Victory Capital Management Inc. Trims Stock Holdings in Benchmark Electronics, Inc. (NYSE:BHE)

Victory Capital Management Inc. cut its holdings in shares of Benchmark Electronics, Inc. (NYSE:BHE) by 0.8% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 39,127 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 312 shares during the quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Benchmark Electronics were worth $1,776,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in BHE. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust purchased a new position in shares of Benchmark Electronics during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $50,000. KBC Group NV raised its holdings in Benchmark Electronics by 125.3% in the third quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,534 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $68,000 after acquiring an additional 853 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in Benchmark Electronics by 12.9% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,547 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $116,000 after acquiring an additional 292 shares during the last quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA bought a new position in Benchmark Electronics during the 3rd quarter valued at $238,000. Finally, Highland Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Benchmark Electronics by 6.4% during the 4th quarter. Highland Capital Management LLC now owns 5,620 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $255,000 after acquiring an additional 337 shares in the last quarter. 92.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Benchmark Electronics Stock Performance

Benchmark Electronics stock opened at $40.66 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $1.46 billion, a PE ratio of 23.50 and a beta of 0.97. Benchmark Electronics, Inc. has a 12 month low of $27.44 and a 12 month high of $52.57. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $42.59 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $44.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 2.32 and a quick ratio of 1.46.

Benchmark Electronics (NYSE:BHE) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The technology company reported $0.55 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.56 by ($0.01). Benchmark Electronics had a net margin of 2.38% and a return on equity of 6.68%.

Benchmark Electronics Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 11th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.17 per share. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.67%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. Benchmark Electronics’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.31%.

Insider Transactions at Benchmark Electronics

In other news, CEO Jeff Benck sold 6,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $38.82, for a total transaction of $232,920.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 448,180 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $17,398,347.60. The trade was a 1.32 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BHE has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Benchmark Electronics from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Needham & Company LLC boosted their price objective on Benchmark Electronics from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $43.00.

About Benchmark Electronics

Benchmark Electronics, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, offers product design, engineering services, technology solutions, and manufacturing services in the Americas, Asia, and Europe. The company provides engineering services and technology solutions, including new product design, prototype, testing, and related engineering services; and custom testing and technology solutions, as well as automation equipment design and build services.