Strait of Hormuz Reopening Boosts IT Stocks
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Apr 17 2026
0mins
Source: Yahoo Finance
- Positive Market Reaction: Following Iran's announcement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, IT service provider stocks surged in the afternoon session, with Driven Brands and ePlus both rising by 3.9%, reflecting market optimism regarding corporate IT spending outlooks.
- Improved Long-Term Contract Prospects: As the threat of prolonged Middle East conflict recedes, enterprise clients are more likely to commit to multi-year digital transformation and cloud migration projects, which will provide stable revenue streams for the IT services sector and enhance long-term growth potential.
- Reduced Operational Costs: The decreased risk of global travel has improved labor mobility for specialized consultants, allowing IT firms to more accurately forecast wage and overhead expenses, thereby enhancing financial planning and boosting investor confidence in the sector.
- Rising Investor Interest: With moderating inflation expectations and oil prices, the IT sector is viewed as a reliable investment choice for global productivity growth, attracting increased investor attention, especially during market volatility when opportunities to buy high-quality stocks become more pronounced.
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About PLUS
ePlus inc. is engaged in offering transformative technology solutions and services. It offers a portfolio of solutions, including artificial intelligence, security, cloud and data center, networking and collaboration, as well as managed, consultative and professional services, working with organizations across various industries to navigate business challenges. Its technology business segment consists of product, professional services, and managed services. Its product segment includes sales of information technology (IT) products, third-party software, and third-party maintenance, software assurance, and other third-party services. Its professional services segment includes its advanced professional services, staff augmentation, project management services, cloud consulting services and security services. Its managed services segment includes its advanced managed services, service desk, storage-as-a-service, cloud hosted services, cloud managed services and managed security services.
About the author

Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
- New Board Member: ePlus has announced the appointment of John Lutz to its Board of Directors, who brings over 30 years of experience in global technology and institutional environments, expected to enhance the company's operational and market strategy expertise.
- Rich Background: Currently serving as Vice Chancellor for Development and Alumni Relations at Vanderbilt University, Lutz has held multiple leadership roles at IBM, including General Manager for its Global Financial Services Sector, showcasing his exceptional management capabilities in large, complex organizations.
- Strategic Contribution: ePlus CEO Mark Marron noted that Lutz's addition will provide unique insights from the global technology sector, aiding the company in capitalizing on opportunities in rapidly evolving technology areas.
- Educational Background: Lutz graduated magna cum laude from Harvard College with a degree in Linguistics and Computer Science, reflecting his solid academic foundation and interdisciplinary expertise.
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- Customer Recommendation Willingness: An independent survey conducted by VistaXM revealed that over 1,400 customers reported a net promoter score (NPS) of 74 for ePlus, significantly exceeding the technology industry average of 40-55, indicating high satisfaction with ePlus' solutions and services, thereby reinforcing the company's competitive position in the market.
- Commitment to Customer Experience: ePlus executive Deanna Davenport emphasized that customer experience is central to the company's decisions and investments, and the NPS of 74 reflects the company's ongoing efforts to exceed customer expectations, enhancing trust and loyalty among clients.
- Industry Recognition: Dr. Howard Lax from VistaXM noted that an NPS of 74 places ePlus among the top tier in the IT services industry, highlighting the company's sustained commitment to customer relationship management, which enhances its brand image and market influence.
- Partner Feedback: Executives from Everpure and Cisco expressed that ePlus' outstanding service and expertise have been widely recognized among customers, and the strong NPS results not only reflect customer satisfaction but also lay a foundation for future collaboration opportunities.
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- Services Partner Award: ePlus was awarded the Services Partner of the Year at Everpure's annual Accelerate Partner Forum in Las Vegas, recognizing its exceptional commitment to delivering impactful solutions and driving meaningful results for shared customers.
- Innovation in STaaS: ePlus's Storage-as-a-Service (STaaS) leverages Everpure's Evergreen//One™, offering a flexible consumption-based storage model that allows organizations to pay only for the storage capacity they need, effectively managing costs and enhancing operational efficiency.
- Strengthening Partnerships: Everpure collaborates with partners globally to modernize data infrastructure, and together with ePlus, they deliver innovative and sustainable storage solutions that accelerate business outcomes and reduce operational complexity.
- Customer-Centric Service Philosophy: ePlus focuses on customer-first, results-driven technology solutions, leveraging over 2,130 employees' expertise to help clients across various industries navigate business challenges, showcasing strong market competitiveness.
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- Service Expansion: ePlus has announced the extension of its HPE Managed Services to include Enhanced Maintenance Support (EMS) for HPE ProLiant Servers, which integrates monitoring and 24/7 issue resolution to enhance clients' IT infrastructure management efficiency.
- Customer Support Optimization: The new service offers single-call support, ensuring efficient problem resolution in multi-vendor environments, while leveraging ePlus certified engineers to improve technical response speed and service quality for clients.
- Strategic Partnership: The collaboration between ePlus and HPE deepens, as both companies are committed to simplifying complex IT decisions and delivering faster, more predictable service outcomes, thereby enhancing the overall customer support experience.
- Industry Recognition: ePlus has been named HPE's North America Networking Partner of the Year, highlighting its leadership position in the IT services sector and its ongoing commitment to delivering customer value.
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- Industry Recognition: ePlus has been named to the CRN Solution Provider 500 List for the fifteenth consecutive year, highlighting its leadership and sustained growth in the IT services sector, thereby reinforcing its market influence in a rapidly changing technology landscape.
- Customer Value: ePlus is committed to delivering a comprehensive range of technology solutions, including data management, cybersecurity, and AI, which assist clients in transforming quickly and efficiently through modern challenges, thereby enhancing customer satisfaction and loyalty.
- Innovation-Driven: The company ensures that clients maintain a competitive edge amid technological changes by continuously innovating and providing high-quality consulting, managed, and professional services, which drive successful business outcomes.
- Global Presence: With offices in the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region, ePlus employs over 2,130 staff and leverages more than three decades of industry experience to provide specialized technical support and solutions across various sectors.
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- Partner Recognition: ePlus has been awarded the HPE 2026 North America Networking Solutions Provider of the Year, highlighting its exceptional performance in delivering customer value and significant business outcomes, thereby reinforcing its leadership position in the industry.
- Long-term Partnership: With over 20 years of collaboration with HPE across compute, storage, networking, and AI, ePlus assists customers in effectively leveraging HPE's extensive solutions portfolio to drive business modernization initiatives.
- Innovative Solutions: ePlus and HPE Juniper Networking deliver modern cloud-based network architectures powered by Mist AI, designed to optimize user experiences, automate operations, and reduce IT complexity, enhancing customer satisfaction and competitive edge in the market.
- Support Services Framework: As a Triple Platinum Plus and Global Elite Plus partner, ePlus offers advisory, professional, and managed services, including first-call support and consumption models, ensuring customers achieve optimal outcomes during their technology transformation.
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