Plexus (NASDAQ:PLXS) Now Covered by Stifel Nicolaus

Stifel Nicolaus started coverage on shares of Plexus (NASDAQ:PLXS) in a research report report published on Tuesday. The firm issued a hold rating and a $152.00 price objective on the technology company’s stock.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on PLXS. KeyCorp assumed coverage on shares of Plexus in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. They set a “sector weight” rating for the company. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Plexus from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 18th. Needham & Company LLC raised their price objective on shares of Plexus from $162.00 to $172.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and issued a $165.00 price objective on shares of Plexus in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Plexus currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $163.00.

Plexus Trading Down 0.3 %

Shares of Plexus stock opened at $141.95 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.94 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a quick ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $159.02 and a 200 day simple moving average of $143.55. Plexus has a 12-month low of $90.18 and a 12-month high of $172.89.

Plexus (NASDAQ:PLXS) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The technology company reported $1.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.59 by ($0.10). Plexus had a return on equity of 10.36% and a net margin of 3.03%. Research analysts expect that Plexus will post 5.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, CAO Angelo Michael Ninivaggi, Jr. sold 3,423 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.14, for a total value of $496,814.22. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 29,501 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,281,775.14. This trade represents a 10.40 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Todd P. Kelsey sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $136.96, for a total transaction of $205,440.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 86,932 shares in the company, valued at $11,906,206.72. This trade represents a 1.70 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 15,239 shares of company stock valued at $2,212,730. 1.76% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of PLXS. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in Plexus during the 4th quarter worth approximately $15,892,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in Plexus during the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,277,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Plexus by 521.6% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 777 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $122,000 after acquiring an additional 652 shares during the last quarter. Olympiad Research LP bought a new position in Plexus during the 4th quarter worth approximately $322,000. Finally, Handelsbanken Fonder AB boosted its stake in Plexus by 11.2% during the 4th quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 6,937 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,086,000 after acquiring an additional 700 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.45% of the company’s stock.

About Plexus

Plexus Corp. provides electronic manufacturing services in the United States and internationally. It offers design, develop, supply chain, new product introduction, and manufacturing solutions, as well as sustaining services to companies in the healthcare/life sciences, industrial/commercial, aerospace/defense, and communications market sectors.