Franklin Resources Inc. Takes Position in Plexus Corp. (NASDAQ:PLXS)

Franklin Resources Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Plexus Corp. (NASDAQ:PLXS - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 5,933 shares of the technology company's stock, valued at approximately $928,000.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in PLXS. TD Private Client Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Plexus in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in Plexus during the 4th quarter valued at about $45,000. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its stake in Plexus by 45.5% during the fourth quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 320 shares of the technology company's stock worth $50,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. USA Financial Formulas bought a new position in shares of Plexus in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $56,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Plexus by 12.1% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 776 shares of the technology company's stock worth $121,000 after acquiring an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.45% of the company's stock.

Plexus Trading Up 0.6 %

Plexus stock traded up $0.74 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $122.66. 141,120 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 164,929. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.46 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a current ratio of 1.53. Plexus Corp. has a fifty-two week low of $92.72 and a fifty-two week high of $172.89. The firm's 50 day moving average is $127.54 and its 200-day moving average is $144.57.

Plexus (NASDAQ:PLXS - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The technology company reported $1.49 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%. On average, analysts predict that Plexus Corp. will post 5.9 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Plexus

In related news, CAO Angelo Michael Ninivaggi, Jr. sold 3,423 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.14, for a total value of $496,814.22. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 29,501 shares in the company, valued at $4,281,775.14. This represents a 10.40 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Frank Zycinski sold 1,200 shares of Plexus stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $140.84, for a total value of $169,008.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 723 shares in the company, valued at approximately $101,827.32. This represents a 62.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 17,958 shares of company stock worth $2,551,930. 1.76% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Needham & Company LLC lifted their price objective on Plexus from $162.00 to $172.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Benchmark restated a "buy" rating and issued a $165.00 price objective on shares of Plexus in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus began coverage on shares of Plexus in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. They set a "hold" rating and a $152.00 target price on the stock. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Plexus presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $163.00.

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.