Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. Reduces Stock Position in Benchmark Electronics, Inc. (NYSE:BHE)

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. reduced its position in shares of Benchmark Electronics, Inc. (NYSE:BHE) by 5.4% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 788,529 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 44,870 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Benchmark Electronics were worth $35,799,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Benchmark Electronics by 3.7% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 184,332 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $8,170,000 after buying an additional 6,561 shares during the period. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. lifted its holdings in Benchmark Electronics by 16.8% in the third quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 8,329 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $369,000 after buying an additional 1,195 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Benchmark Electronics by 55.2% in the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 39,439 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,748,000 after buying an additional 14,020 shares during the period. KBC Group NV lifted 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 worth $68,000 after buying an additional 853 shares during the period. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC lifted its holdings in Benchmark Electronics by 5.4% in the third quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 173,894 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $7,707,000 after buying an additional 8,844 shares during the period. 92.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Benchmark Electronics Price Performance

Shares of BHE opened at $39.32 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.73 and a beta of 0.97. 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 firm has a 50 day moving average of $42.70 and a 200 day moving average of $44.46. Benchmark Electronics, Inc. has a twelve month low of $27.44 and a twelve month high of $52.57.

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 return on equity of 6.68% and a net margin of 2.38%.

Benchmark Electronics Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 11th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a $0.17 dividend. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.73%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. Benchmark Electronics’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.31%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Jeff Benck sold 6,000 shares of Benchmark Electronics 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 448,180 shares in the company, valued at $17,398,347.60. This trade represents a 1.32 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Benchmark Electronics Company Profile

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.