Natixis Advisors LLC Buys 875 Shares of Benchmark Electronics, Inc. (NYSE:BHE)

Natixis Advisors LLC raised its stake in Benchmark Electronics, Inc. (NYSE:BHE) by 3.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 28,108 shares of the technology company’s stock after buying an additional 875 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC owned about 0.08% of Benchmark Electronics worth $1,276,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BHE. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust bought a new stake in shares of Benchmark Electronics during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $50,000. 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 buying an additional 617 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in shares of Benchmark Electronics by 12.9% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,547 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $116,000 after buying an additional 292 shares in the last quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA purchased a new position in shares of Benchmark Electronics during the third quarter valued at $238,000. Finally, Highland Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Benchmark Electronics by 6.4% in the fourth quarter. Highland Capital Management LLC now owns 5,620 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $255,000 after acquiring an additional 337 shares in the last quarter. 92.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Benchmark Electronics Stock Performance

BHE stock opened at $40.60 on Wednesday. Benchmark Electronics, Inc. has a one year low of $28.64 and a one year high of $52.57. The firm has a market cap of $1.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.47 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a quick ratio of 1.46 and a current ratio of 2.32. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $41.95 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $44.43.

Benchmark Electronics (NYSE:BHE) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The technology company reported $0.55 earnings per share 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 firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 11th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a dividend of $0.17 per share. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.67%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. Benchmark Electronics’s dividend payout ratio is currently 39.31%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Benchmark Electronics

In other Benchmark Electronics news, CEO Jeff Benck sold 6,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 approximately $17,398,347.60. This represents a 1.32 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by company 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.