Plexus Corp. (NASDAQ:PLXS) Given Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Plexus Corp. (NASDAQ:PLXS - Get Free Report) has been given an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by the four ratings firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $162.33.

PLXS has been the subject of several analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded Plexus from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, November 18th. Needham & Company LLC upped their target price on shares of Plexus from $162.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. KeyCorp started coverage on Plexus in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. They issued a "sector weight" rating for the company. Benchmark reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $165.00 price target on shares of Plexus in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on shares of Plexus from $136.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th.

Plexus Price Performance

Shares of Plexus stock traded up $0.89 on Thursday, hitting $144.31. 40,774 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 174,886. The company has a market cap of $3.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.47 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a current ratio of 1.51, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. Plexus has a 12-month low of $90.18 and a 12-month high of $172.89. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $161.50 and its 200 day simple moving average is $142.70.

Plexus (NASDAQ:PLXS - Get Free Report) last announced 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 net margin of 3.03% and a return on equity of 10.43%. Analysts expect that Plexus will post 6.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Plexus

In other Plexus news, insider Michael J. Running sold 539 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.87, for a total transaction of $84,013.93. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 1,030 shares in the company, valued at $160,546.10. This represents a 34.35 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Victor (Pang Hau) Tan sold 3,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.90, for a total transaction of $497,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 5,605 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $929,869.50. This represents a 34.86 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 29,294 shares of company stock worth $4,692,906 in the last 90 days. 1.76% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Plexus

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in Plexus by 12.1% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 776 shares of the technology company's stock worth $121,000 after buying an additional 84 shares during the last quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA boosted its holdings in Plexus by 4.4% in the third quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA now owns 2,453 shares of the technology company's stock worth $335,000 after acquiring an additional 104 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in shares of Plexus by 17.2% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 891 shares of the technology company's stock worth $139,000 after acquiring an additional 131 shares during the last quarter. Farrow Financial Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Plexus by 0.7% during the third quarter. Farrow Financial Inc. now owns 21,692 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $2,966,000 after acquiring an additional 155 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP raised its position in shares of Plexus by 573.5% in the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 229 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 195 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other 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.