Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. Has $36.94 Million Position in Benchmark Electronics, Inc. (NYSE:BHE)

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. trimmed its position in Benchmark Electronics, Inc. (NYSE:BHE) by 4.6% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 833,399 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 40,096 shares during the quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. owned 2.31% of Benchmark Electronics worth $36,936,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BHE. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in Benchmark Electronics by 55.2% in the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 39,439 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,748,000 after purchasing an additional 14,020 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC increased its stake in Benchmark Electronics by 85.9% during the 2nd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 446,176 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $17,606,000 after acquiring an additional 206,114 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Benchmark Electronics by 8.9% in the 3rd quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 1,944,347 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $86,173,000 after acquiring an additional 159,659 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates bought a new stake in shares of Benchmark Electronics during the 2nd quarter valued at $2,642,000. Finally, Jennison Associates LLC acquired a new position in Benchmark Electronics in the third quarter valued at about $1,201,000. Institutional investors own 92.29% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Benchmark Electronics

In related news, CEO Jeff Benck sold 24,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $45.90, for a total value of $1,101,600.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 424,173 shares in the company, valued at $19,469,540.70. This represents a 5.36 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Rhonda R. Turner sold 6,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.98, for a total transaction of $281,880.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 47,991 shares in the company, valued at $2,254,617.18. This trade represents a 11.11 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Benchmark Electronics Stock Performance

Shares of Benchmark Electronics stock opened at $49.48 on Tuesday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $45.91 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $42.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.77 and a beta of 0.97. Benchmark Electronics, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $24.93 and a fifty-two week high of $52.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 2.36 and a quick ratio of 1.45.

Benchmark Electronics (NYSE:BHE) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The technology company reported $0.57 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.54 by $0.03. Benchmark Electronics had a return on equity of 6.81% and a net margin of 2.32%. The company had revenue of $658.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $650.00 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.57 EPS. Benchmark Electronics’s revenue for the quarter was down 8.6% on a year-over-year basis.

Benchmark Electronics Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 11th. Investors of record on Monday, September 30th were given a dividend of $0.17 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 30th. This is an increase from Benchmark Electronics’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.17. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.37%. Benchmark Electronics’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.53%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently issued reports on BHE shares. Needham & Company LLC increased their price target on shares of Benchmark Electronics from $45.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. StockNews.com raised Benchmark Electronics from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $42.33.

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.