Benchmark Electronics, Inc. (NYSE:BHE) Shares Sold by Vanguard Group Inc.

Vanguard Group Inc. lowered its position in Benchmark Electronics, Inc. (NYSE:BHE) by 0.0% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 5,003,527 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 401 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 0.14% of Benchmark Electronics worth $227,160,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Captrust Financial Advisors grew its position in shares of Benchmark Electronics by 3.8% in the third quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 6,535 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $290,000 after purchasing an additional 242 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in Benchmark Electronics by 12.9% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,547 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $116,000 after purchasing an additional 292 shares during the last quarter. Heritage Family Offices LLP grew its position in Benchmark Electronics by 5.7% in the fourth quarter. Heritage Family Offices LLP now owns 6,162 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $280,000 after acquiring an additional 334 shares during the period. Highland Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Benchmark Electronics by 6.4% in the 4th quarter. Highland Capital Management LLC now owns 5,620 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $255,000 after buying an additional 337 shares during the period. Finally, KBC Group NV lifted its holdings in shares of Benchmark Electronics by 40.2% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 2,151 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $98,000 after acquiring an additional 617 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.29% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BHE has been the subject of several research reports. Needham & Company LLC lifted their target price on Benchmark Electronics from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. StockNews.com raised Benchmark Electronics from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $43.00.

Benchmark Electronics Price Performance

BHE stock opened at $32.68 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $1.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.89 and a beta of 0.83. Benchmark Electronics, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $28.64 and a fifty-two week high of $52.57. The company has a quick ratio of 1.46, a current ratio of 2.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $40.26 and a 200 day moving average price of $44.19.

Benchmark Electronics (NYSE:BHE) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The technology company reported $0.55 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 11th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.17 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.08%. Benchmark Electronics’s dividend payout ratio is presently 39.31%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Jeff Benck sold 6,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $38.82, for a total transaction of $232,920.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 448,180 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $17,398,347.60. This trade represents a 1.32 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.