Integrated Quantitative Investments LLC Buys New Shares in Plexus Corp. (NASDAQ:PLXS)

Integrated Quantitative Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Plexus Corp. (NASDAQ:PLXS) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 7,500 shares of the technology company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,174,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Pacer Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Plexus during the fourth quarter worth approximately $107,489,000. Stifel Financial Corp bought a new position in Plexus during the third quarter worth about $332,000. Barclays PLC raised its holdings in Plexus by 139.4% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 48,786 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $6,669,000 after acquiring an additional 28,406 shares in the last quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Plexus in the third quarter worth $683,000. Finally, FMR LLC lifted its position in Plexus by 614.2% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 13,941 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,906,000 after purchasing an additional 11,989 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 94.45% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on PLXS shares. Stifel Nicolaus began coverage on shares of Plexus in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $152.00 price target on the stock. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and set a $165.00 price target on shares of Plexus in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, Needham & Company LLC upped their price target 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. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $163.00.

Plexus Stock Down 10.8 %

Plexus stock opened at $116.03 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $3.14 billion, a PE ratio of 26.92 and a beta of 0.90. Plexus Corp. has a 12-month low of $92.72 and a 12-month high of $172.89. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $133.40 and its 200 day moving average is $145.76. The company has a quick ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07.

Plexus (NASDAQ:PLXS) last released its quarterly earnings data 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Plexus Corp. will post 5.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Todd P. Kelsey sold 4,337 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $142.23, for a total transaction of $616,851.51. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 80,595 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,463,026.85. The trade was a 5.11 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Michael J. Running sold 1,250 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.62, for a total transaction of $173,275.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 1,276 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $176,879.12. The trade was a 49.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 17,958 shares of company stock worth $2,551,930 in the last quarter. Insiders own 1.76% of the company’s stock.

Plexus Profile

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.