First Trust Advisors LP Purchases 50,390 Shares of Benchmark Electronics, Inc. (NYSE:BHE)

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

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust acquired a new position in shares of Benchmark Electronics in the 4th quarter valued at about $50,000. KBC Group NV increased its position in Benchmark Electronics by 40.2% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 2,151 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $98,000 after buying an additional 617 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in 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 during the period. Bank of Montreal Can increased its holdings in shares of Benchmark Electronics by 10.7% during the fourth quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 5,100 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $232,000 after acquiring an additional 495 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Summit Global Investments bought a new stake in Benchmark Electronics during the 4th quarter valued at $242,000. 92.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Benchmark Electronics Price Performance

BHE traded up $0.33 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $35.14. The stock had a trading volume of 57,208 shares, compared to its average volume of 327,315. The company has a market cap of $1.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.31 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a quick ratio of 1.46 and a current ratio of 2.32. Benchmark Electronics, Inc. has a 1 year low of $30.73 and a 1 year high of $52.57. The business has a fifty day moving average of $37.03 and a 200 day moving average of $42.67.

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

Benchmark Electronics Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 11th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st were given a dividend of $0.17 per share. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.94%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 31st. Benchmark Electronics's dividend payout ratio is currently 46.90%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Jeff Benck sold 6,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $38.82, for a total transaction of $232,920.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 448,180 shares of the company's stock, valued at $17,398,347.60. The trade was a 1.32 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 2.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.