First Trust Advisors LP Boosts Holdings in Benchmark Electronics, Inc. (NYSE:BHE)

First Trust Advisors LP increased its position in shares of Benchmark Electronics, Inc. (NYSE:BHE - Free Report) by 180.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 78,310 shares of the technology company's stock after purchasing an additional 50,390 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP owned approximately 0.22% of Benchmark Electronics worth $3,555,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BHE. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Benchmark Electronics during the 4th quarter worth about $4,145,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Benchmark Electronics during the fourth quarter valued at about $868,000. Barclays PLC raised its stake in shares of Benchmark Electronics by 128.8% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 86,024 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $3,814,000 after acquiring an additional 48,425 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank lifted its holdings in shares of Benchmark Electronics by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 71,000 shares of the technology company's stock worth $3,223,000 after acquiring an additional 700 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in Benchmark Electronics by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 190,444 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $8,646,000 after purchasing an additional 6,112 shares during the last quarter. 92.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Benchmark Electronics Stock Up 0.8 %

NYSE:BHE traded up $0.28 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $34.71. The company had a trading volume of 248,117 shares, compared to its average volume of 329,095. Benchmark Electronics, Inc. has a 12-month low of $30.73 and a 12-month high of $52.57. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.06 and a beta of 0.92. 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 stock's fifty day simple moving average is $37.19 and its 200-day simple moving average is $42.78.

Benchmark Electronics (NYSE:BHE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The technology company reported $0.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.50 by $0.02. Benchmark Electronics had a return on equity of 6.68% and a net margin of 2.38%. The business had revenue of $631.76 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $640.00 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.55 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was down 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year.

Benchmark Electronics Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 11th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st were given a dividend of $0.17 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 31st. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.96%. Benchmark Electronics's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 46.90%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Benchmark Electronics news, CEO Jeff Benck sold 6,000 shares of Benchmark Electronics 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 448,180 shares of the company's stock, valued at $17,398,347.60. The trade was a 1.32 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Insiders own 2.20% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. Needham & Company LLC lowered their price target on Benchmark Electronics from $50.00 to $48.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. StockNews.com cut shares of Benchmark Electronics from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Lake Street Capital dropped their price objective on shares of Benchmark Electronics from $52.00 to $46.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 30th.

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.