Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. Has $35.80 Million Position in Benchmark Electronics, Inc. (NYSE:BHE)

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lessened its holdings in Benchmark Electronics, Inc. (NYSE:BHE) by 5.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 788,529 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 44,870 shares during the quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. owned 2.19% of Benchmark Electronics worth $35,799,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of BHE. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Benchmark Electronics by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 184,332 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $8,170,000 after purchasing an additional 6,561 shares in the last quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Benchmark Electronics by 16.8% in the 3rd quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 8,329 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $369,000 after acquiring an additional 1,195 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Benchmark Electronics by 55.2% in the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 39,439 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $1,748,000 after acquiring an additional 14,020 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV lifted its stake in shares of Benchmark Electronics by 125.3% in the 3rd 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC lifted its stake in shares of Benchmark Electronics by 5.4% in the 3rd quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 173,894 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $7,707,000 after acquiring an additional 8,844 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.29% of the company’s stock.

Benchmark Electronics Stock Performance

BHE stock opened at $39.32 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $42.70 and a 200-day moving average price of $44.46. Benchmark Electronics, Inc. has a 1-year low of $27.44 and a 1-year high of $52.57. The company has a current ratio of 2.32, a quick ratio of 1.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. The firm has a market cap of $1.42 billion, a PE ratio of 22.73 and a beta of 0.97.

Benchmark Electronics (NYSE:BHE) last issued its 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 11th. Shareholders 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 1.73%. Benchmark Electronics’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.31%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Benchmark Electronics

In other Benchmark Electronics news, CEO Jeff Benck sold 6,000 shares of Benchmark Electronics 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $17,398,347.60. This trade represents a 1.32 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

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.