc.	PLUS	A

Like the Value Grade, AAII’s A+ Investor Quality Grade comes from the percentile rank of key metrics. Specifically, the Quality Score is the percentile rank of the average of the percentile ranks of return on assets (ROA), return on invested capital (ROIC), gross profit relative to assets, buyback yield, change in total liabilities to assets, accruals, Z double prime bankruptcy risk (Z) score and the F-Score.

The score is variable, meaning it can consider all eight measures or, should any of the eight measures not be valid, the remaining measures that are valid. To be assigned a Quality Score, stocks must have a valid (non-null) measure and corresponding ranking for at least four of the eight quality measures.

The Quality Score is used to assess the underlying “quality” of a particular stock. A higher-quality stock possesses traits associated with upside potential and reduced downside risk. Backtesting of the Quality Grade shows that stocks with higher grades, on average, outperformed stocks with lower grades over the period of 1998 through 2019.

Stocks receive better grades (higher scores) for having higher scores for the quality subcomponents and worse grades (lower scores) for lower scores for the subcomponents.

F5, Inc. has a Quality Score of 97, which is Very Strong. ePlus inc. has a Quality Score of 87, which is Very Strong.

The Quality Grade Winner: It’s a Tie!

Looking at the Quality Grade breakdown above, both F5, Inc. and ePlus inc. have a grade of A. For investors who focus solely on a company’s overall quality, you will need to conduct further research into both companies to see if they are a good fit for your portfolio. As a good rule of thumb, you should always analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before choosing a company to invest in.

F5, Inc. and ePlus inc.’s Estimate Revisions Grades

Company	Ticker	Earnings Estimate
F5, Inc.	FFIV	A
ePlus inc.	PLUS	D

Earnings estimate revisions scores consider the magnitude of a company’s earnings surprise in its last two reported fiscal quarters. Often, positive surprises beget further positive surprises‐or at least continued sales growth (the exact opposite is generally true, too).

Estimate revisions offer an indication of what analysts are thinking about the short-term prospects of a firm. Estimate revisions are based on the statistical significance of a firm’s last two quarterly earnings surprises and the percentage change in its consensus estimate for the current fiscal year over the past month and past three months.

F5, Inc. has a Earnings Estimate Score of 87, which is Very Positive. ePlus inc. has a Earnings Estimate Score of 38, which is Negative.

The Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade Winner: F5, Inc.

As you can clearly see from the Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade breakdown above, F5, Inc. has a better Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade than ePlus inc.. For those who are specifically looking for companies with better short-term prospects when compared to other companies in the same industry, F5, Inc. could be a good stock to invest in. However, it’s important to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

Other F5, Inc. and ePlus inc. Grades

In addition to Estimate Revisions, Quality and Growth, A+ Investor also provides grades for Value and Momentum.

Momentum grades help uncover stocks experiencing anomalously high rates of return; research finds that stocks with high relative levels of momentum tend to outperform, whereas those with low levels of momentum tend to continue underperforming.

Successful stock investing involves buying low and selling high, so stock valuation is an important consideration for stock selection. Buying stocks that are going to go up typically means buying stocks that are undervalued in the first place, although momentum investors may argue that point.

These 2 key factors, when combined with the above, provide a holistic view into a particular stock. Further, by joining A+ Investor you can see whether F5, Inc. and ePlus inc. pass any of our 60+ stock screens that have outperformed the market since their creation.

So, Which Is the Better Investment, F5, Inc. or ePlus inc. Stock?

Overall, F5, Inc. stock has a Growth Score of 78, Estimate Revisions Score of 87 and Quality Score of 97.

ePlus inc. stock has a Growth Score of 49, Estimate Revisions Score of 38 and Quality Score of 87.

Comparing F5, Inc. and ePlus inc.’s grades, scores and metrics can act as a solid basis to determine whether they may be a good investment or not. You’ll also want to look at your portfolio’s asset allocation as well as your risk tolerance and financial goals to see if either of these stocks would make a good fit for you. AAII can help you figure out which investments align with your individual needs and preferences.

Investors are encouraged to do their own due diligence and research. In this way, individuals can effectively become managers of their own assets‐without having to rely on others for financial independence. You can count on AAII for timeless articles on financial planning and stock-picking, unbiased research and actionable analysis.

A+ Investor adds to our qualitative teaching with a powerful data suite to help you whittle down investment choices to find stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) or mutual funds that meet your needs.

AAII Disclaimer

We make no representations or warranties that any investor will, or is likely to, achieve profits similar to those shown, because past, hypothetical or simulated performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. Before making an investment decision, you should consider your circumstances and whether the information on our content is applicable to your situation. This information was prepared in good faith, and we accept no liability for any errors or omissions. The full disclaimer can be read here.